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gossamerwingedgazelle's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent and fascinating. I heartily recommend this book.
tstevens3's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
trin's review against another edition
1.0
A bunch of wooden, unconvincing characters—refugees, in a sense, from the Time War—are stuck in the Place together, a safe space outside of time that’s used for soldiers’ R&R. Except the Place has been sabotaged, and there’s a bomb and possibly a traitor in their midst and blah blah blah…man, this was boring. The characters, as I said, had all the texture and depth of my cardboard Spike stand-up, the plot was rather half-assed, and the whole thing just felt very juvenile, like the sort of story I used to encounter in my college creative writing workshop. And this won a Hugo? Sigh. Well, at least it was short.
badseedgirl's review against another edition
2.0
At 130 pages, The Big Time by Fritz Leiber is a deceptively short novel, but the concepts delved into were heavy and complicated. That is probably why it took me two weeks to read 130 pages. This was not helped by Mr. Leiber’s dialogue. Don’t get me wrong this book was very well written, and that was part of the problem. The characters are all ESL or from centuries past and although they all (mostly) speak English, it is written in a stilted way that at times make it hard to understand the character interactions.
The story itself is like a moment in time sliced out and placed exposed for the reader. It was an intimate moment in a larger war, and because of this, there were many questions left unanswered about why the war was being fought and what was the ultimate goal to victory.
I have ambivalent feelings about this book. It was a hard read, and that was unexpected. Written in 1958, I expected more of the pulp soap opera of “Doc” Smith. This is not the fault of the author; I just did not do any research on this book prior to starting it. I guess what I’m going to say is, I loved this book, but was not “in love with it.”
2.5 of 5 stars.
The story itself is like a moment in time sliced out and placed exposed for the reader. It was an intimate moment in a larger war, and because of this, there were many questions left unanswered about why the war was being fought and what was the ultimate goal to victory.
I have ambivalent feelings about this book. It was a hard read, and that was unexpected. Written in 1958, I expected more of the pulp soap opera of “Doc” Smith. This is not the fault of the author; I just did not do any research on this book prior to starting it. I guess what I’m going to say is, I loved this book, but was not “in love with it.”
2.5 of 5 stars.
moreilly1917's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
jclermont's review against another edition
3.0
This book was odd to me. It felt more like a play than a novel. Everything takes place in one room on one stage. I enjoyed it but I don't think I can justify more than three stars for it.
mattleesharp's review against another edition
3.0
The Big Time was frustrating because it was a good book that could've been so much better. The characters are engaged in a war throughout time, each side jumping in and out of "the small time" of earth's history to change events in their favor, though that story gets little play as the side we're following gets stuck in their little pocket of a relief station outside of existence. The The book turns into a bit more of a bottle episode / murder mystery. It was published originally as a magazine serial, and it reads like it should've just been made into a two act play. I found most of the characters pretty compelling. I found the setting (basically a cosmic brothel) interestingly subversive. The main character is given a fair bit of agency and is pretty funny on occasion.
There are so many things to like, but I kept getting pulled out of the story by little relevant quotes from famous authors at the beginning of chapters. I would get into a rhythm and then be immediately taken out of it by clunky dialogue. Character relationships felt false and one note. If the description intrigues you, give it a shot. This was just one of those books I wanted to like more than I actually did.
There are so many things to like, but I kept getting pulled out of the story by little relevant quotes from famous authors at the beginning of chapters. I would get into a rhythm and then be immediately taken out of it by clunky dialogue. Character relationships felt false and one note. If the description intrigues you, give it a shot. This was just one of those books I wanted to like more than I actually did.
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
Another classic science fiction tale. This one is about a group of time travelers who are fighting a temporal war they don't understand for superiors they don't know. It is also a locked room mystery. The ideas that are presented in here are classic sci-fi at its finest, but one of the masters of the craft.
stephenmeansme's review against another edition
3.0
Fritz Leiber was a Golden/Silver Age writer of fantasy and sf, especially as part of the "sword and sorcery" set as the creator of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (one of the large inspirations for Dungeons & Dragons). This book, however, is a sfnal character drama novella, staged (almost literally) in a single "Place" and with a very small cast of characters.
For a story about time travel (and a time war at that!) the sfnal elements are mostly in the background, as various characters get their monologues and face/heel turns. It becomes a locked room mystery, with a clever solution that made sense but was sort of a cheat.
Leiber says in the introduction that he wrote THE BIG TIME to break himself out of a rut - it sort of makes sense, because with the different character voices it can feel a bit over the top - reminiscent of stage acting, in a way.
Overall, 2.5 stars, rounded up. An interesting premise, not the best execution.
For a story about time travel (and a time war at that!) the sfnal elements are mostly in the background, as various characters get their monologues and face/heel turns. It becomes a locked room mystery, with a clever solution that made sense but was sort of a cheat.
Leiber says in the introduction that he wrote THE BIG TIME to break himself out of a rut - it sort of makes sense, because with the different character voices it can feel a bit over the top - reminiscent of stage acting, in a way.
Overall, 2.5 stars, rounded up. An interesting premise, not the best execution.
matthewbrand's review against another edition
4.0
Ideally I'd give this 3.5 stars, but I can't. It was a fun quick read about time travel, who doesn't love that. A bit dated, for sure, in its treatment of women. I like that you just got little glimpses into the world, not everything was perfectly laid out on a platter.