How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional UniverseBy Charles Yu
Pantheon Books, 2010. 239 pgs. Science Fiction.
Charles is a time machine repairman. He has spent the past ten years traveling from time to time helping recreational time travelers safely traverse Minor Universe 31. He is accompanied on these travels by TAMMY his operating system with depression issues, and his android dog, Ed. The meaning and nature of time, memory, regret, and hope are all explored as Charles tries to escape a time loop with far reaching consequences.
The premise behind this book is a cross between Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next literary world and Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker universe. However, How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe is not nearly as funny as either. It is filled with unexpected introspection and philosophizing that is at times enlightening but doesn’t make for riveting reading. Its slow pace and circular narration makes this a tough book to recommend widely.
CZ
1 comment:
I started this book and realized I wasn't smart enough to understand it. Congratulations for going the distance!
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