- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: Del Rey Books; First Edition edition (Jan 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345452488
- ISBN-13: 978-0345452481
- Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,473,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Sir Arthur C. Clarke is a living legend, a writer whose name has been synonymous with science fiction for more than fifty years. An indomitable believer in human and scientific potential, Clarke is a genuine visionary. If Clarke has an heir among today’s science fiction writers, it is award-winning author Stephen Baxter. In each of his acclaimed novels, Baxter has demonstrated dazzling gifts of imagination and intellect, along with a rare ability to bring the most cerebral science dramatically to life. Now these two champions of humanism and scientific speculation have combined their talents in a novel sure to be one of the most talked-about of the year, a 2001 for the new millennium.
TIME’S EYE
For eons, Earth has been under observation by the Firstborn, beings almost as old as the universe itself. The Firstborn are unknown to humankind— until they act. In an instant, Earth is carved up and reassembled like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly the planet and every living thing on it no longer exist in a single timeline. Instead, the world becomes a patchwork of eras, from prehistory to 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants.
Scattered across the planet are floating silver orbs impervious to all weapons and impossible to communicate with. Are these technologically advanced devices responsible for creating and sustaining the rifts in time? Are they cameras through which inscrutable alien eyes are watching? Or are they something stranger and more terrifying still?
The answer may lie in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037—three cosmonauts returning to Earth from the International Space Station, and three United Nations peacekeepers on a mission in Afghanistan—have detected radio signals: the only such signals on the planet, apart from their own. The peacekeepers find allies in nineteenth-century British troops and in the armies of Alexander the Great. The astronauts, crash-landed in the steppes of Asia, join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. The two sides set out for Babylon, each determined to win the race for knowledge . . . and the power that lies within.
Yet the real power is beyond human control, perhaps even human understanding. As two great armies face off before the gates of Babylon, it watches, waiting. . . .
TIME’S EYE
For eons, Earth has been under observation by the Firstborn, beings almost as old as the universe itself. The Firstborn are unknown to humankind— until they act. In an instant, Earth is carved up and reassembled like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly the planet and every living thing on it no longer exist in a single timeline. Instead, the world becomes a patchwork of eras, from prehistory to 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants.
Scattered across the planet are floating silver orbs impervious to all weapons and impossible to communicate with. Are these technologically advanced devices responsible for creating and sustaining the rifts in time? Are they cameras through which inscrutable alien eyes are watching? Or are they something stranger and more terrifying still?
The answer may lie in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037—three cosmonauts returning to Earth from the International Space Station, and three United Nations peacekeepers on a mission in Afghanistan—have detected radio signals: the only such signals on the planet, apart from their own. The peacekeepers find allies in nineteenth-century British troops and in the armies of Alexander the Great. The astronauts, crash-landed in the steppes of Asia, join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. The two sides set out for Babylon, each determined to win the race for knowledge . . . and the power that lies within.
Yet the real power is beyond human control, perhaps even human understanding. As two great armies face off before the gates of Babylon, it watches, waiting. . . .
About the Author
Arthur C. Clarke is the visionary grandmaster of 20th and 21st century SF. In a writing career than spans seven decades he has both prophesied key, world-changing technologies and written SF that has become a benchmark for the genre. Stephen Baxter is the most significant SF writer of his generation. His books are bestsellers and award-winners the world over. Stephen Baxter is the pre-eminent SF writer of his generation. Published around the world he has also won major awards in the UK, US, Germany, and Japan. Born in 1957 he has degrees from Cambridge and Southampton. He lives in Northumberland with his wife.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As the book's title suggests, this is an odyssey through time rather than space. The authors point out that their goal was to create a companion to 2001 and its sequels, starting out with a similar premise but developing things at 90 degrees, so to speak. They've succeeded, but they've also fallen short of the original.
Like 2001, the scope of this first book ranges from the dawn of man to a time when humans live on the moon. Yet Clarke's penchant for mysticism that was evident in 2001 or Childhood's End has given way to a more concrete treatment of peoples and practices. As a result, the book seems to have lost its heart. Without giving too much of the plot away, the use of some very famous historical characters seems painfully contrived. The writers seem to have recognised this, and characters within the novel speculate on the ludicrous coincidences involved. Maybe a reason for the contrivance wll become apparent in the following books, maybe not; talk about hedging your bets!
Despite the mysterious presence of the "Eyes" throughout the book, I found little or no sense of wonder in the world or events being described. There is a heavy concentration on military procedures, the impact of technology, and the geology of the planet - but this comes at the expense of the inner dialogue of the people affected by them. Considering that this isn't the first time Clarke and Baxter have written a book together (and I really enjoyed The Light of Other Days) I was surprised how little I was engaged by it.
Nevertheless, there are one or two references to the original work which fans should pick up, and the final chapter redeems things with an event worthy of Clarke's earlier work. Rather than disappointment, this left me hoping that, with the groundwork out of the way, book 2 in the series will be a much more exciting ride...
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Because of the many similarities of the premise of this book to 2001, manyreaders will pick the book up expecting something quite similar andstimulating in the same ways. That expectation would be wrong. Although onthe surface the books have similar elements, Time's Eye uses astory-telling technique that focuses much more on bringing incongruitiesfrom different periods of history together to imaginatively describe "whatif?" You have famous authors (Rudyard Kipling), famous conquerors(Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan), and famous places (Babylon in itsprime) brought together in unexpected collisions. It's like running aparticle accelerator to collide with something to see what mighthappen.
The book lives or dies by how compelling you find the historicaljuxtapositions. I personally found them to be mildly interesting . . . butnot compelling. The story itself was a little clunky in its plot elements,and I found myself disbelieving the ending.
The 2001-like element in the book mostly recedes into the background. Hadit been more in the foreground, the book could have been a four-stareffort.
I loved the idea of including the CD with bonus book and other material.Nice!
Perhaps the series will improve in the rest of the book . . . I hope so.The potential for a good story is certainly there.
The book lives or dies by how compelling you find the historicaljuxtapositions. I personally found them to be mildly interesting . . . butnot compelling. The story itself was a little clunky in its plot elements,and I found myself disbelieving the ending.
The 2001-like element in the book mostly recedes into the background. Hadit been more in the foreground, the book could have been a four-stareffort.
I loved the idea of including the CD with bonus book and other material.Nice!
Perhaps the series will improve in the rest of the book . . . I hope so.The potential for a good story is certainly there.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Arthur C. Clarke warns us, in the preface, that this is not a "cover" of the 2001, a Space Odyssey saga. While there are some common points such as an non terrestrial force governing the physics, forces which in both books remain mysterious, the inhabitants of our planet, such as an intelligent computer (the mischievous HAL being replaced by a UN issued mobile phone, without the nastiness but with much more computing power), the 2 series are very different. The mixture and juxtaposition of well known historical characters and glorious unknowns, the study of how one's horrendous instincts as well as selflessness and grandeur can well up in unsettling circumstances make "Time's eye" a fascinating read.
I was however disconcerted by the writing style which some times was below par. There were some repetitions, some complexities in the language which did not seem justified. But all in all, a great read nevertheless and I hope the next volume of this trilogy will be with us soon.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good but not epic
A good sf book, but I was expecting something a little more epic than it turned out. The story's interesting and different - featuring an unlikely collection of people taken from... Read more
Published on 8 Nov 2009 by Sulkyblue
Storyline is weak and biased
The concept is nice but the underlying story is weak. The depiction of Ghengiz Khan and the mongols is stongly biased towards an european's point of view. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2004 by Neelotpal Kundu
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