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angus_mckeogh's review against another edition
3.0
Monuments commemorating military victories begin to appear around the world. Mysteriously they commemorate dates in the future and reference unknown individuals. An amazing premise. In execution not exactly what I was anticipating, but certainly entertaining and a good read. Perhaps more about time’s effect on a man’s life as opposed to a really inextricable focus on the aforementioned premise.
drobertsca's review against another edition
2.0
There is a review by "Josh" below that sums up my feelings very well.
I'd actually give the characters a 4, but the story and the wrap up are very unsatisfying. If you are looking for an interesting piece of sci-fi based around time travel, this is not it.
I'd actually give the characters a 4, but the story and the wrap up are very unsatisfying. If you are looking for an interesting piece of sci-fi based around time travel, this is not it.
markhood's review against another edition
5.0
It's a very curious story, and as you might have guessed from the name (depending on your Latin knowledge) it's about time and stones…
From the synopsis:
That synopsis alone was enough to get me to buy it, but if you need some more information… These pillars appear suddenly, obliterating whatever is in the way - and each is inscribed with the name of the conqueror ‘Kuin’. As the Chronoliths spread across the world, each getting larger and causing more damage as they appear, people search for the man who will become the world-striding warlord. Before long people are investigating methods of predicting where a Chronolith will appear, and trying to prevent them, but it seems as if the very arrival of the stones is part of this warrior's plan - destabilising countries, seeding fear in the population and even inspiring his future armies to self-mobilise before they find their leader. Many people rise up and call themselves Kuin, hoping to gather support and power.
Scott keeps getting drawn back into this struggle, and we get to see him making his way through the world as it changes. In fact his story is the central part of this book, the Sci-Fi tropes forming a compelling background, but not distracting from the human drama which is key to this narrative. His family and friends are the focus of his attention much more than the impending arrival of Kuin, in particular his daughter who is drawn into a cult which makes a pilgrimage to the expected location of the first Chronolith in North America - a predicted event which has already plunged the US into chaos with the fear of being conquered.
I found this book hard to put down, very well written and compelling. I wanted to know what happened next, who Kuin was and whether he could indeed be defeated or stopped. The deeper philosophical ramifications of time-travel (do we have free will? Is the future set?) are mentioned but never bog the story down, and the family relationships are the most important and well-rounded part of the story.
From the synopsis:
One day in Thailand, 21st-century slacker Scott Warden witnesses an impossible event: the violent appearance of a 200-foot stone pillar. Its arrival collapses trees for a quarter mile around its base. It appears to be composed of an exotic form of matter. And the inscription chiseled into it commemorates a military victory…sixteen years hence…
That synopsis alone was enough to get me to buy it, but if you need some more information… These pillars appear suddenly, obliterating whatever is in the way - and each is inscribed with the name of the conqueror ‘Kuin’. As the Chronoliths spread across the world, each getting larger and causing more damage as they appear, people search for the man who will become the world-striding warlord. Before long people are investigating methods of predicting where a Chronolith will appear, and trying to prevent them, but it seems as if the very arrival of the stones is part of this warrior's plan - destabilising countries, seeding fear in the population and even inspiring his future armies to self-mobilise before they find their leader. Many people rise up and call themselves Kuin, hoping to gather support and power.
Scott keeps getting drawn back into this struggle, and we get to see him making his way through the world as it changes. In fact his story is the central part of this book, the Sci-Fi tropes forming a compelling background, but not distracting from the human drama which is key to this narrative. His family and friends are the focus of his attention much more than the impending arrival of Kuin, in particular his daughter who is drawn into a cult which makes a pilgrimage to the expected location of the first Chronolith in North America - a predicted event which has already plunged the US into chaos with the fear of being conquered.
I found this book hard to put down, very well written and compelling. I wanted to know what happened next, who Kuin was and whether he could indeed be defeated or stopped. The deeper philosophical ramifications of time-travel (do we have free will? Is the future set?) are mentioned but never bog the story down, and the family relationships are the most important and well-rounded part of the story.
mikehex's review against another edition
5.0
I read this years ago and loved it. I thought it was a great self contained novel that just made internal sense. I've delayed re-reading it for years because I was afraid it wouldn't hold up. But I decided to pull it off the shelf this weekend and try it...
Yep. It's still great. Was I as emotionally attached as with other authors? Actually, yes, even if Wilson doesn't capture the emotional payoff they do. But that's within some great thoughts on playing with time and inevitability.
One of my favorites.
Yep. It's still great. Was I as emotionally attached as with other authors? Actually, yes, even if Wilson doesn't capture the emotional payoff they do. But that's within some great thoughts on playing with time and inevitability.
One of my favorites.
jhouses's review against another edition
3.0
Este libro tiene como premisa uno de los Conceptos mas interesantes y originales que me he encontrado: Un futuro conquistador envía al pasado monumentos conmemorativos de sus grandes victorias. La vida del protagonista se ve afectado por las consecuencias políticas y sociales de la aparición de los cronolitos. El desarrollo de la idea es tambien impecable, los monumentos celebrando victorias de Kuin para las que faltan casi 20 años van extendiendo por Asia y África provocando una crisis económica, política y social de alcance mundial que afecta la vida de las personas. La ominosa extensión de los cronolitos que van cercando cada vez más al mundo occidental crea una tensión argumental que atrapa al lector. Por desgracia el conquistador resulta ser un McGuffin y el libro se resuelve de forma acertada pero pobre para las expectativas que ha ido generando.
backgaminnn's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great example of the type of sci-fi novels I enjoy -- it had an intriguing premise, it was well written, and the plot was good enough to keep me up late at night wanting to read what would happen next. Without giving too much away (this is how it starts), the protagonist, Scott, is a witness to the appearance of a gargantuan monument that appears out of thin air commemorating a battle that hasn't happened yet (it's dated 20 years into the future). With any time travel plot, I'm sure one could pick it apart if one really wanted, but I felt like it held together well and it got me wondering how I'd react to something like that -- would I want to somehow change the future, maybe somehow prevent that event? Or is that impossible since it really is the future and anything I do cannot change it (maybe better to just team up with the winning side? -- but maybe that's why it was sent in the first place --- to sway people and try to change the past?)
rmichno's review against another edition
4.0
More like 3 1/2 stars. A good, likable (but flawed) main character + an interesting premise + page-turning plot. On the downside it never really wrapped up the big build-up or explained the whole mystery of the Chronoliths to my liking. Still, it's nice to read sci-fi where as much (or more) thought went into building characters as did into the science aspects of the plot.
caustic_wonder's review against another edition
3.0
It's not very science-y for a science fiction book. It's actually not very science fiction-y at all, now that I think about it. The basic premise is, yes, but the rest of the book is hardly unfathomable. There isn't a lot of detailed explanations about the mechanics or the physics or the irrefutable laws of something that I will never understand. It's a simple story about people doing things that somehow make no sense at all and yet they work.
qwedsa123's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25