Time's End

Rating:
Summary: You'll be up past midnight reading
Review: I have seen the future - and it is Time's End. Anyone concerned about humankind's growing dependence on technology and growing indifference to intrusions on our privacy and personal autonomy will find this chilling novel of the not-so-distant future difficult to put down. Jake Mando is a fitting hero for the 21st Century, at a time when threats to our freedom from without can lead us to surrender the very things we seek to protect. It's a fast-paced read, where The Running Man meets Logan's Run, and you'll find this adventure is one that will stay with you long after you've finished.

Rating:
Summary: You'll be up past midnight reading
Review: I have seen the future - and it is Time's End. Anyone concerned about humankind's growing dependence on technology and growing indifference to intrusions on our privacy and personal autonomy will find this chilling novel of the not-so-distant future difficult to put down. Jake Mando is a fitting hero for the 21st Century, at a time when threats to our freedom from without can lead us to surrender the very things we seek to protect. It's a fast-paced read, where The Running Man meets Logan's Run, and you'll find this adventure is one that will stay with you long after you've finished.

Rating:
Summary: Big brother meets hi tech and a relentless pursuit
Review: that keeps you reading. Hard to put it down and the theme could hardly be more timely. The plot moves briskly and the action is non-stop. On top of that is a frightening vision of what can happen when we cocoon in our nanny State and let others make decisions for us to give us security. A very good read.

Rating:
Summary: Time's End is almost here
Review: The repressive world Tom Riley writes about in Time's End is closer than we think. From the novel's breathless opening, to the society of condoffs and omnipresent police, Tom Riley has created a brave new world where only the weak and submissive survive. Given the tumultuous events occuring in the news today, Time's End is not only a timely warning about the dangers inherent in the erosion of citizens' rights, it's a must-read for those curious where current trends could lead. Time's End is a taut, highly visual, and fascinating futuristic thriller. The characters are intriguing, and the ideas driving the plot resonate with startling clarity.

Matthew St. Amand...

Rating:
Summary: A novel for our times
Review: This book, set in a very near future, sets out a scenario of where societies
might go if we continue to abuse drugs and technology in society. Set in a
future world, in which the world is set off into "high cities" with a
populace controlled through the use of sophisticated psychological
mechanisms, technology and the creation of a climate of constant fear of any
place beyond the high city.

In this world, the citizens of high city, believe they have achieved the
peak of their lives and abilities, unaware they are slaves to a
socio-political system that denies them freedom of choice and the ability to
live productive and useful lives. Outside these controlled "high cities"
citizens live as drones. They are working people who live in poor
conditions, do menial tasks, are controlled by sophisticated propaganda and
live short lives. Essentially, they are the servants of the leaders of the
high cities.

This is an adventure story of epic proportions in which one individual sets
out to break out of the system. The novel is fast paced reaching an
unexpected climax. Throughout this adventure a variety of techniques are
revealed as to how easily people came under control in this future state.
It is a commnetary on our times.

This novel is of interest to anyone who like science fiction or adventure
stories and the social impacts and changes to our society that technology is
bringing.

Time's End is a smashing good read, well paced and filled with excitement.
It manages to create a sense of excitement and adventure while creating a
world that is deadly in every sense.

I highly recommend this novel.

Rating:
Summary: THE CHASE IS ON
Review: Thomas B. Riley
TIME'S END
AmErica House, Baltimore, 2001

I like science fiction when it does the following: (1) tells a cautionary tale of what happens when science goes off on a tangent, producing more detriments than benefits; and (2) spins an absorbing adventure of good guys vs. bad guys (like Westerns have done in previous eras). TIME'S END is a great example of both.

The scientific scenario is premised on a totalitarian regime that society adopts in the aftermath of cataclysmic natural disasters and widespread social collapse. High-tech restores a semblance of civilization, but only at the cost of extreme social control through massive surveillance, hermetically-sealed living quarters, drug-induced compliance, and thought-control for and by the elites. The result is that people live a "timeless" existence -- hence the title TIME'S END. If all of this reminds you of certain current tendencies, that's exactly the point -- this is a projection of where trends could lead if the public continues to shirk its civic responsibilities.

The adventure pits an accidental hero from the hinterlands against the establishment in the form of its leader, the chief of security, the head of the death squad, and various and sundry other evil antagonists. As the hero runs for his life and eludes the authorities, the structure of the system and the unsavory character of the villains is revealed by way of their paranoiac responses and vicious tactics during the chase.

The establishment's ongoing problems, both with the hero and other situations, stem from the typical combination of bureaucratic lethargy and elitist arrogance. This is something all previous totalitarian societies have encountered, and it provides a continuing source of both ironical humour and insouciant hope throughout the story. And in the end, the battle between the forces of repression and freedom continues, albeit on significantly changed terms.

The pace of events is fast, the action engaging, reciting of trivial details is eschewed, and sentimentalizing of motivation is avoided. The book is an enjoyable read, and I stayed up until one o'clock in the morning to finish it. AND it would make a great science fiction movie.