Time Travelers Never Die

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Two guys and their time machine.

This a generally enjoyable book, but on the whole it is lackluster and comes across as a series of ad hoc time-fillers rather than a novel.

Adrian “Shel” Shelborne's father disappears and Adrian inherits some handy, extremely portable time machines. Shel goes in search of his father throughout time, enlisting his friend Dave Dryden, who speaks Latin and Greek. They start learning the rules of time-travel, which includes avoiding the creation of paradoxes on pain of death. Ultimately, they start using the time-machines to play tourist in the past and the near future. Difficulties ensue at various times, which require some intricate perambulations with their time-machines. The great figures of the past are modern and big-hearted and tolerant, unless they are identified as Catholics, in which case they are intolerant and threatening. (Galileo and Michealangelo may be Catholic, but they aren't identified as such.)

In short, the book was a generally entertaining time-waster. It really didn't have any big ideas. The whole thing seemed to be generated from the author's wish-fulfillment fantasy of what he would do if he had a time-machine.

Your mileage may differ.

PSB

reviews.metaphorosis.com

3 stars

I'm a big fan of Jack McDevitt, but this book is one of the rare exceptions in his work. It's fun enough, but if you don't read it, you're not missing anything. I'd suggest that there's nothing new to say in time travel stories, but that's clearly not true. Every now and then, something new comes along (The Time Traveler's Wife, Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus). Okay, not hugely new, but interesting.

I'm sorry to say that Mr. McDevitt doesn't bring anything new to the party here. Mildly interesting characters, well-researched settings, but it's very much a book you can put down to sleep, eat, go out, ... The writing is technically good, as always, and it's light, but the plot is pretty much missing. Acceptable from a minor writer, but a disappointment from McDevitt.

I have been an avid fan of Jack McDevitt since reading Omega years ago. I have been in love with his work, particularly the Alex Benedict/Chase Kolpath novels. Very few of his books have disappointed me (Ancient Shores and Eternity Road being my least favorite). Time Travelers Never Die is one of his latest, and actually is one that I don't plan on reading again. It is a fascinating, fictional look at some historic events and figures. That aspect is well done. However, there was little tension in the events. The ability to instantly jump out of whatever situation the characters were in hindered the building of meaningful tension and conflict. I also found that the novel didn't really address the idea of the paradoxes of time travel satisfactorily. Enjoyable and worth reading, but only once. Not one I will go back to again.