THE TIME ROADS
By Beth Bernobich
Tor Books
302 pgs.
Two of science fictions’ most often used plots revolve around time travel and alternate worlds. Whereas this book merges the two conceits in a twisty, compelling story that is nothing short of brilliant.
The tale opens in the early 1900 hundreds in a world where the Irish Empire rules, Anglia is subservient, there is no America but rather the Mexica republics and the rumors of war are a constant threat around the globe. Aine Lasairfona Devereaux, the Queen of Eire, desires peace but is incapable of devising a practical strategy to insure it. Then Breandan O Cuilinn, a genius scientist, comes to her saying he has discovered the existence “time fractures.” These anomalies could lead to time travel if examined carefully. Such journeys to the future could be the means of avoiding the coming international conflicts.
Then, before he can successfully prove his theory, O Cuilinn disappears in an experiment gone awry. Queen Aine suspects he has trapped himself in the future and once again she finds herself beset by plots and conspiracies. At this juncture in the narrative, Bernobich shifts our attentions to Simon and Gwen Madoc, two sibling mathematicians who may have come across the “time fractures,” much to their detriment. Their discovery proves to have disastrous effects on their immediate surroundings. Gwen is institutionalized with a mental breakdown and a mysterious serial killer begins murdering Simon’s fellow students.
Alarmed by these murders at one of the country’s most prestigious universities, Queen Anne sends her personal bodyguard, Commander Aidrean O Deaghaidh, to investigate.
All too soon he too is caught up in the flux of changing timelines, which leads to his questioning his own sanity.
And that’s only the first half of the book. “The Time Roads” is a complex, enthralling tale filled with amazing characters all struggling to find their places in an ever changing cosmos. Despite the uncertainty of each new future that challenges them, they learn to rely on the inner strength that is their true, immutable constant. That human love and loyalty, despite their many failings, will in the end triumph. A tip of the pulp fedora to Beth Bernobich for a truly unforgettable adventure.
