The Man Who Turned Into Himself

by David Ambrose

Book Overview

Based on the "many worlds" theory of quantum physics-which posits the existence of parallel universes-"The Man Who Turned into Himself "is a suspenseful, intellectually intriguing debut. In the middle... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312104979
• ISBN13: 9780312104979
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Great But Not Excellent

Ever since 'Superstition' I've been hooked on David, so to speak. Reason? Because "Superstition" defied even the conventional expectations for what some may call a `mind-boggling' novel. But this review is not about "Superstition". It's about David Ambrose's first novel 'The Man Who Turned Into Himself'. What can I say? For a first novel, the book is good (not exceptional). Having read some of his other works, I can almost see the progression of his writing and creative skills from good, to better. ("Coincidence" and "The Discrete Charm of Charlie Monk" deserve special mentioning). Like his other novels, "The Man Who Turned Into Himself" incorporates scientific theories, employs extraordinary twists, and leaves the reader in admiration of the author's bizarre imagination. `Rick', `Richard' and one other nameless character own the center stage of the book. Yes, they are three separate individuals, and yes, they are one and the same man, except all three converge into the mind of each and even physically manifest themselves within the reality of each. Confused? Not to worry, David Ambrose has taken good care of describing how that's possible by attributing these intricate supernatural occurrences to the world of the quanta (the still little know and much less understood universe of the building block of everything around us). The story is remarkable; I congratulate David Ambrose on his labor. I must say, parallel universes and the resulting human behavior (as a byproduct of mastering the capacity to travel between them) deserved a story of their own and I believe this book is that story. However, despite the exceptional tale and the author's superhuman attempt to ease the readers into it, something lacked. What lacked was the eeriness with which his latter novels petrify the observers. Who could resist the shivering sensation when Professor Sam Towne and Joanna Cross find themselves in a reality slowly erasing their existence, which they themselves created in the first place (See "Superstition'). Well, this same sensation never quite materialized in `The Man Who Turned Into Himself' and I really really missed it. Regardless, for the lovers of the odd, this book may be engaging enough. - by Simon Cleveland

Great tale of parallel universes!

This is the 4th Ambrose novel I have read, and I have enjoyed his work immensely. This one has some similarities to Coincidence which has some ideas about interdimensional travel. Ambrose has a talent for capturing the feel of an extended Twilight Zone episode in each of his writings. I specifically remember the Richard Long episode where he wakes up to find the world he knew changed.In this novel, Rick Hamilton seems to have his life together; good job, family and friends. His wife is then killed in a tragic car accident. Unable to face the reality of her death, he is transported to a parallel universe where she is still alive but there are subtle differences in his life. Mainly, he never had children (in his own reality, he has a son and his wife is pregnant with another), has a totally different job, and he is a lot more distant from the people that he knows. He ends up sharing his existance with the Rick (called Richard) in that universe; inhabiting the same mind. Along the way Rick and Richard form an unusual alliance and each discovers something important about themselves. I don't want to give too much more away, but I just want to say that I was able to read this book in one sitting.

The definitive treatment of inter-dimensional travel

I consider The Man Who Turned Into Himself by David Ambrose to be the best treatment I have seen to date of the subject of inter-dimensional travel, and in fact the best speculative fiction novel I have read since Jurassic Park. It achieves this by showing how inter-dimensional travel could actually occur and how it would affect the lives of the people involved. The book tells the story of an individual, Rick Hamilton, who is "unhinged" in inter-dimensional times-space, much the same way as Billy Pilgrim, the hero of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House 5, became "unhinged in time". However, while Vonnegut uses his hero's "unhinging" as an excuse for comic speculation as to the future of mankind, including Pilgrim's capture by cartoonish aliens, Ambrose's parallel universe is so mundanely similar to our own that I never lost the feeling that his hero's experiences were all too possible. The book resists the temptation to become a vehicle for speculative review of the possible historical implications of John Kennedy escaping assassination, for example. Rather, it focuses exclusively on Hamilton's very serious struggle to survive in the parallel Connecticut into which he has been thrown , and his efforts to escape from it, as well as to save his family from the horrible fate which became the starting point for his adventures. Not that the novel is perfect -- it would be very strange if any were. For example, Rick, his wife, and his attorney friend, Harold, are, at least in the baseline universe he starts from, a bit too perfect. Rick travels from his perfect world in which everyone, including himself, is bright, loving just and loyal, and, rather like Captain Kirk confronting the barbarian alter egos of his crew in a parallel universe, comes to a dimension in which he is dull and selfish, and his wife and friend are far from loving or loyal. Why not mix the evil around a little bit more? Why must people of Rick's baseline world all be Boy (and Girl) Scouts? And why does the author feel the need to reaffirm the truth that contemporary fiction already finds so self evident, that wealth is the necessary indicator of philistinism and corruption? It is a mark of the narrative abilities of the author, and his discipline to keep his story plausible at all times, that he is able to overcome these otherwise glaring deficiencies to make The Man Who Turned Into Himself a novel which I could not put down until it had reached its satisfying yet bittersweet conclusion.

The best treatment of inter-dimensional travel I have read.

I consider The Man Who Turned Into Himself by David Ambrose to be the best treatment I have seen to date of the subject of inter-dimensional travel, and in fact the best speculative fiction novel I have read since Jurassic Park. It achieves this by showing how something inter-dimensional travel could actually occur and how it would affect the lives of the people involved. The book tells the story of an individual, Rick Hamilton, who is "unhinged" in inter-dimensional times-space, much the same way as Billy Pilgrim, the hero of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughter House 5, became "unhinged in time". However, while Vonnegut uses his hero's "unhinging" as an excuse for comic speculation as to the future of mankind, including Pilgrim's capture by cartoonish aliens, Ambrose's parallel universe is so mundanely similar to our own that I never lost the feeling that his hero's experiences were all too possible. The book resists the temptation to become a vehicle for speculative review of the possible historical implications of John Kennedy escaping assassination, for example. Rather, it focuses exclusively on Hamilton's very serious struggle to survive in the parallel Connecticut into which he has been thrown , and his efforts to escape from it, as well as to save his family from the horrible fate which became the starting point for his adventures. Not that the novel is perfect -- it would be very strange if any were. For example, Rick, his wife, and his attorney friend, Harold, are, at least in the baseline reality he starts from, a bit too upright. Rick travels from his perfect world in which everyone, including himself, is bright, loving just and loyal, and, rather like Captain Kirk confronting the barbarian alter egos of his crew in a parallel universe, comes to a dimension in which he is dull and selfish, and his wife and friend are far from loving or loyal. Why not mix the evil around a little bit more? Why must people of Rick's baseline world all be Boy (and Girl) Scouts? And why does the author feel the need to reaffirm the truth that contemporary fiction already finds so self evident, that wealth is the necessary indicator of philistinism and corruption? It is a mark of the narrative abilities of the author, and his discipline to keep his story plausible at all times, that he is able to overcome these otherwise glaring deficiencies to make The Man Who Turned Into Himself a novel which I could not put down until it had reached its satisfying yet bittersweet conclusion.

After this one, I questioned my own sanity...

What seems to be a classic plot from any SCI-FI book, David Ambrose turns it on its ear. Not only are there characters to care about, but the movements are quick and keeps you page turning. This is not SCI-FI, this is something to be read because have you ever thought about that voice in your head? Is it you or another you? Or is it someone else like you but not exactly you? I highly recommend this book because it never turns the way you expect it, just like life, or is it