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Time's Eye (novel)
Encyclopedia
Time's Eye is a 2003 science fiction
novel
co-written by Arthur C. Clarke
(author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
) and Stephen Baxter
. It is the first book in the A Time Odyssey
series. The next book in the series is Sunstorm
.
near Afghanistan
is being patrolled by UN peacekeepers. A helicopter, known as Little Bird
, crewed by an American pilot, Chief Warrant Officer
Casey Othic, a British observer, Lt. Bisesa Dutt, and back-up pilot Chief Warrant Officer Abdikadir Omar, an Afghan, is badly damaged by a villager using a R.P.G.. Forced to ditch, the crew are met by soldiers based at nearby Jamrud
fortress, which houses a garrison of British troops from Northern India
, part of the British Empire
. The soldiers believe the year is 1885.
Casey is injured but Bisesa and Abdikadir are relatively uninjured and all three survivors are escorted to the fort to meet the commander, Captain Grove. Bisesa and Abdikadir explain to an initially unbelieving Grove what happened to them. Both parties eventually realise and accept the fact that they are from different periods. Both parties lost all communications before the crash and they hypothesise that it coincided with the “time-slip”.
Also at the fort are American reporter Josh White and a British writer known as Ruddy – the young and still-unknown Rudyard Kipling
. The British soldiers are outnumbered by sepoys and Gurkhas.
Many strange metal orbs, known as the Eyes, are seen floating in the sky and they defy all attempts to examine them, even using advanced equipment scavenged from Little Bird.
Other ‘visitors’ from different time periods appear in the vicinity; two hominids, known as ‘Seeker’, a mother, and her infant daughter ‘Grasper’. They are somewhere in the genetic chain between humans and apes (never clearly stated, but probably Australopithecus
). They are captured and imprisoned by the soldiers.
Simultaneously, Musa and Kolya, two Russia
n cosmonauts, and Sable, a North American
astronaut
, are returning to Earth
from the International Space Station. They have also lost contact with ground control, but they manage to establish contact with Abdikadir, who’s using equipment from Little Bird. The cosmonauts orbit the Earth and take photographs. Abdikadir suggests that the Earth now comprises a conglomerate
of different time periods from two million years ago, up to 2037, but have no clue as to why or who/what caused it.
The cosmonauts decide to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere unaided and land near some camp fires spotted in central Asia
, in the hope that the humans there will help them.
Upon exiting the craft, Musa is decapitated by a Mongolian
warrior, while Sable and Kolya are loaded onto a cart heading east. They have arrived in Central Asia when the Mongols were at the height of their power. The Cosmonauts are eventually taken to meet Genghis Khan
, with whom they are able to communicate in the Mongolian language. The Khan keeps them alive as he believes they have been sent from heaven. Yeh-lu – an astrologer
and adviser to The Khan - and Kolya work together to plan what they should do with the Mongol army. They decide that the Khan should lead his army into China
to rebuild the trading posts and towns that were lost in the Discontinuity/time slip. Sable disagrees and convinces the Khan to take the army to Babylon
as this is the only place on Earth (other than Abdikadir’s radio) that is broadcasting a radio signal of any sort. Sable believes this is where the power of this new world – which they name Mir - lies.
Meanwhile, in Northern India, Bisesa encounters the army of Alexander the Great. Using a factor
who speaks some Greek as an interpreter, the British forces and the Macedonians
form an alliance and look toward Babylon. Alexander intends to establish a new capital there. Like Sable, Bisesa wants to examine the source of the radio signal.
Alexander’s army arrives at Babylon before The Khan and has time to explore it. They discover that the western side of the city has been destroyed by an unknown disaster while the eastern side is filled with temples and ziggurats. An orb at least three times larger than those previously seen is discovered in The Temple of Marduk and is found to be the source of the radio signals.
Casey receives a radio transmission from Kolya warning him that the Mongolians are heading to Babylon. Casey immediately informs Alexander who prepares his army for the battle. Sable catches Kolya's treachery, and The Khan punishes him by pouring molten silver into his eyes and ears and burying him alive beneath the throne.
In battle, the Mongols are held at bay by Alexander’s forces, which have been supplied with firearms by the British forces and taught ‘modern’ military tactics. Sable manages to reach the Temple of Marduk; Ruddy attempts to stop her and is shot dead. Bisesa then confronts Sable and manages to turn the gun on her.
The tide of the battle shifts toward the Mongols, but Kolya, who is barely alive, manages to kill the Khan, whilst committing suicide. In confusion, the Mongols retreat.
Alexander has prevailed, and Babylon is now his to shape as he sees fit. The Macedonian, British, and modern humans spend the next five years rebuilding the city, while Bisesa devotes her time to studying the Marduk orb. Casey and Abdikadir are worried for her and lead her on an expedition exploring the Mediterranean Sea.
Upon returning to Babylon, Bisesa reveals that she has established some manner of communication with the Orb and that it has agreed to take her home to her own time. Josh requests that she take him along and she agrees. The orb takes them to a large nuclear blast crater. Another orb arrives and takes her back to her apartment where her daughter Myra is waiting for her. The orb intended to leave Josh in the crater but, at Bisesa's request, it returned him to the Marduk orb.
The penultimate chapter of the novel implies that the entities that created the orbs and the Discontinuity are similar or perhaps identical to those entities mentioned in Clarke’s earlier book 2001: A Space Odyssey, but does not explain why this happened.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
co-written by Arthur C. Clarke
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
(author of 2001: A Space Odyssey
2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke. It was developed concurrently with Stanley Kubrick's film version and published after the release of the film...
) and Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter
Stephen Baxter is a prolific British hard science fiction author. He has degrees in mathematics and engineering.- Writing style :...
. It is the first book in the A Time Odyssey
A Time Odyssey
A Time Odyssey is a series of novels co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. , the series consists of:*Vol. 1 – Time's Eye *Vol. 2 – Sunstorm *Vol...
series. The next book in the series is Sunstorm
Sunstorm (novel)
Sunstorm is a 2005 science fiction novel co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. It is the second book in the series A Time Odyssey. The books in this series are often likened to the Space Odyssey series, although the Time Odyssey novels ostensibly deal with time where the...
.
Plot summary
In the year 2037 (in which the events of 2001: A Space Odyssey would take place by the 3001 Space Odyssey universe), the still-turbulent North West Frontier province of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
near Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
is being patrolled by UN peacekeepers. A helicopter, known as Little Bird
MH-6 Little Bird
The MH-6 Little Bird , and its attack variant AH-6, are light helicopters used for special operations in the United States Army. Originally based on a modified OH-6A, it was later based on the MD 500E, with a single five-bladed main rotor...
, crewed by an American pilot, Chief Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
A warrant officer is an officer in a military organization who is designated an officer by a warrant, as distinguished from a commissioned officer who is designated an officer by a commission, or from non-commissioned officer who is designated an officer by virtue of seniority.The rank was first...
Casey Othic, a British observer, Lt. Bisesa Dutt, and back-up pilot Chief Warrant Officer Abdikadir Omar, an Afghan, is badly damaged by a villager using a R.P.G.. Forced to ditch, the crew are met by soldiers based at nearby Jamrud
Jamrud
Jamrud , is a town located in the Khyber Agency, one of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The town is the doorway to the Khyber pass, part of the Hindu Kush range...
fortress, which houses a garrison of British troops from Northern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, part of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
. The soldiers believe the year is 1885.
Casey is injured but Bisesa and Abdikadir are relatively uninjured and all three survivors are escorted to the fort to meet the commander, Captain Grove. Bisesa and Abdikadir explain to an initially unbelieving Grove what happened to them. Both parties eventually realise and accept the fact that they are from different periods. Both parties lost all communications before the crash and they hypothesise that it coincided with the “time-slip”.
Also at the fort are American reporter Josh White and a British writer known as Ruddy – the young and still-unknown Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
. The British soldiers are outnumbered by sepoys and Gurkhas.
Many strange metal orbs, known as the Eyes, are seen floating in the sky and they defy all attempts to examine them, even using advanced equipment scavenged from Little Bird.
Other ‘visitors’ from different time periods appear in the vicinity; two hominids, known as ‘Seeker’, a mother, and her infant daughter ‘Grasper’. They are somewhere in the genetic chain between humans and apes (never clearly stated, but probably Australopithecus
Australopithecus
Australopithecus is a genus of hominids that is now extinct. From the evidence gathered by palaeontologists and archaeologists, it appears that the Australopithecus genus evolved in eastern Africa around 4 million years ago before spreading throughout the continent and eventually becoming extinct...
). They are captured and imprisoned by the soldiers.
Simultaneously, Musa and Kolya, two Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n cosmonauts, and Sable, a North American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, are returning to Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
from the International Space Station. They have also lost contact with ground control, but they manage to establish contact with Abdikadir, who’s using equipment from Little Bird. The cosmonauts orbit the Earth and take photographs. Abdikadir suggests that the Earth now comprises a conglomerate
Conglomerate (geology)
A conglomerate is a rock consisting of individual clasts within a finer-grained matrix that have become cemented together. Conglomerates are sedimentary rocks consisting of rounded fragments and are thus differentiated from breccias, which consist of angular clasts...
of different time periods from two million years ago, up to 2037, but have no clue as to why or who/what caused it.
The cosmonauts decide to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere unaided and land near some camp fires spotted in central Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, in the hope that the humans there will help them.
Upon exiting the craft, Musa is decapitated by a Mongolian
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
warrior, while Sable and Kolya are loaded onto a cart heading east. They have arrived in Central Asia when the Mongols were at the height of their power. The Cosmonauts are eventually taken to meet Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, with whom they are able to communicate in the Mongolian language. The Khan keeps them alive as he believes they have been sent from heaven. Yeh-lu – an astrologer
Astrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
and adviser to The Khan - and Kolya work together to plan what they should do with the Mongol army. They decide that the Khan should lead his army into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
to rebuild the trading posts and towns that were lost in the Discontinuity/time slip. Sable disagrees and convinces the Khan to take the army to Babylon
Babylon
Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...
as this is the only place on Earth (other than Abdikadir’s radio) that is broadcasting a radio signal of any sort. Sable believes this is where the power of this new world – which they name Mir - lies.
Meanwhile, in Northern India, Bisesa encounters the army of Alexander the Great. Using a factor
Factor
A factor, a Latin word meaning 'who/which acts', may refer to:In commerce:* Factor , a person who acts for another, notably a mercantile and/or colonial agent* Factor , a person or firm managing a Scottish estate...
who speaks some Greek as an interpreter, the British forces and the Macedonians
Ancient Macedonians
The Macedonians originated from inhabitants of the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, in the alluvial plain around the rivers Haliacmon and lower Axios...
form an alliance and look toward Babylon. Alexander intends to establish a new capital there. Like Sable, Bisesa wants to examine the source of the radio signal.
Alexander’s army arrives at Babylon before The Khan and has time to explore it. They discover that the western side of the city has been destroyed by an unknown disaster while the eastern side is filled with temples and ziggurats. An orb at least three times larger than those previously seen is discovered in The Temple of Marduk and is found to be the source of the radio signals.
Casey receives a radio transmission from Kolya warning him that the Mongolians are heading to Babylon. Casey immediately informs Alexander who prepares his army for the battle. Sable catches Kolya's treachery, and The Khan punishes him by pouring molten silver into his eyes and ears and burying him alive beneath the throne.
In battle, the Mongols are held at bay by Alexander’s forces, which have been supplied with firearms by the British forces and taught ‘modern’ military tactics. Sable manages to reach the Temple of Marduk; Ruddy attempts to stop her and is shot dead. Bisesa then confronts Sable and manages to turn the gun on her.
The tide of the battle shifts toward the Mongols, but Kolya, who is barely alive, manages to kill the Khan, whilst committing suicide. In confusion, the Mongols retreat.
Alexander has prevailed, and Babylon is now his to shape as he sees fit. The Macedonian, British, and modern humans spend the next five years rebuilding the city, while Bisesa devotes her time to studying the Marduk orb. Casey and Abdikadir are worried for her and lead her on an expedition exploring the Mediterranean Sea.
Upon returning to Babylon, Bisesa reveals that she has established some manner of communication with the Orb and that it has agreed to take her home to her own time. Josh requests that she take him along and she agrees. The orb takes them to a large nuclear blast crater. Another orb arrives and takes her back to her apartment where her daughter Myra is waiting for her. The orb intended to leave Josh in the crater but, at Bisesa's request, it returned him to the Marduk orb.
The penultimate chapter of the novel implies that the entities that created the orbs and the Discontinuity are similar or perhaps identical to those entities mentioned in Clarke’s earlier book 2001: A Space Odyssey, but does not explain why this happened.
External links
- http://www.sfreviews.net/timeseye.html