"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller."
- Stephen King -
I am a Sci-Fi junkie....
There, I've admitted it. (Today must be my day for confessions...)
Now that that's out of the way...
My reaction to and enjoyment of any particular science fiction novel varies wildly.
It was a steel semicircle, standing on end...
Photo courtesy of Pete Linforth and http://pixabay.com
As Sci-Fi novels go, I found "Last Year" particularly good.
I really hate it when I finish a book wondering, "Why did I spend all that time and energy?"
"Last Year" is not like that. Once hooked, it kept me fully engaged to the end.
"Last Year" could be described as a time-travel book. However, the time mechanics in this novel are inherently interesting.
The time-travel mechanism is more of an inter-dimensional gateway to one specific moment in the middle-past... a time, not too recent — because that would not be very interesting — but not too distant, as that would take too much energy. Time flows at the same rate on both sides of the gateway, but from the moment the gateway is opened, the "past" side becomes a new and divergent timeline.
Most of the action takes place in Ninteenth Century Illinois, during the tenure of President Grant. However, it is no longer, our Ninteenth Century. In effect, an alternate universe/timeline has been created.
You may wonder,
"What makes this book any different or better than the rest?" Other authors have explored branching universes. There's nothing apparently original about the basic scenario.
Several things stand out that may entice you to read "Last Year."
The "City of Futurity" is constructed in historic Illinois by wealthy modern businessman August Kemp. A 19th Century drifter, Jesse Cullum, is hired by the city, and is in the right place at the right time to save a visiting Grant from an assassin's bullet.
This act brings an unassuming Cullum to Kemp's attention. He is subsequently paired with ex-military Elizabeth DePaul, and the duo are assigned special security duties.
The past, but not your past.
Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann and http://pixabay.com
The action takes Cullum and DePaul to New York and later San Francisco.
The story exposes the considerable difficulties of interfacing the past with the future. It is a thoroughly well-imagined case study of a clash of cultures. Tourists from the future pay exorbitant fees to visit the past, and some "runners" try to stay. Citizens of the past pay (in gold) to be wowed by visits to the City of Futurity, where they see a watered-down vision of a possible future, no longer theirs.
The title is derived from the intolerable tension that builds between past and future, as the book describes the "Last Year" of the city's operation in the past.
The past, but not your past.
Photo courtesy of AzDude and http://pixabay.com
I look forward to reading more by author Wilson.
You'll find "Last Year" to be an ingenious blend of romance, intrigue, action, violence, and science-fictional speculation. The characters are engaging and credible. The dilemmas are fascinating. I highly recommend that you read it.
~FIN~
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nice post. I do like as well the way you present the links on the bottom of your post!
Thank you.
This Man should really start reading more books. Even though This Man has read enough Steemit pages to fill that entire bookshelf of encyclopedias The Parents used to have, that is not enough.
I can heartily endorse This Man's intention to read more books. I find that reading provides me a lovely collection of benefits. While it is mostly "recreational," I am also introduced to a wide range of new ideas that help shake my mind out of its repetitive grooves. I get to explore new territories of the imagination.
As I know that IMAGINATION is something of considerable importance to This Man, I highly recommend that This Man follow through with his good intention to read more. Go hang out at some libraries. Comb the stacks, pull down random tomes and leaf through them. This Man will be glad he did! ;)
😄😇😄
awesome read , was enjoyingthis with a cup of tea
Thanks, I hope you can get a copy of the book!
an interesting review creatr - the optimal period to select for time travel is very narrow - 2 generations - 40 yrs ahead or behind. If behind, it will likely be accurate because there are still witnesses with living memories. If ahead, it's not too far to end up in pure fantasy, like H. G. Well's Time Machine.
My novel, A Familiar Rain, only went back a few years, but that's another story :)
I'm going to have to get my hands on a copy of A Familiar Rain...
Will you ever make it available for Kindle, or am I going to have to buy a paperback? ;)
Oh, don't buy the paperback - too expensive - I'm half-way through the revised edition and I'll put it back up on Amazon
Excellent! :D
Please leave me a note when it becomes available? ;)
thanks, creatr, I will
Now that is an intriguing concept.
Sometimes I wonder how God keeps all of history straight, haha.
While your mileage may vary, I found the story very entertaining and thought provoking...
Have you heard this saying? "Time is God's way of keeping everything from happening all at once." ;)
Haha.
I have not heard that before.
Somehow I read the words happening all at once and see a large highway pile up, haha. I'm glad God is the sovereign one. ;)
Très bon contexte. Merci .
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