Andrew's Reviews > Tomorrow and Tomorrow

A strange book this. It's basically three parts. The first third, and the last little bit, are very reminiscent of two things. The first is the one most commonly cited, which is the Asimov short story The Last Question. However, it actually resonated more (for me) with the Babylon 5 episode, "The Deconstruction of Falling Stars", the fourth season finale of the series. It concerns a series of time-jumps, charting through time.

Part two is an odd one, It's a battle, but not a battle, but one where time has no meaning (unlike the previous section where time was the key) It was perhaps the most peculiar, and didn't work well for me.

Finally, part three charts a voyage for one... aspect of the main character, and evoked memories of Red Dwarf done seriously. Yet, just as it starts to get interesting, it (view spoiler)[crashes back into the main story, and into part 1 and the end, leaving things ultimately unfulfilled, and thinking 'what a waste of time'. (hide spoiler)]

Also giving a 'huh? WTF' factor is the first extra-galactic bit, right at the end of part 1. (view spoiler)[It ends up playing no significance in the overall plot, but just seems to exist for a bit of gratuitous gore. I actually had the impression that it was related to the Shiva at first, but apparently not. Instead it's just closing a loose end that no-one was aware of any more. (hide spoiler)]

It had a good idea, but ultimately, it left me cold, despite the high points. The ending was weak, and the three parts didn't gel well. Part 1 was good, Part two was terrible, and part 3 was far too short.

If you're a fan of Sheffield, then go for it, else I'd probably advise giving it a miss.