Anyone read "The Time Ships"?

[alabaster]

After reading it I have to wonder, was Stephen Baxter, a committed Clarkean scientific triumphalist, the right person to follow on from Wells's pessimistic, vaguely mysanthropic take on the world?

[malfunkshun]

i've read it twice, and have to admit to very little interest in the two author's political motivations. its an awesome story and a worthy sequel to 'the time machine'

[mctoddridesagain]

alabaster said:

After reading it I have to wonder, was Stephen Baxter, a committed Clarkean scientific triumphalist, the right person to follow on from Wells's pessimistic, vaguely mysanthropic take on the world?

Interesting question - I can see where you're coming from. However, I wouldn't say Baxter has such a philanthropic view of the world as you suggest, both in The Time Ships and (more so) in the short story The Ant Men of Tibet, his wonderful sequel to First Men in the Moon.

You'll have to correct me when I'm wrong, as it's ages since I read it, but as I recall, in virtually every time zone the Time Traveller arrives in, the world is at war. The Time Ships that flee into another universe were not, I think, human ships; I don't remember humanity surviving into his far future - well, not as humans anyway, which isn't so far from Wells's belief in the impermanence of things. After all, Wells's pessimism was more directed against the blind belief that humanity will necessarily and always progress, and I don't think Baxter espouses that in The Time Ships any more than HG did. But I may be wrong, I'd have to read it again...

[mctoddridesagain]

stardog said:

i've read it twice, and have to admit to very little interest in the two author's political motivations. its an awesome story and a worthy sequel to 'the time machine'

With that I would agree. Whatever you may think about the two authors' conflicting (or otherwise) philosophies, I think Baxter captured the Wellsian sense of wonder, that ability to push an idea.