Here, There & Everywhere

By Chris Roberson

Book Overview

When Roxanne Bonaventure is eleven years old, a dying woman gives her a gift that changes her life utterly, making her a singular creature, with no analogue or equivalent. With the strange device called the "Sofia," she is granted the ability to travel anywhere in space and time, not only through times that were and will be, but also through the worlds that could have been and might someday be. From that day forward, no place or time can contain her, no danger can assail her, no mystery can elude her. From the deepest secrets of the past to the furthest flung visions of the future, Roxanne's life knows no boundaries except those she can imagine. But such power comes at a price: the life she might have led is forever lost to her, twisting away among the infinite threads of the Myriad. Roxanne finds herself isolated, unable to make lasting, meaningful relationships with friends, family, or strangers. Here, There & Everywhere is the story of one woman searching for herself, and for someone with whom to share her life. It is one story, and many stories - the jigsaw puzzle of a life, from youth to old age, projected against the backdrop of everything that ever was, might have been, and may yet be. Roxanne's adventures take her from Victorian England to Ancient Egypt, from the End of Time to the birth of The Beatles. Along the way, she encounters every method of time travel theoretically possible: Visser Wormholes and Tipler Cylinders; a mysterious substance called chronium; and the slow and steady path we all take, moving forward one day at a time. And somewhere in the endlessly splitting paths of the Myriad lies the secret of Roxann

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1591023319
• ISBN13: 9781591023319
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Pyr
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Time travel at its best

I loved this book. Thought this was the best Sci-Fi novel I have ever read about time travel. The book throughout is excellent and the very ending puts it completely over the top wrapping up everything in the book. I will warn you that most other people I've recommended this book liked it a lot but didn't love it as much as I did-not sure why. May have been because the main character is female or they just weren't impressed with how the time traveling was handled. But again, as far as time traveling, best Sci-Fi novel I have ever read.

strong time travel thriller

In 1980 British physics Professor Bonaventure sends his brilliant daughter to attend a top school in California. As Roxanne struggles to adjust to no longer being the superstar, a flash of light followed by an elderly woman suddenly appearing startles the child. The woman seems near death, but gives Roxanne the Sofia bracelet placing it on the child's arm. The light flashes again and the woman is gone with blood stains on the grass and the Sofia on her arm as proof that she had been there. Roxanne begins to learn some of the properties of the Sofia when she travels back in time to the Victorian age and ultimately ancient Egypt. She soon finds that her devices also has the capability of taking her to alternate Earths populated by various other sentient species or just slight twists of ours like a twenty-first century retro on John, Paul, George and Pete. However, vertically back and forth through time and horizontally traversing space and dimensions leave Roxanne wondering about the device, the woman, and herself as she begins to feel alone though she meets all sorts of interesting people and creatures as she journeys the multiverse. Rather than ignore time paradoxes, Chris Roberson cleverly uses them to enhance the feeling that Roxanne and readers are in deed trekking the multiverse. The heroine is terrific as a courageous spirited protagonist who ventures into the unknown with daring fortitude, but becomes lonely as the vastness of time and space seems overwhelming with no one except to a minor degree her father to share what she sees. Roxanne's personality keeps the episodes fun as she undertakes one adventure after another boosted by humorous sidebars. This is a strong time travel thriller starring a wonderful lead character who the audience will want to be her companion. Harriet Klausner

By Her Bootstraps and then some

The concept here isn't particularly new, as the author acknowledges with references to both "By His Bootstraps" and "The Man Who Folded Himself." But Roberson manages to find something rather new to say. Not only does he knock most time-travel SF into a cocked hat, by way of modern physics, but his take on the nature of time and the universe is particularly satisfying. Roxanne Bonaventure is unique in the cosmos, the sole possessor of a 5-dimensional magic bracelet that allows her to move as she will in space, time and probability. The story follows her from the age of 11, when she is granted this "blessing", through the long years of her life. In the vignettes that comprise the novel, we see her learn and change, observing humanity in all its choices, until she finally finds out that what she really wants is the one thing she cannot have. But sometimes you get what you need.

Tons of fun

This novel deserves a wider audience. Here, There & Everywhere is a light-hearted romp that also examines deeper issues like mortality and loneliness. Roxanne Bonaventure is an ultra-cool heroine--in both poise and demeanor--which makes the novel a lightning-fast read. The novel has non-stop thrills and adventure, and a gleefully wicked take on time travel heroes of the past and present. What more could you ask for?

A Feast For Your Time-Traveling Appetite

Here, There and Everywhere isn't your typical time travel story. No, not by a long shot. Roxanne Bonaventure, with the aid of a mysterious device she calls 'the Sofia', travels backward and forward in time, visits parallel realities and chats with amazing and interesting people. Chris Roberson takes the well-worn premise of time-travel and quite litterally, turns it on it's ear. He has obviously done his homework on the subject. He structures the elements of theoretical time travel and uses them in a very real and dramatic way. This work really stretched the boundries of my understanding of the subject and yet it never reads like a text book although sometimes, the ideas take some time to wrap your brain around. Roxanne is a real, thinking, feeling, breathing human being. Her reactions to circumstances are authentically written and completely believable. She is fun and witty, sly and very intelligent. Though through all the myriad realities she visits, she finds herself more alone than before the Sofia came into her life. This element is the heart of the story. Her yearning for someone to share all this with is, at times, heartbreaking but never falls into melodramatic fluff. It's all very real. A 'What if...' in the best and truest sense. What I also enjoyed were the pop-culture references that Roberson sprinkles through the story. From H.G. Wells to the Beatles. Great fun. I found myself wishing for a very long rainy day to just sit and read, although I also found myself wanting to savor it while it lasted. Finally, after reading the last page of Here, There and Everywhere I found myself feeling as if I had just finished a sumptuous meal. Every course included new tastes and new textures. Every succulent morsel filling the tiniest corners. Roberson leaves no dangling plot points and his finale is like a glass of fine wine that finishes an incredible meal. One just sits back and says, 'Now, that was great'. Highly recommended.