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Time's Last Gift (Wold Newton Prehistory Book 2) by [Philip Jose Farmer, Win Scott Eckert, Christopher Paul Carey]

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Philip Jose Farmer

Time's Last Gift (Wold Newton Prehistory Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Philip Jose Farmer (Author), Win Scott Eckert (Afterword), Christopher Paul Carey (Afterword) Format: Kindle Edition

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Three men and a woman onboard a timeship travel from 2070 AD to 12,000 BC - a journey that could never be repeated. For the passengers, all anthropologists, it was a once-in-a-million-lifetimes expedition... a chance to study primitive man as modern man never could. But none of them was prepared for what they would discover - or for the impact of their travels in a time that had yet to come...

A novel in the Wold Newton universe, in which characters such as Sherlock Holmes, Flash Gordon, Doc Savage, James Bond and Jack the Ripper are all mysteriously connected.

Print length

263 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Titan Books
Publication date

June 12, 2012
File size

568 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“"very detailed story teller" "He's got the anthropological aspects and the mechanics of time travel down pat." – She Never Slept --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Philip José Farmer was a multiple award-winning science fiction writer of 75 novels. He is best known for his Wold Newton and Riverworld series. In 2001 he was awarded the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Prize and a World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award. He passed away in 2009. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005O0ZS6M
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Titan Books; Revised ed. edition (June 12, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 12, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 568 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,293,871 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #3,792 in Time Travel Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #4,478 in Time Travel Fiction
- #10,175 in Dark Fantasy Horror

Customer Reviews:
47 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		52%
4 star		21%
3 star		12%
2 star		10%
1 star		5%

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Top reviews from the United States

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James D. Charles

Haunting tale of time travel and a man out of his own time...

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2015

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Phillip Jose Farmer wrote a lot of great stories in his lifetime but this was without a doubt the crowning masterpiece of his career. It starts out with a fairly simple premise- Time travel is possible, but only if you travel outside of the timeline of any time-traveler.
So a group of scientists from the 21st century head back thousands of years to the stone age where they will study cave men and the flora and fauna of those times. Among the crew are a linguist a botanist, a doctor who is much more than he seems to be and another fellow who is much less.
As the crew digs in for what will be a long study the doctor, "John Gribardson" starts standing out as being far stranger than anybody among the crew could imagine. He can throw a spear farther and with greater accuracy than any of the cave men. The stone age warriors accept him as being something greater than their own shaman.
By the time Gribardson discarded his modern clothing for a simple loin cloth and huge hunting knife I knew who he REALLY was!
I have been haunted by this book since reading it. The more you learn about "Gribardson" the more you are drawn in. You admire his heroism and you feel sorrow for his vast loneliness.
If you enjoyed Farmer's books such as "Lord Tyger" you will enjoy this one. A story of a man out of his own time who is at home anywhere and nowhere....

8 people found this helpful

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Patrick L Boyle

Cure for an Ailing 'Inner Child'

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2014

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When I was a kid I read Science Fiction to learn about the world. Most Sci-Fi writers who I read were intelligent and knowledgeable. But now that I'm old and wise I read Sci-Fi for distraction. For example, I kept coming across references to Rome and the Roman empire in Jerry Pournelle's stories. So I started to read Roman history. Today I find that I've read almost all the original writers and many of the modern writers. The Roman Empire is still a source of many Sci-Fi stories and novels but now I know more Roman history than the Sci-Fi authors. This is what accounts for the phenomenon of - 'my inner child is dead'. You just can't recapture the wonder and awe about things that you had when you were twelve.

I've always preferred what is called 'hard' Sci-Fi rather than fantasy Sci-Fi. I like my heroes flying space ships rather than dragons. But even 'hard' Sci-Fi has a lot of silly science and as you get older and pick up some real science you are in danger of losing your sense of wonderment. A rare solution for this problem is Phillip Jose Farmer.

Farmer writes stories that are filled with plausible technology and plausible people. But the stories are not really grounded in reality. Farmer writes stories that truly 'far out'. This novel is like that. It is filled with realistic people who act like normal humans but there are plenty of 'far out' elements that serve to make the situation interesting.

Phillip Jose Farmer is fun.

7 people found this helpful

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Lucas Garrett

The Eternal Man of Myth comes alive...

Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2012

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Time's Last Gift is my favorite Wold Newton novel. Period.

The story is a timeless one about a man who is the epitome of the hero archetype, and what that means in cultural and temporal terms for those around him, and for those yet to be born. Through the character of John Gribardsun, Philip Jose Farmer tells the story of a familiar hero who becomes the eternal man of myth, something that made Time's Last Gift a true classic.

Furthermore, using the concepts of time travel, archaeology, anthropology, and linguistics, Farmer is able to give the novel's four chief protagonists the tools necessary to remake the world of the past one person, family, tribe, and village at a time. Farmer was ahead of his time when it came to his views on the possible temporal and geopolitical ramifications of time travel. However, Farmer was also wise in his view that nature would allow for such tamperings, and still correct itself to keep the chronological narrative in check. At least on the surface, that is. Farmer wouldn't be Farmer if he didn't have a few jaw dropping twists that left fans wanting more. Farmer is the epitome of the writer as a trickster, and it shows in Time's Last Gift. Just when you think you have it figured out, Farmer throws you at least one or two curve balls. That's the sign of a great writer.

Moreover, where the Titan Books edition of Time's Last Gift soars is with the inclusion of the Afterword written by Christopher Paul Carey, and the extensive Gribardsun chronolgy written by Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power. Carey, Eckert, and Power are accomplished writers who have carried on the legacy of Philip Jose Farmer as literary archaeologists and creative mythographers. In the eyes of this reader, their work is without peer on the subject of Farmer and his Wold Newton Family, and by extension, the Wold Newton Universe, of which Mr. Gribardsun figures prominently. Carey and Eckert expertly put Time's Last Gift in its proper context, and place, within this uniquely shared universe of heroes and villains who supposedly exist, did exist, or will exist in the "real" world.

Time's Last Gift is a great novel that will have readers guessing until the very end. For anyone interested in the Wold Newton Family and Universe, I would recommend that you read this novel first, and go from there. Perhaps to Win Scott Eckert's Crossovers: A Secret Chronology of the World, Volumes 1 and 2. However, if you are looking for a great time travel story with suspense and adventure, then Titan Books's edition of Time's Last Gift is the book for you. You will not be disappointed.

11 people found this helpful

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A Time Travel Story, Complete With A Pulp Style Lead Character

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2015

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Time's Last Gift is a time travel story featuring a team of scientists traveling from the year 2070 A.D. to 12,000 B.C. It's a really fun story, and squarely in Farmer's wheelhouse. His knowledge of anthropology, history, and linguistics serves him quite well.

This is a must read for Wold Newton Fans. You could say this novel is the building block of the Wold Newton Universe.

My favorite character, hands down is John Gribardsun. He's the alpha male leader of the expedition who seems to thrive in the prehistoric setting. There is a bit of a love triangle in the story between Gribardsun and Rachel and Drummond Silverstein. They are husband and wife, and both members of the expedition. Rachel can't seem to keep her eyes of Gribardsun, something her husband, understandably isn't too thrilled with.

If you're interested in reading a time travel story with a pulp style hero as the lead, this is the book for you.

4 people found this helpful

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M. J. Haynes

Competent time travel adventure in a Stone Age setting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2016

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Time’s Last Gift is a short SF novel featuring time travel, with the action largely taking place around 12,000 BC in late Palaeolithic Europe, towards the end of the last ice age. The original version of the novel was published in 1972, but it was republished in 1977 with the addition of an epilogue. The Titan Books edition reviewed here adds some contemporary material by other authors linking the novel firmly into Farmer’s Wold Newton series (indeed the Titan cover calls the novel “A Wold Newton Prehistory Novel”). This review focuses primarily on the original stand-alone novel and the star rating applies to that.

Four scientists, each skilled in multiple disciplines, travel in a time machine from 2070 to the Western Europe of 12,000 BC, on a four year mission to study the Palaeolithic world and its peoples. We learn that this is the first manned “time mission” and that physical restrictions mean that humans will never be able to travel further back than this length of time from their starting date. We also learn that the laws of physics dictate that there will be no time travel paradoxes because anything that the time travellers do has already happened and is already part of the future. This of course means that the scientists can freely study and interact with the Stone Age people they encounter.

The expedition is led by John Gribardsun, an enigmatic scientist and doctor who possesses extraordinary physical and mental prowess, as well as charisma and magnetism. It is quickly obvious that Gribardsun has a hidden agenda and mysterious past, and a talent for manipulation; but at the same time he seems compassionate and of benign intentions. Basically in many ways he is a classic pulp hero; and indeed the novel is laced with hints that he is someone the reader may be familiar with in other contexts. Gribardsun is the only well developed character, but the interactions with the native peoples and the rather unstable group dynamics of the scientists are well done. Gribardsun’s adventures in the Stone Age are quite exciting and most readers will want to find out what happens. The novel has a twist at the end, though it is predictable, especially for anyone who knows a bit about Farmer’s work.

I liked the simple, logical handling of the time travel theme. I thought the Stone Age people and their world were depicted well. The adventure story was competent and Gribardsun was an engaging and quite interesting protagonist. The added epilogue departs from the neat approach t time travel and in my opinion generally detracts from the novel. I think it may have been intended to integrate the fairly slight novel into a wider series, like the other material added by Titan. Famer fans may well like this, though for me it probably actually weakened the original. The stand-alone novel was competent and enjoyable, probably worth reading for anyone interested in time travel or Stone Age adventures.

One person found this helpful

Classic time travel story with incredible extras

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 4, 2012

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Time's Last Gift is my favourite Philip José Farmer novel and I've been excited about receiving my new Titan edition for weeks! Well, it's finally arrived and I'm as pleased as punch with it!

Starting in 2070 this book is the story of a group of scientists, led by the enigmatic John Gribardsun, who travel back to 12,000 BC in order to study the Magdalenian culture. As is so typical of Farmer, you get a master class in understanding how such a trip into our history would actually work. The issues that would be encountered, the joys that would be discovered. It's a fascinating, page-turning read with an ending that will make you look on Farmer's imagination in awe. I promise, your eyes will literally widen as you read the conclusion.

This book is billed as a Wold Newton Prehistory novel and I guess most people conversant with Farmer's work will understand why that is the case. Even if you are not interested in a wider reading of Farmer's work you will have a fine time with this book. The story is informative, fast-paced and entertaining. As part of the wider Wold Newton Family it is a lynch pin novel that opens doors to countless possibilities. I sincerely hope that if this is your first foray into Farmer's canon it entices you to read more, you won't be disappointed.

If you're a Farmer fan you no doubt already have a copy of this novel (do check to make sure you have the later versions with the epilogue - that alone makes this Titan reprint worthwhile) so you may be wondering if it's worth buying this version. It certainly is! As well as the full text there are a couple of fascinating additions.

Firstly, there is an afterword from Christopher Paul Carey, a real expert on Farmer, who deftly explains the Wold Newton Prehistory claim. His writing is smooth and smart and eminently readable. A thoroughly recommended essay.

Secondly is a chronology of the book's protagonist, John Gribardsun, by Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power. To say too much here would be to give away a major revelation that you need to read the book to enjoy. But suffice to say this is a fascinating and incredibly researched piece of work that succinctly puts a lot into perspective. Together with Eckert's chronology in The Other Log of Phileas Fogg this is an essential distillation for Farmer fans and scholars.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I do.

3 people found this helpful

Mr N Thompson

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 25, 2018

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Good yarn and a blast from my youth

Luisa

Zeitreise

Reviewed in Germany on August 21, 2012

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Welch eine Freude - über 20 Jahre hab ich nach diesem Buch gesucht, jetzt gibt es den Titel wieder, und der Inhalt ist genauso gut wie in meiner Erinnerung - die Lektüre also eine doppelte Zeitreise in die eigene Vergangenheit und die der Story. Getrübt wurde der Genuss nur durch zahlreiche Druckfehler in der Ausgabe ... (deshalb nur 4 Sterne). Schade, aber ein inhaltliches Juwel wie dieses sollte man so nicht rausgeben - ein Rechtschreibprogramm ist doch in jedem Schreib/Druckprogramm integriert?? Oder gibt es heutzutage bei den Verlagen keine Lektoren mehr? Der Inhalt des Buches ist Gottseidank so faszinierend und unkaputtbar wie damals.

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Fany Fox

Just started the book and find it fascinating - the ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2015

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Just started the book and find it fascinating - the idea of seeing the Ice Age coming from the future is marvellous.