Escape the Rift by Gail Smallman, book one of The Miceverse Chronicles
The Miceverse Chronicles · Book one

Escape the Rift

Eli and Cain thought the Miceverse was a world they could leave whenever they wanted. Then a strange glitch pulls them inside—and the storm gathering across their creation threatens to tear it apart.

To find their way home, the friends must cross the Pentapelagos, face the consequences of a world behaving beyond their control, and discover what it means to care for something they made.

A middle-grade fantasy adventure by Gail Smallman

Reading age
9–13
Genre
Fantasy
Length
381 pages
Format
Royal · 15.6 × 2.18 × 23.39 cm
Paperback ISBN
979-8187154081
Hardback ISBN
978-1066816491
A spoiler-light look inside

When the creators become part of the adventure.

Eli and Cain’s virtual world is full of talking mice, floating islands and wonderfully unpredictable inventions. But when one of their creations begins to behave in unexpected ways, the boys are swept into the Miceverse themselves. Their playful project has become a place they must navigate for real.

Eli and Cain working together in their creators' workshop
Just an ordinary day building mice in their creators’ workshop.
Black Hole Mouse activated for an animation test
Black Hole Mouse is activated for an animation test—and that’s when things begin to go wrong.

A glitch becomes a crisis

Strange gravity, flickering landscapes and a gathering Rift turn a familiar game into an urgent journey. The boys need to reach their unfinished rocket in Junktopia if they hope to get home.

A world of changing rules

From the bright, candy-coloured Pink Planet to the floating Nimbus Isles and the tangled greenery of Emerald Island, every part of the Pentapelagos brings new surprises.

Imagination carries responsibility

Along the way, Eli and Cain meet mice who need their help and face problems their inventions cannot simply fix. Their choices matter to the world they created—and to each other.

A warning reports gravity instability as Black Hole Mouse's build becomes unstable
The first warning signs: Black Hole Mouse’s gravity begins to destabilise the Miceverse.
A dark Rift storm gathers over a scrapyard landscape
As the journey continues, the Rift closes in across the Pentapelagos.
A glimpse of the locations in Escape The Rift

Explore locations from across the Miceverse. These appear in a different order each time you visit.

A rocket waiting among the scrap towers of Junktopia

Could this be Eli and Cain's way back home to Brackenvale?

The unfinished rocket is more than a landmark in the scrapyard of Junktopia. It may be Eli and Cain’s only way out of the Miceverse. But first, they have to make it across a world that is coming apart at the (digital) seams.

Will they make it out in time?

Side profile of the Escape the Rift book
The book

Escape the Rift

Book one of The Miceverse Chronicles, written by Gail Smallman and published through Smallman Storyworks.

  • Hardback · full colour
  • Paperback · black and white
  • Kindle ebook
Portrait of Gail Smallman
The author

Created by
Gail Smallman.

Discover more about Gail, the inspiration behind The Miceverse Chronicles, and the stories she creates.

Find out more about Gail