Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt
When physicist Michael Shelborne mysteriously vanishes, his son Shel discovers that he had constructed a time travel device. Fearing his father may be stranded in time-or worse-Shel enlists the aid of Dave Dryden, a linguist, to accompany him on the rescue mission.
Their journey through history takes them from the enlightenment of Renaissance Italy through the American Wild West to the civil-rights upheavals of the 20th century. Along the way, they encounter a diverse cast of historical greats, sometimes in unexpected situations. Yet the elder Shelborne remains elusive.
And then Shel violates his agreement with Dave not to visit the future. There he makes a devastating discovery that sends him fleeing back through the ages, and changes his life forever.
What could have been a tense search for a missing father, is instead a somewhat jovial ride through time. At times, Shel and Dave act like a couple of frat boys, using the time time devices to visit their favorite historical events.
There are a few moments of crisis, but the boys find a way through with almost ridiculous ease. I never felt that there was any real danger, especially with the men’s song and dance.
The book is a pleasant read, but not one I’d especially recommend. Something of a disappointment from an author whose work I usually greatly admire. I seem to have fallen into a pattern of finding the least likable of my favorite authors’ works.
Mount TBR 2024 Book Links
Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.
1. Bone Walker (Anasazi Mysteries #3) by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, W. Michael Gear
2. Holly by Stephen King
3. Inferno (Inferno#1) by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
4. Fallout (Lois Lane #1) by Gwenda Bond
5. The Secret People by John Wyndham
6. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
8. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins
9. Psyche and Eros by Luna McNamara
10. Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts by Shanna H. Swan, Stacey Colino
11. Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
12. Night Songs by Charles L. Grant
13. President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by C.W. Goodyear
14. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin
15. Mine by Robert R. McCammon
16. Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt
APR- Darling, Funny, Familiar, Somewhere, List, Meet, Never, Word
Time Travelers Never Die by Jack McDevitt