Time and Again Review

I buy a lot of e-Books. I hear about something being on sale that I think I might like and I pick up a copy to read at some point in the future. Recently I picked up copies of Jack Finney's Time and Again and Terry Pratchett's Nation for something like $1.99. Practically free. I decided to try Time and Again first.

Time and Again is Jack Finney's illustrated novel from 1970 about an advertising artist, Simon Morley, who gets involved in a government project on time travel. Since I like time travel, it seemed like a good bet I would enjoy this. I won't go into the particulars of how time travel works within the context of the story as that is well done and integral to the story. One nice aspect of the book is the way Finney includes pictures and drawings in the book that heighten the reader's immersion (and the characters) into the story. This really heightens the story in a similar way that art did for the Da Vinci Code.

There are aspects of romance and moral quandaries in the story as well. I found the main character's viewpoint to be interesting. His internal dialog about women around him seems very shallow, at times, by today's standards. See, he is in a relationship and thinking that it will eventually lead to marriage while still internally finding nearly every woman he sees attractive and wants to meet them. As with any older work, this is probably more a product of the mores of the time than any particular choice on the author's part. Another topic covered in the story is the moral aspects of time travel - should it be done, what is okay to do and not do as well as who has the right to make those choices.

Overall the book hits some high notes and has obviously influenced many of the time travel romance novels (or movies) that have followed over the year. The illustrative parts, drawing and photos, are well done and add depth to the story. I recommend Time and Again if you like time travel and historical novels. Time and Again gets 3.5 Mick Happies. Next time it may be Nation or possibly Motorsport Manager, both of which are taking up all my free time.