Island in the Sea of Time

By: S. M. Stirling

Narrated by: Todd McLaren

Length: 25 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

During a perfect spring evening on Nantucket, a violent storm erupts and a dome of crawling, colored fire blankets the island. When the howling winds subside and the night skies clear, the stars appear to have shifted. The mainland has become a wilderness of unbroken forest, where tools of bronze and stone litter the beaches, and primitive natives scatter in terror.

A startling phenomenon has occurred: The island of Nantucket has been swept into the long-ago past. With its inhabitants adrift in the year 1250 BC, there is only one question to be answered: Can they survive?

©1998 S. M. Stirling (P)2008 Tantor

Great Book

This is a great book! In fact I haven't listed to the next book in the series becuase I hate the bad guy so much. He's a trator and there just isn't anything worse. I know it's crazy, but I actually hate a fictional character! So, give the book a try!

reusable

one of those stories that you can listen to over and over finding new nuances and enjoyment every time you listen to it

A good yarn but not for the squeamish

What other book might you compare Island in the Sea of Time to and why?

This story is the first of a 3 book series but stands alone. Featuring the trails and tribulations of a community transplanted back from the current time to the Bronze age. Think connecticut yankee expanded to a whole community with the good, the bad and the downright nasty.

Any additional comments?

There are several scenes featuring sadomachochism, lesbian sex and detailed torture that could be quite disturbing to some listeners. I would not recommend this for teenage listeners.

Good alt history/time travel, well read

I've enjoyed this book when read it before, and listening to the audiobook added to my enjoyment. The narrator did a good job bringing the characters to life, and I'm impressed with his accents. I will probably go looking for the other books in the series when next I want more audiobooks.

I really enjoyed this book,except for.....

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, very entertaining.

What other book might you compare Island in the Sea of Time to and why?

Any of the "alternative universe" themed books.

Have you listened to any of Todd McLaren’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I hadn't

Did Island in the Sea of Time inspire you to do anything?

Unfortunatley, it only "inspired" me to spend the entire day listening to it. LOL

Any additional comments?

I did find myself skipping over the battle-scenes. Little too much of that, whence the decision not to give it full stars for "story" and "overall." I'd have enjoyed hearing more about how the Nantucketers cope. I am a professional weaver, with avocational pursuits in other fibre arts, basket-making and pottery, so I have often imagined how I would contribute if there were a disaster that cut our community off and what other resources would be available to us. (I think we'd do rather well, actually, this being an agricultural area with lots of game, as well.) Antrhopologically, there are not TOO many holes in the story. It is VERY well-imagined and rendered. The reading is spot-on and VERY good. Excellent descriptions, that kind of draw you into the story.The books definitely improve with each volume, altho the 25 hours spent on the first one were enjoyable and fun.I DID get a lot of knitting done!!! And my dogs, all seven of them, love it when I take a day off and keep the bed or couch warm LOL again.

Awesome Book

This book is amazing, awesome characters, good story, excellent world building. The only thing I didn't like was how the author jumps from one group of characters to the other with no warning. There's no indicators for when the focus switches from on group to another and it takes me a few sentences to figure out who I'm following at any given time. And it's kind a hard to keep track of how much time has passed.

chapter breaks

great book but its tough as an audible book to tell when it transitions from place to place. not even a pause between lines!

An Interesting Bit of Alternate History

Island in the Sea of Time is an alternate history tale about the population of Nantucket (an island off the coast of New England) finding themselves suddenly and inexplicably hurled from 1998 CE to roughly 1250 BCE.

Things pan out about as well as one might expect. Everyone freaks out, some falling into existential depression, others lashing out at those around them, and more still going into survival mode and pouring themselves into their work. The religiously-inclined are torn between thinking it's the wrath of an angry god or a chance to convert the local peoples. Some bleeding hearts take their white savior complexes to the locals, only to accidentally cause more harm than good. And of course there's that one guy in every time travel hypothetical who's bent on using modern knowledge and technologies to rule the world.

The book was most fascinating when it focused on everyday struggles, as the displaced people of Nantucket try to survive in this new (and old) pre-industrial world. So many other authors would have focused primarily on huge battles between guns and swords. And while that is most certainly present, Stirling spends most of the runtime working through the logistical nightmares of acquiring food, preventing panic and disease, learning to work cohesively despite 20th century prejudices, and trying to get back to some semblance of the late 20th century luxury that the islanders used to take for granted.

The characters were very hit or miss. Maybe three or four of them were a delight, but most of the rest were absolutely forgettable. The primary antagonist was HORRID, though I understand why that needed to be the case. The guy is meant to represent the colonial imperialist mindset (he's even named after an infamous historical imperialist), and it's not cartoonishly over-the-top if it's just real life. Still, I could've done without the sheer amount of explicit sexual violence and cruelty.

Complaints about dull characters and sickening scenes aside, there is a lot I like about this book. I'll be sure to read the sequels when I get the chance.

I’ve loved this story for years

Very nice to hear it read to me, even with a very few mispronunciations. This story, and the next two after it, are my favorite of Stirling’s alternate history timelines.

Bronze Age vs Presentism

Any tale featuring modern people going back in time necessitates some culture shock and conflicting sensibilities, and the first several chapters had me worried. Several characters referred to their Bronze Age counterparts as "savages" and there were scenes of non-consensual "relations." Sure, these may have been appropriate, but they left a weird taste in my mouth. Thankfully, these details were less prominent as the book continued.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and the performance (Good ol' Todd reads Stirling just right!). There were some good twists and the novel covered more ground than I expected. I absolutely plan on giving the next books in the series a listen.