1976: Scop by Barry N. Malzberg
April 11, 2008
A time traveler named Scop tries to thwart the JFK assassination and prevent America from turning into a horrific dystopia by 2045. And a dystopia is worst kind of topia, except for Fruitopia, which is like fruit stomping on a human face, forever. Anyway, he fails and humankind goes down the ol’ crapper. As an avid JFK assaniation fan, this book blew me away. I found it on a shelf at the local library and read it in one sitting, then I put it back and left. Back and left. Back and left.
On a scale of Presidential assassins ranging from Charles Guiteau to Leon F. Czolgosz, this book is: John Schrank.
“It’s a nice day,” said the President, “let’s put the top down.”
1967: Hawksbill Station by Robert Silverbeg
March 14, 2008
Of all of SF’s sub-genres, time travel is one of my favourites. Hawksbill Station (both the book and the station) delivers a steaming helping of chilling time travel in a world where political dissidents are sent to a penal colony a billion years in the past. But with good behavior, they could get out in 500,000,000. Silverberg tempers well-crafted characters with friggin’ cool descriptions of what the Earth looked like long before anything set foot, paw or claw on it. Highly recommended.
On a scale of predatory birds ranging from osprey to raptors, this book is: a wedge-tailed eagle.
"I'm up for parole in the Cretaceous."
1939: Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp
January 21, 2008
I hated math and chemistry in high school. But if Mr. Gauldie told me I might someday travel back in time to ancient Rome and use my scant knowledge of those subjects to stave off the approaching Dark Ages, I would’ve been more attentive in class. A well-plotted alt/hist classic which proves that a Grade 10 General Science credit in AD 535 is like a license to mint sesterii. Recommended.
On a scale of alternate histories ranging from Yoko Ono breaking up the Eagles to the Nazis winning the Civil War, this book is: a polka-based Woodstock.
"Scusi, do you mind if I...come se dice...alter the course of civilization as we know it?"
