Reviews with content warning for Incest - The Future of Another Timeline

This was a very enjoyable read. The research done for this novel was insane: the character, setting and plot writing were incredible. I loved the alternating points of view and the interweaving timelines, and the stakes were real, tangible and exhilarating. The effortless inclusion of diverse ethnicities and queer identities was fantastic to read too.

However, where this book falls short is I’m not sure the vision of the fundamental aspect, the time travel and its mechanics, were as defined and clear as they should have been. I did have to suspend belief and go along with it at certain points because it did seem like they flouted their own predefined rules in order for the plot to continue. By the end, although it was satisfying and a satisfactory end, there were still so many questions left unanswered - the characters and I were both left asking ‘who knows?’. In certain ways it made it more convoluted than it already was trying to justify some of the plot points.

Overall this book was good and definitely worth a read. A powerful feminist sci-fi novel, full of historical context and loveable characters, with an overarching plot-line we can all feel impassioned about.

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hannahbailey's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Fans of This is how you lose the time war would enjoy this one!

It was an interesting concept but sometimes the pace was slow. I felt like it was building up to a big moment that never happened. It had a good plot twist, however I felt more connected to Beth than Tess -- there should've been more from her emotionally.

An opportunity was missed to flesh out the characters/plot/world-building which was a shame. I feel like we could've learned more from the future, although the fact that we didn't could be the author's very warning against time travel and meddling with time.

TW: murder, sexual violence, child abuse (incest), abortion, transphobia, suicide

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aardwyrm's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Oof. So it's nothing against the book, but it's a weird time to read this one (July of 22).

Spoiler

The bit where they discuss shock at the idea of abortions being illegal in 2022 is a doozy.

It's not a flaw of the text, but of the moment, which is sort of the point of the text, so bravo, really.

The book does a good job of juggling time travel and changing realities, slipping in needful details and surprises. Plot is really its strongest point. There's some occasional clunky dialogue; character speak out loud the same way they internally monologue, and infodump their emotions once in a while. But the worst this'll do is throw you out of the text a minute. It's an intensely, deliberately political book, which may not be everyone's choice, but it's an effective, well balanced time thriller, too.

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skl_hcn's review

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adventurous dark inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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afestivalaparade's review

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dark emotional hopeful informative tense fast-paced

Whoaaaa, what a wild ride. I was not expecting such a raucous and wild feminist time traveling adventure, but wow am I glad I picked this book up. The setting is unique for time travel, and I loved the deep dive into Gilded Age America. I absolutely loved the deep philosophical dives into historical agency; they are conversations one doesn't normally find in time travel books and I am much more interested in liberal arts than the science of science fiction. (It's great to see studying history get its due.) I wish I had gotten to see more of the best friend's outcome; that thread dropped a bit in the fuzziness that endings to time travel stories usually require.

I especially loved punk rock 1890s Chicago. The Gilded Age is a fascinating transitional time for the US, and one of my favorite eras. It's so thrilling to see Newitz is fascinated by the same themes I am: a country on the cusp of modernism, struggling mightily to define itself in a way that is completely orthogonal to its actual lived reality. Watching a country try to reinvent its past is timely story, one that becomes literal in this story. Comstock is absolutely a villain, and absolutely as over the top as he's portrayed in the book.

The book goes to great lengths to highlight diversity, in the 1890s, 1990s, and 2020s. There are a few places that call out the need for intersectionality... Which makes the ending of the book a bit politically disappointing.

Spoiler

The saving of our real-life present feels so triumphant that it's easy to forget the threat to reproductive rights is still very real today, and even more so in countries outside the US. Some characters gesture at how the edit war is neverending, but Tess's story ends with the success of creating our current world -- and so it feels conclusive to the reader as well. I wish the effects of time edits rippled outside of the US, or more space was made for the other Harriet scientists to plan their next steps after celebrating their success. Instead, I was left with an odd feeling of "they did it! Hooray! They saved the day and made the world better! ...wait this world sucks too."

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adbutschli88's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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kindaokbean's review

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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