Samyann
Audiobook. Written in 1970, the story centers around a man who agrees to participate in a government sponsored experiment involving time travel. The main character, Si Morley, is transported to 1892 New York and the author expertly conveys the changes that have, over a lifetime, occurred throughout the city. No spoilers here, but the powers that be who are in charge of this experiment ultimately want their subject to change history. He verbally agrees, but goes back to 1892 and changes history in a manner they didn’t have in mind. This is a time travel love story. It’s interesting to grasp the 1970 political mindset of the time that doesn’t exist in 2014, i.e., we were in the midst of a cold war and had just landed on the moon. It’s also interesting that, in the last year or so, we again look warily at and fear a Russian threat today: “Time and Again”, indeed.
Time and Again is recommended by Stephen King as a stellar example of time travel and science fiction in general, which it is….but, much like King, Finney uses his book as a platform to voice political views. Personally, I’m of the opinion that if an author wants to write about politics, fine….but, leave it out of a fictional novel and let the reader simply enjoy a good story without agendas of any political persuasion. Fortunately, this only happens once in Time and Again, and it is near the end of the story.
Narration by Paul Hecht is super. Voices of all characters are unique and well defined.
In summary, the book is a pleasant listen. The science presented is weak, but the time travel to and the era of 1892 in New York is well researched and believable.
