Time's Eye

A Time Odyssey, Book 1

By: Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke

Narrated by: John Lee

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

For eons, Earth has been under observation by the Firstborn, beings almost as old as the universe itself. The Firstborn are unknown to humankind - until they act. In an instant, Earth is carved up and reassembled like a huge jigsaw puzzle. Suddenly the planet and every living thing on it no longer exist in a single timeline. Instead, the world becomes a patchwork of eras, from prehistory to 2037, each with its own indigenous inhabitants.

Scattered across the planet are floating silver orbs impervious to all weapons and impossible to communicate with. Are these technologically advanced devices responsible for creating and sustaining the rifts in time? Are they cameras through which inscrutable alien eyes are watching? Or are they something stranger and more terrifying still?

The answer may lie in the ancient city of Babylon, where two groups of refugees from 2037 - three cosmonauts returning to Earth from the International Space Station, and three United Nations peacekeepers on a mission in Afghanistan - have detected radio signals: the only such signals on the planet, apart from their own. The peacekeepers find allies in nineteenth-century British troops and in the armies of Alexander the Great. The astronauts, crash-landed in the steppes of Asia, join forces with the Mongol horde led by Genghis Khan. The two sides set out for Babylon, each determined to win the race for knowledge...and the power that lies within.

Yet the real power is beyond human control, perhaps even human understanding. As two great armies face off before the gates of Babylon, it watches, waiting.

©2005 Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"An exciting tale full of high-tech physics, military tactics and larger-than-life characters in the first of two novels related to the bestselling senior author's Space Odyssey series." ( Publishers Weekly)

I wanted to like it

I have always enjoyed Clarke's thoughtful commentaries on life and perception as told through his fiction, but this book just book just didn't deliver. The characters were flat and the juxtaposition of historical threads just didn't sound believable.

I'd give it a listen if you want to catch the entire series, but this will be the end of the series for me.

interesting concept

The concept behind this book was interesting. But I found the story's characters to be flat. The characters seemed to fall into common archetypes, and this is worsened by the narration. Mr Lee does very well with English accent variations (at least to my untrained ear), but his American accents are abysmal. Driving me well beyond the point of distraction, I had to stop listening several times. Then I had to steel myself, bracing for the impending onslaught of his "Southern US female" before I could return to the story.

I'm a great fan of the work of Arthur C. Clarke, but this story felt a bit directionless, with a plodding plot, and left far too many questions unanswered for me to recommend it. I know it is part of a series, but it feels incomplete as a separate book, and likely should have been combined with the next book.

Instant Classic for sure.

Excellent, what else needs to be said. Clarke and Baxter have written a classic, this series is well worth reading!

Fun read!

It is fun to imagine the interaction of characters from vastly different time periods and societies. How do they react to being pulled from what is familiar? How do they deal with a culture that has different values from their own? One reviewer mentioned they felt the story was disjointed. I didn't feel that but part of the point is how do people react when their world becomes disjointed.

Good Premise - Weak Execution

Time's Eye is based on a fascinating premise -- time discontinuities that force people and places from different eras into the same location -- that soon gets sidetracked by annoying characters and a meandering plot that never resolves itself.

Historical figures, man-apes, and futuristic astronauts duke it out for supreme control over the new world while floating "eyes" record it all.

The plot takes off with a bang as characters from different times in history find themselves together in the new world. The plot then wanders aimlessy through deserts, wars, discussions of morality, and bids for power played out with real warriors and a female astronaut. Suddenly, the plot comes to an improbably conclusion when all the science of string theory is pushed aside and replaced by a mother's hopes and dreams to return home to her daugher.

Although this book is the first installment in the trilogy, it isn't plausible enough to follow through with the rest of the series. Skip it and read the Space Odyssey series instead.

Not space odyssey

By far. Really not eager to hear 2 next books. Gonna go for Assimov Foundation instead..

Now this is science fiction at it's best!

Unbelievably great book and good listening! I was swept up and away into the visual patchwork quilt of many times merged together and it felt very believable! I highly recommend anything Clarke has ever written. His view of the human race as a whole, almost as an organism, comes through crystal clear. He tends to be a bit off on the individuality, but not because of any lack of depth, I think it's because he simply "sees" a bigger picture.

Good audio book

Worth listening to. Good story line and characters. Could easily imagine the story as it unfolded in my mind.

I enjoyed it

Gripping and well paced. Recommended. I didn’t know what to expect but pleasantly surprised . Onto sunstorm now!

Not Bad, But Not for Everyone

Arthur C Clarke is a great author... usually. This story is good, but it does not seem up to his usual standards. It is an interesting enough premise. There are a few surprises. However, most of the characters are shallow or two-dimensional. In addition, the story seems to end a little abruptly. It is a bit disatisfying.

The narrator, John Lee, does a great job. The sound quality is not perfect, but it is not distracting. The narrator's voice, tone, and pitch are good.

I like science-fiction, so I enjoyed this audiobook. If you are not a sci-fi fan, then this one might not be for you. It gets a little strange in parts.

There are heavy curse words, references to sexual intercourse (including using sex to manipulate), rape, cruelty, and violence. This audiobook is not for children.