Review of The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

I’ve read statements claiming H. G. Wells is the father of science fiction, and there does appear a degree truth in it.  Certainly other writers had taken steps, most notably Jules Verne with his voyages extraordinaires, but it was Wells who latched onto the ideological potential of the genre and began writing stories.  Seeming to spawn a sub-genre with each book published, The War of the Worlds looks at humanity’s reaction to an alien invasion; The Invisible Man deals with identity problems; The Island of Dr. Moreau tackles biological modification; and The First Men in the Moon is a very early look at lunar life.  Each book a vehicle for his political agenda, these and other of the author’s works employ what are now standard sci-fi motifs to expound upon sociopolitical concepts.  Wells’ debut in long form, the 1898 novella The Time Machine, is one such book.

The Time Machine is a foremost frame story.  It opens from the point of view of an unnamed narrator at a dinner party hosted by a person called simply the Time Traveler.  Amongst the group sit men of learning—a medical doctor, psychologist, and others—who listen as the Time Traveler expounds upon dimensional physics, interest and discord arising in the discussion’s wake.  After demonstrating with a small time machine to the disbelief of some and amazement of others, the Time Traveler invites the group to return the following week, hoping to be able to report on a larger machine he has been constructing.  When the guests return, they find the Time Traveler strangely absent from his home.  But soon enough he emerges from the shop.  Weary in body, clothes in rags, and feet bloody through the socks, he begins the narrative of his adventure in time.

Review of "Now Wait for last Year" by Philip K.. Dick

Like a mad dream of himself, some Philip K. Dick books seem more autobiographical than fictional.  One can almost see him, hunched over the typewriter, taking his wacky visions and delusional experiences of the afternoon and plunking them into a story.  Bad marriages, paranoia, experimental drug use, precogs, suicide, etc., etc., are landmarks navigating his novels.  Written in 1966, Now Wait for Last Year has all of this and more, and leaves the reader asking: how many different ways can Dick combine his favorite motifs.  The answer: at least one more.

Containing the ambiguous leader concept of The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, the reality-altering property of drugs from FlowMy Tears, the Policeman Said, and the surreal mood and broken relationships of every seemingly Dick book, Now Wait for Last Year has little new to offer well-read Dick fans in the way of ideas.  The writing beginning broken and jumbled but settling in after the first few chapters, Dick’s poor prose is also present, but not in spades.  Thus, from being nothing special through one glass, to a representative sample of PKD’s work through another, the verdict is ho-hum.

The year is 2055 and Eric Sweetscent, an artiforg (artificial organ transplant surgeon), is employed by one of the richest men in the world keeping the centuries old businessman alive.  When not at work, he spends his time in constant disharmony with his wife, Kathy.  She a drug addicted, emotional wreck, their domestic life alternates awkwardly between hurtful disagreements and tender sensitivity—a lifestyle which does not well suit the mild-mannered, highly passive Sweetscent.  But when the UN Secretary General, leader of the Earth’s government, recruits Sweetscent to be his own personal physician, events start rolling. 

In Dick’s 2055, earthlings are the third wheel in an interstellar battle between the power hungry ‘Starmen and the insectile reegs.  The Secretary General, Gino Molinari, spends his time trying to sidetrack the ‘Starmen, with whom Earth has signed a peace treaty, in order to prevent humans from being sent to the front to fight.  Molinari’s main method of redirecting ‘Starmen requests for soldiers is not so subtle: he plays dead, literally, and Sweetscent must keep him alive.  But when Sweetscent finds both an assassinated version and a younger version of the ageing Molinari in the white house, questions arise.  Further complicating events is the appearance of a mysterious drug named JJ-180.  Having the ability to send people back and forth in time, things really lose touch with reality when Kathy slips Sweetscent some of the strange drug.  Highly addictive, Sweetscent is forced to abandon his relaxed life to escape the mysterious shifts in time, possibly just saving Earthlings in the process.

Now Wait for Last Year of the middling grade in Dick’s oeuvre, diehard fans will undoubtedly enjoy it despite the lack of anything truly fresh.  A direct analogue of Dick’s own relationship troubles (Wikipedia states he was married five times), Sweetscent’s broken marriage is perhaps the strongest aspect of the novel.  The dialogue that occurs between he and his wife, particularly the hurtful vitriol hurtling across the room in the opening scenes, is especially realistic.  Dick’s final resolution of the relationship—almost a note written on a mirror to himself—is touching and closes the novel in affective fashion.

Time travel a gaping hole just waiting for writers to trip and fall into, Dick handles the motif with ease.  Perhaps too lax, its effect on the reality of the novel is poorly thought through.  In the same vein as the drug effects of Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, if a large number of people are able to modify reality simply by taking a pill, one would expect reality to be in constant, chaotic shift, rather than responsive only to the main character’s actions.  This selfish personalization, while effectively focusing the plot on the main characters, fails to deliver a message at any logical or social level, thus diminishing the idea’s credibility.

In the end, Now Wait for Last Year is an average read.  Readers who enjoy time travel will like the book, however, there are several other books which portray the motif in more convincing fashion.  (The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers or Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys’ film are good examples.)  Fans of the author will find nothing to complain about; all the typical Dickian elements are present in quantity.  One of his stronger examinations of a broken relationship, readers should expect domestic turmoil to heavily affect the plot.  However, when contrasted against the larger conflict occurring in space, its depth gets lost solving the mystery of who or what Molinari really is .  There are better Dick stories out there, but there are probably more that are worse.

Review of "Anubis Gates" by Tim Powers

Anubis Gates is, plain and simple, time travel as it should be told.  Never a gimmick or anachronistic moment, the story holds up well to inspection for annoying plot loopholes and deus ex machini that plague many time travel stories.  Powered by voodoo, the book is a shining example of the positive nature fantasy can add to history for storytelling purposes.

Much in the vein of Dan Simmons’ historical fantasy, Anubis Gates is the story of the modern day scholar on British romantic poets, Prof. Doyle, and what happens after he is taken to hear - in person - a lecture from one of his most admired historical personages, Samuel Coleridge.  The magic that takes him there is Egyptian, but he runs into the likes of Byron, Pope, and Warton along the way.  The poets, however, do not turn out to be anywhere near as interesting as the host of other people Doyle encounters after being stranded in 19^th century London.  Dr. Romanelli, a powerful magician and his spring shoes, Horrabin, the evil beggar clown who walks on stilts, and Dog Face Joe, a man who becomes a werewolf if he doesn’t change skins quick enough, all these and many more characters romp about, chasing one another, trying to solve murders, pursuing immortality, and learning who is actually who in historical terms.  Yes, the plot twists and turns, but never at such a rate to befuddle the reader.  Powers’ tight and focused prose wonderfully balances description with narrative to constantly have the story on the move while at the same time riding that fine line between mystery and clarity, revealing just enough to lead the reader on.  

Much more fiction than history, Powers nonetheless successfully utilizes voodoo magic, the romantic poets and period London to tell a brilliant time travel story that does not leave the reader ashamed.  Characterization is rich and colorful, the setting detailed perfectly for the story, and the plot constructed wonderfully.  There may be deeper elements, allusion, symbolism, etc., but as I am unfamiliar with British romantic era poetry, Anubis Gates remains a true storyteller’s book and comes recommended as a relaxing holiday read.  If only more time travel stories had such integrity.