The story in one page
Rogers believes time, space, and matter are a single blend and builds a machine to prove it. He and George travel 28,200 years forward to find a frozen Manhattan and a society split into three castes: the idle Arans, the laborer Bas, and a secretive League of Scientists. They witness a giant man striking a girl in a snowy enclosure, sparking a rescue mission across a landscape of steam-heated huts and mountain caverns. Caught in a civil war between the benevolent Scientist Fahn and the power-hungry Toroh, the duo uses their 20th-century grit and futuristic ray-tech to navigate a world of pony-sized dogs and crystal viewing screens before returning home with their new companions.
Who's who
- Rogers
The scientist who discovers the unity of time and space.
- George
Rogers' friend who joins the expedition and finds romance.
- Loto
A futuristic guide who explains the decline of his world.
- Toroh
A rogue Scientist who seeks total governing power.
- Fahn
The president of the League of Scientists and Azeela's father.
- Dee
A woman from the future who returns to 1929 with George.
What it's really about
- Temporal Unity
- Time and space are indistinguishable dimensions of a single reality.
- Social Decadence
- Civilizations eventually collapse into rigid castes and technological secrecy.
Why it's memorable
- Three snarling dogs the size of ponies guarding a snowy house in the future.
- A circular room filled with millions of tiny voices and crystal screens.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
After defeating Toroh, the travelers bring Azeela and Dee back to 1929 New York, where the women are baffled by subways but charmed by Chopin and modern dresses.
For your book club
- The way 1920s gender norms persist even 28,000 years into the future.
- Whether the League of Scientists' secrecy caused or merely managed the world's decline.