Book Review: Timecaster by Joe Kimball
Timecaster by Joe Kimball. © 2011 Ace. ISBN 9780441019182. Mass Media Paperback. Science Fiction/Ecopunk. 306 pages. Source: review copy provided by the publishers.
Synopsis: Chicago, 2064: Talon Avalon is a timecaster–one of a select few peace officers who can operate a TEV, the Tachyon Emission Visualizer, which records events (most specifically, crimes) that have already happened. With crime at an all-time low, Talon has little to do except give lectures to school kids and obsess on his wife’s profession as a licensed sex partner. Until one of her clients asks Talon to investigate a possible murder. When Talon uses the TEV to view the crime, the identity of the killer is unmistakable—it’s him, Talon Avalon.
Review: Wow, talk about an intriguing concept! The geek in me is still giddy over the use of tachyons, parallel universes, micro black holes, other dimensions and more in this novel. Timecaster was a quantum physics fangirl’s dream come true and I devoured it. The premise of Timecaster does sound a little like Van Damme’s Timecop—and there’s even a shout-out to it in the book—but this book is so much better than Van Damme’s film.
The author invented a term to categorize his book: ecopunk. Ecopunk is defined by Kimball as “a subgenre of science fiction set in a green, utopian future, with a libertarian government. The opposite of nihilistic, authoritarian sci-fi, where no one smiles because everyone is so fucking oppressed.” and “A narrative typified by high-tech gadgetry, over-the-top action, copious amounts of sex, gratuitous and often rude humor, and theoretical physics, taking place in a society that emphasizes personal freedom and respect for the environment.“ at the beginning of the boo. I was quickly intrigued, to say the least.
Joe Kimball (otherwise known as author J.A. Konrath) is a fantastic writer. Timecaster is action-packed, suspenseful, thrilling, imaginative, well-executed and hilarious. I do have a beef though. This is due to male rape being included and brushed off by Talon as if to say “ah well, it happens. Might as well take part even though I don‘t want to.” I’m all for gratuitous sex in novels (if it fits that is, as contradictory as that sounds), but I could definitely live without it in the form of rape. I hope the future novels in this series leave that aspect out.
Halfway through, I did have the villain pinpointed but I’m not sure if that’s because Kimball made it that easy to figure out, or if I’m just getting better at this lol. Because of that, the rape and the fact that Talon got a bit whiny about his wife’s profession, I’m giving this a 3.5/5. Still, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the second installment given that this one ends with a massive cliffhanger.
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