Time's Eye: A Time Odyssey Book One

Arthur C. Clarke · Stephen Baxter

Jun 2010 · Time Odyssey Book 1 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

A stunning new companion series to 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY from the world's most important SF writer and his acknowledged heir

1885, the North West Frontier. Rudyard Kipling is witness to a bizarre encounter between the British army and what appears to be an impossibly advanced piece of Russian technology. And then to a terrifying intervention by a helicopter from 2037. Before the full impact of this extraordinary event has even begun to sink in, Kipling, his friends and the helicopter crew stumble across Alexander the Great's army. Mankind's time odyssey has begun.

It is a journey that will see Alexander avoid his premature death and carve out an Empire that expands from Carthage to China, beating the time-slipped army of Ghenghis Khan in a battle outside the ruins of Babylon in the process. And it will present mankind with two devastating truths. Aliens are amongst us and have been manipulating our past and our future. And that future extends only as far as 2037, for that is the date Earth will be destroyed.

This is SF that spans countless centuries and carries cutting edge ideas on time travel and alien intervention. It shows two of the genre's masters at their groundbreaking best.

Ratings and reviews

This story was a rambling, frankly boring predictable journey. Nothing happens that is note worthy. It was a vehicle to allow the author the indulgence of fulfilling their desire to have two historical figures separated by time clash.... Predictably no answers or real conclusions, the final act is rushed and lacking the dull details that the previous sections of the book were full of. The final section is just a rushed setup for the next book.

This first book is basically a historical fiction novel with splashes of science fiction, feels more like an experiment. You could skip it and not hurt your understanding of the second and third books. You will find several pop culture Sci-Fi references forced into the plot, which along occasional (but crucial to the plot) scientific impossibilities, make this a below-average work for something carrying the Clarke surname. Speaking about the rest of the series, at the end of the third book it remains unfinished. Unfortunately, Sir Clarke died in 2008, and it's uncertain if the series is truncated or on hold. Given its quality, it could certainly go on without him.

Loved it can't wait for the next one.

About the author

Arthur C. Clarke is the visionary grandmaster of 20th and 21st century SF. In a writing career than spans seven decades he has both prophesied key, world changing technologies and written SF that has become a benchmark for the genre. Stephen Baxter is the most significant SF writer of his generation. His books are bestsellers and award-winners the world over.