''A Rebel in Time'' (also published as ''Rebel in Time'') is a 1983
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
novel by American writer
Harry Harrison.
Plot
The book centers around a
racist
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...
colonel, Wesley McCulloch, and his black pursuer, Troy Harmon. McCulloch and Harmon both originate from the modern era, the book opening with Harmon called in by a special military watchdog organization to investigate why McCulloch has been buying large quantities of gold.
The case worsens when it is discovered that McCulloch has murdered three people to cover his plans. The theft of a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
–vintage
Sten
The STEN (or Sten gun) is a family of British submachine guns chambered in 9×19mm which were used extensively by British and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. They had a simple design and very low production cost ...
submachine gun and the plans for such also add to the mystery about what McCulloch is up to.
Before long, Harmon comes to the conclusion McCulloch has used a secret experimental time machine to try to change the outcome of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
, giving victory to the
Confederacy
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
through the introduction of the easily manufactured Sten gun. Harmon determines he must follow McCulloch into the past to bring justice. During the ensuing chase, Harmon discovers first-hand the prejudices of the people at the time.
Reception
Greg Costikyan
Greg Costikyan (born July 22, 1959, in New York City), sometimes known under the pseudonym "Designer X", is an American game designer and science fiction writer.
Costikyan's career spans nearly all extant genres of gaming, including: hex-based ...
reviewed ''A Rebel in Time'' in ''
Ares Magazine'' #14 and commented that "''A Rebel in Time'' is an old-fashioned adventure story of the time-travel genre, something which, I trust, will appeal to those interested in history as well as science fiction."
Reviews
*Review by Martyn Taylor (1984) in ''Paperback Inferno'', #49
See also
*''
The Guns of the South
''The Guns of the South'' is an alternate history novel set during the American Civil War by Harry Turtledove. It was released in the United States on September 22, 1992.
The story deals with a group of time-traveling white supremacist members ...
''
*
American Civil War alternate histories
American Civil War alternate histories are alternate history fiction that focuses on the Civil War ending differently or not occurring. The American Civil War is a popular point of divergence in English-language alternate history fiction. The ...
References
External links
Rebel In Time pageon author's website
1983 American novels
1983 science fiction novels
American Civil War alternate histories
Novels about time travel
Novels set during the American Civil War
American alternate history novels
Novels by Harry Harrison
Tor Books books
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