Review of The Universe by Mike Matzdorff
Title: The Universe
Author: Mike Matzdorff
Publisher / Publication date: Green Crow Publishing, June 10, 2025
Language: English
Format / # of Pages: softcover, audiobook, 149 pages
Genre: Speculative Fiction, Magical Realism
ISBN/ASIN:
978-1-967309-00-9 Digital Online
978-1-967309-01-6 Paperback
978-1-967309-02-3 Audiobook
Reviewed by: Rebecca S. Krantz
The Universe Provides a Sweet and Cinematic Tale
We like to say, “The universe will provide.” But how might this actually work? Mike Matzdorff’s first novel is a sweet and sometimes humorous thought experiment: What if the universe were run out of a New York City office, with minions throughout the world implementing minute interventions to try to improve things? And what if these messengers were as fallible, as prone to rumination, regret, manipulation, and misbehavior, as we are? After a tragic loss, Katie is recruited to join the team. The job seems too strange, and too good, to be true. When she befriends her supervisor Mike and gets him to break the rules a little, they uncover secrets that overturn their views of themselves and the world.
Matzdorff has worked in film for over three decades, and it shows. The book has delightful black and white drawings sprinkled here and there, and the writing itself is cinematic, offering strong visual descriptions with a tight focus on dramatic moments:
“A rope is tied across the back of the open stake bed, and then it isn’t. A woman’s gloved hand loosens the knot.”
There are a lot of quick cuts from scene to scene, which I sometimes found confusing without more guideposts — the time stamps were helpful where they existed, but I could have used more. The omniscient narrator feels at times like a camera zooming in, at others like a voice-over, leaving much of the characters’ thoughts and feelings to the imagination. In comparison, the audiobook, performed by professional actor Tony Shalhoub, helped bring the story to life for me.
Some of the story’s mysteriousness is clearly intentional, like the scene that ends:
“Somewhere, on another computer screen, a cursor blinks.”
(Can you just hear the dramatic musical accompaniment?)
However, much of the mystery is never explained. Who are the powers-that-be, and how do they know when and where to intervene? While this particular ambiguity is fully embraced in the story, others seem more like oversights. We never get the back story on a key player, Mike’s boss Brooke, which is surprising given how much causal chains matter to the premise. Some behind-the-scenes machinations are eventually revealed, but almost in shorthand, leaving me wondering why Brooke was chosen by the Universe for her important role.
The story’s ultimate message is also somewhat ambiguous. It’s clear that friendship is important, and sometimes you need to break the rules for friends. We should also learn to live with our mistakes. (Imagine having to ruminate for centuries about a missed opportunity!) Getting off track might mean you fail to avert a disaster, but the world could end up with something really great as a tradeoff for the tragedy. (The Titanic still sinks, but as a result Lennon and McCartney get to meet).
Whether or not you think that the universe is unfolding according to a grand plan, the story illustrates how small acts can have large unpredictable ripple or Rube Goldberg effects. I recommend it to readers who like to engage deep questions in a light way and to those who want to patronize debut novelists and new independent presses. I hear Matzdorff is working on a screenplay, which this novel should support, and I hope to get to see the film someday.
Rebecca S. Krantz writes Scribing from the Well, a blog about her experiences with cancer, writing, and life. She is working on her first novel.
