Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait (Paperback)

~ K. A. Bedford (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—Al "Spider" Webb is a time machine repairman who happens to detest time machines. On a routine call, he encounters a machine that seems about ready to blow. In order to repair it, he must work with Australian officials to create a small, alternate universe—to protect the rest of the world from the explosion, of course. The job becomes far from normal, though, when it becomes apparent that the explosive device is hiding both another machine and a dead body. The corpse sets off a series of events that sends Spider across alternate realities and puts everyone he cares about at risk. Teens who enjoyed Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Macmillan, 1979) but are craving something more sci-fi, with fewer goofy antics, will appreciate Time Machines.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
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Product Description

For "Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait" specialist, Aloysius "Spider" Webb, time travel has lost its luster.

Working as a senior time machine repair technician, Spider has seen it all - past, present and future. Wanting more out of life, Spider hates time travel and everything that goes with it…after all, time travel cost him his job as a top investigating police officer.

Fixing time machines is a waste of Spider's talent. But he's resigned to do it until he discovers, inside a broken second-hand time machine, the corpse of a woman; brutally murdered, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Before Spider can act on his old police instincts, the shadowy Department of Time and Space steps in and seizes the machine, the remains, and all of the evidence, and closes the investigation.

Spider wants answers, but his questions only lead to more questions; unsettling evidence, brewing trouble, and the knowledge that Spider, himself, might be involved in an epic battle at the End of Time. Who can Spider trust? And what will they tell him: the truth or what he wants to hear?

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: EDGE Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing; First Edition edition (August 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1894063422
• ISBN-13: 978-1894063425
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #686,658 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Good Book from KA Bedford, January 10, 2009

By	river selkie (AZ, United States) - See all my reviews

KA Bedford is, once again, a finalist for Australia's Aurealis Award. This time around his book, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait, is up for the Best Australian Science Fiction Novel of 2008. What this means, my friends, is that he writes good books! I know this too, as I have read and enjoyed all four of them.

One of the things I like best about reading KA Bedford's novels is his intelligent exploration of the bigger science fiction questions. In this book we explore what it would be like if time machines were available to the public at large. I'll be honest, I am not a huge fan of time travel stories overall. They make my head hurt. But I'm glad I ignored that predisposition and read Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait anyway, because I really enjoyed thinking about the nuances of such a culture with time travel at their disposal. Add a bit of mystery and conspiracy theory, and I was completely hooked!

KA Bedford's characters and their relationships are always intriguing, engaging, and still very much rooted in real life. Spider is a great protagonist, a bit down and out, but definitely likable, and stuck dealing with the complicated people in his life, including several future versions of himself. I love gritty and dark elements in my science fiction and this story delivers that perfectly with murderers, narcissists, and delusional zealots, to name just a few.

I definitely recommend this book. Happy reading!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A terrific read, March 5, 2009

By	John Devenny (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the fourth novel by this author and, in my opinion, his best work to date. It is an exciting and at times very humorous adventure but also an interesting and original explorstion of one of SF's great themes, time travel. The lead character, Aloysius " Spider" Webb, is a wonderful creation and hopefully will be seen again in further stories.
K A Bedford is a multi-award winning author in his native Australia and this novel has been nominated for this year's Philip K Dick award.
I can highly recommend this novel as well as his earlier works. He is certainly a writer to watch.