by John Brunner
First published 1973
Jack Stroyer finds himself unstuck in time, bouncing between past and future without warning or control. One moment he stands in his familiar present, the next he materializes in medieval England or a dystopian tomorrow. Each jump brings new dangers as he struggles to understand the mechanism behind his displacement. The medieval past threatens him with superstitious villagers who see him as a demon. The future reveals a world scarred by environmental collapse and social breakdown. Stroyer searches desperately for a way to return to his own time while avoiding the perils of each era he visits. His wife Sarah exists only as a memory he clings to across the centuries. The random nature of his jumps makes every moment uncertain. Stroyer must learn to survive in worlds where he doesn't belong while seeking the key to his temporal prison. His journey becomes a race against time itself, where the stakes are not just his own survival but his chance to reclaim the life and love he left behind.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, time-travel, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, race-against-time
Setting: England, Dystopia
Period: Medieval, Present, Future
Paperback · Dell Publishing