Crosstime-Andre Norton

Crosstime
Andre Norton
Baen, Mar 2008, $23.00
ISBN: 9781416555292

“The Crossroads of Time“. Orphan Blake Walker is about to attend Havers as an art student, but currently resides in a nearby hotel waiting for school to begin. When he opens his door he sees a man holding a gun on another person. Blake intercedes and saves FBI Agent Mark Kittson who fears for the teen’s safety so he takes him with him to a loft over a warehouse, where he meets three associates including Jason Saxton, who believes historical pivotal points lead to alternate timelines. When someone attacks Blake mentally from outside, the agent save his life before further explaining CROSSTIME, but not the full mission involving a rogue maniac.

“Quest Crosstime”. Blake has become a full member of the CROSSTIME project. His assignment is to track down a missing telepathic twin with the help of her sister by traveling across a series of alternate earths formed during pivotal moments in the timeline. They find several odd places, but finally feel the mission is achievable when they reach earth E6525. Blake pretends to be a New Britain trader in a world where the Plantagenet rule modern day England because Richard III won the decisive Battle of Boswell and the Aztec Empire includes all of America west of the Mississippi River as the Spanish Empire never occurred nor did the Louisiana Purchase.

These are fun well written reprints from four or five decades ago (about the time of the most influential classic DC comic Flash of Two Worlds) that showcase the creativeness of late grandmaster Andre Norton in spite of the scientific background seeming obsolete. Each of the tales is entertaining with The Crossroads of Time more a coming of age story (a theme that Ms. Norton excelled at) and by Quest Crosstime he shows his leadership skills. Although the ending of the sequel leaves many threads hanging loose on E6525 and as far as I know no other time Crosstime novel was written, fans of the author will appreciate these fine enjoyable science fiction time thrillers.

Harriet Klausner