The Accidental Time Machine

Just finished this book. I don't know what to think of it just yet. What I liked:

1) The characters - Matt, the protagonist, is interesting to watch and though maybe he's not as credible as I'd like (I just couldn't believe some of the choices he made or the motives behind those choices), he does evoke enough empathy for me to care about him and want to follow him on his adventures.

2) The humor and wit - this is a fun read. The language is fresh and clever. Quick example: "He put enough sugar and cream in the coffee to call it breakfast." I love that!

3) The premise - this is a giveaway. I like any time travel story. But, this was interesting in that the machine only works in one direction - forward. What would you do with a machine that only jumps forward exponentially in time? Stop after one jump or keep going forward in time with only the faintest bit of hope that you could go back? I already know what I would do, which is not at all what the protagonist in this story does.

4) The worlds Haldeman creates (and by "world" I mean future Earths)- what amazes me the most in sci-fi and fantasy stories is the sheer creativity involved in imagining up a world that doesn't exist, and Haldeman's worlds are interesting. They do have a slight manufactured feel to them, or maybe just an under-developed feel. They're not as wholly engrossing as I would have liked. We get enough of each world to understand it, but not to fully appreciate it. I think part of the reason is that this book as it is is too small for such an awesome idea. It could be another hundred pages, and I think Haldeman is talented enough to fill those new pages with the same quick-paced, entertaining and thought-provoking writing as the rest of the book.

What troubled me:

1) The science - It wasn't easy, and I felt that not understanding it hampered my understanding of the plot as a whole. There were some passages that I read over and over (and over and over and over) just trying to understand. Maybe it's just me (and for my ego's sake, I hope it's not), but I don't think Haldeman broke down the science enough. After posting this I intend to immediately scour the internet looking for some explanations.

Overall, what I liked about this book outnumber what I didn't like (although point #4 is kind of mixed), so I recommend it. And if you followed the science, then kudos to you. Now please explain it to me...

In one reality, "The Accidental Time Machine" is a fun time travel story in which a naive underachiever becomes the recipient of what would be the Holy Grail of physics. As his journeys through time progress, he matures up, throws off his hedonism and becomes practically noble. This is a metaphor for much of recent political history, although this correlation may itself be accidental. Doesn't matter; one could read this same lesson into David Jerrold's "The Man Who Folded Himself", which wouldn't be necessary--Jerrold's book was also just plain fun to read, a fascinating exploration into the serpentine repercussions of time travel. The trouble for science-fiction writers is that physicists keep coming up with new theories, theories that can render older time travel stories as obsolete as 64K RAM. I think that Poul Anderson understood this with his "Time Patrol" novels, having them rely more upon story and action rather than science.

In another reality come the more sophisticated concepts of hard science, such as Gregory Benford's "Timescape", in which authors use the medium to explore current theories. Haldeman is looking at p-branes with this book, tunneling across alternate realities in order to allow time travel without the attending paradoxes. Many of the unanswered questions and loose ends that have been commented upon by reviewers are bound up in parallel universes, which Haldeman leaves as self evident without going into greater explanation.

"The Accidental Time Machine" struggles under both of these realities. The story arc flattens out much too soon, failing to grow in depth toward the conclusion. The science is fascinating but not fully formed, so doesn't carry the book either. The book was a fun read but not a sophisticated read, certainly not on par with most of Haldeman's work. Despite the seemingly finite conclusion, however, there is much room for a sequel or two, not only in the science but also in the development of the central characters, especially the underdeveloped Martha. Here's jumping into the future to see if it happens...

I don't think I've ever felt strongly enough about a book to submit a review. This book compelled me to do so.

Joe Haldeman clearly does not know how to finish a story. This is a prime example of a story that was powered by a great concept, and quickly fell apart.

Haldeman spends so much time developing details on parts of the story that completely lose their significance due to the tumultuous chain of events in the book. His view of the future lacks the imagination one would expect from an experienced sci-fi novelist. Some might find it humorous, but I found it to be tragically disconnected.

When I was done with this book, I gave it to my one-year-old so she could have something to tear to shreds. Every torn page was like therapy for me.

I'm glad I read the excellent "Forever War" a few years ago, because if "The Accidental Time Machine" were the first Haldeman book I read, I wouldn't read any more.

This book starts out well with interesting characters and settings and relationships and ex-relationships, but then it quickly becomes very shallow and eventually becomes so lacking of any depth, it's more like a child's comic book than a novel. Some of the ideas are interesting, but I was going nuts trying to understand some of the logic involved in the time loops and avoidance of paradoxes. Finally, I just gave up trying to understand and just read quickly to get to the end.

Time travel stories are always fun, though, so as long as you don't expect anything more than a light read without anything meaningful, you'll enjoy this book.

This is a fine piece of fiction work on the topic of time travel, it touches all the interesting aspects involved, even though the actual travelling is mostly forward.

The author used the forwarding time travel to trace the evolution steps of human society, some of them are interesting. However the ending seems to be rushed, it basically invokes a higher power to solve everything which is disappointing.