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Rating: 
Summary: Irish "Troubles" threaten King Arthur?
Review: If you are expecting the Robert Asprin of "Phule's
Company" or the "Myth" series, you'll be disappointed. The
Asprin whose "light" touch kept the "Thieves World" series
from unreadable heaviness is missing. This novel is
unrelentingly serious.
Too bad: A little comic relief might have helped the
book's Swiss-cheese plot and indecisive premise. SAS Captain
Trevor Stirling must pursue a villain back into time itself
to prevent the historical King Arthur's assassination.
Overthrowing Briton stability too early would mean Saxon
dominance and destruction of our present time line. The
villain, a militant Ulster Orangeman, plans to kill as many
Irish as possible and destroy a Britain that betrayed
Protestant Ulster. An IRA-sympathizing female mathematician
is pulled into his plot as a scapegoat.
And then the whole mess goes south.
Asprin's/Evans' time-travel premise is ridiculous. The
three personalities are projected into past compatible hosts
in 500 A.D. (Good trick: Even less possible than bodily time
travel, however.) Once in place, there is some conflict with
the "host" personality, but the authors repeatedly cheat on
their own concept. Does the host "know" everything the time
travelers know? If so, they would use it to benefit their
own kingdom. There is never once a battle of wills to
control the body that both inhabit. After the initial shock,
the two personalities never simultaneously try to use arms orlegs for different purposes. The invading personalities can
take over the host body, at exactly the most convenient plot
moments. Meanwhile, in the future, the time-travel
scientists can't figure out how to call the three back with
their computers before a (villainously) pre-set time limit
(not that a hundred hackers within a day's journey couldn't
do it.) From the book's mid-point, it is obvious that the
heroes are going help Arthur, changing history. Of course,
that would cause the major alteration they were trying to
prevent, but benign intentions prevent any harm. Sure.
Why, then, has this book received such high reviews?
Simply, Asprin and Evans present a realistic, accurate, alive
sixth century Britain. The writing is excellent and the
characters stongly bring Arthur's era to life. As a reader,
I wished that they'd skipped the gee-whiz time-projection
nonsense and stranded three moderns in Arthurian Britain for
keeps, glossing over the method entirely.
You will probably enjoy this book, but concentrate on
the action rather than the logic or science. A historical SF
purist will have trouble finishing it.
Rating:
Summary: Irish "Troubles" threaten King Arthur?
Review: If you are expecting the Robert Asprin of "Phule's
Company" or the "Myth" series, you'll be disappointed. The
Asprin whose "light" touch kept the "Thieves World" series
from unreadable heaviness is missing. This novel is
unrelentingly serious.
Too bad: A little comic relief might have helped the
book's Swiss-cheese plot and indecisive premise. SAS Captain
Trevor Stirling must pursue a villain back into time itself
to prevent the historical King Arthur's assassination.
Overthrowing Briton stability too early would mean Saxon
dominance and destruction of our present time line. The
villain, a militant Ulster Orangeman, plans to kill as many
Irish as possible and destroy a Britain that betrayed
Protestant Ulster. An IRA-sympathizing female mathematician
is pulled into his plot as a scapegoat.
And then the whole mess goes south.
Asprin's/Evans' time-travel premise is ridiculous. The
three personalities are projected into past compatible hosts
in 500 A.D. (Good trick: Even less possible than bodily time
travel, however.) Once in place, there is some conflict with
the "host" personality, but the authors repeatedly cheat on
their own concept. Does the host "know" everything the time
travelers know? If so, they would use it to benefit their
own kingdom. There is never once a battle of wills to
control the body that both inhabit. After the initial shock,
the two personalities never simultaneously try to use arms or legs for different purposes. The invading personalities can
take over the host body, at exactly the most convenient plot
moments. Meanwhile, in the future, the time-travel
scientists can't figure out how to call the three back with
their computers before a (villainously) pre-set time limit
(not that a hundred hackers within a day's journey couldn't
do it.) From the book's mid-point, it is obvious that the
heroes are going help Arthur, changing history. Of course,
that would cause the major alteration they were trying to
prevent, but benign intentions prevent any harm. Sure.
Why, then, has this book received such high reviews?
Simply, Asprin and Evans present a realistic, accurate, alive
sixth century Britain. The writing is excellent and the
characters stongly bring Arthur's era to life. As a reader,
I wished that they'd skipped the gee-whiz time-projection
nonsense and stranded three moderns in Arthurian Britain for
keeps, glossing over the method entirely.
You will probably enjoy this book, but concentrate on
the action rather than the logic or science. A historical SF
purist will have trouble finishing it.
Rating:
Summary: STOP!!!
Review: If you are feeling even tempted to buy this book do yourself a favor and stop now. Bad research, corny charecters and implauseable time travle ruin the experience. It starts in the present when an opretive of the SAS counter terrorism unit being pulled off the front lines and being asked to undertake a dangerous mission. Little does he know that the dangerous mission will take him to 5th century Great Britan to stop a member of the IRA from helping the Irish of the time destory the English in the 5th century 2 main problems 1. The time travle really isn't time travel the charecter who reacts to everything in typical Rambo fashion gets to share a part of his mind with an occupent of the 5th century. i know it sounds like a good idea but it loses its appeal in 15 pages tops. 2. Even if the Irish had overwehlmed the English at the time how would that "Destory the World". That part of the story is explianed in a half baked manner and it really cuts down on the overall experience. Bottom line-if you have any respect for these authors avoid at all costs.
Rating:
Summary: STOP!!!
Review: If you are feeling even tempted to buy this book do yourself a favor and stop now. Bad research, corny charecters and implauseable time travle ruin the experience. It starts in the present when an opretive of the SAS counter terrorism unit being pulled off the front lines and being asked to undertake a dangerous mission. Little does he know that the dangerous mission will take him to 5th century Great Britan to stop a member of the IRA from helping the Irish of the time destory the English in the 5th century 2 main problems 1. The time travle really isn't time travel the charecter who reacts to everything in typical Rambo fashion gets to share a part of his mind with an occupent of the 5th century. i know it sounds like a good idea but it loses its appeal in 15 pages tops. 2. Even if the Irish had overwehlmed the English at the time how would that "Destory the World". That part of the story is explianed in a half baked manner and it really cuts down on the overall experience. Bottom line-if you have any respect for these authors avoid at all costs.
Rating: 
Summary: sutenhotep
Review: This book takes alternate history and time travel to new places. Scientifically transfering only consiosness to the past, where you share the body with the present inhabitant.
Place in the mix a former SAS officer, recovering from injuries suffered in Belfast, a rogue Orangeman set to kill off the Irish and English pre-emptively, and a heroic woman working for the IRA.
The pace is quick, and little time is spent groping, more is spent doing. An excellent read.
Rating: 
Summary: for lovers of the Time Scout series
Review: Though not exactly in the Time Scout series, I would place the tone of the book in that group. That series spins historical research with fantasy which leads to fun reading. You must keep in mind that it is fantasy though so that you don't have a problem with the method of time travel. Mark Twain can send someone back in Time with a simple method so why can't Mr. Asprin and Ms. Evans. I personally haven't done research on the past that the authors show here, but the writing gives the impression that this is accurate. IThe story pulls you in and demands you to keep reading. I had a very difficult time setting down this book as I was continually intrigued by what they authors were going to do next. This book is not a Myth book or a Phule book. I absolutely love those two series. They are fun and exciting to read over and over again. This book, though fantasy, has some serious subject matter-the brutality of not only present day N. Ireland but the viciousness of 500 AD Briton. But you can easily tell that all of the above books have that "Robert Asprinness" quality to it, plus it has the very nice touches of Linda Evans too.
Rating:
Summary: for lovers of the Time Scout series
Review: Though not exactly in the Time Scout series, I would place the tone of the book in that group. That series spins historical research with fantasy which leads to fun reading. You must keep in mind that it is fantasy though so that you don't have a problem with the method of time travel. Mark Twain can send someone back in Time with a simple method so why can't Mr. Asprin and Ms. Evans. I personally haven't done research on the past that the authors show here, but the writing gives the impression that this is accurate. IThe story pulls you in and demands you to keep reading. I had a very difficult time setting down this book as I was continually intrigued by what they authors were going to do next. This book is not a Myth book or a Phule book. I absolutely love those two series. They are fun and exciting to read over and over again. This book, though fantasy, has some serious subject matter-the brutality of not only present day N. Ireland but the viciousness of 500 AD Briton. But you can easily tell that all of the above books have that "Robert Asprinness" quality to it, plus it has the very nice touches of Linda Evans too.
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