KNIGHTS OF FOREVER (Mike Walsh)

To start with, I have to say that I am not normally a reader of speculative fiction of any kind.  My taste runs more towards historical fiction and cozy mysteries, perhaps with a touch of romance, and I have to say that it surprises me (pleasantly) that there are many elements of these genres in "Knights of Forever."

Rod Serling supposedly said that "science fiction is the improbable made possible."  Mike Walsh has created a story that takes the improbable, time travel, and makes it look and feel like something that will naturally evolve as science and technology develop. He draws the reader into the story from the first page, when we are introduced to the mysterious man in black walking in the autumn sunshine.  We have the sense that we are in a rural, pre-industrial-era setting, but we could just as easily be in some sort of post apocalyptic world where humanity is struggling to start from scratch technologically.  Though quite spare in his descriptions, the author manages to convey a great sense of the personalities of his characters. They are starkly good or evil and there is no mistaking who is the villain here.  The intrigue comes not from trying to figure out motivations of the various characters or who will emerge victorious in the end, but from the undercurrents, the sense of family and hope for the future that are mostly implied yet come through loud and clear in the relationships among the various characters.  Nick is a wonderful young man, an innocent and loving son who, despite his gentle upbringing, is capable of killing reflexively for love and honor of family.

Mike Walsh packs a lot into 78 short pages.  I think that what I enjoyed most about this novel is not so much what I read on the pages, but what I read between the lines.  This author can convey in a brief phrase what another writer might take three pages to say.  Thinking about what you have read is one thing, but thinking BEYOND the pages of a novel is quite another.  I am intrigued by the idea of time travel, by the possibility of knowing the future or of deliberately or accidentally influencing historical events.  I would consider any book that keeps you thinking after the fact to be successful, and this one fits into that category.