Joan Szechtman’s new book, This Time, in an original twist of the time travel genre, is the story of King Richard III of England, rescued in his final moments on Bosworth Field by modern science. He is brought into the modern era by Hosgrove, a wealthy Ricardian who wishes to learn more of Richard’s life. He regards Richard, however, as a well-informed museum exhibit, who can be returned to inevitable death at Hosgrove’s own convenience. 

Hosgrove does not count on Richard objecting.

What ensues is part car-chase-pistol-shooting adventure as Richard escapes his new enemies; part history-mystery as Richard reveals what happened to his nephews, what went wrong at Bosworth, and how Anne died; and partly a human interest story of a man adjusting to the new life thrust upon him.

I thoroughly appreciated the historical aspect of this book, the research that went into it, and the clear love the author has for her subject. For those who like learning history through fiction, this is a good introduction to Richard III’s reign. I liked how Joan revealed pieces of Richard’s kingship over the course of the story, and presented evidence contrary to the historical record through the device of Richard contemplating and re-telling from his perspective.

Literature’s value lies, in part, in the insights it offers. To that effect, This Time raises important issues: a man adjusting to a new environment, a man accepting changes thrust unwillingly upon him; a man faced with false accusations. I especially liked the large theme of what we believe about others and why. Who shaped the historical view of Richard? Henry, who defeated him? Why did Shakespeare portray him so negatively? Whose word are we taking, and why do they say what they say?  These are issues we should all consider in our own lives.

I felt this book left ample room for delving in. As a non-Ricardian, I wanted to know more, both political and personal, of the fight between Henry and Richard, and the events surrounding Bosworth and the Stanleys. It is to the author’s credit that someone with no prior interest in Richard III was left wanting more, and she assures me it is coming in the sequels.

I wanted a stronger sense of the characters’ looks, mannerisms, and personalities. Apart from the issue of marrying outside his faith, where we see Richard struggle and learn, I felt Richard adopted modern views too quickly. It is to anyone’s credit to be open, but I would have liked to see him question our beliefs more deeply, and for him and other characters to also discover value in some beliefs of Richard’s time. I felt Richard was the only one expected to grow and change.

Ms. Szechtman has come up with a novel– forgive the pun– device in exploring history, and I would look forward to seeing it used again to raise interest in more historical figures, to bring them to life as real people with thoughts, fears, hopes, and all the emotions we ourselves have.

I am currently about half-way through, and finding it an absolutely fascinating story, with very realistic reactions to meeting people of another era, and vivid descriptions.  I would say Jack Finney’s strongest point of his many strong points, is his attention for detail, which really brings each scene alive.

What interested me, however, is comparing the methods of time travel in the many stories available that feature it.  H.G. Wells’ Time Machine is probably the best known.  Like H.G. Wells, Michael Crichton uses technology to transport his characters in his book Timeline. 

A second method that seems to come up routinely is witchcraft or magic.  A sorcerer is the– forgive the pun– source of the switch in time in the movie Just Visiting.  An evil witch does the same thing to her unsuspecting victim in a lesser known book, a romance, called The Gray Ghost.  My favorite childhood novel, In the Keep of Time, by Margaret J. Anderson, fits in the magic category: an ancient ruin of a Scottish keep, whose key at times glows mysteriously– and that is when the switches happen.  I think Diana Gabaldon’s beloved and popular Outlander series would also fall into this category, as the characters travel through standing stones.

Somewhere in Time, the Christopher Reeve movie set on Michigan’s Mackinac Island, relies on the concept that a man can surround himself with the elements of the past and believe himself right back into a different era.  This is the idea Jack Finney uses, although with the twist of an elaborate secret government project, based on Einstein’s theories, in which Si Morley and others like him are trained in self-hypnosis, given extensive training in the era to which they will travel, and left at sites which either are virtually as they were, or can be made, briefly, to be much as they were, in the time era to which the researchers intend to travel.

The recent and very popular Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, has presented the most unique explanation to date: a genetic anomaly.

My own novel, Blue Bells of Scotland, ends with no real explanation as to how the switch might have occurred.  In Book 2, they explore that question, and so far, I have not seen a book that uses the same explanation they find. 

I continue to look for books on time travel, and am interested to find out what other methods have been conjured by authors.   Feel free to comment on time travel novels you’ve read or look into lots of great  Time Travel Fiction at Amazon!  Have fun!