"Last Year" by Robert Charles Wilson - A Book Review

"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller."
- Stephen King -

I am a Sci-Fi junkie....

There, I've admitted it. (Today must be my day for confessions...)

Now that that's out of the way...

My reaction to and enjoyment of any particular science fiction novel varies wildly.

It was a steel semicircle, standing on end...
Photo courtesy of Pete Linforth and http://pixabay.com

As Sci-Fi novels go, I found "Last Year" particularly good.

I really hate it when I finish a book wondering, "Why did I spend all that time and energy?"

"Last Year" is not like that. Once hooked, it kept me fully engaged to the end.

"Last Year" could be described as a time-travel book. However, the time mechanics in this novel are inherently interesting.

The time-travel mechanism is more of an inter-dimensional gateway to one specific moment in the middle-past... a time, not too recent — because that would not be very interesting — but not too distant, as that would take too much energy. Time flows at the same rate on both sides of the gateway, but from the moment the gateway is opened, the "past" side becomes a new and divergent timeline.

Most of the action takes place in Ninteenth Century Illinois, during the tenure of President Grant. However, it is no longer, our Ninteenth Century. In effect, an alternate universe/timeline has been created.

You may wonder,

"What makes this book any different or better than the rest?" Other authors have explored branching universes. There's nothing apparently original about the basic scenario.

Several things stand out that may entice you to read "Last Year."

The "City of Futurity" is constructed in historic Illinois by wealthy modern businessman August Kemp. A 19th Century drifter, Jesse Cullum, is hired by the city, and is in the right place at the right time to save a visiting Grant from an assassin's bullet.

This act brings an unassuming Cullum to Kemp's attention. He is subsequently paired with ex-military Elizabeth DePaul, and the duo are assigned special security duties.

The past, but not your past.
Photo courtesy of Gerd Altmann and http://pixabay.com

The action takes Cullum and DePaul to New York and later San Francisco.

The story exposes the considerable difficulties of interfacing the past with the future. It is a thoroughly well-imagined case study of a clash of cultures. Tourists from the future pay exorbitant fees to visit the past, and some "runners" try to stay. Citizens of the past pay (in gold) to be wowed by visits to the City of Futurity, where they see a watered-down vision of a possible future, no longer theirs.

The title is derived from the intolerable tension that builds between past and future, as the book describes the "Last Year" of the city's operation in the past.

The past, but not your past.
Photo courtesy of AzDude and http://pixabay.com

I look forward to reading more by author Wilson.

You'll find "Last Year" to be an ingenious blend of romance, intrigue, action, violence, and science-fictional speculation. The characters are engaging and credible. The dilemmas are fascinating. I highly recommend that you read it.

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