Timegates. edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. 1997
TIMEGATES
RATED 71% POSITIVE. STORY SCORE 3.5 OF 5
12 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 1 DNF
Timegates is a pretty weak entry to this themed anthology series by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. Unlike Aliens! and Clones!, Timegates isn’t quite the iconic science fiction trope as those others. It is pretty skippable and most of its better stories can be found in other anthologies.
There are some big name authors in this anthology, but they aren’t operating at top of their game.
In fact, the whole book seems sloppily put together. The introduction is less that one page in the small paperback edition that I own and it reads more like marketing copy. There are no insights into either the topics or the selection.
There are two stories that make The All-Time Great List:
The Man Who Walked Home • (1972) • short story by James Tiptree, Jr. Haunting time travel tragedy that is really different, alienating, and ultimately triste. An explosion devastated the world, but the strange figure of a struggling man in a spacesuit keeps appearing to different people over the centuries.
Trapalanda • (1987) • novelette by Charles Sheffield. Thrilling story of a wealthy blind man who hires an explorer to help him find the mythical Trapalanda at the southern mountains of Argentina. An exciting story of exploration of the ragged edges of existence: mountains, time dilation, and the broken pieces of the human heart. This story would be even better if its secret wasn’t revealed by the theme of this anthology.
TIMEGATES
12 STORIES : 2 GREAT / 5 GOOD / 3 AVERAGE / 1 POOR / 1 DNF
The Man Who Walked Home • (1972) • short story by James Tiptree, Jr.
Great. Haunting time travel tragedy that is really different, alienating, and ultimately triste. An explosion devastated the world, but the strange figure of a struggling man in a spacesuit keeps appearing to different people over the centuries.
Air Raid • (1977) • short story by John Varley
Good. Leaving a future where the world and her body is falling apart, a woman steps into the present day and takes over the life of a stewardess. Once aboard the flight, she begins shunting passengers unknowingly through other portals.
The Hole on the Corner • (1967) • short story by R. A. Lafferty
DNF. I couldn’t handle the jokey language in this story about an invisible portal on a street corner and the wacky alternative world hijinks that happens.
Trapalanda • (1987) • novelette by Charles Sheffield
Great. Thrilling story of a wealthy blind man who hires an explorer to help him find the mythical Trapalanda at the southern mountains of Argentina. An exciting story of exploration of the ragged edges of existence: mountains, time dilation, and the broken pieces of the human heart. This story would be even better if its secret wasn’t revealed by the theme of this anthology.
Arachon • short story by Damon Knight (variant of Anachron 1954)
Average. Two wealthy brothers discover a portal that facilities the ‘collection’ of historical items, but the problem is that they disappear and return to their own time. The problem gets solved with weird temporal problems solving … and murder.
Hole-in-the-Wall • (1991) • short story by Bridget McKenna
Average. A racist jerk of a health inspector gets his comeuppance through a portal to the future.
Time's Arrow • (1989) • short story by Jack McDevitt
Good. An inventor keep inventing time machines, but he can only visit dangerous moments in history. He doesn’t get the message.
Anniversary Project • (1975) • short story by Joe Haldeman
Good. Quirky little sorry that really succeeds in making the future feel alien. It is the Millionth Year Anniversary of reading, so weird future beings grab a normal couple from the present day. They will ride the brains of this people to experience what reading has to offer.
The Secret Place • (1966) • short story by Richard McKenna
Average. Probably a fantasy story about a military scientist who investigates a small amount of uranium in the Oregon desert. A young woman’s imaginary world may hold the key.
The Price of Oranges • (1989) • novelette by Nancy Kress
Good. Charming tale of two older men in 1989 who sit, talk, and try to make the best of life. One man travels back in time 1937 to buy things at must cheaper prices —- and maybe find a man to make his granddaughter happier.
Full Chicken Richness • (1983) • short story by Avram Davidson
Poor. A lot of SciFi humor is garbage and this is no exception. If you want a summary, its about a restaurant and a recipe that is mostly chicken.
Another Story • [Hainish] • (1994) • novelette by Ursula K. Le Guin
Good. A man tells the story of his life on the Planet O with an emphasis on the diverse marriage and sexual structures of his people. He travels to the planet Hain to do research on a transportation portal that will allow instantaneous transfer of matter. Like most of Le Guin’s fiction the emphasis here is the deep and (overly) detailed world building and very realistically human relationships.
