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Operation Time Search
Snooping around a top-secret government installation, photographer Ray Osborne stumbled across an experimental time field. Suddenly the familiar Ohio landscape disappeared and Ray found himself transported to a prehistoric world where the dread priest of Atlantis waged a war against the Sun-born of Mu. So while the scientist of the Twentieth Century worked desperately to draw him back to the present, Ray Osborne was recruited by the people of Mu to win a war that could change the course of history, and trap him in the past forever!
223 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
81 people are currently reading
236 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
687 books1,362 followersAndre Norton, born Alice Mary Norton, was a pioneering American author of science fiction and fantasy, widely regarded as the Grande Dame of those genres. She also wrote historical and contemporary fiction, publishing under the pen names Andre Alice Norton, Andrew North, and Allen Weston. She launched her career in 1934 with The Prince Commands, adopting the name “Andre” to appeal to a male readership. After working for the Cleveland Library System and the Library of Congress, she began publishing science fiction under “Andrew North” and fantasy under her own name. She became a full-time writer in 1958 and was known for her prolific output, including Star Man’s Son, 2250 A.D. and Witch World, the latter spawning a long-running series and shared universe. Norton was a founding member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America and authored Quag Keep, the first novel based on the Dungeons & Dragons game. She influenced generations of writers, including Lois McMaster Bujold and Mercedes Lackey. Among her many honors were being the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master. In her later years, she established the High Hallack Library to support research in genre fiction. Her legacy continues with the Andre Norton Award for young adult science fiction and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
May 14, 2020
I've read this science fantasy several times since I first discovered it as a kid, and it always delights. Norton gives us time travel, Atlantis, Lemuria, *and* a bit of Lovecraftian horror, and it's all a delightful bit of worldbuilding.
That said, Norton overplays the mind control bit again, and the protagonist ends up feeling like a lot of his agency is lost. There's also way too much "evil guys look, act, and smell evil" going on; the conflict between Atlantis and Mu is painted in the most simplistic terms. And, honestly, 1967 is a little late, even with Von Daniken, to plausibly suggest the geographies and geologies Norton does. In short, it's a book I always remember more fondly than it deserves, which is still the case even after this reread.
That said, Norton overplays the mind control bit again, and the protagonist ends up feeling like a lot of his agency is lost. There's also way too much "evil guys look, act, and smell evil" going on; the conflict between Atlantis and Mu is painted in the most simplistic terms. And, honestly, 1967 is a little late, even with Von Daniken, to plausibly suggest the geographies and geologies Norton does. In short, it's a book I always remember more fondly than it deserves, which is still the case even after this reread.
April 11, 2018
They don't make 'em like this anymore- and that's a good thing.
This was a pretty standard science fantasy/pulp romp, complete with Atlantis, time travel, parallel dimensions, and swordsmen. Lots and lots of blonde swordsmen.
The trouble is that the execution of this is ... pretty racist. All the bad guys are brown-skinned, dark-haired, oily and hook-nosed; all the good guys are blonde, white, and blue-eyed. And maybe I could excuse that if it weren't for the fact that THE AFOREMENTIONED GOOD GUYS ARE FROM AN EMPIRE THAT SPANS CENTRAL ASIA AND MESOAMERICA. I was even willing to suspend my disbelief a little and pretend that these jokers were improbably bleach-haired East Asian dudes, but Ms. Norton kept emphasizing their BLUE EYES and the fact that none of their stuff looked 'ORIENTAL'.
Your sci-fi epic should not bring to mind the "omg you can't just ask people why they're white" scene from Mean Girls, but that's all I could think of the entire time. When you couple that with the fact that the "heroic" faction uses torture and the fact that it brainwashes and mind-controls our protagonist without his consent... well, even the eldritch beasties that showed up in the third act couldn't take the bad taste out of my mouth.
If you really, really, REALLY like time travel stories and/or Atlantis, and you can find this for a couple bucks at a thrift store, then sure, maybe give it a look. The writing is relatively solid, and I was interested enough in the story to see what happened next, racism and questionable "heroes" notwithstanding. I'm also not against checking out some of Ms. Norton's other work, in hopes that it's maybe less of a product of its time.
But otherwise... well, the story that's there isn't really worth your time.
This was a pretty standard science fantasy/pulp romp, complete with Atlantis, time travel, parallel dimensions, and swordsmen. Lots and lots of blonde swordsmen.
The trouble is that the execution of this is ... pretty racist. All the bad guys are brown-skinned, dark-haired, oily and hook-nosed; all the good guys are blonde, white, and blue-eyed. And maybe I could excuse that if it weren't for the fact that THE AFOREMENTIONED GOOD GUYS ARE FROM AN EMPIRE THAT SPANS CENTRAL ASIA AND MESOAMERICA. I was even willing to suspend my disbelief a little and pretend that these jokers were improbably bleach-haired East Asian dudes, but Ms. Norton kept emphasizing their BLUE EYES and the fact that none of their stuff looked 'ORIENTAL'.
Your sci-fi epic should not bring to mind the "omg you can't just ask people why they're white" scene from Mean Girls, but that's all I could think of the entire time. When you couple that with the fact that the "heroic" faction uses torture and the fact that it brainwashes and mind-controls our protagonist without his consent... well, even the eldritch beasties that showed up in the third act couldn't take the bad taste out of my mouth.
If you really, really, REALLY like time travel stories and/or Atlantis, and you can find this for a couple bucks at a thrift store, then sure, maybe give it a look. The writing is relatively solid, and I was interested enough in the story to see what happened next, racism and questionable "heroes" notwithstanding. I'm also not against checking out some of Ms. Norton's other work, in hopes that it's maybe less of a product of its time.
But otherwise... well, the story that's there isn't really worth your time.
September 18, 2017
Once again Norton promotes alternative worlds and then segues into time travel for this one world. This book is exciting at times, confusing at other times. Photographer accidentally winds up in the days of Atlantis, but people there have telecommunication, sources of great power, and giant slugs. You have to suspend a lot belief to really enjoy this, and I wasn't completely able to do that. Recommended only to Norton and sci-fi fans.
July 26, 2019
Fun bit of fluff.
Very reminiscent of ERB and Philip Joes Farmer.
American soldier accidentally is zapped into the past, ends up in the middle of the war between and Atlantis and MU.
Manly adventure and some interesting ideas, but the shift from slow build to big action and then the finale, is jarring, abrupt and vaguely unsatisfying.
If this was book one of a series, that would be forgivable, but with a done in one book, it leaves too much money on the table.
Very reminiscent of ERB and Philip Joes Farmer.
American soldier accidentally is zapped into the past, ends up in the middle of the war between and Atlantis and MU.
Manly adventure and some interesting ideas, but the shift from slow build to big action and then the finale, is jarring, abrupt and vaguely unsatisfying.
If this was book one of a series, that would be forgivable, but with a done in one book, it leaves too much money on the table.
June 11, 2021
Always have loved Andre Norton
Read all her books when I was younger. Have almost all her books hardbound or paperback. Nice to have in electronic format. A brilliant writer.
Read all her books when I was younger. Have almost all her books hardbound or paperback. Nice to have in electronic format. A brilliant writer.
April 1, 2022
Not a bad light read, if to your taste. However, a bit to space opera ish for me. Also, time travel to Atlantis and Mu? This stretches my "suspension of disbelief" to much.
December 23, 2024
read sometime in 2024 - was gifted this but wasn't a huge fan, ig maybe this is what early scifi is like? or maybe this author's style just doesn't work for me? didn't find the characters compelling
March 6, 2017
When a 1960s science fiction author writes about time travel landing someone in a conflict between Mu and Atlantis, you know it's going to be hackneyed. Despite some signature Norton touches (emotional development, even, a little!) it's a snore.
April 16, 2015
The start of the story felt very much like Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, where, with only the barest backstory or framing device, an everyman-sort falls into another place, with the indications that his technological background or his pluck and determination may make the difference in some large conflict. That the Atlantis/Lemuria/Mu setting of the prehistoric world is filled with a sword-and-planet superscience and telepathy is all gravy.
But from there it goes awry. The interlude scenes of military talking heads discussing returning Ray Osborne to the modern world become intrusive (although this flimsy framing device is the whole justification for the clinical and ill-fitting title). Ray spends much of the story as a touristy bystander, and otherwise subject to mind-control compulsion compromising his agency as a protagonist. Especially when he doesn't understand the compulsions and can only deal with them passively.
The book also shares characteristics with Star Gate in that it seems to set itself up for more adventures: Ray Osborne is set loose in an unexplored and mostly uninhabited world. The Atlantean forces may have reverted to piracy or worse. And, in a late reveal, Osborne's presence in the past causes changes to history that reflect in the modern world of his departure.
But from there it goes awry. The interlude scenes of military talking heads discussing returning Ray Osborne to the modern world become intrusive (although this flimsy framing device is the whole justification for the clinical and ill-fitting title). Ray spends much of the story as a touristy bystander, and otherwise subject to mind-control compulsion compromising his agency as a protagonist. Especially when he doesn't understand the compulsions and can only deal with them passively.
The book also shares characteristics with Star Gate in that it seems to set itself up for more adventures: Ray Osborne is set loose in an unexplored and mostly uninhabited world. The Atlantean forces may have reverted to piracy or worse. And, in a late reveal, Osborne's presence in the past causes changes to history that reflect in the modern world of his departure.
July 9, 2012
This is a stand-alone book, about the possible perils of time-travel. It starts out in "modern" times--well, modern when it was written, which I believe was in the 1960's. The Government is experimenting with developing time-travel, and as a result of an accident (nosey activitist) a modern man gets sent back to the past--WWAAYYYY back to the past. It turns out that Atlantis was a lot further in the past than anyone realized, as in this story most of the plains states are underwater and most of the rest of the landmasses of the world also look different than now.
The hero, who is ex-military, gets captured and has a series of adventures, and, as a result of his actions he is able to prevent the destruction of Atlantis.
Good adventure story, and, since most of it takes place in the far past, the datedness of the technology in the "modern" part isn't jarring.
The hero, who is ex-military, gets captured and has a series of adventures, and, as a result of his actions he is able to prevent the destruction of Atlantis.
Good adventure story, and, since most of it takes place in the far past, the datedness of the technology in the "modern" part isn't jarring.
Read
May 14, 2010There are other editions. As with several of my favorite Norton books, I have two copies, both of which are in different editions than this.
I'd heard of Atlantis, of course, (who hasn't?) but this book was the first I'd heard of Mu--or of the Uighir, who still live in Western China, and who've been in the news of late.
Once again, this book argues that there are people and things one is FORBIDDEN to feel compassion for, and which one is morally compelled to exterminate. This argument has bearing on the puzzled questioning of some of the characterss as to why humans seem to be unable to break their warfare habit.
I'd heard of Atlantis, of course, (who hasn't?) but this book was the first I'd heard of Mu--or of the Uighir, who still live in Western China, and who've been in the news of late.
Once again, this book argues that there are people and things one is FORBIDDEN to feel compassion for, and which one is morally compelled to exterminate. This argument has bearing on the puzzled questioning of some of the characterss as to why humans seem to be unable to break their warfare habit.
July 21, 2025
A man is accidentally transported to an alternate history and gets captured by Atlanteans. So far, so good.
The Atlanteans worship "the Dark One", are unambiguously evil, and are described with darker skin and ugly, inhuman faces. Uh oh.
Our hero meets a good guy with blue eyes whose "skin was no darker than [the protagonist's]". Aight Imma head out.
Accidental time travel to Atlantis is a pulp sci-fi idea I'm totally on board for, but there's too much casual racism here for me to bother finishing this. From what I've read online, this isn't indicative of the author's best work, so I'm open to checking out her other books.
The Atlanteans worship "the Dark One", are unambiguously evil, and are described with darker skin and ugly, inhuman faces. Uh oh.
Our hero meets a good guy with blue eyes whose "skin was no darker than [the protagonist's]". Aight Imma head out.
Accidental time travel to Atlantis is a pulp sci-fi idea I'm totally on board for, but there's too much casual racism here for me to bother finishing this. From what I've read online, this isn't indicative of the author's best work, so I'm open to checking out her other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2016
A story of multiple worlds and times. What happens during a test of time travel machinery, if a man is accidently thrown back in time? How does what he does in this time and place, change the time and place he came from? Survival story
March 5, 2015
1981 grade A
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews