What do you think?
Rate this book
Spider Webb #1
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait
For "Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait" specialist, Aloysius "Spider" Webb, time travel has lost its luster.
Working as a senior time machine repair technician, Spider has seen it all - past, present and future. Wanting more out of life, Spider hates time travel and everything that goes with it...after all, time travel cost him his job as a top investigating police officer.
Fixing time machines is a waste of Spider's talent. But he's resigned to do it until he discovers, inside a broken second-hand time machine, the corpse of a woman; brutally murdered, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Before Spider can act on his old police instincts, the shadowy Department of Time and Space steps in and seizes the machine, the remains, and all of the evidence, and closes the investigation.
Spider wants answers, but his questions only lead to more questions; unsettling evidence, brewing trouble, and the knowledge that Spider, himself, might be involved in an epic battle at the End of Time. Who can Spider trust? And what will they tell him: the truth or what he wants to hear?
Working as a senior time machine repair technician, Spider has seen it all - past, present and future. Wanting more out of life, Spider hates time travel and everything that goes with it...after all, time travel cost him his job as a top investigating police officer.
Fixing time machines is a waste of Spider's talent. But he's resigned to do it until he discovers, inside a broken second-hand time machine, the corpse of a woman; brutally murdered, wrapped in plastic and duct tape. Before Spider can act on his old police instincts, the shadowy Department of Time and Space steps in and seizes the machine, the remains, and all of the evidence, and closes the investigation.
Spider wants answers, but his questions only lead to more questions; unsettling evidence, brewing trouble, and the knowledge that Spider, himself, might be involved in an epic battle at the End of Time. Who can Spider trust? And what will they tell him: the truth or what he wants to hear?
336 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2008
200 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
October 26, 2013
Did you ever see that show Sliders? A group of individuals are moving through different timelines or parallel universes against their will experience interesting new ways in which Earth has evolved. This happened for a couple of seasons and then the creators invented the Kromaggs, a race of aliens with the intention of destroying all humans in every timeline/parallel universe and the show started to suck. That's what K.A. Bedford's Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait felt like as the author squeezed some kind of mythology involving a war for The End of Time in to a 'beaten down ex-cop trying to piece his life together via a menial job that stumbles upon a mystery' novel. Presumably because trilogies and ongoing book series are all the rage these days.
Set in the near future, time machines have become a mass consumer item, government agencies have been set up to restrict usage and police law breakers and in suburban Perth (it's great to read a book set in my town, and one that isn't offensively tacky too) ex-cop Aloysius Webb is a qualified time machine repair technician tired of running basic turn it off and on again repair work for yummy mummies too stupid to read the manual. A dead body is found in one of the time machines and Spider (as in spiderweb - haha) finds his old senses tingling, here's a mystery (however temporal) to sink his fangs in to.
Annoying and dull war for The End of Time aside I was thoroughly entertained by this book which makes the unnecessary nature of the "mythology" even more frustrating. This is a witty and inventive time travel novel which is at its best when focussing on the everyday nature of the technology and the people, a winner of the Aurealis Award for best Australian Science Fiction novel (a field usually composed of the same three authors and their latest space opera sagas et al) the judges report called it off-kilter as well as consistently immersing both terms I couldn't surpass in my own summation of this novel.
Sadly I find that there is in fact a sequel to this book somewhere out there which I don't think I'll be reading, I can already envisage the next step in this absurd mythology removing the joy from the basic premise even further and that is enough for me.
Despite being a Western Australian author of five science fiction novels this is the only one of K.A. Bedford's books published in Australia (the rest put out in North America by Science Fiction specialists Edge Publishing) which is a crying shame but at least those good people at the Fremantle Press showed those North Americans how to put out a book with a really great cover. This is perhaps my favourite piece of modern fiction cover art, simple yet perfect.
Set in the near future, time machines have become a mass consumer item, government agencies have been set up to restrict usage and police law breakers and in suburban Perth (it's great to read a book set in my town, and one that isn't offensively tacky too) ex-cop Aloysius Webb is a qualified time machine repair technician tired of running basic turn it off and on again repair work for yummy mummies too stupid to read the manual. A dead body is found in one of the time machines and Spider (as in spiderweb - haha) finds his old senses tingling, here's a mystery (however temporal) to sink his fangs in to.
Annoying and dull war for The End of Time aside I was thoroughly entertained by this book which makes the unnecessary nature of the "mythology" even more frustrating. This is a witty and inventive time travel novel which is at its best when focussing on the everyday nature of the technology and the people, a winner of the Aurealis Award for best Australian Science Fiction novel (a field usually composed of the same three authors and their latest space opera sagas et al) the judges report called it off-kilter as well as consistently immersing both terms I couldn't surpass in my own summation of this novel.
Sadly I find that there is in fact a sequel to this book somewhere out there which I don't think I'll be reading, I can already envisage the next step in this absurd mythology removing the joy from the basic premise even further and that is enough for me.
Despite being a Western Australian author of five science fiction novels this is the only one of K.A. Bedford's books published in Australia (the rest put out in North America by Science Fiction specialists Edge Publishing) which is a crying shame but at least those good people at the Fremantle Press showed those North Americans how to put out a book with a really great cover. This is perhaps my favourite piece of modern fiction cover art, simple yet perfect.
January 21, 2021
Spider Webb. The protagonist. You already know what you need to know to judge if this piece of Antipodean amusement is going to work for you: If you laughed or smiled at the name, go get you one.
What do you get when you make time travel available to the masses? Another bureaucracy, a lot of criminals-by-definition instead of by facts of behavioral pattern, and further income inequality. Wait, WHAT?! Yes, oligarchy can use anything to pursue its aims of economic royalism.
Cheap on the Kindle, worth what I paid, and certainly enough fun to break even in the time-invested versus amusement-returned equation.
What do you get when you make time travel available to the masses? Another bureaucracy, a lot of criminals-by-definition instead of by facts of behavioral pattern, and further income inequality. Wait, WHAT?! Yes, oligarchy can use anything to pursue its aims of economic royalism.
Cheap on the Kindle, worth what I paid, and certainly enough fun to break even in the time-invested versus amusement-returned equation.
July 30, 2009
In a near future Western Australia where time machines for personal use can be bought out of a catalog, Aloysius "Spider" Webb is a time machine repairman. He was a member of the Western Australia police, until he was forced to leave under very unpleasant circumstances.
He spends most of his time dealing with idiot customers who don’t bother to read the instruction manual, or are upset because they can’t travel to some major event in history, and change things. The Department of Time and Space (DOTAS) has rules about such things, and the ability to enforce them. His boss is a thoroughly dislikable person who everyone calls Dickhead, right to his face.
Things get interesting when, one day, a time machine arrives with another time machine inside it. In that second time machine is a female murder victim. DOTAS comes and slaps a Top Secret sign on everything. Things get even more interesting when Spider finds a future version of himself, brutally murdered. Iris Street, the local police Inspector, is called in. She and Spider had a brief, but torrid, affair while he was a cop. It was part of the reason for his abrupt departure.
Spider meets several other future versions of himself, including a ninja type at the end of time. There is one spaceship of "good guys" holding out against the "bad guys," led by Spider’s boss, Dickhead. There are also alien beings called vores, who are literally eating the universe from the outside. Back in the present, Spider, Iris and another future version of Spider deal with the aftermath of a woman who, six years previously, uploaded a video to the internet of her suicide by self-immolation. It was in retaliation for her husband having an affair with Clea Fassbinder (the dead woman in the time machine).
This will certainly give the reader a mental workout. The plot may get a little gory, and convoluted, but it is a really good story, and is very much worth reading.
He spends most of his time dealing with idiot customers who don’t bother to read the instruction manual, or are upset because they can’t travel to some major event in history, and change things. The Department of Time and Space (DOTAS) has rules about such things, and the ability to enforce them. His boss is a thoroughly dislikable person who everyone calls Dickhead, right to his face.
Things get interesting when, one day, a time machine arrives with another time machine inside it. In that second time machine is a female murder victim. DOTAS comes and slaps a Top Secret sign on everything. Things get even more interesting when Spider finds a future version of himself, brutally murdered. Iris Street, the local police Inspector, is called in. She and Spider had a brief, but torrid, affair while he was a cop. It was part of the reason for his abrupt departure.
Spider meets several other future versions of himself, including a ninja type at the end of time. There is one spaceship of "good guys" holding out against the "bad guys," led by Spider’s boss, Dickhead. There are also alien beings called vores, who are literally eating the universe from the outside. Back in the present, Spider, Iris and another future version of Spider deal with the aftermath of a woman who, six years previously, uploaded a video to the internet of her suicide by self-immolation. It was in retaliation for her husband having an affair with Clea Fassbinder (the dead woman in the time machine).
This will certainly give the reader a mental workout. The plot may get a little gory, and convoluted, but it is a really good story, and is very much worth reading.
March 5, 2016
A great concept, a world where time machines are a common consumer device, and the chaos that inevitably ensues because of that simple fact. Combine that with a murder mystery and a battle to control all of time itself, and you have Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait. A very enjoyable read!
November 10, 2015
I finished Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford several days ago, but needed a couple days to organize my thoughts about this book. It is important to know that I have always found time travel stories to be problematic. I can’t seem to get past the idea of a continuous loop that any time travel in which a person meets a future or past self would create. My example would be. I eat a serving of gas station sushi and get food poison. I(1) travel back in time and warn myself(2) not to eat the sushi. If I(2) still eat it, I create a loop where now I(2) will go back and try to warn another me(3) not to eat it. If I don’t eat it, than there would be no reason for me to go back in time and that means I would still eat the sushi because I had no reason to warn myself. See my head is already spinning trying to write this down, Now try and follow a storyline while all this is rolling around in your head.
That being said, I did enjoy this story. The plot was well written and the characters were interesting. They handled time travel way better that I would.
4 of 5 stars.
That being said, I did enjoy this story. The plot was well written and the characters were interesting. They handled time travel way better that I would.
4 of 5 stars.
September 6, 2017
To do full review:
+ Nice concept to work on: consumer-grade time machines. His is an excellent sci-fi prop, and I think could have brought out a nice story.
+ Nice background: the protagonist works in a dim small enterprise, focusing on repairing time machines for average customers. More a garage than a tech firm, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait. The While-U-Wait part refers to returning de repaired machine just after being left for repairs; after all, time travel paradoxes be gone.
- Overall, the author was not able to create a good story or even nice sci-fi.
- The time-machine tech is not exciting.
- The typical sci-fi trope of exploring some grand philosophy or human trait, as exposed by changing technology or enabled by technology, is amiss here. The notion of free will, enabled/disabled by control over time, is addressed with big conceptual gaps and only as a small prop in a useless scene. The lead character mentions bekieving there is no free will, only to switch to deep guilt in the next moment. Useless.
--- Irrelevant plot starting from a murder.
--- Poorly constructed end-of-the-world story, with many gaps and little achievement.
--- Key scenes in the plot frustrate this reader: to name only two, the self-immolation video of an important character could have simply been checked without seeing (so, why that scene of gratuitous violence?!), and the search for the seldom self-immolator could have been done online in the police records (so, why the dangerous scouting scenes?!).
--- The lead character keeps growing in scope, adding various skills until becoming an incredibly skilled literary undergrad - cum - police detective - cum - tech time-machine repair geek - cum - (ex-)husband of a sculptor and modern artist. But there is little depth and consistency, as we see at times a man unable to cope with his own feelings, at others a decisive tech expert and detective. The classic dramatic character taking all the wrong decisions turns into an indecisive grunt. Just difficult to believe and root for.
- The non-main characters are completely disjoint and difficult to believe. They simply act as the scene requires it. Probably to compensate for the dullness of the reaction, as conveyed by actual character movement or dialog, the author keeps describing how the characters feel. This breaks for me the illusion of understanding the characters; show, don't tell me.
--- The writing is not very interesting, with many dull pieces. There simply isn't enough to make the story interesting. For me, what really made the writing difficult to traverse is the constant foreshadowing. Everything is anticipated and laden with over the top expectation, but what happens next is yet more drudgery and dull common action.
+ Nice concept to work on: consumer-grade time machines. His is an excellent sci-fi prop, and I think could have brought out a nice story.
+ Nice background: the protagonist works in a dim small enterprise, focusing on repairing time machines for average customers. More a garage than a tech firm, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait. The While-U-Wait part refers to returning de repaired machine just after being left for repairs; after all, time travel paradoxes be gone.
- Overall, the author was not able to create a good story or even nice sci-fi.
- The time-machine tech is not exciting.
- The typical sci-fi trope of exploring some grand philosophy or human trait, as exposed by changing technology or enabled by technology, is amiss here. The notion of free will, enabled/disabled by control over time, is addressed with big conceptual gaps and only as a small prop in a useless scene. The lead character mentions bekieving there is no free will, only to switch to deep guilt in the next moment. Useless.
--- Irrelevant plot starting from a murder.
--- Poorly constructed end-of-the-world story, with many gaps and little achievement.
--- Key scenes in the plot frustrate this reader: to name only two, the self-immolation video of an important character could have simply been checked without seeing (so, why that scene of gratuitous violence?!), and the search for the seldom self-immolator could have been done online in the police records (so, why the dangerous scouting scenes?!).
--- The lead character keeps growing in scope, adding various skills until becoming an incredibly skilled literary undergrad - cum - police detective - cum - tech time-machine repair geek - cum - (ex-)husband of a sculptor and modern artist. But there is little depth and consistency, as we see at times a man unable to cope with his own feelings, at others a decisive tech expert and detective. The classic dramatic character taking all the wrong decisions turns into an indecisive grunt. Just difficult to believe and root for.
- The non-main characters are completely disjoint and difficult to believe. They simply act as the scene requires it. Probably to compensate for the dullness of the reaction, as conveyed by actual character movement or dialog, the author keeps describing how the characters feel. This breaks for me the illusion of understanding the characters; show, don't tell me.
--- The writing is not very interesting, with many dull pieces. There simply isn't enough to make the story interesting. For me, what really made the writing difficult to traverse is the constant foreshadowing. Everything is anticipated and laden with over the top expectation, but what happens next is yet more drudgery and dull common action.
August 2, 2017
I am of a mixed mind on this book. I liked the writing and the characters, but I thought that the plot had significant holes. I read quite a lot of time travel fiction and am more or less familiar with all of the relevant tropes in that genre. This book hits most of those tropes. My difficulty is that it does not do a good job of integrating those tropes into a coherent whole.
I will list three significant problems. There are more but these will give you a sense of the difficulties.
First, every Tom Dick, and Bubba can travel in time. In my mind, casual time travel should cause the whole temporal matrix to come crashing down. There are minor side references to paradoxes and such but the story never explores this aspect in any detail. A casual reader probably will not notice but a dedicated fan of time travel tropes will be left scratching various body parts, wondering about the magic glue that holds everything together without leaving a trace for the reader to detect.
Second, the main settings of the story are the "the near future" and "zillions of years later." Some knowledge of history would make it clear that significant changes in viewpoints can occur in decades. Zillions of years should produce correspondingly larger changes. But the far future looks a lot like the near future. And yet another case where these changes are invisible.
Third, Dickhead, while interesting, is hard to believe. I kept thinking as I read the story, "How does an idiot like this become a Master of Time?" He sounds like a late twentieth-century used-car salesman who has delusions of grandeur, and is doomed to fall short of his dreams, again and again. This is the man who will serve as the master of ceremonies at the end of everything? Really?
Having said all of this, I will probably read the next in series. That book might drop a few more veils and reveal a few more secrets that will make light of my concerns.
I will list three significant problems. There are more but these will give you a sense of the difficulties.
First, every Tom Dick, and Bubba can travel in time. In my mind, casual time travel should cause the whole temporal matrix to come crashing down. There are minor side references to paradoxes and such but the story never explores this aspect in any detail. A casual reader probably will not notice but a dedicated fan of time travel tropes will be left scratching various body parts, wondering about the magic glue that holds everything together without leaving a trace for the reader to detect.
Second, the main settings of the story are the "the near future" and "zillions of years later." Some knowledge of history would make it clear that significant changes in viewpoints can occur in decades. Zillions of years should produce correspondingly larger changes. But the far future looks a lot like the near future. And yet another case where these changes are invisible.
Third, Dickhead, while interesting, is hard to believe. I kept thinking as I read the story, "How does an idiot like this become a Master of Time?" He sounds like a late twentieth-century used-car salesman who has delusions of grandeur, and is doomed to fall short of his dreams, again and again. This is the man who will serve as the master of ceremonies at the end of everything? Really?
Having said all of this, I will probably read the next in series. That book might drop a few more veils and reveal a few more secrets that will make light of my concerns.
September 16, 2017
Book Title: Time Machines repaired while-u-wait
Winner: Aurealis Award for the best Australia Science Fiction Novel 2008
Fiction or Non-Fiction: Non-Fiction
Published: 2009 Fremantle Press
Author: K Adrian Bedford (1963-) born in Fremantle and has written 5 science fiction novels.
Synopsis: A thoroughly bored time machine repair man finds a dead body in a time machine and starts a chase across time to find the murderer. Tragic events are discovered and multiple timelines and multiple identities keep the mind on edge as the end of time looms.
Rating: 2/5 stars, lots of bad language and complaining, but a fresh take on time travel.
Recommended: If you are interested in Science Fiction and/or time travel. Lots of Perth buildings and icons get a mention the book.
Remarkable: He develops the time travel technology minimally but builds complaining characters of dubious nature to the extreme.
Interesting quote: A lot of the story is about broken coffee machines and dealing copies of yourself from other timelines. Page 222: At last after all the previous blather, Spider thought, we finally reach the crux of the matter, the bitter fact, the hard ask. "You want me to eliminate my own future self?"
Summary: Time Machines repaired while-u-wait started well. Got bogged down in depression and bleakness in the future possible lives of the main characters. It manages to come back to a resolution towards the last few chapters.
Winner: Aurealis Award for the best Australia Science Fiction Novel 2008
Fiction or Non-Fiction: Non-Fiction
Published: 2009 Fremantle Press
Author: K Adrian Bedford (1963-) born in Fremantle and has written 5 science fiction novels.
Synopsis: A thoroughly bored time machine repair man finds a dead body in a time machine and starts a chase across time to find the murderer. Tragic events are discovered and multiple timelines and multiple identities keep the mind on edge as the end of time looms.
Rating: 2/5 stars, lots of bad language and complaining, but a fresh take on time travel.
Recommended: If you are interested in Science Fiction and/or time travel. Lots of Perth buildings and icons get a mention the book.
Remarkable: He develops the time travel technology minimally but builds complaining characters of dubious nature to the extreme.
Interesting quote: A lot of the story is about broken coffee machines and dealing copies of yourself from other timelines. Page 222: At last after all the previous blather, Spider thought, we finally reach the crux of the matter, the bitter fact, the hard ask. "You want me to eliminate my own future self?"
Summary: Time Machines repaired while-u-wait started well. Got bogged down in depression and bleakness in the future possible lives of the main characters. It manages to come back to a resolution towards the last few chapters.
April 22, 2016
I figured that any book that won the Aurealis award for best Australian science fiction novel couldn't be all bad. And it's wasn't bad. Just...confusing. It's set in 2027, and time travel is all the rage. Spider Webb lives in Perth and is a former cop who now repairs time machines for a living. One day, he finds a murdered woman inside a time machine, and his life gets turned upside down.
Honestly? It had great potential to be an awesome book. But there was so much future-self-turns-up stuff going on that I couldn't keep track of the actual story, let alone which year the plot was currently in. It seemed to me like the book started out as a murder mystery set in suburban Perth in the near future. And then suddenly it jumps to being all end-of-the-universe, fighting on space ships, oh hey future self, how are you today?-y. And then it's back to murder mystery in suburban Perth again. It was almost like two completely different books combined into one.
But I guess that's the danger of books that involve time travel...
In summary, it was okay. But it made my head hurt trying to keep track of it all.
Honestly? It had great potential to be an awesome book. But there was so much future-self-turns-up stuff going on that I couldn't keep track of the actual story, let alone which year the plot was currently in. It seemed to me like the book started out as a murder mystery set in suburban Perth in the near future. And then suddenly it jumps to being all end-of-the-universe, fighting on space ships, oh hey future self, how are you today?-y. And then it's back to murder mystery in suburban Perth again. It was almost like two completely different books combined into one.
But I guess that's the danger of books that involve time travel...
In summary, it was okay. But it made my head hurt trying to keep track of it all.
March 24, 2011
This story takes the classic detective idea but adds a all new futuristic twist. "Spide" web former detective turned time machine repareman takes in a time machine thqat was acting "funny". As it turns out a seperate time machine had been hidden in the shadow of that one only this one holds harbors a dead body. This causes Spider to revert to his old ways and he begins to sink deeper and deeper into a war between to of the same companies from different time zones,only the "good" company is loosing they are on low life support and are beginning too give up this hopless war...I really enjoyed this book! once you get used to the constant switching of timezones its great! This book will open your mind to new ideas that one could only dream about.
February 26, 2016
Fun. Convoluted. Thoughtful. But mostly fun. There's a blend of mystery, intrigue, a sprinkling of Australian humour (but not enough to cringe over) and, of course, icky-sticky time machine issues. The book isn't wedged in one gear, rather the reader is taken on an unashamedly twisted ride: over-think it, and it won't be fun, under-think it, and you'll miss out.
Spider is a decent, gritty, slightly grotty reluctant hero kind of guy, not all that likeable but definitely relatable, the kind of guy you root for because he's sensible enough to want to avoid what's looming up in front of him.
And Dickhead? A perfect counterpart, with his sphere of influence and his bigness.
Would I read this book again? Yep. Would I recommend it to others? Yep.
Spider is a decent, gritty, slightly grotty reluctant hero kind of guy, not all that likeable but definitely relatable, the kind of guy you root for because he's sensible enough to want to avoid what's looming up in front of him.
And Dickhead? A perfect counterpart, with his sphere of influence and his bigness.
Would I read this book again? Yep. Would I recommend it to others? Yep.
April 30, 2016
I love stories about time travel, and finding one set in my home town is an added bonus. This is a rollicking good sci-fi murder mystery, with some intriguing and well polished characters. Kudos to the author too for getting away with naming one of the main characters, Dickhead, without blinking an eye. Very smooth prose, a lengthy novel but it flows really well. He also manages to make the incredibly complex sci-fi components of time travel logical and believable. Recommended.
December 7, 2009
TIME MACHINES REPAIRED WHILE-U-WAIT arrived recently, intended probably for my science fiction reading partner, but something in the blurb made me want to snaffle it first, and I'm very very glad I did.
This is one of those books that come along every now and again to tip the whole concept of "genre" on its head. It's a crime story, in a Science Fiction style world. Set in 2027 Western Australia, 'Spider" Webb is an ex-cop, recently separated, working now as a Time Machine mechanic. In 2027 suburban Malaga, a lot of people have time machines, but the future isn't completely mad - these machines come with some limitations. You can slip backwards and forwards to visit, say the relatives, but you can't interfere with major world events (you only get to visit in "ghost" mode). Time machines though, have their problems, mostly to do with cats it seems, and there is a never-ending stream of them needing fixing passing through Spider's workshop. (In a very nice twist it doesn't matter how long it takes to fix one of these things, Spider just goes back in time to just after he picked it up to deliver the repaired machine back!).
Spider's own life is complicated (of course!). He lives in a hotel since his wife threw him out, yet he's forever being summoned to his old home to fix whatever it is piece of technology that's playing up. Urgently. He works long hours, at a job he doesn't like; for a boss he can't stand - even if he does insist that everyone call him Dickhead (McMahon). No matter how hard he tries he cannot coax a decent cup of coffee out of the robot coffee machine (even though the company receptionist has no problems at all), and with all the advances in science and technology, traffic jams are still the bane of his existence. It almost seems inevitable that one day, a repair job is going to get complicated, just to prove to Spider that his life really does suck. So the arrival of a woman's dead body when he's trying to analyse an unstable Time Machine, well it had to happen.
Despite the authorities taking over the investigation, Spider can't leave well enough alone, and as events get more and more complicated, Spider finds himself in the fight of his, and his wife's, lives.
Given the advent of Time Machines, it's hardly surprising that investigating a crime could go in a very different direction from what you'd expect in 2009. But there are some unexpected twists and turns that make the expected or seemingly obvious, well not. There's also delightfully bizarre stuff going on with Spider who ends up working with Future and near-Future versions of himself as he goes backwards and forward in time, and right out to the End of Time. Or somewhere. It all gets very crazy at points with Future Spider sleeping with current Spider's unrequited lust, with Spider's wife being threatened, or not threatened, or dead, or alive, or something... At some points things do seem to get a little muddled, but I'm not sure that it was muddled in a totally bad way. I liked the idea that even a time-travelling repair man, ex-cop, accidental detective, saver of the universe could get a tad confused about where or who or what on earth was going on. Or not on earth as the case may be.
For an infrequent Science Fiction reader, this book had real appeal if for no other reason that it was incredibly entertaining. Mind you, I gave up looking for the detail in any of the alternate timelines and just opted for going along for the ride. The ride greatly enhanced by the character of Spider, whose reluctant hero status was actually quite appealing. Add to that the surprise package of Dickhead, so gloriously over the top that he just had to an anti-hero - somehow.
The only possible complaint is that the book did sort of crash to a bit of an ending, and it may be that a crime fiction fan would find that the investigation component took a secondary seat to the alternate timelines and a threat to the entire world type scenario, but who's to say what the rules are in a cross-genre book like this. Personally I just thought this was tremendous fun. And I profoundly hope that I never have to meet up with my Future / Near-Future or Past self. There are some things from the past that would be best staying there, and I certainly don't want to chat to my future up close and over breakfast.
This is one of those books that come along every now and again to tip the whole concept of "genre" on its head. It's a crime story, in a Science Fiction style world. Set in 2027 Western Australia, 'Spider" Webb is an ex-cop, recently separated, working now as a Time Machine mechanic. In 2027 suburban Malaga, a lot of people have time machines, but the future isn't completely mad - these machines come with some limitations. You can slip backwards and forwards to visit, say the relatives, but you can't interfere with major world events (you only get to visit in "ghost" mode). Time machines though, have their problems, mostly to do with cats it seems, and there is a never-ending stream of them needing fixing passing through Spider's workshop. (In a very nice twist it doesn't matter how long it takes to fix one of these things, Spider just goes back in time to just after he picked it up to deliver the repaired machine back!).
Spider's own life is complicated (of course!). He lives in a hotel since his wife threw him out, yet he's forever being summoned to his old home to fix whatever it is piece of technology that's playing up. Urgently. He works long hours, at a job he doesn't like; for a boss he can't stand - even if he does insist that everyone call him Dickhead (McMahon). No matter how hard he tries he cannot coax a decent cup of coffee out of the robot coffee machine (even though the company receptionist has no problems at all), and with all the advances in science and technology, traffic jams are still the bane of his existence. It almost seems inevitable that one day, a repair job is going to get complicated, just to prove to Spider that his life really does suck. So the arrival of a woman's dead body when he's trying to analyse an unstable Time Machine, well it had to happen.
Despite the authorities taking over the investigation, Spider can't leave well enough alone, and as events get more and more complicated, Spider finds himself in the fight of his, and his wife's, lives.
Given the advent of Time Machines, it's hardly surprising that investigating a crime could go in a very different direction from what you'd expect in 2009. But there are some unexpected twists and turns that make the expected or seemingly obvious, well not. There's also delightfully bizarre stuff going on with Spider who ends up working with Future and near-Future versions of himself as he goes backwards and forward in time, and right out to the End of Time. Or somewhere. It all gets very crazy at points with Future Spider sleeping with current Spider's unrequited lust, with Spider's wife being threatened, or not threatened, or dead, or alive, or something... At some points things do seem to get a little muddled, but I'm not sure that it was muddled in a totally bad way. I liked the idea that even a time-travelling repair man, ex-cop, accidental detective, saver of the universe could get a tad confused about where or who or what on earth was going on. Or not on earth as the case may be.
For an infrequent Science Fiction reader, this book had real appeal if for no other reason that it was incredibly entertaining. Mind you, I gave up looking for the detail in any of the alternate timelines and just opted for going along for the ride. The ride greatly enhanced by the character of Spider, whose reluctant hero status was actually quite appealing. Add to that the surprise package of Dickhead, so gloriously over the top that he just had to an anti-hero - somehow.
The only possible complaint is that the book did sort of crash to a bit of an ending, and it may be that a crime fiction fan would find that the investigation component took a secondary seat to the alternate timelines and a threat to the entire world type scenario, but who's to say what the rules are in a cross-genre book like this. Personally I just thought this was tremendous fun. And I profoundly hope that I never have to meet up with my Future / Near-Future or Past self. There are some things from the past that would be best staying there, and I certainly don't want to chat to my future up close and over breakfast.
September 13, 2015
This happens to be one of my all time favorite titles for a novel, Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait. It is a mouthful but does make one wonder what this is all about. K.A. Bedford is a writer from Perth, Western Australia, which also happens to be the setting for his novel. The novel was originally published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing in August 2008. According to Mr. Bedford’s blog the novel will be re-released by Fremantle Press this October and it will have a new cover with some minor changes. That is partially good news because I really really like the original cover.
The novel begins with Senior Time Machine Technician Aloysius “Spider” Webb on a service a call to repair a broken time machine. The company he works for is Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait which is owned by a man known as Dickhead McMahon. He soon runs into a big time problem when it is discovered that the Temporal Positioning System reading is flying off the chart and cannot be located in any time line. This could cause a potential deadly explosion so it must be taken back to the shop for repairs.
In the world that Mr. Bedford has created, time machines are common-place as cars. People are constantly traveling back in history and sometimes into the future. Any major historical event is given a DOTAS Historical Rating of more than 2.0 can only be visited in ghost mode. This is to prevent major shifts in history. Other than that people are allowed to travel back in time and can effect the past. Mr. Bedford dodges the whole paradox issue by allowing countless number of separate time-lines to exist. In essence, if you change something in the past then it creates a new time line along side the existing one. My advice is to just go with the flow or you could hurt yourself.
Anyway, the time machine is taken back to the workshop and promptly explodes. No harm done as it was placed inside a protection container called the Bat Cave. The only problem is that a second time machine was discovered along with a dead body. Someone had overlaid the second time machine on top of the first in an attempt to hide the body.
It gets even worse for Spider when he is visited by his future self and discovers that he just spent the last fifteen years in prison for murdering his wife. He is desperate to avoid this particular future. So he heeds the advice from his future self and begins to investigate the cause of these strange happenings. Only something worse occurs, his future self is violently murdered in his own bed. Eventually, Spider even gets involved in the battle at the end of time.
This was a fun Sci-Fi novel if you do not take the whole time travel thing seriously. The plot is more your standard murder mystery with a time travel angle. Mr. Bedford is able to successfully balance both through out the life of the story. He does not just introduce the sci-fi elements then abandon it later in the novel once the mystery elements heat up as a lot writers tend to do. The time travel aspect is an important part of story right up to the bitter end.
At times, the story seemed over the top, especially with the conflict created at the end of time. But the only real disappointment I had with the story was the ending. It built up to the climax, which arrived and then the story continued in a whole different direction. It was as if there was an original ending but Mr. Bedford decided to change it so the story could continue on subsequent novels. Don’t get me wrong, I like this novel very much and would love reading a sequel but I just wish there wasn’t the false ending.
With some issues aside, I really enjoyed this time travel mystery and recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates a well crafted sci-fi story.
The novel begins with Senior Time Machine Technician Aloysius “Spider” Webb on a service a call to repair a broken time machine. The company he works for is Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait which is owned by a man known as Dickhead McMahon. He soon runs into a big time problem when it is discovered that the Temporal Positioning System reading is flying off the chart and cannot be located in any time line. This could cause a potential deadly explosion so it must be taken back to the shop for repairs.
In the world that Mr. Bedford has created, time machines are common-place as cars. People are constantly traveling back in history and sometimes into the future. Any major historical event is given a DOTAS Historical Rating of more than 2.0 can only be visited in ghost mode. This is to prevent major shifts in history. Other than that people are allowed to travel back in time and can effect the past. Mr. Bedford dodges the whole paradox issue by allowing countless number of separate time-lines to exist. In essence, if you change something in the past then it creates a new time line along side the existing one. My advice is to just go with the flow or you could hurt yourself.
Anyway, the time machine is taken back to the workshop and promptly explodes. No harm done as it was placed inside a protection container called the Bat Cave. The only problem is that a second time machine was discovered along with a dead body. Someone had overlaid the second time machine on top of the first in an attempt to hide the body.
It gets even worse for Spider when he is visited by his future self and discovers that he just spent the last fifteen years in prison for murdering his wife. He is desperate to avoid this particular future. So he heeds the advice from his future self and begins to investigate the cause of these strange happenings. Only something worse occurs, his future self is violently murdered in his own bed. Eventually, Spider even gets involved in the battle at the end of time.
This was a fun Sci-Fi novel if you do not take the whole time travel thing seriously. The plot is more your standard murder mystery with a time travel angle. Mr. Bedford is able to successfully balance both through out the life of the story. He does not just introduce the sci-fi elements then abandon it later in the novel once the mystery elements heat up as a lot writers tend to do. The time travel aspect is an important part of story right up to the bitter end.
At times, the story seemed over the top, especially with the conflict created at the end of time. But the only real disappointment I had with the story was the ending. It built up to the climax, which arrived and then the story continued in a whole different direction. It was as if there was an original ending but Mr. Bedford decided to change it so the story could continue on subsequent novels. Don’t get me wrong, I like this novel very much and would love reading a sequel but I just wish there wasn’t the false ending.
With some issues aside, I really enjoyed this time travel mystery and recommend it highly to anyone who appreciates a well crafted sci-fi story.
August 16, 2017
Gave it a shot based on a great title, a comparison to the Hitchhiker's guide in the blurb (see below), and some wacky characters in the preview, but was pretty disappointed. The joke in the title was really the only one. The time travel plot was too unoriginal and repetitive to be interesting and to incoherent to be worth taking seriously; neither would matter if the book were funny, but it's not. Instead, the plot just drags, adding on layer after layer of "oops, let's go back and time and fix that". Likewise, the main character's thoughts (alternating between complaints and resignation) quickly becomes repetitive and dull, and none of the other characters are developed.
PS The blurb takes the review comment about Douglas Adams out of context: the full quote on amazon.com, omitting several key phrases: "Teens who enjoyed Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Macmillan, 1979) but are craving something more sci-fi, with fewer goofy antics, will appreciate Time Machines.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA" (my emphasis)
PS The blurb takes the review comment about Douglas Adams out of context: the full quote on amazon.com, omitting several key phrases: "Teens who enjoyed Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Macmillan, 1979) but are craving something more sci-fi, with fewer goofy antics, will appreciate Time Machines.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA" (my emphasis)
August 13, 2017
Time Machines is a bargain book I bought because of a review that claimed that K. A. Bedford is the new Douglas Adams. Unfortunately this is not true.
Time Machines is middling grade science fiction; not as good as Clarke, Heinlein or Dick, but better than Saturday matinee Buck Rogers drivel. He could have made the book better by tightening it up by about fifty pages.
I don't mean to sound completely negative. Time Machines is an entertaining, fast read.
Time Machines is middling grade science fiction; not as good as Clarke, Heinlein or Dick, but better than Saturday matinee Buck Rogers drivel. He could have made the book better by tightening it up by about fifty pages.
I don't mean to sound completely negative. Time Machines is an entertaining, fast read.
October 5, 2017
Great, but definitely not light.
The title is cute, and I've been away from science fiction for a long time. What I wanted and needed was a light read. Sci-Fi, as I now remember, is rarely a light read. This was so good, though, that I couldn't tear away from it. It's mind-bending, bloody, chilling and clever. So if that's your thing, I recommend it. I'm moving on to something cozy. Cheers.
The title is cute, and I've been away from science fiction for a long time. What I wanted and needed was a light read. Sci-Fi, as I now remember, is rarely a light read. This was so good, though, that I couldn't tear away from it. It's mind-bending, bloody, chilling and clever. So if that's your thing, I recommend it. I'm moving on to something cozy. Cheers.
February 5, 2020
I really enjoyed the first third of this novel, and found the second third interesting, but by the last third I was annoyed by time travel (this is normal, though it usually happens faster, so credit to the writer) and am pleased with myself both for reaching the end, and finding it mostly satisfactory. There is one glaring error which I made note of in the quotes, and many cogent observations, and though I won't be reading more in the series, I don't regret reading this one.
January 11, 2019
It's the near future where time travel has not only been discovered but is common place. People have personal time machines, there are ones at the airport that you can pop into so you don't miss your flight, ones you can rent, etc. They also break down. Spider is the senior technician in a repair shop. The story begins with the repair of a weirdly acting time machine. It appears to be shut down, but the reading say otherwise. It could explode. They take it back to the shop, put it in containment and start working on it.
What they find starts a big mystery. Though I was surprised how the action didn't turn directly to investigation. Instead we get introduced Dickhead, the owner of the shop and Spider's boss, Spider gets a visitor from the future who warns the cops will arrest him if he does a particular action, and he gets dragged to the End of Time more than once. Finally the present day investigation starts up.
For me, the part about the End of Time is so far distant that it's meaningless. Forget the logistics of how they get there, that contemporary time machines don't move in space, why live in a void? Even with life extension by a million fold, we're not coming near that time. Let's find out what happens in the present. Anyway the plot does return and finish up in the present so that is good. The first hundred pages are really exciting. It doesn't bog down, but the plot felt more like a movie plot. What's the difference? Maybe not quite as clever, tight, consistent, logically cohesive as I would expect from a book. I guess the multiple time lines made it less meaningful. We see Molly is dead, but that was a different timeline, she's really still alive. What's real? The one time line where things work out, or others where people are dying left and right? The ending does a good job of cleaning up one of the threads.
All that complaining, but I really enjoyed the book. Give it 3.5 stars. The first third was fantastic. It was all fun, action packed and humorous.
What they find starts a big mystery. Though I was surprised how the action didn't turn directly to investigation. Instead we get introduced Dickhead, the owner of the shop and Spider's boss, Spider gets a visitor from the future who warns the cops will arrest him if he does a particular action, and he gets dragged to the End of Time more than once. Finally the present day investigation starts up.
For me, the part about the End of Time is so far distant that it's meaningless. Forget the logistics of how they get there, that contemporary time machines don't move in space, why live in a void? Even with life extension by a million fold, we're not coming near that time. Let's find out what happens in the present. Anyway the plot does return and finish up in the present so that is good. The first hundred pages are really exciting. It doesn't bog down, but the plot felt more like a movie plot. What's the difference? Maybe not quite as clever, tight, consistent, logically cohesive as I would expect from a book. I guess the multiple time lines made it less meaningful. We see Molly is dead, but that was a different timeline, she's really still alive. What's real? The one time line where things work out, or others where people are dying left and right? The ending does a good job of cleaning up one of the threads.
All that complaining, but I really enjoyed the book. Give it 3.5 stars. The first third was fantastic. It was all fun, action packed and humorous.
April 14, 2025
This book should come with a warning on the cover: it's bad.
Reading 'Time Machines Repaired While You Wait' feels like being stuck inside the head of a confused, spineless, ADHD-ridden, depressed, and pathetic middle-aged man. And not in a compelling or realistic way—it's all so contrived that it never feels authentic.
The constant internal whining is exhausting and slows the pace of the story. I felt like I was sitting in traffic waiting for the author to get on with his stop-and-go story. Spider stumbles his way through the plot repeating past mistakes his future self has already warned him about, muttering "why me" and "I'm tired" like a broken record.
The world-building is shallow and inconsistent. Spider says time travel doesn’t fix anything—then spends the whole book using time travel to try and fix everything.
He’s inexplicably obsessed with Molly, a cardboard cutout of a charater. Their limited interactions are mostly over the phone and she is the least developed of all the characters in the book. She’s a stereotypical “Karen” ex-wife and serves no real purpose other than being Spider’s carrot-on-a-stick.
Then there’s the villain: a glorified used car salesman who is somehow the most powerful being across all realities. He’s always one step ahead, can manipulate any outcome, and yet—he still needs Spider’s help?
The part of the book which really ruined the experience for me was the moment when Spider, despite learning about the end of ALL EXISTENCE, is wallowing in self pity over the prospect of getting fired and having to go back to TAFE.
If Bedford’s goal was to write a silly story about an unlikeable protagonist on a mission to save a character who doesn’t deserve saving, then he nailed it.
Reading 'Time Machines Repaired While You Wait' feels like being stuck inside the head of a confused, spineless, ADHD-ridden, depressed, and pathetic middle-aged man. And not in a compelling or realistic way—it's all so contrived that it never feels authentic.
The constant internal whining is exhausting and slows the pace of the story. I felt like I was sitting in traffic waiting for the author to get on with his stop-and-go story. Spider stumbles his way through the plot repeating past mistakes his future self has already warned him about, muttering "why me" and "I'm tired" like a broken record.
The world-building is shallow and inconsistent. Spider says time travel doesn’t fix anything—then spends the whole book using time travel to try and fix everything.
He’s inexplicably obsessed with Molly, a cardboard cutout of a charater. Their limited interactions are mostly over the phone and she is the least developed of all the characters in the book. She’s a stereotypical “Karen” ex-wife and serves no real purpose other than being Spider’s carrot-on-a-stick.
Then there’s the villain: a glorified used car salesman who is somehow the most powerful being across all realities. He’s always one step ahead, can manipulate any outcome, and yet—he still needs Spider’s help?
The part of the book which really ruined the experience for me was the moment when Spider, despite learning about the end of ALL EXISTENCE, is wallowing in self pity over the prospect of getting fired and having to go back to TAFE.
If Bedford’s goal was to write a silly story about an unlikeable protagonist on a mission to save a character who doesn’t deserve saving, then he nailed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2023
"Spider" Webb is a time machine repair technician. A customer had problems with a machine he bought from a suspicious source. While it looks like it's turned off, sensors show baffling readings. The machine is put into a container that places it in a separate area of space-time. During testing, it explodes, but a second time machine appears which contains a murder victim. The police detective who shows up is a woman that Spider had a relationship with many years ago - when Spider was an honest cop and she was an ambitious cop.
Then a future version of Spider comes to warn him of a secretive group which is working to change events in various time lines. The next day, "future Spider" is found murdered in Spider's hotel capsule. Later, the leader of the secretive group tells Spider they're working to help the angels who are preparing the end of time. Another "future Spider" works to recruit Spider to infiltrate the other side... From there, Spider is tangled in events complicated by threats to his ex-wife (who he still loves and wants to protect,) murders involving the family of a friend, etc.
There's a lot about time travel paradoxes, viewed somewhat differently at different points. It seems more about such things than what I would call a mystery. It ends with a resolution followed by a promise of more to come.
Then a future version of Spider comes to warn him of a secretive group which is working to change events in various time lines. The next day, "future Spider" is found murdered in Spider's hotel capsule. Later, the leader of the secretive group tells Spider they're working to help the angels who are preparing the end of time. Another "future Spider" works to recruit Spider to infiltrate the other side... From there, Spider is tangled in events complicated by threats to his ex-wife (who he still loves and wants to protect,) murders involving the family of a friend, etc.
There's a lot about time travel paradoxes, viewed somewhat differently at different points. It seems more about such things than what I would call a mystery. It ends with a resolution followed by a promise of more to come.
June 27, 2019
The first half was fun. The humor is offbeat and the world is interesting, if cynical. What if time machines were as common as cars? And the two big plots of the story weave together well, complete with the nonsense and paradoxes time travel implies.
But, man.... I don’t know anything about the author or his personal life or his views, but several of these characters read like they were crafted by somebody who has a major problem with women. The pitiless ex wife. The cold, unattainable cop. The vengeful, betrayed, suicidal wife. The homicidal daughter. Even the likeable receptionist is there largely to give the protagonist a reason to stand up to his smarmy boss.
I rather enjoyed the first half or so of this book. The rest I just finished to be done with it. I can’t see myself reaching for the next one in the series, if there is one.
But, man.... I don’t know anything about the author or his personal life or his views, but several of these characters read like they were crafted by somebody who has a major problem with women. The pitiless ex wife. The cold, unattainable cop. The vengeful, betrayed, suicidal wife. The homicidal daughter. Even the likeable receptionist is there largely to give the protagonist a reason to stand up to his smarmy boss.
I rather enjoyed the first half or so of this book. The rest I just finished to be done with it. I can’t see myself reaching for the next one in the series, if there is one.
August 2, 2025
An enjoyable and fun read. Touches of older Dr.Who episodes and a variety of hard science fiction involving time travel. Witty writing to boot--dark, sarcasm--something i enjoy.
Plot essentials: Spider runs a time machine repair company in the near future. He is in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, but he is still in love with her. A quandary exists in the time travelling world--nobody in the present travels into the future, and at least to the best of Spider's knowledge, nobody from the future travels into Spider's present. That works, until it doesn't and Spider gets to meet his future self and his future nemesis. And along the way, his soon to be ex-wife, gets kidnapped and pulled into the future.
And with this, the reader gets launched into a grand, old style space opera. Great fun, and like I said, touches of older Dr. Who.
Plot essentials: Spider runs a time machine repair company in the near future. He is in the process of getting a divorce from his wife, but he is still in love with her. A quandary exists in the time travelling world--nobody in the present travels into the future, and at least to the best of Spider's knowledge, nobody from the future travels into Spider's present. That works, until it doesn't and Spider gets to meet his future self and his future nemesis. And along the way, his soon to be ex-wife, gets kidnapped and pulled into the future.
And with this, the reader gets launched into a grand, old style space opera. Great fun, and like I said, touches of older Dr. Who.
August 9, 2018
This book kicked off with an intriguing premise, but by three quarters in I felt like the plot had reached terminal velocity without much hope of a narrative arc. Also, the Amazon copy I bought in 2018 needed a good edit.
If you can look past that, there's good stuff here, particularly the vores and the questions about how exactly the universe might end. The characters were, not exactly strong, but consistent. Some of the time travel angles were amusing, unique.
Ultimately I just couldn't get fully invested in Spider and his shenanigans. Some of it felt a bit Doctor Who-y, which I'm not much a fan of. If you like your time travel science light, and some Aussie-ness in your SciFi, this could be for you.
If you can look past that, there's good stuff here, particularly the vores and the questions about how exactly the universe might end. The characters were, not exactly strong, but consistent. Some of the time travel angles were amusing, unique.
Ultimately I just couldn't get fully invested in Spider and his shenanigans. Some of it felt a bit Doctor Who-y, which I'm not much a fan of. If you like your time travel science light, and some Aussie-ness in your SciFi, this could be for you.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2020
Spider Webb works for a company that repairs time machines -- "while U wait." A man brings in a machine that has been displaying peculiar problems. In the process of working on it they discover the body of a young woman. She's been murdered. The body was not there when the machine was first brought in. This has all of the markings a of a good, engaging SF mystery novel. Then, Webb meets a future himself who comes with dire warnings. This does not create a paradox because such encounters simply spin off new universes that exist simultaneously. At least, that's what I was sensing, and I could also sense a headache coming on. Perhaps it's age. I just am not interested in stories with ever growing layers of complexity.
February 5, 2021
Maybe 2.5 stars.
What a great premise. A world where time machines are common and all the various ills, beauracracy, and crime that would entail. The protagonist Spider Webb (really?) is a time machine mechanic and sees it all. He eventually gets involved in a murder investigation leading to the end of time? The story keeps on involving more and more loops as he meets future versions of himself reaching a level of near incoherence. The villain of the piece is as silly as a villain in a Batman movie. Spider's interactions with others is mostly terrible and really doesn't get much better by the end of the book. There is a sequel I will pass on.
What a great premise. A world where time machines are common and all the various ills, beauracracy, and crime that would entail. The protagonist Spider Webb (really?) is a time machine mechanic and sees it all. He eventually gets involved in a murder investigation leading to the end of time? The story keeps on involving more and more loops as he meets future versions of himself reaching a level of near incoherence. The villain of the piece is as silly as a villain in a Batman movie. Spider's interactions with others is mostly terrible and really doesn't get much better by the end of the book. There is a sequel I will pass on.
June 28, 2022
I did not finish reading this book, I stopped about half way in. The writing was solid, but the characterization was lacking. The main character's personality description did not match the personality shown through dialogue and introspection. I did not believe the character was who they said they were. Because of that I stopped caring for or believing in them and lost interest in the plot. I stopped caring and then stopped reading. 4 months later I knew I'd never pick the book back up, which is a shame.
October 8, 2017
Before I finished the book it became my all time favorite time travel novel. There seemed to be something clever & intriguing on almost every page.
Former cop repairing time machines. Much like car mechanics they have to deal with irresponsible operators.
There are different models, different features, luxury machines, economy models ...
And all that, to some extent, is just set-up for story.
Definitely getting the next book for the weekend read!
Former cop repairing time machines. Much like car mechanics they have to deal with irresponsible operators.
There are different models, different features, luxury machines, economy models ...
And all that, to some extent, is just set-up for story.
Definitely getting the next book for the weekend read!
July 30, 2020
Too much padding
While I think the idea is good and the way time travel is used is interesting, much too much time is spent on the main characters repeated thoughts. These wouldn't be a problem, but IMO, unfortunately they don't really add to a deeper understanding of the character, just page filling repetitions of similar thoughts. So much so that the ending is just a bit too simply arrived at.
While I think the idea is good and the way time travel is used is interesting, much too much time is spent on the main characters repeated thoughts. These wouldn't be a problem, but IMO, unfortunately they don't really add to a deeper understanding of the character, just page filling repetitions of similar thoughts. So much so that the ending is just a bit too simply arrived at.
August 11, 2017
Great read that was hard to put down
I stuck with the book, but on reflection, it did get a bit wordy in spots with characters explaining the consequences of time travel to other characters.
It would have been better for the protagonist to experience more things directly than to endure endless conversations.
That said, I plan to buy and read the rest of the author's books.
I stuck with the book, but on reflection, it did get a bit wordy in spots with characters explaining the consequences of time travel to other characters.
It would have been better for the protagonist to experience more things directly than to endure endless conversations.
That said, I plan to buy and read the rest of the author's books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews