Customer Reviews

Castaways in Time

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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In the aftermath of the storm to end all storms, Bass Foster's house is swept back in time to a war-torn medieval England that never was. Bass and five unexpected guests find themselves embroiled in a contentious holy war ignited by the Church against the rightful throne of 17th century England. Quickly, for survival's sake, the castaways in time must choose sides and adapt themselves to the turbulent socio-political climate of this parallel earth, harnessing their cumulative knowledge of science and technology and putting into use Bass's modest arsenal of modern weaponry - thusly significantly influencing the temporal tide of history.

Before S. M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, and Eric Flint first dabbled in time travel and alternate histories, Robert Adams' blood-and-guts six-book series Castaways in Time thrilled readers a generation past. This novel, titled Castaways in Time, is the opener to that series and is one of the better, more fully-realized time travel adventure stories I have read. It certainly is the best of the six installments. Robert Adams was a history and military buff and it shows in his detailed minutae of life and war in not so jolly, bloody old England. He narrates his medieval military campaigns with vivid authority and easy familiarity. There's a visceral feel conveyed by Adams which impacts the reader and places him or her right there in the heat of the skirmishes, on that wartorn battlefield.

Bass Foster, our lead character, is a man in his mid-forties who has let the world pass him by. But it's a good thing he knows quite a bit about the art of war because his martial expertise comes in very handy in a savage world where "might makes right." It's not long before his consummate soldiering is recognized and hailed by his 17th century peers. His fellow temporally-challenged travellers also contribute greatly and are accordingly elevated in status, notably Pete Fairley (an innovative jack-of-all-trades), Bud Webster (a huge bear of a man and himself an accomplished soldier) and the initially meek Professor William Collier. In fact, the professor, whose hobby is studying military history, has a knack for strategy and tactics, as well as being an ace at firearms and the sword. Very early on, he becomes a trusted adviser to the king and is granted an earldom - which, it turns out, is a bad thing. His resulting enmity with Bass Foster provides a subplot that further ratchets up the action-packed storyline. Also, keep an eye out for Nugai, a taciturn but deadly local whom I grew to liked.

The pace of this book is certainly frenetic. Lots of things transpire in a very short time. Events are described in brief but all-encompassing passages. There is no shortage of military action. One minor quibble I have is that Robert Adams chooses to minimize scenes of the moderns initially coping with their very odd situation. They get transported back into time; then, next thing you know, two weeks pass and they've already acclimated. But, I guess, the refutation to that is that in times of battle, you adapt or you die. Still, the narrative is a bit disjointed; there are abrupt transitions in continuity in the first third of the book which might ruffle the reader's sensibilities. I got used to it; hope you do too.

During the course of the tale, several questions beg for answers. Why does Bass' house continue to have electric power in the 17th century? Who exactly was that slain enemy soldier with the exquisite armament and a gold class ring from the future? And what's up with the elderly Archbishop Harold of York, who claims he was born in 1968? Hmmm...

If you enjoy this one, then, by all means, check out the rest of the series (though they aren't as good as this one):

#2 The Seven Magical Jewels of Ireland (1984)
#3 Of Quests and Kings (1986)
#4 Of Chiefs and Champions (1987)
#5 Of Myths and Monsters (1988)
#6 Of Beginnings and Endings (1989)

Also recommended are his Horseclan and Stairway to Heaven series. They're good stuff.

The what-ifs presented by the author are great. The books have multilple plots and charactors that always keep you interested. I was led to this series by Adams Horseclans series and have proceded to try to acquire all the books in both. I have most of them but would like to obtain a check list for both series. If anyone has one, please let me know.

I first read this book almost 20 years ago but alot of the text sticks in my mind. The reason I've titled my review as it is, is because this book sums up the things that one gets with the Castaways in Time series(the last work of Robert Adams before his death, I believe). The Good is the way he could create compelling characters and show them in believable and dynamic action. He also introduced an intriguing alternate world where the world from Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and to the edges of Mongolia is ruled or under the influence of a gunpowder monopolizing Catholic Church that planted multiple Popes over an earth whose Muslim power centers and influence were made extinct by the Mongol hordes of the 13th century.The Bad:Adams makes these ridiculous jumps in Time and character developement that leaves his plots confused and his readers' heads spinning. In this case, Adams apparently gets bored with the usual "getting to know you" period in storytelling and moves his characters from the point where they're running about finding out what's what in this new world to where they've become powerful allies to the friendly local warlord(King Arthur III of an England under siege by the Church backed rebels and Scottish king trying to depose him) and literally months have gone by. Then romance is truncated as the female lead who had just met the hero in the start of the book was now the doting wife with a bun in the oven looking back on her nightmarish last boyfriend.The Ugly:not surprizingly(for Adams readers)certain characters suddenly transform from at least helpful individuals to scummy, evil and pathetic backstabbers with very little warning signs.In this book, a knowledgeable and level headed ex-OSS veteran turned Professor whose only flaw was his meek behavior around his alcoholic harpy wife, quickly becomes a cowardly,grasping, jealous traitor. All this happens in less than five chapters.I might as well warn readers of what comes next in the series in the Ugly category. Within two books, the loving female lead becomes an insane harpy herself just because she can't take being a noble housewife. An incredibly long detailed background history of a new character's Armenian-American family history dominates one book, made completely pointless when said character disappears and (again no surprise to Adams readers) the author's intense Homophobia surfaces in his Armenian-American backstory. In this case the almost-obligatory Homosexual predator is a woman in 1940's America who is dealt with in the usual Adams way, captivity and torture. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Mr Adams writes like he was a seasoned cavalry officer and puts you in the saddle with his character of Bass Foster. A little dated (1978) but still a great read from one of the original progenitors of the alternative or future history genre. His years of soldiering shine through the pages.

I hope that Robert Adams's narrative voice got clearer and more organized with his later books. This one is full of illogical jumps, cuts, and lacks of transition. I keep getting confused while reading, because he suddenly changes place or time without the slightest attempt to let the reader know what's happening.