Published: Nov. 19, 2009
Words: 199,617 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781452309002

Short description

You can’t change history- can you? No- but you can make a new reality when you alter events. ‘Meddlers in Time’ explores the shaping of a parallel earth, by altering events in 9th century England. Some were lured by money, other by the adventure- a few just wanted a new chance at life. One thing remains constant- time travel changes all who follow that path…

Extended description

Meddlers In Time- A Synopsis

The story starts several years before the main tale, with two of the main characters narrowly escaping from a trip to their near future, gone wrong.
They decide to create a new, and hopefully, more friendly universe, by causing a split in time back in the 9th century. (Read more) Meddlers In Time- A Synopsis

The story starts several years before the main tale, with two of the main characters narrowly escaping from a trip to their near future, gone wrong.
They decide to create a new, and hopefully, more friendly universe, by causing a split in time back in the 9th century.

In order to advance the technology of the 9th century and build a power base, they set about recruiting a team of down-on-their-luck engineers and adventurers, with the lure of large sums of money, adventure and the chance escape their lives! For a one-year tour and a return to the same time and place, they are offered information worth a great deal of money- namely winning lotto numbers and sports betting information!

The reality of the mission sets in for the team, when they find themselves on another planet, Transit, hundreds of light-years from home. Here they train for the mission and learn how to use the time/space gateway.

They set up a prefabricated stronghold and in their first few weeks save a local village from a terrible fate. Soon the local people start to accept these strangers, who turn out to be not as terrifying as they first seemed.

Meanwhile, a more deadly game is being conducted from Transit, as the city of Rome is destroyed and the 9th century religious leaders are systematically and sometimes spectacularly assassinated.

Expecting to winter over quietly, they are surprised by the arrival of a large invading army from Europe. Despite being short on numbers, they utterly rout the invaders at the outskirts of the city of Sheffield.

Local workers are recruited- reluctantly at first, but they soon adapt to what is for them- a life of relative comfort and ease. Before long, working for the strangers brings high status. As the best of the local workers adapt to modern life, they are being prepared to be the next generation of leaders.

Over the winter months, a local militia is equipped and drilled, while the tradesmen of the district come to learn the secrets of the strangers. The future leaders of tomorrow begin their education. Road building and mineral exploration continue and as the team get to know each other better, the stories regarding how the time/space gate generator was obtained and the effects of using it are revealed.

As the end of a one year tour of duty draws to an end, most of the team have elected to stay on, while those who have decided to leave the 9th century, start to prepare to return to their old lives- and their new beginnings.

Meddlers in Time Part Two

This story starts with three of the characters persuading their wives to travel back in time with them. Others of the original group join up as permanent members of the group.

Not everyone is happy about the arrival of the strangers and there is a shift in the balance of power with the king deposed. Now is the time for a show of power.

After the fate of their enemies is settled, the story jumps back four years in the baseline time, to a camp in New Zealand, 790AD. This gives a bit of background on some of the characters, as they start the first practice run for the 9th century operation. Some of the technology not revealed in the first book is used here.

A colony site is prepared in New Zealand and the story of how the gate generator was acquired is told in more detail. The colonists are more or less willingly moved around the world and the team prepares to snatch a busload of 20th century engineers who are about to die. The locally trained army prepares for two battles and there is an unexpected turn of events when a set of memories is misplaced.

The narration is taken over by a newly-sentient computer and some of the 52nd century characters are revealed. Another interesting character comes onto the scene and an intricate scheme for a staged 'death' on 21st century earth is carried out.

The book finishes with a wedding and the story of the third book is started at the wedding party.
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Adult-content rating: This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

adventure, science fiction, time travel, new zealand, travel to other worlds, multiverse, colonization, alternative history, portal travel, alternative universe, wairarapa, gate travel, derbyshire, ninth century, big boys toys

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Reviews

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Review by: Michael Paul on May 14, 2013 :
I really wanted to like this book as I find such topics fascinating. Unfortunately I found the book unreadable. By far the biggest problem is the frequent and sudden switching to and from first person present, first person past and third person present tenses. Especially as I am not certain who the "I" who's only occasionally narrating the story is.

The only real character introduction is done all at once in the form of a (at the time) meaningless list. This lack of showing and intimate introduction of characters combined with the constant change of tense and perspective leaves me always wondering who anybody is and why should I care.

Finally, this book is mostly telling with very little showing. It doesn't transport me to 9th century England the way Eric Flint's "1632" transports me to 17th century Germany. The characters have no depth and very little interaction. Don't tell me there's a barbecue, sit me down there in a main character and have a meaningful conversation that explores their character and informs their decisions later in the story over food that is a sensory experience and relay's their personal tastes and peeves. If you can't show me what's going on through dramatic action and dialog that moves the story forward, at least tell me with dialog that develops the characters.

I have not read all of this book but reading the other positive reviews I'm going to give it one more chance. If it unexpectedly improves I will adjust my review accordingly.
(review of free book)

Review by: Poinard on Sep. 29, 2012 :
Great story I came back to smashwords to buy the rest of the series. I was surprised to see they're free as well.
As has been noted in other reviews this could be really
exceptional with some editorial polish I would definitely buy the series.
(review of free book)

Review by: Richard Christopher on May 31, 2011 :
Time travel/alternate history somewhat in the 'Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court' (or' Crosstime Engineer') vein. Reads like the Mission Diary it's framed as - the writing is promising journeyman work - but for a REALLY interesting mission. The main characters are pretty bloody minded - nukeing a medieval city to get rid of maybe 5% of the population would take a thicker skin than mine, for example. Heinlein's 'Time Enough For Love' is referenced, staying just this side of the homage/fanfic line. Was surprised to find this one offered for free - it's worth paying for. There is certainly worse out there from major publishers. The author might - if he hasn't already - consider submitting to Baen Books, which has published a deal of similarly themed work.
(review of free book)

Review by: Mark C on Feb. 11, 2011 :
I have read all three books now and felt it was time to come back and add a review for each. I'll start with the first book.

There is no doubt that the book could use the finer editorial touches the more poular authors receive, but for a self-published first book - well done! It takes awhile to get used to the NZ references (especially from us Canadians!), but using a Kindle allows the reader to look up unfamiliar words.

Yes, the storyline was basic, but it was also thoughtful and certainly very detailed - perhaps a little overboard even for us "A" personality types. I did very much enjoy the premise and the characters. The next two books add to the character's backgrounds and development.

I would have enjoyed some more adversarial aspects in this book, but you get some rewards if you move on to books 2 & 3. Keep up the good work Wayne, I'm looking forward to the 4th book!

Mark
(review of free book)

Review by: Alex Kienle on Jan. 27, 2011 :
This was a fun book to read! I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in the possibilities of time travel!
(review of free book)

Review by: Francis Porretto on Feb. 27, 2010 :
Mr. Watson has produced a future-past fantasy of considerable dimensions. Its characters hop gleefully from 21st Century New Zealand, to a far distant planet they call Transit, to 9th Century England, to 8th Century New Zealand, and assorted points in between and beyond. Their spatio-temporal gate allows them unlimited flexibility of movement through both space and time, at apparently no cost...except for the cost to the various organizations whose military goods they requisition for their undertaking.

The thrust of the novel is the protagonists' desire to create a time-branch, one that would avoid the accelerating totalitarian tendencies of this time line. They aim to do this by bringing high-tech firepower to 9th Century England, that the Danish incursions that so retarded social and technological progress there might be thwarted and a genuinely free society nurtured.

Much of the early going of the book reads like a recipe for exactly that sort of enterprise. It's replete with equipment lists, training schedules, and orders of deployment. Fascinating, in a way, but this reader was itching to get on to the main event, and discover the inner motivations of the Marquee characters.

The adventure proceeds smoothly -- for the protagonists, that is. The Danes find themselves on the nasty end of quite a bit of advanced ordnance, and are beaten back repeatedly without the good guys suffering a single casualty. Local Englishment rapidly warm to their new protectors, who instruct them in replicable technologies they would normally have discovered by trial and error over the course of the coming centuries. In the process, the mingling of 21st Century and 9th Century Anglosphere cultures produces some interesting alterations to the latter.

The book has its satisfactions, but it also has two flaws of note. First, there are a significant number of "mechanical" mistakes. These include numerous spelling and punctuation errors, not all of which could be attributed to typos. Also, the RTF format copy I downloaded suffers from many, many changes of font size and shifts to and from italic, with no clear reason for either. Were these corrected, the reading experience would be greatly improved.

Second, as is often the case in a story written to reify the author's desires, the heroes win far too easily. The time-traveling lovers of freedom are too well supplied with every imaginable resource, both human and material, owing to the infinite possibilities of unlimited free movement in space and time. Beyond that, not one of the Marquee characters appears to have any significant character flaws or dark motives. The result is a lack of dramatic tension. This reader reached the end of the book hoping against hope that some force -- perhaps another time-traveling band, this one dedicated to establishing totalitarian rule over all places and times -- would come along to give the heroes a genuinely hard time. It doesn't happen.

Meddlers In Time has its pleasures. In particular, it was educational to read a well-thought-out plan of attack for "hothousing" a subsistence culture toward an advanced state. Mr. Watson has obviously put a good deal of thought into the problems involved. Perhaps there's a time-space gate on his shopping list, if not on his storeroom shelves!

Overall assessment:
--Theme: I can't grade this, as there was essentially none.
--Plot: C / C+
--Characterization: C-
--Style: C

In short, a fun read, but no more than that. Perhaps Mr. Watson has better shots in the locker; I hope to see some.

Francis W. Porretto
http://eternityroad.info
(reviewed within a week of purchase)

Review by: bez on Nov. 23, 2009 : (no rating)
You like Heinlein and Vance? Then you will love Wayne watson. Although less polished and a tad rough around the edges, this is SF for blokes that like their meat red, their beer cold, and their women hot. Add bulldozers, excavators and all sort of weaponry, plus the good old boys' dream of what you could do with 21st century technology in 13th century times, and you've got the crux of this book. Riveting and compellin, this is a page turner that'll leave you wanting for more. I eat my hat if this story isn't going to be picked up by some Hollywood crowd one day.
(reviewed the day of purchase)

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