- Hardcover: 328 pages
- Publisher: Avon Books (T) (Aug 1997)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0380974339
- ISBN-13: 978-0380974337
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 14.2 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,157,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thought at first that the combination of time-travel and Nazi Germany was contrived, but was soon drawn into the complexity of action and thinking that the author has contrived.
This is not a novel about the physics of time travel (although the background seems to be informed by Frank Tipler's "The Physics of Immortality"). Instead it is a sustained exploration in the ethics and consequences of engagement in the extremes of evil as represented in the main by the Auschwitz concentration camp. As Gaspar, James and Alma Lewin - from their respective positions of ethics and duty - work through their missions, they develop,change and are transformed.
This, as the book cover reviews indicate, is real writing about people, which exploits the conceptual power of sf to make some deep points. I thought it was excellent, and after you get into it, un-put-downable. One of the best sf books I've read.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
17 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
An unappreciated gem
5 May 2005
Format:Hardcover
Some day someone someplace will "re-discover" this book and it will takes its proper place in literature as a truly remarkable work. The juxtaposition of the Holocaust in the context of a sci-fi novel is unique, and what some see as Dunn's failing to provide satisfying answers to history's most horrific and mystifying event (why and how could this happen?) is actually deeply satisfying, because it evokes the unanswerables that are intrinsic to human life. The scenes of concentration camp life are painful to the point that one is tempted to skip ahead, but one never does. And the shadowy Moiety with its futuristic aliens whose purposes and plans are unknowable, yet who are not without a sense of deep and everlasting pain, are perfect evocations of our lack of understanding. I disagree with others that Christian theology is a major driving force; there are plenty of Jewish concepts (perhaps universal?) here as well. A book for the ages that all should read, if only for its depiction of the Holocaust.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
An ethical quandry
4 Mar 2003
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Days of Cain by J.R. Dunn: In the future, there is a group that is committed to "preserving the integrity of past events." However, there is one among them who has decided to alter the events at Auschwitz by going there as a prisoner. I won't lie to you, this one is a rough read --- not due to the prose, but due to the subject matter. Usually I avoid horror and sci-fi books about The Holocaust, because I feel that they belittle it by just using it as a convenient setting that is so horrific on its own that the author feels they do not have to expend much effort, and as a Jew it kind of pisses me off that they seem to find The Holocaust as little more than that. This book is an exception, however. The Holocaust is used as a backdrop for a story about ethics, a "what would you do if you had the chance" question.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
A stunning, visionary work.
26 Mar 2000
Format:Paperback
Deeply moving, highly involving and tense, this book is far more complex than it might appear at first glance. While appearing to be merely a science fiction novel, it deals with the impact of an obscene period of history on the souls of those who participated, as well as those whom time travel has gifted with the ability prevent it from ever happening. Despite the SF trappings, this is a very human novel, illustrating the terrible madness that overcame Germany during the war, as well as its lasting effect on humanity.
One reviewer has claimed Dunn "insults" through his use of "Christian trappings", betraying a lack of familiarity with the subject matter. Dunn makes use of Frank Tipler's "Omega Theory" to provide a platform for forgiveness and divinity that fits with the technological aspect of the future in the novel.
Dunn displays an astonishing grasp of emotion in "Days of Cain", moving the reader to tears at one moment, then despair, then rage, and finally joy and wonder. I've bought several copies of this book for friends (two of them Jewish), all of whom have later enthused about it.
A remarkable work by a truly gifted author.
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