Time's Last Gift (Wold Newton) [Paperback]

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.

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.

Despite receiving countless accolades from his peers and fans, the late Philip Jose Farmer remains unknown to a large portion of the general public. This is a tragedy, as his work is among the most, if not THE most (and I believe it is), imaginative and intelligent in the genre. Farmer richly delineates his time travelers' reactions to the primitive era and peoples amidst which they find themselves, and his characterization is unmatched.

None of Farmer's works exemplifies his imagination better than his novels, stories, and essays about the Wold Newton Family, an interconnected family tree of mainstream, pulp, adventure, and detective fiction heroes who owe their remarkable qualities to their ancestors' exposure to the radiation of a meteorite that fell in the Yorkshire village of Wold Newton in 1795. As Christopher Paul Carey's excellent afterword demonstrates, this is perhaps the most important entry in the Wold Newton cycle. Keen-eyed viewers will notice many similarities between John Gribardsun, the mysterious leader of the expedition into the past, and one of Farmer's favorite characters, a prominent member of the Wold Newton Family. I will not say his name, but the initials of the title of this book provide a strong hint. Farmer sprinkles hints at his true identity throughout the book in a distinctly non-overbearing manner, and makes many startling revelations about this man's later life. Carey's afterword and an equally superb chronology by Farmer scholars Win Scott Eckert and Dennis E. Power further reveal the startling implications for the Wold Newton Family and the universe in which they exist.

Phil Farmer was, and still is even after his passing in 2009, one of the most controversial and groundbreaking authors in science fiction. His portrayal of time travel in this novel is incredibly believable, and anticipates modern theories about same. Fans of Farmer's Wold Newton works such as myself will enjoy identifying "John Gribardsun", the most fleshed-out character in a book whose protagonists are all well-developed, and learning about what is yet to come (from our perspective) for this famous individual. The bonus materials provide a broader perspective on how Gribardsun's actions impacted one of Farmer's most famous creations. This novel is an absolutely essential read for one to burrow into, and I thank the wonderful folks at Titan Books for putting it back into print at long last.