The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 29 November 2001
by Isaac Asimov
Time travel is full of bizarre paradoxes that go far beyond heading back in time to keep yourself from being born. It allows for many potential stories, and countless science-fiction novels and stories have explored this realm. This is the first Asimov novel this reader has read (coming to him quite late), and we imagine it is one among several of his hundreds of books and stories that use time travel as an essential plot device.
Eternity is the name of a vast organization of men whose existence parallels that of regular Reality in Time. They live outside of time, examining it, studying it, and occasionally modifying reality by subtle key adjustments that have large eventual results. Within the structure of Eternity, there is a strata of Observers and Technicians, Maintenance workers and Computers. They work to keep Reality running smoothly with what they consider to be in the best interests of mankind. But Eternity is running the world, from the 27th century through the 70,000th century, by committee, and we all know the mediocrity that can breed. Eternity, too, rests on a fragile and paradoxical loop in Time, which, if they don't maintain it could result in the utter collapse of their centuries-old structure. The book is rich with the possibilities of time travel, and with a subtle revelation about the so-called goals of mankind. The one insupportable requirement is that the people living in centuries in Time do not know that Eternity is occasionally modifying reality, thus eradicating entire civilizations and replacing them with new billions of people to ensure the presumed safety of the race. Surely the possibilities of changing reality would be obvious to the many aware of Eternity's existence. The protagonist, while a talented Technician is a bit bullheaded and impulsive as well. In the end, the fragile loop of Time begins to come apart, and its disintegration may be really in all our best interests. Which would you prefer, time travel or space travel? The book is light entertainment, but also opens many interesting story-telling possibilities.
Also by Asimov: [Foundation]