First published 1975
Judson Daniel Elliott III works as a Time Courier, guiding tourist groups to witness historic events firsthand. The job comes with strict regulations. He must avoid encountering himself during repeat visits to the same time periods. More importantly, he cannot interfere with past events or become personally involved with historical figures. The penalties for breaking these rules are severe. Elliott follows protocol religiously until he arrives in Byzantine Constantinople. There he encounters a passionate Greek who challenges everything he believes about following orders. This charismatic local shows Elliott that some rules exist only to be shattered. Elliott faces a choice between his safe career and the dangerous allure of changing history itself. The Time Patrol enforces temporal law with brutal efficiency. Elliott knows the consequences of temporal interference. Yet the temptation grows stronger with each visit to the ancient world. His Greek companion offers him something worth risking everything for. Elliott must decide whether to remain a dutiful employee or embrace the chaos of rewriting the past.
Genres: science-fiction, adventure, time-travel, alternate-history
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forbidden-romance
Setting: Byzantine Constantinople
Period: Ancient
206 pages · Paperback · Sphere