Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Since the publication of The Cross-Time Engineer in 1993, Frankowski's Conrad Stargard series about a bunch of socially immature male engineers has amused many readers, but this sloppy, adolescent prequel, which roughly explains the origin of the time machine featured in the other novels, is for die-hard fans only. Soon after leaving the U.S. Air Force in 1968, Tom Kolczyskrensi hooks up with two old college buddies, Jim Hasenpfeffer, a grad student about to get his doctorate in Behavioral Psychology, and Ian McTavish, a mechanical engineer at General Motors. (Tom himself is a college drop-out.) The three of them learn how to create a time machine and amass the financial wherewithal to build it. During a motorcycle vacation, they encounter a massive "implosion," which just happens to send out one intact piece of paper with electrical schematics and bits of humans. This fortuitous accident sets them on the way to wealth, health and unlimited sex with hosts of compliant and beautiful young women, the narration of which occupies more than a third of the novel. The story's opening postdates the end, highlighting the conventional time-travel paradoxes as well as most of the author's literary flaws, chiefly wooden, repetitive prose. In a foreword Frankowski informs the reader that he began the book as a high school student in the 1950s. It's too bad his more mature self apparently chose to finish it at the same level.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

An Air Force veteran, a mechanical engineer, and a behavioral scientist decide to make a radical change in their lives and set off on a journey of exploration, self-discovery, and freedom from bureaucracy. When they discover a strange patch of ground that used to hold a house-along with the blueprints for a sophisticated piece of machinery-the three friends find themselves in the possession of the plans for a working time machine. The author of A Boy and His Tank and Fata Morgana returns to a favorite topic in this tale of time-travel and its potentials for good and evil. By turns raucously funny and thoughtfully sobering, Frankowski's prequel to the Adventures of Conrad Stargard (the "Cross-Time Engineer" series) belongs in large sf collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Average Customer Review

2.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars Unfortunate purchase, Jul 19 2004

By	The trebuchet (SF, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conrad's Time Machine (Mass Market Paperback)

Unfortunately, the Publishers' Weekly editorial review is spot on - to call this novel "juvenile" is an understatement. I can say that Frankowski does explore some interesting implications of a society built on time travel. But for every interesting idea that does strike you as fun, you will quickly be brought up short by a chapter's worth of his stereotyped characters giving painfully bad speeches on life or religion, or some haphazard and ill-conceived pseudo-scientific exposition thrown in for no apparent reason - in these passages, Frankowski's usual down-home, engineer charm is mostly absent or undeveloped. And when his characters start talking about women, words fail... this alone would be bad enough to sour the reading experience, even if the book were much better than it is. As it stands, even if you are a fan of the Cross-Time Engineer series, you are probably better off pretending this book doesn't exist; as others have noted, it doesn't really add much even as background to the other books.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A beginning, Mar 3 2004

By	Mike Sayer (High Desert, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Leo Frankowski finally delivers the beginning of the story of how Conrad Stargard got caught in a time machine. He takes a recently discharged USAF airman, an Engineer for a car company, and a philosophy type and together they build and run a time machine. The story is good, with rich characters, and is a great read.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for engineers--Conrad Stargard prequel, Feb 22 2004

By	D. Reich "Human Interface Design Engineer" (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What would an engineer do if sent back in time? Create the perfect world. These books should be required reading for all engineers while waiting for the next Harry Potter book to come out. :-) Be sure to read the first 6 Adventures of Conrad Stargard first. While the book is a complete story itself, the first 6 books build the suspense as Conrad's world evolves.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars adolescent male fantasy
At least the Conrad books had an interesting hook to them. Modern engineer back in medieval Poland, with only 10 years before the invasion of the Mongols. Read more

Published on Feb 10 2004 by Mike Garrison

4.0 out of 5 stars Like the old stuff
If you're a fan of fast-moving sci-fi you are in for a good trip. Typical of his Cross-Time Engineer series, this prequel doesn't dwell on any one scene long enough to bore you... Read more

Published on Feb 9 2004 by Mike Thelen

2.0 out of 5 stars A Case of False Advertising
The good news is if you are a big fan of Frankowski's previous novels you can find much of what you expect in this one, i.e. Read more

Published on Jul 20 2003 by James M. Dickey

1.0 out of 5 stars Prequel in search of an ending
Disjoined plot lines interspaced with adolescent sexual fantacies. I consider myself one of Leo's fans and was very disappointed in this effort. Read more

Published on Jan 27 2003 by Randy D. Tatum