Customer Reviews

Time After Time

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The 1979 movie "Time After Time" (with an especially chilling performance by David Warner as Jack the Ripper) is something of a "B plus classic," charming and well-done with more than a few hair-raising moments. After all of these years, I decided to tackle the book.

First, if you have seen the film, the book could, conceivably, be a waste of time since the movie script is almost page-per-page faithful and any surprises will have already been ruined. But, I enjoyed the book. It is not long on character development or depth, but still has an odd charm as a "fish out of water" story as H. G. Wells negotiates the dystopic world of 1979 San Francisco in pursuit of Jack the Ripper/Dr. Leslie Stephenson (a character who is more finely and menacingly drawn). And the one long conversation between Stephenson and Wells about the nature of "murder" is actually quite thought-provoking. It's a predictable tale in many respects, but nonetheless one I very much enjoyed. And I also enjoyed the character of Wells, perhaps the most famous of the "progressive socialists" of the Victorian Era, attempting to make sense of a world he, in so many ways, predicted - and in so many ways dismally failed to predict. A small mediation on "human nature" and the evolved differences and similarities between time periods is never unwelcome in what is, essentially, a fun and plot driven sci-fi romp.

This particular edition is also very well-constructed with a better quality paper binding, so the "new" list price is not unreasonable. It should tent and shelve well.

Recommended for those looking for a very good chase yarn with a few "extras" here and there to keep it enlivening. A fun read.

I'm a little surprised by the tepid reviews here! Time After Time may not be a great novel - but it is a heck of a lot of fun. It's zippy and surprising and I still remember the experience of reading it for the first time 20-some years ago. How many books can you say that about? I'm very pleased to see it has a sequel, which I am just about to order. (Also, the film adaptation by Nicholas Meyer is very faithful to the book, so if you've enjoyed one, check out the other.)

The premise of "Time After Time" is that H.G. Wells successfully invented a time machine that is stolen by Jack the Ripper. The murderer uses the machine to land in San Francisco in 1979. Wells feels responsible for the murderer's escape from London and follows him with the intention of returning "Jack" to 1893.

This sounds like it has the makings of a great novel, but I found it to be slow-moving, predictable, and filled with time travel clichés. "Time After Time" is okay, but for a more interesting time travel novel check out "Replay," "The 13th Hour" or Jack Finney's "Time and Again."