
Richard Ames, a freelance writer and former military officer, finds himself entangled in a sprawling conspiracy after a stranger is murdered at his dinner table. Accompanied by the brilliant Gwen Novak, Ames escapes Earth for the Free Luna colonies, eventually joining a secret society known as the Time Scouts. The plot shifts from a futuristic detective mystery into a multiverse adventure involving the World as Myth framework, where fictional universes coexist as physical realities. The narrative features the sentient computer Mike and various characters from the author's previous novels, focusing on a mission to rescue an artificial intelligence from a past timeline.
Science fiction readers interested in complex, interconnected lore and the concept of solipsistic multiverses will find this narrative aligns with hard-logic world-building. It appeals to those who enjoy cynical, highly competent protagonists and lengthy dialogues regarding libertarian philosophy, marriage structures, and the mechanics of time travel. The reader learns how fictional narratives can be interpreted as historical realities within a recursive universe, walking away with a detailed understanding of how different story arcs in a single author's body of work can be consolidated into a unified chronological system.
- Published
- 1985
- Language
- EN