Time and Again

Executive Summary: Not really science fiction, but that wasn't my main issue. There is a good story here, it just took far too long for it to get started.

Full Review
This is one of those books I would have never read on my own. It's one of the main reason I'm still active in Sword & Laser. I would say calling this Sci-Fi is a bit of a stretch. Yes, there is time travel, but it's really just the vehicle for this story.

In fact the time travel is the part of the book I liked the most. I wish he hasn't spent so much time up front not really explaining the time travel, and simply gotten on with the story. Instead I was not only unsatisfied with his explanation for Time Travel, I was bored for two-thirds of the novel.

As someone who's only been to New York City once in my life, much of the marvelling about the similarities and differences of 1970s NYC and 1880s NYC were completely lost on me.

For me this book got going once this mystery about a letter found in the 1970's was explained by following clues in the 1880's. I think if the book had focused on this more, I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

Instead, it was kind of too little, too late for me. The characters were decent, but I never really connected with the protagonist. He romanticized the past as being far greater than his present. I didn't live through the 70's to compare. It's a tendency of most people to look on the past with rose-colored glasses. Si seems oblivious to many of the issues that plagued many people at that time.

The writing itself was fine as well. I think general fiction readers and/or people with close ties to New York City might enjoy this one more than I did.

Overall, I'm glad I read this one, but I'm hard pressed to recommend it, especially to sci-fi fans.