Rating: 
Summary: "Titan" -- Bigger and Better
Review: If you were disappointed by "Titan," you'll probably be disappointed by "Time" as well. It contains roughly the same pessimism toward human nature as does "Titan," and the plot turns out to be quite similar -- but on a much grander scale.Now that "Time" is out in paperback, however, this is a good opportunity for people to give it a chance. I gave "Time" a much higher rating than "Titan" (admittedly a low hurdle to clear) because the characters are more interesting, as are the ideas. And this book is LOADED with ideas. I can flip to a random page in my hardcover copy and, more often than not, find something that will fascinate me all over again. And although the characters in "Time" suffer the same fate as those in "Titan," the fact that "Time" is the first novel in Baxter's "Manifold" trilogy suggests that the story does not end here . . . ~DH
Rating: 
Summary: Frustrating, with a plot hole that was distracting for me.
Review: As another reader points out, this is a frustrating book. I'm enough of a techno guy to appreciate all the good solid science Baxter puts in, complete with citations at the end of the book (even for the intelligent squid one other reader mentions)... But the characters, both as individuals and as groups, keep feeling like they're not behaving on their own, but jumping through hoops to advance the plot. For instance: One major sub-plot is that NASA Is Evil, and as such will do anything to thwart Our Hero, billionaire space industrialist Reid Malenfant (Malenfant is loose French for "bad boy" [cough]). So, does the hyperintelligent Malenfant bribe a tropical republic to build a private launch pad? Nope. Does he maybe rent the European Space Agency's facility in Guyana, like the rest of the world does? Nope. Where does he put his launch complex? In the Mojave Desert, right next to Edwards Air Force base. Gosh... NASA would *never* have jurisdiction *there*! Solving Malenfant's problem by doing something practical like this would cut all the fun NASA-bashing Baxter so clearly enjoys (I haven't seen someone with this much of a grudge since Halberstam's second black-bag job on Robert McNamara in "The Reckoning"). It's just that kind of, "This doesn't really work for verisimilitude, but dang it's fun!" attitude in treating not only his plot but also his characters that so disappoints. Yes, the crazy if very possibly true ideas about physics sure are fun. Pity the ending is a rehash of James Blish's novel, "The Triumph of Time".
Rating: 
Summary: Marginally entertaining
Review: In Manifold Time, Baxter explores some great ideas that get lost in weak storytelling. I found it difficult to stomach the arrogant characters with pompous-sounding names. It's obvious that Baxter is a better scientist than a writer, although I have to admit that there are some parts of the book that manage to convey a sense of wonder that is the key to any successful sci-fi book. On a personal level, I found Baxter's world view disturbing. He seems to believe that galactic conquest is the rightful destiny of man. He portrays the lead character, Malenfant, as a savior who pioneers this new "Manifest Destiny". I was annoyed at how Baxter took it for granted that galactic conquest was something beneficial, without delving into any of the moral dilemmas. Perhaps that is the problem with this book--plenty of science but no humanity.
Rating:
Summary: Not a storyteller
Review: I wanted to like this book, but I couldn't even force myself to finish it. Mr. Baxter does a poor job of juggling multiple viewpoints, and as another reviewer described, the characters are "paper thin" - I didn't care about any of them. He rushes through everything except the science. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Struggle To Finish
Review: Since I paid my hard earned money for this book, I was determined to finish it. (Otherwise, I would have put it down.) The science was o.k. however, the story was very weak and predictable.
Rating:
Summary: A return to form for a great story-teller
Review: Time shows that Stephen Baxter can still spin a good yarn when he wants to. Since his first book, Raft, and the short stories collected together in Vacuum Diagrams, I felt he had lost his way a little, focusing too much on the 'Ooh, wow!' factor provided by his obviously extensive research for every book he produces, and forgetting that a good plot and likeable characters are important, too. Now, at last, he has again put together a complex plot with a whole menagerie of characters who keep things moving towards a truly climactic ending, even by Baxter's Universe spanning standards. Still, a lot of mathematics, probability theory and theoretical physics are thrown at the reader but, provided this is your cup of tea, it rarely gets in the way of the story itself, instead serving to further it. Baxter has often been critisized for poor characterisation in his work, but there are many signs of improvement on that front in Time. Many of the characters are still very samey in a lot of ways, but he does manage to provide the reader with some subtle hints as to the deeper levels of his cast. I was especially impressed by the genius mathematician, Cornelius Taine, and the implication that his insiduous theories about the end of the world have pushed him slightly over the edge of madness. Part of me wished that this idea had been explored more thoroughly, but perhaps leaving unanswered questions about the characters, allowing the reader to flesh out the details themselves, provides for a more entertaining read. A brief description of the plot would be impossible as the book keeps on changing direction, introducing a new sub-plot in good time before the previous one has come to an end. Occasionaly, especially in the last quarter or so of the book, the plot gets spread a little thin as the various threads come to an end without another to replace them. In general, however, the pacing and direction of the book are handled expertly and the reader is always wanting to know what is happening to such and such a character. Baxter uses an interesting trick (to maintain interest in the characters) of starting each section of the book with a heading telling you on whom the next few pages will be focusing. This technique also allows him to unobtrusively throw in news reports and comments from the general populace which flesh out his detailed worldview of this near future Earth. One further problem with the book was that the ending was heavily signposted; another reason why the pace slackened during the final quarter. Nevertheless, predictable as it may be, the ending is tremendously satisfying and uplifiting - making a welcome change to the excellent but ultimately rather depressing Xelee sequence of books. Baxter also manages to save the satisfying conclusion to one of the best of the sub-plots to just the last few pages, further increasing the feel-good factor achieved. Overall, while Time has its flaws, it is nevertheless an excellent, rewarding, exciting, thought-provoking and highly recommended read.
Rating:
Summary: Good storytelling but not all too original
Review: I like Stephen Baxter. He's one of those sci-fi writers who knows that storytelling is as essential in Sci-Fi as is good science. And Time is really told well; the plot moves at a fair pace, and the writing keeps making you come back for more. It is definetly one of his better books in terms of the way it is told. But what it fails is in the actual science itself. I am an avid science boff, and I really found this book lacking in it's explainations of the things it depicts. It felt like I was in a Sci-Fi movie; the plot and all are good, but there is no real scince in there (except for the occasional mention of 'quark nuggets')
Rating: 
Summary: Baxter is back
Review: After taking time out to write some books about woolly mammoths, Baxter is back where he belongs, right on the cutting edge of hard SF. The book begins with an irrefutable numbers game that uses probability to show we are all doomed to extinction within 200 years. The hero Reid Malenfant sets out to beat the odds and secure mankind's future. Baxter has a very visual style of writing. With just a few phrases, he seems to conjure up images that unroll in your head like a film. The descriptions of Sheena 5, an enhanced spaceship piloting squid, and the massive time jumps where the characters witness the entire history of the universe, are exceptional. The fast pacing of the story kept me hooked, I couldn't put this book down. Towards the end, the story gets a little complicated, but a quick re-read of some sections cleared it all up. My only (tiny) gripe with the story is that for Baxter some of it is familiar ground. A renegade group of people blast into space, society on earth starts to collapse, mankind faces extinction, hero returns at the end. There are shades of TITAN here. However, there are enough new ideas here and the story is different enough to make it a worthwhile read. And only avid readers of Baxter's other work (as I am) would notice small similarities cropping up. All in all I highly recommend this book. Buy it today.
Rating:
Summary: Gotta make way for the homo superior
Review: Baxter does it again with an immensely thought provoking blend of hard science and visionary fiction. Like its predecessors - the excellent Moonseed and Titan, Time starts in a world instantly recognisable to us. The impetus of the space race has long since died and responsibility falls on our entrepreneurial hero Malenfant to rekindle the dream. It would be inappropriate to include any spoilers in this review, but suffice it to say that each of the manifold sub-plots has enormous relevance to today's world; Cyberluddism, genetic enhancement, religious fundamentalism, SETI, ecological disaster and, perhaps scariest of all, the appearance in our midst of a next generation of humankind, so intellectually advanced as to generate resentment and homicidal hatred amongst the "normal" disenfranchised homo sapiens. I have always expected nothing less than mind-bogglingly grandiose scope in a Baxter novel and, for my money, Time is his most poetically creative to date. If one universe is not enough, let's have a dozen or a thousand! The fact that the roots of the novel are all based in genuine contemporary science adds to its substantial impact. Astonishing stuff!
Rating:
Summary: It's always a good time for Manifold Time
Review: I found Manifold Time quite an enjoyable read. The story was replete with unexpected (and sometimes expected) twists and turns. I found a few of the main characters in the story to be quite engaging and likeable, although the heroine's character seemed a little silly at times. Stephen Baxter does an absolutely amazing job at surprising his readers. As the story unfolds you find yourself being taken down one seemingly tangent path after another, all the while coming closer and closer to the realization that what Stephen Baxter is weaving around you is not a plot, but rather a web of time. Once I clearly saw the picture that Baxter had been painting in Manifold, I was both devastated and amazed. Perhaps the reason this story is so powerful his science (aside from the genetic engineering) is impeccably rooted in the various fields of science to which he appeals. A couple of the ideas in the book have been combined improperly, but they weren't critical to the story's message. Then again, we have to remember that this science fiction, albeit science fiction at it's very best. The story that Baxter successfully conveys has direct relevance to the title of the book: Manifold Time. And once you find out what that is, you will want to thank the author for taking science and making it human.
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