Standing by the Wall at the Near and Far by Golden November is an interactive reading experience that requires the participation of two or more readers to breathe life into this action-packed novel. On the run for reasons initially unexplained, Sapphire is on the road when she gets a call from Simon, who keeps calling her Lisa and is following her in a helicopter while demanding that she pulls over. She does, but not for Simon, and ends up lost in the woods where it is revealed that Simon has reason to follow her. Sapphire has a file that Simon wants her to return. A chase ensues that has Sapphire walking for miles, fighting off creatures both in the wild and in her cheap motel room which has, as reception clarifies, bedbugs but no roaches. She is successful and put on another mission, and then...a date? Meanwhile, the usual Milestoneville characters are skydiving, dancing at music awards, and stealing back rare books in front of rural outhouses. Standing by the Wall at the Near and Far is a hilarious romp through every conceivable landscape and tundra in North America. Sapphire is always a step ahead of Simon and Jillian has intercepted Burt in a forest. The common denominator in Golden November's string of subplots is clear - women are amazing. There is a part where the irony of readers reading the lines of characters playing other characters becomes clear. The crew is deployed to rescue happy holidaymakers from a virtual city where the vacationers and their rescuers are all playing other characters. The best part is that they are depicted in a unique twist by the author, who has only ever shown us locations in the photo prompts and not actual characters. I fell a little in love with Rick who looks disturbingly similar to The Witcher. This might be the most action-packed book of November's yet and it is loads of fun for readers who are looking for a story and format that is different.
