The Accidental Time Machine
by Joe Haldeman
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Book Reviews of The Accidental Time Machine
Book Review: Delightful romp
Summary: 4 Stars
Veteran author Joe Haldeman has some fun with time travel in this short sparkling book that lays it all out for you in its very first sentence: "The story would have been a lot different if Matt's supervisor had been watching him when the machine first went away."
But he wasn't, and Matt--MIT lab assistant and slacker--starts out on a journey to several future societies in his quest to get back to from where he came, and picks up a delightful companion in a VERY un-delightful place along the way.
There are religious fanatics, a holographic Jesus, a barter-happy society, talking bears, and a too clever by half AI along the way, and the ending, which seems at first to be a deus ex machina, turns out to be (if you mull it over for a bit that is), well, a deus ex machina . . . and a lot more.
In the author's afterword, you'll learn that much to his surprise, his speculation about how time travel _might_ work has quite a bit of validity.
Serious fun.
Book Review: liked it a lot, but for the pot shots at Christianity
Summary: 3 Stars
Haldeman's, "The Accidental Time Machine," is a neat little romp of a science fiction novel. An engaging story with engaging characters, suspensful moments, a well told story, and an awesome sweep over millions of years of time. Would have given it four and a half stars but for the pot shots at Christianity. I don't understand why so many science fiction authors today think its a good idea to take pot shots at Christianity when their largest market (the USA) features a population where the super majority self identify as Christians. Can't you write great science fiction with great science without criticizing Christianity. Nobody can Prove that the universe was or wasn't created by intelligent design, nor is there currently any way to Prove the nature of that intelligence. All logic and reason requires an initial assumption to build on, and that initial assumption is a matter of faith, not proof. Keep your world view to yourself Joe, and I for one will enjoy your books more.Book Review: What the "Time Traveler's Wife" Wants to be when it Grows Up!
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished this book, and I couldn't put it down! Now, if Mr. Haldeman would just get on with INVENTING the time machine that would let me go back a couple of days and read this book again without knowing what will happen...
Truly outstanding! The book defies what authors are "supposed to write." That is, it is a very plot driven story, with minimal character traits to start with. Nevertheless, the Matthew and Martha characters grow quietly and subtly until you really start to follow them. Rather than the first 5 pages consisting of all the characters, their faults and motivations, their introspection and navel gazing, this book starts with a situation. We start with a mysteriously disappearing machine. We deal with events, with plot. Only through the events do the characters come into focus. This is a refreshing change from the contrived way that most novels today develop.
I hope Neil Gaiman reads this one. I think he'll appreciate it!
Book Review: Unfulfilling
Summary: 2 Stars
A few too many open ends. There are interesting points, such as mildly explaining some futuristic aspects. The time travel possibility was interesting and belieavable, though as to why only his could was a mystery. I can buy random error, though I see a couple other reviewers could not. Could have been much better with a little more explanation of what was fully going on instead of the slow moving build up it creates that never quite get resolved.
Also, the main character is difficult to identify with, due to being a beer guzzling, drug using, MIT student. It's really just personal preference, but I tend to feel that if you're into science then you should at least follow some of its proven recommendations. These being adequate sleep, exercise, non-drug use, reasoning out decisions, etc, which amazingly the main character does all entirely backwards. Again, just personal preference, but very difficult for me to identify with to fully enjoy.
Book Review: Intriguing Premise, Dull Exposition
Summary: 3 Stars
Time travel is a common theme in science fiction, providing authors an opportunity to explore multiple future scenarios and the possible consequences of moving back and forth in time. In this book, the author, an MIT professor, tells of a graduate lab assistant who discovers that an apparatus he has built for quantum research travels into the future every time he activates it. Moreover, it takes anything connected to it along and each jump is exponentially further into the future. Unfortunately, not much is made of the possible impact of this travel (although in one future the student discovers that someone else has taken credit for his "discovery") and the imagined futures are dreadfully dull. The protagonist spends way too much time in a future where religion has become accepted as science, including at MIT. Haldeman fails to use his MIT connections to to explore the quantum physics that could theoretically make time travel possible.