CRONOS by Robert Silverberg
Ibooks (Simon & Schuster) - June 2001
ISBN: 0743423909 - Paperback
SF / Time Travel
Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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This is a compendium
of three novellas, all on the subject of time travel. In his introduction
Silverberg outlines his long-standing fascination with the subject and
cites H G Wells' compelling description of the far future from The Time
Machine. The first story Letters From Atlantis (1990) describes, in a
series of letters, how a time traveler from the future has projected himself
into the head of an Atlantean prince in order to find out more about the
lost civilisation - and why it perished. Project Pendulum (1987) has twins
being sent backwards and forwards into the past and future to see what
the earth looks like at different points in the past back to the ages
of the dinosaurs and forwards into the distant future. The earlier story
The Time Hoppers (1967) shows a bleak 1984-ish vision of the 25th century
where only men are allowed to work, unemployment is rife and there are
far too many people. Investigator Quellen must find out how so many people
have been "hopping" back in time and put a stop to it before
something terrible occurs.
Silverberg does like a happy ending and what shines through in these stories
is the wonder of time travel and there is a true sense of joy and discovery
purely for the hell of it - as demonstrated in the Majipoor novels. The
strong "feelgood" factor that permeates the first two stories
is uplifting but they both lack momentum and keep too much on a monotone
leaving the reader yearning for more action and conflict. His vision of
the 25th century has a prophetic feel about it and he has made it believable
by time travel being the only fantastic element. This is the strongest
story and the most compelling, featuring some interesting characters that
the reader cares about and some fine descriptions. If you want a scientific
read with a touch of the marvellous this book fits the bill - go elsewhere
for breathless adventures.
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