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Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite
Another Time in a Vacuum by Roland Burisch is a witty fantasy
adventure of anachronistic proportions. Meet Monty, a timetraveling
historian who travels back to 1673. Imagine the thrill of
excitement that greets him as he meets one of history’s most
important diarists, Samuel Pepys. He musters the courage to tell
Pepys that he has important information, but the eminent diarist is
suspicious that he could be an extortionist. Monty tells Pepys that
he is from the future and that he is familiar with the contents of
Pepys’s diaries. Monty introduces the diarist to his mobile phone to
lend authenticity to his claim. Monty remembers that Sir Isaac
Newton is alive in the same period, with which Pepys concurs,
unless Newton is beheaded for heresy. But Monty tells him that
Newton will go down in history for his work. This fills Pepys with
disbelief. Monty brings the two men into the present, and these two
historical figures will witness the contemporary period with awe and
bewilderment, an adventure that they will fill with many questions.
Another Time in a Vacuum is a fascinating time-travel adventure
that is intelligent, witty, and at times, sad. While this novel takes
the idea of time travel as an essential element in the storyline, it is
more about a comparative look at the lifestyle and norms of the
past with the present. It is inevitable that the two famous men will
not understand Monty initially. But Roland Burisch equips his plot
with confidence in the intelligence of Pepys and Newton. They
eventually understand why Monty exists in their time without many
ramifications about the historical timeline getting altered. Burisch
wisely hinges on the mechanics of dialogue and the interaction of
the trio for the plot. It is also one of the reasons why this novel
works because you like the quirks of the characters. They are wise,
funny, and fish out of water. It sounds like a story that you will
enjoy reading. It is.
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