X-Message-Number: 29678
From: "Chris Manning" <>
Subject: my favourite SF book
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:55:01 +1000


I think my favourite SF book (out of the hundreds I have read) is probably 
'There Will Be Time' by Poul Anderson (1926 - 2001). He was IMO one of the 
finest authors in the English language.


The main character is John Havig, who is born with the ability to travel in time
just by willing himself to do so. He does not realise until he is an adolescent
that most people cannot do this. Once he does, he realises that there must be 
other people like himself and he embarks on a systematic search for them. One of
these is Leonce, who becomes his girlfriend.


There is a particular passage in the book which made a deep impression on me. 
Havig and Leonce travel to the distant future. We read:


"A shellbacked thing which bore claws and nothing identifiable as a head 
conversed with a man in notes of music. The man was laughing.


Leonce screamed. Havig barely grabbed her before she was gone, fleeing downtime.


'But don't you see?'  he told her, over and over. ' Don't you realise the marvel
of it?"



There will be things in the future far stranger than shellbacked things with 
claws that converse in notes of music. I *am* afraid. I am also afraid when I am
in a plane and it is taking off. But I have not let that fear prevent me from 
flying.


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