Time Patrol [Mass Market Paperback]

Poul Anderson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Time Patrol | Publication Date: January 31, 2006

Forget minor hazards like nuclear bombs. The discovery of time travel means that everything we know, anyone we know, might not only vanish, but never even have existed. Against that possibility stand the men and women of the Time Patrol, dedicated to preserving the history they know and protecting the future from fanatics, terrorists, and would-be dictators who would remold the shape of reality to suit their own purposes. But Manse Everard, the Patrol's finest temporal trouble-shooter, bears a heavy burden. The fabric of history is stained with human blood and suffering which he cannot, must not do anything to alleviate, lest his tampering bring disastrous alterations in future time. Everard must leave the horrors of the past in place, lest his tampering-or that of the Patrol's opponents, the Exaltationists-erase all hope of a better future, and instead bring about a future filled with greater horrors than any recorded by past history at its darkest and most foul.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a fictive universe imagined in eight stories and one novel, time is mutable, and once time travel is discovered, humanity's remote descendants, the Danellians, set up the Time Patrol to ensure that no changes to the past will wipe out their own present. This construct (also used in The Shield of Time ) acts as a wonderful vehicle for Anderson's love of history. Manse Everard, whose presence unifies this collection, is recruited by the Patrol and rapidly ascends to the rank of roving troubleshooter. Frequently Everard finds that to preserve his own future he must destroy an alternate one, and his success is made bittersweet by his empathy for people who will never exist except in his own memory. The writing is excellent, distinguished by Hugo and Nebula winner Anderson's skill at weaving a background of sights and sounds to make the stage, and thus the actors, more real. Four of the stories are reprinted from his first Time Patrol collection (1960), four are from more recent volumes, and the novel is new with this book.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- An excellent compilation of all of the author's short stories about The Time Patrol plus a new novella, ``Star of the Sea.'' Readers are given fascinating glimpses of people and places throughout history--prehistoric, Persian, Roman civilizations, etc.--as seen through the 20th-century eyes of agent, Manse Everard. Well written, with believable characters, this is Anderson at his best.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Baen (January 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416509356
• ISBN-13: 978-1416509356
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic, timeless, and glorious..., May 15, 2006

By 

Addison Phillips (San Jose, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time Patrol (Mass Market Paperback)

Together with DeCamp's LEST DARKNESS FALL or Silverbergs's UP THE LINE (and perhaps a few others), no other stories really capture the flavor of history, the paradox of time travel, or the genuine joy at being able to wander into the past as this book of stories.

Although the first few have the exact flavor of their era--1950's Astounding magazine--there is nothing really dated or obsolete about these eight stories. Each and every one is a delight, from the long agony of "Odin the Goth", who already knows the doom of those he loves, to the joy of catching time bandits in a beautifully realized ancient Tyre, Poul Anderson gives us stories of the sort that hooked me on science fiction all those years ago... and exactly what brings me back today.

The full set of time patrol stories at nearly 800 pages, this is the biggest bargain you'll find this year.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Poul Anderson hits a homerun through the ages!, June 8, 1999

By 

Ray Bailey - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Time Patrol (Hardcover)

Anderson has provided the paradigm shift for all who wish to write about time. Causal loops and ethical delimmas conspire to provide an entertaining read as well as a well thought out philosophy of time travel. I hope this book comes back into print so I can purchase a copy for myself. I have check out the library copy twice so I can relive Manse Everard's adventures before reading "Shield of Time" which is the sequel. Now if I can just find the Time Patrol Office in this milieu.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars time travel will never be the same after this!, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Time Patrol (Hardcover)

Ever wondered what kind of complex moral issues the average time traveler can run up against? Read of Unattatched Manse Everard's travels and you'll soon find out! Why is it wrong for some travelers to get married?(hint, read the book) or to have children(hint 2,read the book). Its worse than opening a Pandora's box of morals and ethics! This book will give some teachers of Philosophy,some good issues to chew on, as well as their students! Don't get discouraged though! There's a lot of good that can be encouraged! And a lot of rules that can get bent too! Ever wonder how Danellians came up with some of these rules? Read the book and find out!