Home :: Books :: Literature & Fiction  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes
Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction

Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
Time Scout : Time Scout

Time Scout : Time Scout

List Price: $5.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 >>

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Lukewarm Effort
Review: "Time Scout" revists the theme of time traveling explorers and tourists coping with the inherent hazards of taking jaunts to the past. Such a premise has already been deftly explored by Poul Anderson in his "Time Patrol" series and Robert Silverberg in his novel "Time Gate." Asprin's effort, however, falls somewhat short. While he creates a plausible and somewhat intriguing society, his main characters are one-dimensional and obnoxious (especially Margo, who is an annoying brat). While the narrative is fast-paced and mildly interesting, it ultimately never captivates us. A decent novel, nothing more...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A Lukewarm Effort
Review: "Time Scout" revists the theme of time traveling explorers and tourists coping with the inherent hazards of taking jaunts to the past. Such a premise has already been deftly explored by Poul Anderson in his "Time Patrol" series and Robert Silverberg in his novel "Time Gate." Asprin's effort, however, falls somewhat short. While he creates a plausible and somewhat intriguing society, his main characters are one-dimensional and obnoxious (especially Margo, who is an annoying brat). While the narrative is fast-paced and mildly interesting, it ultimately never captivates us. A decent novel, nothing more...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Time Scout is a must read novel
Review:

Time Scout is probably the first time travel novel I've ever read that tried to deal realistically with the problems of actually interacting with our ancestors.

Several novels simply paint pie in the sky interactions, with the ancients behaving entirely out of character, acting as though they were contemporary with the time traveler.

Not so in Time Scout!

Asprin and Evans have created a wonderful premise, and dealt with it realistically. An example of this detail is their description of a shop at TT-86, (the TT-# is a station designation for each of the time travel locations), Clothes and Stuff, run by Connie Logan. Not only does it include details about the differences in the clothes the social classes wear, but it points out how small details, like machine stitching, can stand out like a sore thumb to someone in the past.

The crux of the story is "Kit" Carson and his relationship with a young woman, Margo Smith. I won't spoil most of the details, but in the process of learning to be a Time Scout, Margo matures, and Kit learns a thing or two about himself. In particular, Margo finds out why women Time Scouts are discouraged, in a particularly horrific way.

This is not a novel for little kids, so those of you used to Aprin's lighter works, be prepared for a more adult adventure than in his Myth Adventures series.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pretty darn good...
Review: Anything by Robert Asprin is worth reading, and this book is a side of his work different than anything else of his I've read. While the style of the writing is a little stilted and sometimes sounds very unedited and choppy, his world comes through to the reader. And a neat world it is, too.

The characters and situations and even the location it's set against make you just sit back with a silly grin on your face--you really don't know why. There's nothing spectacular about his writing, but Asprin brings his usual sense of humor to a well-researched and lifelike background, and the combination is wonderful. The plot and locations leave this series open to so many stories, and I can only hope that Asprin will be the one to write them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pretty darn good...
Review: Anything by Robert Asprin is worth reading, and this book is a side of his work different than anything else of his I've read. While the style of the writing is a little stilted and sometimes sounds very unedited and choppy, his world comes through to the reader. And a neat world it is, too.

The characters and situations and even the location it's set against make you just sit back with a silly grin on your face--you really don't know why. There's nothing spectacular about his writing, but Asprin brings his usual sense of humor to a well-researched and lifelike background, and the combination is wonderful. The plot and locations leave this series open to so many stories, and I can only hope that Asprin will be the one to write them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent adventure novel, little science
Review: Asprin and Evans' novel is a good adventure, with fun, interesting characters and a nicely moving plot. The story-line -- about time travel thru a series of closed-ened "threads of time" -- does not contain much to interest hard-science or technology fans, however. What is differeent about this time-travel concept is the complete INABILITY to change the past. Time travelers cannot alter history here. All in all a good read, if you want a fun story in an exotic setting.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: And so it begins........
Review: Here for the first time we the readers meet the honorable and tough as nails time scout Kenneth "Kit" Carson.

I have read all the other books in the series (see my reviews) and I like this one most of all for 2 reasons
In "Wagers of Sin" we see the story from Skeeter Jackson's perspective and in "Ripping Time" we see most of the story from the point of view of Marius (the ex-Roman slave) in this book a much more of a kaleidoscope effect is achieved you are everywhere at once by it up or down time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: And so it begins........
Review: Here for the first time we the readers meet the honorable and tough as nails time scout Kenneth "Kit" Carson.

I have read all the other books in the series (see my reviews) and I like this one most of all for 2 reasons
In "Wagers of Sin" we see the story from Skeeter Jackson's perspective and in "Ripping Time" we see most of the story from the point of view of Marius (the ex-Roman slave) in this book a much more of a kaleidoscope effect is achieved you are everywhere at once by it up or down time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: And so it begins........
Review: Here for the first time we the readers meet the honorable and tough as nails time scout Kenneth "Kit" Carson.

I have read all the other books in the series (see my reviews) and I like this one most of all for 2 reasons
In "Wagers of Sin" we see the story from Skeeter Jackson's perspective and in "Ripping Time" we see most of the story from the point of view of Marius (the ex-Roman slave) in this book a much more of a kaleidoscope effect is achieved you are everywhere at once by it up or down time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent adventure novel, little science
Review: I'm a fan of Robert Asprin (have read all of the Myth book and both of the Phule books), but I was never much interested in the Theives World saga that he edited. The few stories I managed to read seemed less than satisfactory.

This, though, is far more satisfactory. There are some obvious rough edges that need to be smoothed out before I'll say that Evans & Asprin are really a team, but they have a lot going for them already.


<< 1 2 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates