books science fiction

The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman

I recently picked up a very good book called The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman.  In five days I’ve read 240 pages, and I’m about 15 pages from finishing the book.  While I love reading, I’m rarely able to fly through a book this quickly unless I’m on vacation (which I’m not).  It’s a testament to how good it is.  Here is the description from the publisher:

“Grad- school dropout Matt Fuller is toiling as a lowly research assistant at MIT when he inadvertently creates a time machine. With a dead-end job and a girlfriend who left him for another man, Matt has nothing to lose in taking a time-machine trip himself—or so he thinks.”

Maybe I’m the last person on Earth to discover Joe Haldeman, but I’m impressed.  He’s imaginative, creates interesting characters and settings, and his prose feels comfortable making for a swift read.  There is a quote from Stephen King that helped convince me to pick up the book: “If there were a Fort Knox for the science fiction writers who really matter, we’d have to lock Joe Haldeman up there.”

I heard about the book through the Science Fiction Book Club.  On a whim, I decided to give it a try.  I’m glad a I did.  It’s an original take on time travel, with some very creative extrapolations of the future.  I will definitely be reading further Joe Haldeman books.

If you’re a time travel nut like me, it’s definitely worth checking out!

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