The Accidental Time Machine
by Joe Haldeman
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Book Reviews of The Accidental Time Machine
Book Review: Enjoyable Time Travel Story - Recommended
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Accidental Time Machine" is a very light, but enjoyable Time Travel SciFi novel that is completely disposable. Having recently read Joe Haldeman's excellent The Forever War, the light tone and quick pace of the story was a bit of a surprise. Those expecting similarities will be somewhat disappointed.
No plot spoilers from me: The story starts about 50 year from now and centers on Matt, an overworked MIT physics research assistant who (as the title suggests) accidently "invents" a working time machine. Though Matt's adventures through time are often humorous and occasionally highly improbable, they are still realistic enough with a little suspension of disbelief. There a few serious plot holes, but they are only mildly distracting if you think about them too hard. You could chalk them up to "time paradox" and be quite happy.
It should be noted that there are some "mature" and controversial themes in the story line, such as mild substance abuse, negative religious elements, and other adult activities. I wouldn't let my son (13) read it.
Overall, this was a fun book that was a good read but I don't mind if it doesn't come back after lending the book out to friends. Recommended.
Book Review: A Fun Light Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Having read all of JH's work, this is not his strongest book. The characters seemed flat and the writing somewhat pedestrian. Having said that, it is still better than 90% of the fiction out there, and a fun read, particularly if you know the locale in which it is set--Cambridge. The speculation as to future Earths, always difficult in the time travel genre, were interesting and as believable as any other speculations. I have to laugh, however, at some of the reviewers who complain, for example, that Hadleman did not do enough research about Christians because no Christian would believe that Jesus would first visit the President? Huh? These are the people that believe the Earth is 7,000 years old, men rode dinosaurs, the Bible is literally true, Jesus will fly down from the sky, and an all powerful being influences the outcome of sporting events. The entire concept of faith is the antithesis of reason and evidence, so what was Hadleman supposed to have researched--how many angels on the head of a pin? There is a long history of reason, science, and rationality in science fiction, e.g., Asimov, Clarke, and many others, and Hadleman thankfully continues that trend. The Christians, Muslims, Mormons, etc. have their books of speculative fiction, let those of us who value reason and science have ours.Book Review: Almost wowed
Summary: 4 Stars
It's perhaps bad form to critique negatively something that you really like a lot. And I really like a lot "The Accidental Time Machine." Alas, I could have liked it so much more had there been more; quite honestly, a lot more, maybe in page count 100 additional pages especially in the beginning. It's as if this one bolts out of the starting block before the other runners have even stepped onto the track, before the spectators have been set up emotionally for the race of the decade. From the get-go I didn't feel the astonishment or awe of Matthew, the protagonist, when he stumbles upon the machine. I didn't feel peril when he sets off for the first time, there's not enough of Matt's thoughts, his feelings, his angst, to share with the readers. But the story's great, so I keep reading. Yes it closely resembles HG Wells' Time Machine but so what, I tell myself, it's a fresh take. But as I keep reading I can't help feeling, I wish it wasn't so skimpy, and that's my beef. I know the title suggests something light, and some readers might be thinking "Hitchhikers Guide.." or some such zany piece. But in essence Haldeman's story isn't zany, it's amusing in places, but it's really a big tale, only told in precis, or just about. I still give high marks because, like I said, what there is, I liked a lot.Book Review: Entertaining Little Story
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a pretty lightweight book, both physically and intellectually, and makes an entertaining couple days read. Matt Fuller, a grad assistant at MIT, attempts to build a lab instrument and ends up with a time machine instead. The machine, about the size of a shoe box, only travels forward in time; when the button is pressed it disappears and then reappears later, each time at a progressively longer interval (by a factor of around 12). Matt discovers that any metallic object attached to the machine, or anything inside a metal cage attached to it, will accompany the machine, and so away we go.
The story is written in a whimsical style, consisting of somewhat satirical visions of future cultures - sort of a cross between "Gulliver's Travels" and HG Wells "Time Machine". My favorites are what happens to Los Angeles and then, much farther out in time, what Matt finds when he returns to North America's west coast.
This is not a "deep" book (which is often a GOOD thing). I recommend it without reservation as a fun and satisfying quick read when you're not in the mood for slogging through the Gormenghast trilogy.
Book Review: accidentally awesome
Summary: 4 Stars
Matt Fuller is your average guy, a bit on the lazy side, stuck in a dead end job as a lab assistant at MIT. He is building a calibrator when it suddenly disappears and then reappears a second later. He experiments with the machine and realizes that he has built a time machine. This particular time machine only goes forward in time and the interval it travels into the future increases by 12 each time.
If Matt is touching the time machine, he also travels with it. With nothing going in his life, he decides to travel. The first few times, he only travels a little bit, but he keeps ending up situations where his only escape is to jump forward again. Haldeman offers a unique perspective on the world in each of the futures presented. When he meets and falls for a young woman, he must decide what is best for the two of them and what kind of future world he wants to live in.
This book is a fun and fast sci fi read. It will appeal to sci fi fans as well as your average fiction reader. Nothing is too far "out there" or fantastical for the average readers' taste.