''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 imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

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 antagonism ...

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

–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 A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...

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 states th ...

, giving victory to the Confederacy 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 wa ...

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

References

External links

Rebel In Time page
on 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 {{1980s-war-novel-stub

Plot

Reception

Reviews

See also

References

External links