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The End of Eternity

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The fame of Asimov's Foundation and Robot series has tended to steal the limelight from some of his other masterpieces, chief among them, The End of Eternity, a book that is hard to find. In this book, Asimov consciously set out to explore the limits of the classic paradox of time travel that has bedeviled so many works of science fiction. As a result, this is a "bare bones" novel; no robots or empires or any other such distractions. Its strength lies in imagination. Asimov looks at our world as it has evolved, and then introduces the organization called Eternity, whose mission is to protect humanity from its own mistakes, by making deft changes in key events over time (past and future). Along the way, he has fun making digs at the unchanging fundamentals of human nature (competition, drive, love) amid centuries of changing social mores. At the heart of the book is the love story of Andrew Harlan and Noyes Lambent, but this tale is just a framework for Asimov to build on. In the final analysis, Asimov is making the point that just as a child learns to walk by repeated falls, humanity's ultimate characteristic is the Schumpeterian desire and ability to innovate through risks. If we are protected from ever making mistakes, we may avoid tragedies, but the human race itself will vegetate and die. As with many of his earlier works, the dialog can be jarring and characters often one-dimensional. For all that however, The End of Eternity ranks among Asimov's finest in the field of science fiction and makes it all the more strange why this book is so difficult to find. Do take the time to lay your hands on it; you will not be disappointed.

This was the Good Doctor's response to Heinlein's seminal 'By His Bootstraps': a time travel novel that adds more to the mix than just man-goes-back-to-meet-his-grandfather.

Asimov envisions a society that has tasked itself with improving the lot of mankind by introducing carefully calculated changes in the time flow, a society of 'Eternals' that live outside of the normal time stream in their own environment constructed with full living habitats in each century, all powered by a thin line to the far future when our sun goes nova. It is a caste society, with each individual rigidly relegated to the status and job they are deemed best suited for, from Maintenance to Computer to Technician. The individuals are recruited from the normal time flow, as the Eternals, by their own rules, are forbidden to have children.

Andrew Harlan is one such recruit, who is quickly tabbed as having the emotional makeup and intellectual skills to be a Technician, one of those who actually implement changes in 'normal' time. Somewhat naive, a little bit of an aesthetic who is somewhat bothered by hedonistic societies that he is sometimes required to observe or change, he finds himself in a quandary when he falls in love with a lady from such a society. Determined to have her, he decides on actions that he knows might bring about the end of Eternity, for he has determined a great secret, just how Eternity was started in the first place.

Asimov unravels the mysteries and paradoxes of this situation in his usual inimitable style, carefully laying down the parameters of the problem, leaving clues lying about here and there (which Harlan, obsessed as he is, blithely ignores), all leading to a grand climax that gives new perspective to the traditional time paradox problem. The idea of time 'inertia', where the effect of changes that are introduced to the time line slowly die out, is an interesting one, and is carefully folded into the plot line. Though other books envisioned a corps of people who manage time, the society shown here is better fleshed out than just about all previous attempts, not to be surpassed until Fritz Leiber's The Big Time. And possibly there would not be another better worked out 'solution' to the basic riddle of the time paradox until Heinlein's 'All You Zombies...' appeared. As an intellectual exercise, then, this book is excellent.

But as is also typical for Asimov, his characterization is somewhat weak, although he does a better job here than in some of his other works. Harlan is too one-dimensional, too driven, a little too arrogant about his own abilities, to be totally believable. Noys, his ladylove, is almost a nonentity, although she will become one of the lynch-pins of the final resolution. And Computer administrator Twissell is very close to a stereotype. Still, the characters are adequate to move the plot, and as this is an idea driven novel, not one of character, this failing is not fatal to the enjoyment of the book.

This is one of the very few Asimov novels that is not part of his Foundation or Robot sets. Read it, if for no other reason, to see just what he could do outside of those confines.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

Here's an out of print book that no fan of science fiction should miss. It may be hard to find, but it's one of those REALLY worth the effort.

This is the story of an institution called Eternity, which exists "out of time". Eternity takes care of shipping goods from one point in time to another, but, more importantly, "takes care" of history, as well. The people behind this institution are Observers (who collect data in different time periods), Computers (who analyze the data and determine reality changes), Technicians (who carry out computers orders to change reality), among others, all organized in a caste society. The story in this universe evolves exploring the implications of this social structure, the implications of changing history and also the effect that the actions of one individual can have on the whole system.

A Technician, Andrew Harlan, falls in love with a certain woman while carrying out an assignment in a time that's not his own. As members of Eternity, Technicians and other Eternals, live "out of time", protected from the changes in history they effect. The relationship between these two people breaks Eternity's rules and what ensues can threaten its existence. So, there is a romantic component to the story, which makes the characters more palpably human and draws you in, tugging you along by your heart. However, the story goes much deeper than that and only as you turn more and more pages, the fact that this is an extremely well thought out book will become more evident.

Asimov leaves ample room for your own philosophical exercises at the same time as he helps you not get tangled up in knots around paradoxes. More than just inviting you to explore a universe where reality moves along a controlled path to maximize the good of the many, he shows you the dangers of allowing that to happen. Read this if you like good science ficiton. Read this if you like a good mystery that slaps you in the face with the unexpected. Read this if you're looking for an outstanding book. Fans of the Robots, Galactic Empire and Foundation series will identify elements from that universe in this book, even if it is not directly related.

This is one of the shortest novels Asimov has written (at least, the shortest I've read, and I've read plenty), but it packs a hell of a punch. Asimov's presentation of Eternity, an organization which exists out of time for the continual betternment of mankind, is very thought-provoking. This novel is unique among Asimov's in at least two respects: it explores (and questions) the morality of the "future" he presents (although Asimov deals a lot with morality in one form or other in most of his novels - this is one of the things I like most about reading him); and his characters are unusually human. Actually, for much of the book they are almost too human: they are often irrational and, well, dumb - as are some aspects of the world he creates. But persevere. As always, there is a reason for everything. It all comes together in an ending which will bend your mind. In short, a great read.

This short book is one of Asimov's minor masterpieces and, inexplicably, one of the least well-known of his sci-fi novels. Asimov wrote about 18 sci-fi novels, and for some reason this little book gets overlooked, probably because of the success of his Robot series, Daneel and Elijah series, and of course his epic Foundation series. However, if you want a fine Asimov read that stands on its own with an engaging plot about time travel and what you could do with that, in addition to some nice characterization, give this little gem a try.

This short book is one of Asimov's minor masterpieces and, inexplicably, one of the least well-known of his sci-fi novels. Asimov wrote about 18 sci-fi novels, and for some reason this little book gets overlooked, probably because of the success of his Robot series, Daneel and Elijah series, and of course his epic Foundation series. However, if you want a fine Asimov read that stands on its own with an engaging plot about time travel and what you could do with that, in addition to some nice characterization, give this little gem a try.

I've long been of the slightly heterodox (though far from rare) opinion that The End of Eternity is Isaac Asimov's best novel. It benefits partly from being unconnected to his various series (though there are hints, both within this book and in some of the later books, that there could be a tenuous connection). In addition, Asimov is interested in a significant, and resonant, theme, in a way the central theme of 1950s SF: the human desire for exploration, and the concomitant link between risk-taking and expansion of the human spirit. This still works now, nearly at the turn of the millennium, though inevitably the theme needs to be viewed with a touch of irony. Finally, the story is cleverly constructed, and really quite well-written in spots, within the constraints of Asimov's goals and style. There are weaknesses, to be sure. The central love story is awkwardly handled, and the treatment of women in general is creaky, while the characterization of heroine Noys Lambent in particular is uneven. And as with almost any time travel story, the clever structure of the plot tends to wobble on close examination: but that is a fault endemic to the form, and, I think, excusable here. I was a bit concerned about rereading this book now, not having read it in 20 years, though I read it multiple times as a teen. Would it hold up? With the one caveat that I couldn't quite buy his portrayal of women and romance (which I think I did pretty much accept as a callow teen), I think the book holds up fine.

The End of Eternity concerns Andrew Harlan, a Technician for the organization called Eternity. As a Technician, Harlan is an expert at determining and executing the Minimum Necessary Change in a timeline to attain a desired Change in history. For the Eternals, men who live "outside Time", monitor human history from the 27th Century to about the 70,000th Century, trying to maintain a stable society, with reasonable prosperity. Harlan, we soon learn, is ready to betray Eternity, for the love of a woman. But as his plot advances, he learns more and more about the true nature of his organization.

Asimov resolves his story cleverly, in the process giving us a look at the creation of Eternity, and at the Hidden Centuries so far in the future that the Eternals can't penetrate, or aren't allowed to penetrate. He makes use of time paradoxes worthy of Charles Harness, but Asimov's presentation is so deadpan and rationalistic that he almost makes them believable. And in the end he asks whether stability and general happiness is the most worthwhile goal. His answer is the expected answer for a Campbell-nurtured writer of the 1950s, but it's still the answer I'd give, with modifications.

I'd say that upon recently rereading The End of Eternity I'd still call it Asimov's best novel. If his picture of an all-male Eternity (admittedly given at least nominal justification in the book) seems risible from a contemporary perspective, so does much 1950s SF fail in treatment of women. So too his love scenes are awkward : but 1950s SF writers were rarely allowed much practice in that area. The ideas presented in the book are still compelling: the meta-society of Eternity is nicely worked out, with many cute details, and the overarching theme is well-argued, and still merits thought. And Asimov's prose, so often denigrated, is here, as ever, well-wielded in service of his goals. It's not beautiful, but it's well constructed, and the occasional telling line (as a character's soft sentence about a spaceport wiped out in a Change: "It had been very beautiful") really works. This is the kind of book that made me an SF fan, and it's still worth reading.

I have never been that impressed with Issac Asimov. I know it may sound sacriligeous, but I was never very fond of the "Foundation" series. But, I found "End of Eternity" to be a wonderful book. In this book Asimov for once brings togehter his incredible imagination with believable and likable characters. This is the first one of his books where I actually felt like his characters were real people. I also liked the way he explored the morality of Eternity, he took the time to really consider the implications of what would happen if we always tried to take the safest, most conservative path through time.

"The End of Eternity" was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read. In fact, I remember checking it from the library a few days after seeing "The Time Machine". I was (and am) such a fan of time travel tales. Although Asimov has won kudos for his volumnious works over the years, I've always found him somewhat less than appealing. It seems the plot is always for better than the other elements and the romance is, well, unromantic. His characters are often sterile - more portrait than flesh and blood.

But this novel is something different - a work in which the story, characters and action move along to a surprising ending. The pace of the tale is perfection itself, not too rushed or caught up in non-essential happenings. The romance is, as usual, almost chaste in its presentation but surprisingly deep. Rereading it after all these years still brings pleasure even if it is a tad dated.

All the paradoxes and what-ifs of time travel are present (the idea of "self-protection" from time changes while in the machine is a stroke of genius). The various twists and turns make for an enjoyable read. Do yourself a favor and get the book.

This is clearly one of the best of Asimov's works. A pleasure to read. Its a simple story of alternative reality going into non-existance when one unknown Technitian falls in love with a very special woman. The result of love is nothing unexpected except that Eternity ends clearing way to Galactic Empire which in turn switches to the Foundation. It is simply amazing how Asimov sticks to his original idea and how he introduces new perspective. In this book you will learn a great deal on time travel and all its aspects. Read it as soon as you can, the ending is really astonishing.