Customer Reviews

The Time Engine: The Fourth Book of the Moonworlds Saga

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

 

 

In McMullen's last novel, Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga), Wayfarer inspector Danolarian Scryverin and his friends defeated an invasion from the adjoining Moonworld, Lupan. Shades of H.G. Wells. In this sequel, Danolarian must cope with the time-traveling descendant of Riellan, one of Danolarian's constables. And if Eloi and Moorlocks make appearances, it's certainly not in ways you expected.

A hallmark of a McMullen fantasy is that no one is who they seem to be, and this time the mystery extends to the very events themselves. The ending resonates with some of Heinlein's later books, especially Job: A Comedy of Justice. And along the way most time traveling tropes get the McMullen treatment.

While McMullen is never so crass as to lay it all out, in this, the fourth book of his Moonworld series, the Moonworlds orbit the Lord World, Miral, much as Jupiter's Copernican moons orbit Jupiter. Verral is one of the Moonworlds, and while Jupiter's moons move through intense magnetic fields, Verral and its sister satellites' movements generate etherics, the foundation of Moonworld magic.

The mysteries and loose ends from the previous three books are mostly resolved, although there is still plenty of scope for more tales. Parts of the novel will make you laugh out loud. And some parts will stun you.

I recommend reading Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga) before this novel; events will make more sense. My only regret is that this is by far the shortest of the Moonworld stories, and the plot is much less complex as a result.

It's a mystery to me why McMullen, an Australian, isn't more popular here in the states. He is a first rate writer, and despite the homages to Wells an Heinlein, he brings originality, wit and charm to a fantasy genre that is stale and flat.

Recommended, with the suggestion you read Voidfarer: A Tale of the Moonworlds Saga (The Moonworlds Saga) first.

You've probably had occasions when a friend says to you "You know the one about the rabbi and the priest?" and you say "Yes." You're both kind of let down, and often the best thing is to at least recap the joke so that you both chuckle and move on.

That let-down feeling captures this book. A lot of it seems half-hearted; McMullen points vaguely in the direction of a joke, and lets it go at that. I'd like to give him credit for subtlety, for being one of the few writers who credit their readers with any intelligence, but here, McMullen lets go too early. We see what the joke is going to be, but it never actually happens.

The previous three in the series ended pretty well; this one doesn't tie up any loose ends, so don't buy it just for a sense of closure.

All that said... I found this book at a discount store, and I'm happy I bought it. At full price, I would not have been.

Short follow-up to Voidfarer, The Time Engine is not only less substantial physically, but is pretty lightweight in plot and characterization. Still an entertaining read, and probably the funniest in the series so far.

Sean McMullen has been one of my favorite authors since I read his Great Winter Saga a few years ago. This is the 4th of his Moonworld books. While the story is interesting and he continues to riff on Wells, the end of the book is just not what makes for a satisfactory conclusion.

All in all, it's a good effort but it's not up to his usual standard.