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Master of Space and Time
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The real world is unbearable to madcap inventor Harry Gerber, so he uses his genius to twist the laws of science and create his own tailor-made universe. Master of Space and Time combines high physics and high jinks, blurring the line between science and magic. From a voyage to a mirror-image world where sluglike parasites make slaves of humanity, to trees and bushes that
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Paperback, 288 pages
Published
March 17th 2005
by Running Press
(first published February 1985)
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Rucker's best novel? Wonderfully bizarre. 5+ stars
"Master of Space & Time" (1985) is still my favorite Rucker novel -- in which the tale of three wishes granted is explored via quantum mechanics, with wonderfully bizarre results. The apotheosis of Harry
Gerber... I've read MST at least three times, & laughed aloud each time. Who knows what someone else's taste in humor might be, but I've given away a number of copies of MoS&T over the years, and never heard a complaint. Give it a shot. ...more
"Master of Space & Time" (1985) is still my favorite Rucker novel -- in which the tale of three wishes granted is explored via quantum mechanics, with wonderfully bizarre results. The apotheosis of Harry
Gerber... I've read MST at least three times, & laughed aloud each time. Who knows what someone else's taste in humor might be, but I've given away a number of copies of MoS&T over the years, and never heard a complaint. Give it a shot. ...more
I expected something else from one of cyberpunk's founders. Silly humour and sf are kind of incompatible in my view. Tried a few pages, but definitely not my cup of coffee.
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A surrealistic, slapstick journey through time and space. A madcap mix of Lewis Carroll, physics, scif b-movies and Japanese monster movies, Vonnegut, Looney Tunes, and a fairy tale. The “heroes” fight off mind controlling slugs, giant lizards, enter other dimensions, create the universe, change sex, grant wishes, start religions, solve world hunger, and go to jail. Sadly Gondry and Dan Clowse will not be adapting this for the big screen as their sensibilities would translated this well. Along w
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This book was recommended to me by my good friend Jim, who said it was his favorite novel of all time. While I'm not sure it's my favorite novel of all time, it definitely has lots of the marks of something that could easily be a person's favorite book.
The back of the book talks about Rucker making his living as a mathematician, and I think this comes across in the tone and perspective of the book. Very little in this book is seems to be treated as "natural" or "organic" including the characters ...more
The back of the book talks about Rucker making his living as a mathematician, and I think this comes across in the tone and perspective of the book. Very little in this book is seems to be treated as "natural" or "organic" including the characters ...more
This was a completely satsifying light and entertaining read infused with some heavy science bits that i personally, really enjoyed. There is no waiting for the action to happen it's right there in the 1st few pages.
This novel reminded me of Steve Aylett's work but it is considerably more fluid with loads less wandering in the plot. Classified as science fiction,this book felt equally bizzaro with its numerous oddities and social satire. It was pleasantly bizzare without trying too hard to be.
W ...more
This novel reminded me of Steve Aylett's work but it is considerably more fluid with loads less wandering in the plot. Classified as science fiction,this book felt equally bizzaro with its numerous oddities and social satire. It was pleasantly bizzare without trying too hard to be.
W ...more
Oct 24, 2007
Yannis
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
you wish "The Science of Sleep" had been a little better?
Wherein a couple of eccentric physicists figure out how to cross dimensions and time, after which a bunch of weird, scary, funny shit happens -- until it ends all cosmic and uplifting, imparting a sense of possibilities inherent in the hypothesized nature of the universe. It's like reading the best movie Michel Gondry will never make (thanks for nothing, Dreamworks).
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So, I found this book in a stack of paperbacks I had bought on a close-out sale years and years ago. For some reason, I decided to read it. The story is like a carnival ride. Quirky. Inane. I suspect Rucker spent way too much of his adolescence watching Monte Python.
Everyone is just a person trying to be happy.
review of
Rudy Rucker's Master of Space and Time
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - January 9, 2015
Reading Rudy Rucker is like reading about a Ron Goulart wisecracking dysfunctional robot dropped into a bunch of stoners in Flatland. The 1st chapter is entitled "This Is the Name of This Chapter" - the type of self-reflexivity loved by me &, seemingly, by many mathematicians. Rucker was a professor of mathematics & computer science. His novels usually plunge right into the comedic weirdness & this o ...more
Rudy Rucker's Master of Space and Time
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - January 9, 2015
Reading Rudy Rucker is like reading about a Ron Goulart wisecracking dysfunctional robot dropped into a bunch of stoners in Flatland. The 1st chapter is entitled "This Is the Name of This Chapter" - the type of self-reflexivity loved by me &, seemingly, by many mathematicians. Rucker was a professor of mathematics & computer science. His novels usually plunge right into the comedic weirdness & this o ...more
Rucker, Rudy. Masters of Space and Time. 1984. Running P, 2005.
Five years before Bill and Ted began their excellent and bogus Hollywood film adventures in time, Rudy Rucker, quondam mathematician and computer scientist, sent two grown men and their wives and girlfriends on a romp through multiple worlds and quantum dimensions. Their adventures have the same madcap slacker appeal, with the delightful addition that the author and his characters both seem to know what they are talking about most of ...more
Five years before Bill and Ted began their excellent and bogus Hollywood film adventures in time, Rudy Rucker, quondam mathematician and computer scientist, sent two grown men and their wives and girlfriends on a romp through multiple worlds and quantum dimensions. Their adventures have the same madcap slacker appeal, with the delightful addition that the author and his characters both seem to know what they are talking about most of ...more
This is a book I re-read this year. The first time I read it was in high school. It is a combination of interesting ideas, and really schlock (just for fun,) science fantasy. Rucker is a mathmatician by training, and I share some interests with him - such as complexity and paradox (see one of his other books "Infinity and Mind," a child of the psychedelic 60s. Overall an enjoyable read. I bought a copy of his journals just to get to know him a little better. Overall it was fun revisiting a book
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If you like Philip K. Dick, you need to give Rudy Rucker a try. This comparison gets made a lot, which is not surprising given that he won the first ever PKD award, but it's still worth saying for those unfamiliar with Rucker. Everything I've read by him so far has been just so much mind-warping fun I can't even say.
Published in 1984, this book somehow feels like golden age sci-fi from the 1950s that's been soaked in psychedelia and polished up cyberpunk-style. I'm always on the lookout for this ...more
Published in 1984, this book somehow feels like golden age sci-fi from the 1950s that's been soaked in psychedelia and polished up cyberpunk-style. I'm always on the lookout for this ...more
Lightning-fast, surreal, goofy, and entertaining, Master of Time and Space is one of the fastest reads I've had in recent memory. It's weird and it's funny, and though it's light and breezy, it's far from simple -- or simplistic. A lot happens in this bonkers-ass adventure, and some of it's even kinda deep and philosophical. Still, though, plenty of it is break-neck weirdness and gender swaps.
Okay, I may have said too much. Before I spoil anything, I'll stop here. ...more
Okay, I may have said too much. Before I spoil anything, I'll stop here. ...more
A quick read. Rucker's imagination knows few bounds. His knowledge of math and physics adds legitimacy to the madness. He also might have explained why when given a 3-wish scenario, one of the wishes can't be for more wishes.
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Like Rick and Morty? Read this.
Rudy Rucker knows the science and he uses the strangeness of quantum physics in all his writings to make something which can be dark, absurd, cartoonish, but always funny.
Rudy Rucker knows the science and he uses the strangeness of quantum physics in all his writings to make something which can be dark, absurd, cartoonish, but always funny.
Rucker's wish fable is as weird as you'd expect, including a cameo from himself. Adding just enough physics to sound 'science-y', we get a wild ride exploring the old saw "be careful what you wish for".
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Well ... this was a mess.
Full of action and physics with humorous take.
Enjoyable craziness.
Incredible adventure! Full of fascinating math, science, and time travel. It is also a grasping love story. Never a dull moment and keeps you very engaged.
2.5
Not for me. Too wacky for my tastes. Will still give Rucker’s Ware series a try.
Not for me. Too wacky for my tastes. Will still give Rucker’s Ware series a try.
Super weird book about parallel universes. Some funny moments and interesting character choices.
Joe Fletcher’s business gets back on its feet when an infinite number of insect-sized versions of his former business partner Harry Gerber appear floating above the dashboard of his car. Harry (who’s just back from the future) want Joe to encourage him to build a “blunzer,” the machine that will allow him to travel in time and bend the laws of physics to his will, in other words, to become the master of space and time. He also needs Joe to lend him the money to buy the equipment and the very exp
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Rudy Rucker is so weird. I never know whether to laugh at the stuff that happens to the characters in his books - usually the stuff that happens is just awful enough that I feel bad for laughing. I guess I should know by now that everything usually works out. It's like an equation - the two sides always balance by the end of the plot.
This book is not as well-written character-wise as some of his others - it's all about the concept. It's still funny - I like the way that he wove in the logic puz ...more
This book is not as well-written character-wise as some of his others - it's all about the concept. It's still funny - I like the way that he wove in the logic puz ...more
"Old school Science fiction story"
Time traveling is my biggest passion along with parallel universes, so just once glance over the title made me pick it up without further thinking.
what I liked the most in this book is scientifically explaining how the process of time travelling can actually work. Moreover, tying it to the common fairy tales of three wishes.
Other than that, I couldn't find a single likable character. They felt like old movies' characters(of course!! it was written even before ...more
Time traveling is my biggest passion along with parallel universes, so just once glance over the title made me pick it up without further thinking.
what I liked the most in this book is scientifically explaining how the process of time travelling can actually work. Moreover, tying it to the common fairy tales of three wishes.
Other than that, I couldn't find a single likable character. They felt like old movies' characters(of course!! it was written even before ...more
It's fair to say that I liked it. I remember the colored gluons or something made an impression on me and I thought it was cool how the characters used otherworldly circumstances to act out sexual desires that we might not have expected. However the characters themselves seemed pretty flat to me except to the extent that they might resemble the author. My objection to the characterization here doesn't ruin my appreciation of Rudy Rucker's work generally. I feel the same way about some of Asimov'
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Feb 15, 2016
Charlie
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
science-fiction,
audiobook,
unobtanium,
time-travel,
god-being,
technofantasy,
science-fantasy,
wwe2016
Well, that was... ok. ...I guess. Zany hijinks are never as fun as you think they're going to be. The successors to this book are better. If you still want to read about an "anything is possible" world, I recommend The Closet of Discarded Dreams, which I know is a little obscure, but well worth your time. If you want the math and a little bit of the kooky characters, but without fritter and pork chop trees, I recommend Superposition.
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This book is pretty weird. Main character and his friend invent a device that makes them master of space and time, for a finite amount of time (Some master of time that makes them!). And they generally screw things up and then have to try to fix it.
And it's weird in a Douglas Adams sort of way.
What it has going for it is that the women are mostly believable, and there's some transgender stuff that goes on.
You might call it a fun read, but you'd have to be the right sort of person to find it fun. ...more
And it's weird in a Douglas Adams sort of way.
What it has going for it is that the women are mostly believable, and there's some transgender stuff that goes on.
You might call it a fun read, but you'd have to be the right sort of person to find it fun. ...more
I really enjoyed this book. It's super easy to read and moves very quickly! It's completely ridiculous on all fronts, but nonetheless enjoyable. My only complaint is that that main character does 2 very UNNECESSARY things in the book, but I won't spoil that. In the end they don't matter at all. However, one of them just happens to be hilarious. Anyway, if you're into sci-fi or anything about time travel and alternate universes, this is a fun book to read!
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This is a kind of a Robert Sheckley-esque romp. The characters are a little strange with their personalities and motivations changing within the story.
The lead character's desire to transform himself into a woman, may be a little off putting for some readers, and is probably why this novel isn't as popular as it should be.
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The lead character's desire to transform himself into a woman, may be a little off putting for some readers, and is probably why this novel isn't as popular as it should be.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's the Name o...: SOLVED. This is a Science Fiction Book in which a scientist? figures out a way to use three colors of gluons (Red, Yellow, and Green) to expand the Planck limit. [s] | 6 | 32 | Aug 11, 2018 02:07PM |
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Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and one of the founders of the cyberpunk genre. He is best known for his Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which won Philip K. Dick awards. Presently, Rudy Rucker edits the science fiction webzine Flurb.
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