Time Slip (Orion)

By Graham Dunstan Martin

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 004823284X
• ISBN13: 9780048232847
• Release Date: April 1986
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 164 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Endless Alternatives

"Time-Slip" (1986) is one of those novels dealing with the theory of alternative realities. We often wonder what our lives would have been like if we had done something differently, if this event had or hadn't happened. This is a fascinating concept to consider. It's like those old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. ("If you decide to do this turn to page 112, if you decide to do that turn to page 119".) There is a different outcome depending on which page you turn to. The kind of life we have in this world could be completely different in another reality. If we let ourselves believe this idea it makes us more accepting of the fact that life deals hard knocks to some people while others, perhaps undeservedley, prosper. A superstar in this reality could be a complete nobody in another. Everything rests on vital decisions. After a nuclear war in 1998, 21st century Scotland is one of the few places in the world where human beings still exist. (Tasmania is another, apparently.) In this society it has become customary for people walking outdoors to wear radiation suits, not to protect them from fallout (the suits are ineffective for this purpose), but to hide whatever deformities they may have. The number of birth defects is high, as is the suicide rate. Like most stories set after the holocaust, life is not as enjoyable as it used to be.This scenario serves as a backdrop for the story itself. After a close shave with death, Peter Gilchrist becomes something of a messiah figure after he founds a new cult based on the belief in alternative realities. This is partly inspired by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1793). We know that in our reality Mozart died in 1791. Gilchrist's teachings amount to the idea that we don't have to be held responsible for our actions. This has some rather disturbing consequences.The alternative reality is an interesting angle for a post-holocaust book. This is a neat way of preventing "Time-Slip" from being a Cold War relic. For all we know, the Earth could have been devastated in another dimension. Perhaps civilization was destroyed in October 1962 and 2003 is now the equivalent of medieval times. On the other hand, maybe Mars is already colonised. The concept of alternative realities makes us consider how lucky (or unlucky) we are.