Being a Time Courier was one of the best jobs Judson Daniel Elliott III ever had. It was tricky, though, taking group after group of tourists back to the same historic event without meeting yourself coming or going. Trickier still was avoiding the temptation to become intimately involved with the past and interfere with events to come. The deterrents for any such actions were frighteningly effective. So Judson Daniel Elliott played by the book. Then he met a lusty Greek in Byzantium who showed him how rules were made to be broken!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Se any
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Although some of the narrative is perhaps slightly dated (1960's) this is an excellent example of exploring some of the ideas and paradoxes that surround the idea of time travel.
Robert Silverberg really is an incredibly gifted author and some of the ideas he introduces in this book are superb.
The idea of having trips back in time to witness some of histories famous moments accompanied by a courier is a great premise for a story. Once people have visited a famous moment in time they then become part of this history, the end result being that the more famous moments in history are gradually becoming overcrowded with successive visitors ie the crucifixion of Christ ends up with thousands of time tourists witnessing the event.
I cannot help but feel that the film "Timecop" with Van Damme has been heavily influenced by this book. The story also has Time Police to stop people interfering with crucial moments in history. The ending of this story is unique, I have never come across an ending like it and it works marvellously.
If you are going to buy one story about time travel then this is the one, Silverberg is a genius and this story is absolutely top notch.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Archy
Format:Mass Market Paperback
`Up the line' means back in time, for this is a time travel tale from the start of Robert Silverberg's most impressive period. Written in 1968 and published the following year there's an element of late 60s hippy counterculture about it, even though it's set in the middle of the 21st Century, when time travel is common and a Time Courier is a popular career - as long as you don't run foul of the Time Patrol, who rove the centuries checking and guarding against timecrime - the alteration of history.
The hero, Jud Elliott, is such a Courier, but being a Time Courier becomes a means to an end as Jud falls under the spell of an older maverick who breaks all the rules. It's quite a fun read, though I would have found it more enjoyable if the time periods visited were a little more varied. Robert Silverberg must have wanted to display his historical knowledge of Byzantium! It does get very silly towards the end, but is an entertaining romp.
The hero, Jud Elliott, is such a Courier, but being a Time Courier becomes a means to an end as Jud falls under the spell of an older maverick who breaks all the rules. It's quite a fun read, though I would have found it more enjoyable if the time periods visited were a little more varied. Robert Silverberg must have wanted to display his historical knowledge of Byzantium! It does get very silly towards the end, but is an entertaining romp.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
If you like science fiction, this book is a must. Time travel features in many SF books, of course, but I don't think anybody's done in better than Silverberg, in this very book.
Time travel has the potential to create many paradoxes, of course. For instance, what if you went back 75 years and murdered your grandmother? Does this mean you would cease to exist? And if you didn't exist, how could you have travelled in time? Or if you went back 5000 years and accidentally stepped on an ant, doesn't this mean that the whole of the future would be changed? And if there are time tourists going back to look at classic historical events, such as the sinking of the Titanic, why weren't they there in the first place, when it originally happened?
To be fair to Silverberg he handles all of these questions with aplomb, and a generous dash of humour to boot! What's more, Up The Line is a love story as well! Hold on for the ride in this thoroughly entertaining four-dimensional tale.
By P. McCLEAN
Format:Paperback
This is a superb, "tongue-in-cheek" time-travel tale. Very entertaining and well worth a read.
The novel tells the tale of a time courier. A time courier acts as a tour guide to groups of people travelling back in time to visit famous events. A key premise is that as more groups travel back to famous events, the locations of the events get crowded, as the previous travel groups are also at those locations. Really famous events, such as the crucifixion started out only having a small number of people in attendance, but is now crowded with thousands of time tourists.
Of course, time couriers have to be careful not to bump into themselves when they make a return visit to any location.
It is the funniest time travel book I've read.
The novel tells the tale of a time courier. A time courier acts as a tour guide to groups of people travelling back in time to visit famous events. A key premise is that as more groups travel back to famous events, the locations of the events get crowded, as the previous travel groups are also at those locations. Really famous events, such as the crucifixion started out only having a small number of people in attendance, but is now crowded with thousands of time tourists.
Of course, time couriers have to be careful not to bump into themselves when they make a return visit to any location.
It is the funniest time travel book I've read.
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Time travel can be seriously complicated, and Silverberg spares you nothing. While I found the social attitudes very dated, the plot carries complete conviction, (until someone actually invents a time machine, that is.)
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a time travel adventure with its tongue stuck firmly in cheek. It is a delight to read and rewards the reader with interesting and provocative twists and turns.
I don't think it will give any quantum physicists sleepless nights but it has given my friends and I hours of amusement.
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