Time Bomb and Zahndry Others

by Timothy Zahn

Technological intrigue-international and intersteller- a hard edged conflict with alien races.

Contents:

• Ernie • (1979)
• Raison D'Etre • (1981)
• The Price of Survival • (1981)
• Between a Rock and a High Place • (1982)
• Houseguest • (1982)
• Time Bomb • (1988)
• The President's Doll • (1987)
• Banshee • (1987)

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Collections, Time Travel, Fiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1988

About the author

Timothy Zahn attended Michigan State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1973. He then moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and achieved an M.S. degree in physics in 1975. While he was pursuing a doctorate in physics, his adviser became ill and died. Zahn never completed the doctorate. In 1975 he had begun writing science fiction as a hobby, and he became a professional writer. He and his wife Anna live in Bandon, Oregon. They have a son, Corwin Zahn.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of eight stories by Zahn that were originally published 1979 - '88. The very good title novella first appeared in James Baen's New Destinies just a few months before Baen published this book, and the short story Houseguest was first printed in a 1982 issue of F & SF magazine. All of the other stories were first published in Analog magazine; as I said in earlier comments, Zahn just almost owned Stanley Schmidt's Analog for a decade before George Lucas's lucre lured him away. I remember also particularly enjoying the stories Banshee and Between a Rock and a High Place. Zahn has the ability to explain hard science concepts, so they're easily understood, and always tells an interesting story with sympathetic characters, too.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is a collection of short stories of Zahn’s very early work. Some were very interesting while others dragged a bit or were dated. I did enjoy the format though.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories are often either boring or leave you desperate for more. There were some of both in this book, and at least one that I really liked as it was.

• Ernie - pretty boring
• Raison D'Etre - interesting
• The Price of Survival - fun, high stakes first contact story!
• Between a Rock and a High Place - ok, but more thriller
• Houseguest - good, would love more here!
• Time Bomb - ok, a bit long
• The President's Doll - magic, ugh
• Banshee - too long, a bit slow

[D.M. Dutcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good a collection of stories as Cascade Point and Other Stories. The bulk of the book is a novella that simply isn't that interesting. The other short stories are better, but unfortunately I'm seeing a pattern in his second-rate work. Mostly the stories tend to be about a single man working as part of some project, either private or government, and having to try to find a solution to a problem that project causes. Whether its the problems of making a time machine, using voodoo to treat a person's health problems, or mind-based time travel, something always goes wrong with the technology and needs to be fixed.

If you like Zahn, Cascade Point has a much more diverse collection of work.

[Janine Tinsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have yet to find a Zahn book I'm not a fan of, although I didn't quite enjoy this short story collection as much as Cascade Point on the whole. Still, there were some interesting takes on common sci-fi themes, in particular the book's namesake short story, "Time Bomb." I liked the way that Zahn explored the feasibility and effects of trying to time travel.

[J.M. Brister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty good one from Zahn. I prefer his actual novels, but the short stories were interesting. Cascade Point was a better set of stories, but I would definitely recommend this book to any Zahn/classic Sci-Fi fans.

[bluetyson]

Time Bomb and Zahndry Others by Timothy Zahn (1988)

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fantastic collection of short stories!
Time Bomb was especially great, but all of them are well worth the read.