Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - The Future of Another Timeline

This was a very enjoyable read. The research done for this novel was insane: the character, setting and plot writing were incredible. I loved the alternating points of view and the interweaving timelines, and the stakes were real, tangible and exhilarating. The effortless inclusion of diverse ethnicities and queer identities was fantastic to read too.

However, where this book falls short is I’m not sure the vision of the fundamental aspect, the time travel and its mechanics, were as defined and clear as they should have been. I did have to suspend belief and go along with it at certain points because it did seem like they flouted their own predefined rules in order for the plot to continue. By the end, although it was satisfying and a satisfactory end, there were still so many questions left unanswered - the characters and I were both left asking ‘who knows?’. In certain ways it made it more convoluted than it already was trying to justify some of the plot points.

Overall this book was good and definitely worth a read. A powerful feminist sci-fi novel, full of historical context and loveable characters, with an overarching plot-line we can all feel impassioned about.

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aardwyrm's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oof. So it's nothing against the book, but it's a weird time to read this one (July of 22).

The bit where they discuss shock at the idea of abortions being illegal in 2022 is a doozy.

It's not a flaw of the text, but of the moment, which is sort of the point of the text, so bravo, really.

The book does a good job of juggling time travel and changing realities, slipping in needful details and surprises. Plot is really its strongest point. There's some occasional clunky dialogue; character speak out loud the same way they internally monologue, and infodump their emotions once in a while. But the worst this'll do is throw you out of the text a minute. It's an intensely, deliberately political book, which may not be everyone's choice, but it's an effective, well balanced time thriller, too.

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ineffablebob's review

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challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The Future of Another Timeline feels to me like two books mashed together. One is a time travel novel, and the other is personal stories of women in the 1890s and 1990s. I didn't think the time travel book was very good. This is mainly because I have a hard time suspending my disbelief over largely-unlimited time travel that allows all kinds of interventions to affect both the overall timeline and individuals. Such a world would devolve quickly into either paradoxes created by the uncontrolled mass of travelers, or some group would take strict control of time jumps and keep it secret. This world is neither and just seemed incredibly unreal to me. But the good news is that the other side of the story, the personal stories of women in two different times, is really good. Both Tess and Beth are very well-developed characters, and so are many of their friends. Read this one for the people aspect, and put up with the not-terribly-impressive science fiction side.

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