One of the realities almost always overlooked in science fiction is that if you went back in time, even a few seconds, you wouldn’t end up a few seconds earlier where you’re sitting, but possibly a few blocks away.
If you went back even further, say a year, you’d be lost somewhere in the cold vacuum of space.
Elan Mastai wanted to get as much science correct as possible in his new novel called, All Our Wrong Todays.
Set in Toronto in 2016 in a wonderful futuristic environment, Tom Barren is somewhat of a loser, not really knowing his purpose or place in society, but born to a brilliant and super successful genius but coldly distant father.
Through a bizarre set of circumstances, and tragedy, he decides to secretly use his father’s newly invented time machine, which follows the “bread crumb” trail left through space and time by the magical invention of 1965 of another super brilliant scientist Lionel Goettreider.
How did this wonderful futuristic environment of 2016 happen? It was thanks to Goettreider’s invention of an energy machine that harnesses the power of the earth’s rotation. It provides, endless clean power which in turn led to decades of other scientific advances of the kind of 2016 imagined by futurists in the 1950’s. This was what people thought would be our future some 70 or so years later.
Except, it’s not the way 2016 worked out. Something went wrong..or did it?
Was is supposed to be that way, or did something or someone change the course of history, and millions of lives, including that of the main character who is a star architect in this 2016 reality, and who turns out to be not Tom, but John Barren, and although hailed as a brilliant architect, turns out to be not a very pleasant guy. There’s also an internal struggle between John and Tom.on his additional difficult journey of self discovery.
Through twist and turns in plot, the time traveller ends up being able to go back.
Does he right the wrong and the “other” future he created, or is there and even further ‘alternative” history of the world created?
It is a fascinating book about science, people’s lives, and taking responsibility for your actions.
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