The Time Traders

Originally posted at FanLit.

Ross Murdock just can???t follow the rules, so he keeps getting in trouble with the law. He???s arrogant, rebellious, independent, smart, competent, and proud. That makes him the perfect recruit for the government???s secret Time Traders program, so when they offer Ross the option to either join up or go to jail, he doesn???t have much choice. Ross has no idea what???s going on with his new job, but he figures he???ll be able to escape. That turns out to be a lot harder than he expected ??? because they???ve sent him back in time! Ross???s job is to figure out how the Soviets (???the reds???) are getting their advanced technology. The U.S. government thinks they are getting it from somewhere in the past and Ross must try to find their secret base in a Bronze Age society. Stubborn and hard to defeat, Ross Murdock is the perfect man for the job. But this job isn???t easy ??? it???s a constant fight for survival.

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Definitely a book which shows its age; I've not read a lot of classic science fiction, but what I have read seems to be quite shallow in terms of character development and this book is the same. I actually thought during the last plot arc that this could have made quite an entertaining film, because films can get away with less characterisation. Overall, a decent plot, decent world building, and a mildly enjoyable read.

An entertaining opening for a series. I can see time travel and alien space ships all rolled into one story arc, appealing to young readers. The edition I read was revised by the author, updating the story with real world events like the US landing on the moon.