Book Reviews

Book Blurb

“It’s a tank full of warm water. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Seventeen-year-old Ollie is out with his best friends on a Saturday night, and they decide to try the “sensory deprivation” tanks at a store called Infinite Drift.

But when he gets out again, the world seems vaguely… different. And it feels like he’s being watched.

Could he have somehow crossed over into a different dimension? Or is he going insane? After all, he’s still distraught over the death of his little brother eight months earlier — an event no one knows he accidentally caused.

Ollie tries to "reset" things by going back into the tank. This time, he emerges into a world where the Yellowstone "supervolcano" erupted four years earlier, almost wiping out human civilization, and one of his best friends is dead.

 

Book Review

“We seem to be drifting into unknown places and unknown ways.” ~ Bram Stoker, Dracula

 

Ollie, the main character in ‘Infinite Drift’ by Brent Hartinger, is struggling after his younger brother’s death. Isolated and weighed down by loneliness, he finds it difficult to express how dull and off-kilter he feels. Although his friends, Raina and Alex, try to support him, activities like the carnival—once a source of joy—now fail to lift his spirits.

 

After their outing, Ollie and his friends wander past a store called Infinite Drift. Ollie is curious about their services and wants to go in and ask about them. Kathy, who works there, explains that they offer sensory deprivation tanks that may change one’s perspective. Desperate for relief, Ollie decides to give it a try.

 

Ollie follows instructions and gets into the tank. A sense of unease creeps in as he wonders why there are lights if it should be dark. The tank is not what he expected, and a wave of anxiety washes over him, amplifying the disorientation he already feels. Eventually, he gets out, relieved but puzzled. The room looks almost the same, but his clothes are different and in a new spot, deepening his confusion. Ollie starts to think that Raina and Alex might be playing a joke on him, but a gnawing doubt leaves him unsettled.

 

Ollie quickly notices that things are different after his time in the tank. For example, his friends say a book is called ‘Hansel and Greta’ instead of ‘Hansel and Gretel,’ and when he checks online, it really is ‘Hansel and Greta.’ Other small things start to confuse him as well. Parts of his life are almost the same, but just a little off. Now his best friends are dating, his oatmeal is called Quicker Oats instead of Quaker Oats, and the Amazon sign is upside down. Ollie starts to wonder if he is having visions or if he is losing his mind. After meeting Matilda at the library, she suggests that he may be switching from one dimension to another. After discussing it further, Ollie decides to return to the tank and hopefully “reset” whatever got skewed when he first entered.

 

Determined to fix these growing inconsistencies, Ollie rushes back to the now-altered Infinite Drift. The tanks are in disrepair: there is no water, and the tops won’t open. Ollie forces his way into one in hopes of restoring normalcy. Instead, reality grows even more confusing, as each new tank experience takes him farther from what he knows. Although Ollie was hoping to turn back time, particularly to before his brother died, he realizes that to do so isn’t possible, or advisable, considering all the other changes that will occur to do so.

 

‘Infinite Drift’ is, indeed, a departure from Brent’s earlier books. Ollie’s journey left me feeling unsettled and oddly enlightened. It was challenging to understand Ollie and his friends; their personalities truly felt unreachable. Part of me wonders if that was intentional; Ollie’s struggle to know himself was palpable, and I shared that confusion. Raina and Alex were Only Matilda, whose own pain seemed to bring her closer to Ollie, and they offered a connection that felt real. Thanks, Brent, for guiding me through a journey that was as trippy as it was raw.

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book purchased by the reviewer.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 238 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	30-August-2025
Price	$6.99 ebook, $16.99 paperback, $22.99 hardback
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Drift-Brent-Hartinger-ebook/dp/B0FH1RTY15