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Khokarsa #1
Time's Last Gift
12,000 B.C.
They were four trained scientists, each of them skilled in several disciplines - because this was an opportunity that would never occur again. There would never be another chance for men form the world of 2070 A.D. to examine in person the world of 12,000 B.C. What they learned and taped would be the only record ever made of this dim, enigmatic period of prehistory. But absolutely no one in the world of 2070 or in the borrowed time of 12,000 B.C. could have imagined what the tapes would reveal...
A superb novel of adventure and intrigue in a vanished era
Cover illustration: Geoff Cummings
They were four trained scientists, each of them skilled in several disciplines - because this was an opportunity that would never occur again. There would never be another chance for men form the world of 2070 A.D. to examine in person the world of 12,000 B.C. What they learned and taped would be the only record ever made of this dim, enigmatic period of prehistory. But absolutely no one in the world of 2070 or in the borrowed time of 12,000 B.C. could have imagined what the tapes would reveal...
A superb novel of adventure and intrigue in a vanished era
Cover illustration: Geoff Cummings
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
34 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Philip José Farmer
620 books883 followersPhilip José Farmer was an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories. He was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, but spent much of his life in Peoria, Illinois.
Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.
Farmer is best known for his Riverworld series and the earlier World of Tiers series. He is noted for his use of sexual and religious themes in his work, his fascination for and reworking of the lore of legendary pulp heroes, and occasional tongue-in-cheek pseudonymous works written as if by fictional characters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
August 27, 2025
Four scientists from the future go back to 12,000BC to gather information. We instantly enter a world we could only dream of: abundant wildlife, mammoths, ancient tribes and customs, land bridges. Very exciting stuff.
The story is not bogged down by the technicalities of how this all worked though enough is covered to be satisfied. The crew were mostly interested in languages and were hoping to find the origins of the Indo-Hittite language.
The characters were interesting enough. The leader was an A-type male with charisma. The rest were either weak, damaged or neutral. I liked the dynamics of the love triangle. I dare say few people would be put off by it as it centres more around rejection than hot pursuits.
The Time Paradox features a lot. It makes for interesting reading. You can judge the poor effort of the scientists to an extent but hold your horses…
I was very satisfied with the ending. It’s something I would have done but can’t say any more.
Not as good as the Earth’s People series (book 1 is The Clan of the Cave Bear) but still very entertaining.
The story is not bogged down by the technicalities of how this all worked though enough is covered to be satisfied. The crew were mostly interested in languages and were hoping to find the origins of the Indo-Hittite language.
The characters were interesting enough. The leader was an A-type male with charisma. The rest were either weak, damaged or neutral. I liked the dynamics of the love triangle. I dare say few people would be put off by it as it centres more around rejection than hot pursuits.
The Time Paradox features a lot. It makes for interesting reading. You can judge the poor effort of the scientists to an extent but hold your horses…
I was very satisfied with the ending. It’s something I would have done but can’t say any more.
Not as good as the Earth’s People series (book 1 is The Clan of the Cave Bear) but still very entertaining.
July 29, 2012
The year is 2070 A.D. when John Gribardsun assembles a team of highly trained scientists who then travels back in time to the year 12,000 B.C. to learn about the Magdalenian culture. It’s now or never to travel back to that time and the scientists have a lot riding on their shoulders for this expedition, but the scientists seem more focused on the enigmatic leader… Gribardsun is much more at ease when it comes to adapting to the native’s primitive ways and frankly it seems almost as though he belongs in those surroundings. Then again, what they don’t know is that John Gribardsun is no stranger to living in harsh conditions.
Time’s Last Gift by Philip Jose Farmer is what many will deem the ultimate time travel novel, which is filled with sci-fi, history and an amazing amount of creativity. A whole alternative history is created whilst keeping the historical facts practically sound and still we have a wonderfully written novel that will keep sci-fi readers intrigued from the beginning to the end. Our hero, John Gribardsun is no ordinary human being too, a loveable character nevertheless, he’s got a hidden history, which is further explained in Tarzan Alive which is also written by author Philip Jose Farmer and other sources. Titan Books re-released this spectacular piece of literature, which inspired an almost cult following of fans who are all obsessed with the life and times of John Gribardsun. We have an in depth timeline that also gives the reader an indication of the adventures that Gribardsun faces throughout his travels through the ages, which will help the reader to understand the historical references and the like that is introduced in Time’s Last Gift.
Time’s Last Gift has a lot of redeeming qualities to it for the reader that is unsure of embarking on a sci-fi novel. We have a lot of creativity and yet Farmer is able to explain in depth about an era that is often only described in archaeological findings (and usually with a lot less entertaining aspects, which scholars often deem unnecessary). However, don’t think that you won’t find any errors in this novel either. If you’re a close reader, you will notice a handful of editorial mistakes that may make the sentences a little unclear, but it won’t hinder the strong plot in any way.
Personally, I’ve found Time’s Last Gift fun, dramatic and incredibly entertaining. There’s a lot of imagination that went into creating the storyline and even more research that went into keeping the facts accurate. So, from a personal perspective, I will definitely advice anyone to read this novel to get a better feel to history, creativity and the like. Anyone can expect something wonderful from a Nebula Award-winning author and Time’s Last Gift won’t disappoint.
(Originally posted at http://www.killeraphrodite.com/2012/0... )
Time’s Last Gift by Philip Jose Farmer is what many will deem the ultimate time travel novel, which is filled with sci-fi, history and an amazing amount of creativity. A whole alternative history is created whilst keeping the historical facts practically sound and still we have a wonderfully written novel that will keep sci-fi readers intrigued from the beginning to the end. Our hero, John Gribardsun is no ordinary human being too, a loveable character nevertheless, he’s got a hidden history, which is further explained in Tarzan Alive which is also written by author Philip Jose Farmer and other sources. Titan Books re-released this spectacular piece of literature, which inspired an almost cult following of fans who are all obsessed with the life and times of John Gribardsun. We have an in depth timeline that also gives the reader an indication of the adventures that Gribardsun faces throughout his travels through the ages, which will help the reader to understand the historical references and the like that is introduced in Time’s Last Gift.
Time’s Last Gift has a lot of redeeming qualities to it for the reader that is unsure of embarking on a sci-fi novel. We have a lot of creativity and yet Farmer is able to explain in depth about an era that is often only described in archaeological findings (and usually with a lot less entertaining aspects, which scholars often deem unnecessary). However, don’t think that you won’t find any errors in this novel either. If you’re a close reader, you will notice a handful of editorial mistakes that may make the sentences a little unclear, but it won’t hinder the strong plot in any way.
Personally, I’ve found Time’s Last Gift fun, dramatic and incredibly entertaining. There’s a lot of imagination that went into creating the storyline and even more research that went into keeping the facts accurate. So, from a personal perspective, I will definitely advice anyone to read this novel to get a better feel to history, creativity and the like. Anyone can expect something wonderful from a Nebula Award-winning author and Time’s Last Gift won’t disappoint.
(Originally posted at http://www.killeraphrodite.com/2012/0... )
March 11, 2025
The cover of the copy I bought is far more epic than this. *Edit because now the awesome cover has been added. I mean look at it!
Basically this is the tale of the worst scientists ever; they bumble around and end up 'integrating' into a tribe with the magic of massive guns and them grumble about giving out antibiotics because of ethics. The improbably named Grimbardsun goes and shoots a bunch of bears just 'cause. You know. Why not?
There are fist-fights, gun fights, love triangles, amnesia, mammoth hunts, attempted murders and iffy science. It's basically great if you like the kind of writing that details what time a dude woke up and what he ate for breakfast and that he did push ups for half an hour before putting on his thermal tank top.
I've not read much in the way of this kind of paperback sci-fi, but it's entertaining. The characters are either fairly bland or outlandishly awesome. I would have liked Grimbardsun to take more of a backseat, not just so the other characters could be fleshed out, but because it seemed like he was doing all the SCIENCE by himself. But then, ostensibly, this is his story. Whatever- it's a time-travel yarn from 1972. It is what it is.
Basically this is the tale of the worst scientists ever; they bumble around and end up 'integrating' into a tribe with the magic of massive guns and them grumble about giving out antibiotics because of ethics. The improbably named Grimbardsun goes and shoots a bunch of bears just 'cause. You know. Why not?
There are fist-fights, gun fights, love triangles, amnesia, mammoth hunts, attempted murders and iffy science. It's basically great if you like the kind of writing that details what time a dude woke up and what he ate for breakfast and that he did push ups for half an hour before putting on his thermal tank top.
I've not read much in the way of this kind of paperback sci-fi, but it's entertaining. The characters are either fairly bland or outlandishly awesome. I would have liked Grimbardsun to take more of a backseat, not just so the other characters could be fleshed out, but because it seemed like he was doing all the SCIENCE by himself. But then, ostensibly, this is his story. Whatever- it's a time-travel yarn from 1972. It is what it is.
July 17, 2012
Probably my favorite Phil Farmer novel (followed closely by the Opar novels, "The Peerless Peer," "Escape From Loki" and "The Dark Heart Of Time"). In my humble opinion anyone who reads this one and comes away not caring for it or not understanding it either didn't read it carefully or has lost their sense of wonder.
January 10, 2026
First published in 1972, Time’s Last Gift is a time travel story from the adventurous and otherworldly mind of science fiction author Philip Jose Farmer. Published one year after the release of his most notable work To Your Scatter Bodies Go, he was hot off the success of winning that year’s Hugo award. While Time’s Last Gift captures some of what I love most about Farmer, this work is unfortunately not the continuation of a streak of top tier SF for me.
In 2078 a team of researchers is sent back in time to 12,000 BC. This is the first successful time travel mission and the team is set on exploring the world of prehistoric man. Looking for answers to humanity but ultimately chasing their own egotistical desires.
Time’s Last Gift looks to combine two of the subjects that Farmer is most known for, unique and highly imaginative science fiction and pulp inspired adventure stories, particularly in the vein of Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan books. While I am more interested in his science fiction works I’m not opposed to reading different aspects of Farmer’s writing, if anything I was excited by this premise. There was a lot of potential here, unfortunately it didn’t land for me.
The balance between these two writing subjects of Farmer feels unbalanced to me. This narrative is broken up into nine chapters and many of these chapters feel like they lean one directly more than the other, mostly towards the pulp adventure side than the science fiction.
While fun to read I found that much of the world building and narrative drive kept me from being fully invested. For being the first ever successful time travel mission the time travelers don’t really find this to be anything spectacular. Once they arrive they are off to the races with collecting research samples and getting too invested in the lives of the prehistoric tribes. By being so involved in the tribes they are able to have such action packed adventures but it feels highly unrealistic for a team of scientific professionals.
As the narrative progresses we see the team delve deeper into personal desires. Relations between team members, showings of power with the tribe to establish respect and dominance among them, and personal points of pride that split their focus in what areas of the prehistoric globe to traverse. All of this feels like a distraction from the actual time travel plot that takes a backseat for most of the book.
If anything this book felt like a research team of the modern western world exploring the lands of an uncontacted tribe more so than people of two drastically different time periods. The time travelers have very little trouble deciphering the language of the prehistoric tribes and quickly start communicating with them.
Time travel stories are a difficult subject because the premise really is so fantastical that there never will be true realism but for the genre I found that Time’s Last Gift offered very little in terms of establishing a believable scenario.
There definitely are elements I liked about this book. While rushed and not to the detail I would have liked I found the anthropological elements of understanding the tribes to be very akin to Farmer is known for, particularly in the Riverworld books. While nowhere near as compelling an effort as presented in those books, it was what I find most interesting about a time travel story such as this. Farmer has established this social sciences aspect of his writing and it was great to see it in another context outside of the Riverworld books.
I found the ending of this book to be the best part. While first published in 1972, I read the 1977 reissue which had Farmer changing a few elements. I’m not sure exactly what he has changed but it feels like there is a shift reading the last chapter and epilogue versus the previous chapters of the book. We get a stronger focus on the time travel aspect that I felt was lacking in the narrative previously. It gives a strange and unique feel to the book that is typically associated with Farmer novels, something that was sorely missing from this straight forward narrative previously.
While not fully saving this book for me the ending does inspire the desire to reread this book and see if there was anything that was missed on initial read. This may not be a new favorite for me from Farmer but it certainly is unique to the science fiction landscape of the time and fully a novel in line with what defines a Philip Jose Farmer work.
In 2078 a team of researchers is sent back in time to 12,000 BC. This is the first successful time travel mission and the team is set on exploring the world of prehistoric man. Looking for answers to humanity but ultimately chasing their own egotistical desires.
Time’s Last Gift looks to combine two of the subjects that Farmer is most known for, unique and highly imaginative science fiction and pulp inspired adventure stories, particularly in the vein of Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan books. While I am more interested in his science fiction works I’m not opposed to reading different aspects of Farmer’s writing, if anything I was excited by this premise. There was a lot of potential here, unfortunately it didn’t land for me.
The balance between these two writing subjects of Farmer feels unbalanced to me. This narrative is broken up into nine chapters and many of these chapters feel like they lean one directly more than the other, mostly towards the pulp adventure side than the science fiction.
While fun to read I found that much of the world building and narrative drive kept me from being fully invested. For being the first ever successful time travel mission the time travelers don’t really find this to be anything spectacular. Once they arrive they are off to the races with collecting research samples and getting too invested in the lives of the prehistoric tribes. By being so involved in the tribes they are able to have such action packed adventures but it feels highly unrealistic for a team of scientific professionals.
As the narrative progresses we see the team delve deeper into personal desires. Relations between team members, showings of power with the tribe to establish respect and dominance among them, and personal points of pride that split their focus in what areas of the prehistoric globe to traverse. All of this feels like a distraction from the actual time travel plot that takes a backseat for most of the book.
If anything this book felt like a research team of the modern western world exploring the lands of an uncontacted tribe more so than people of two drastically different time periods. The time travelers have very little trouble deciphering the language of the prehistoric tribes and quickly start communicating with them.
Time travel stories are a difficult subject because the premise really is so fantastical that there never will be true realism but for the genre I found that Time’s Last Gift offered very little in terms of establishing a believable scenario.
There definitely are elements I liked about this book. While rushed and not to the detail I would have liked I found the anthropological elements of understanding the tribes to be very akin to Farmer is known for, particularly in the Riverworld books. While nowhere near as compelling an effort as presented in those books, it was what I find most interesting about a time travel story such as this. Farmer has established this social sciences aspect of his writing and it was great to see it in another context outside of the Riverworld books.
I found the ending of this book to be the best part. While first published in 1972, I read the 1977 reissue which had Farmer changing a few elements. I’m not sure exactly what he has changed but it feels like there is a shift reading the last chapter and epilogue versus the previous chapters of the book. We get a stronger focus on the time travel aspect that I felt was lacking in the narrative previously. It gives a strange and unique feel to the book that is typically associated with Farmer novels, something that was sorely missing from this straight forward narrative previously.
While not fully saving this book for me the ending does inspire the desire to reread this book and see if there was anything that was missed on initial read. This may not be a new favorite for me from Farmer but it certainly is unique to the science fiction landscape of the time and fully a novel in line with what defines a Philip Jose Farmer work.
May 27, 2010
Very good book. Usually, I don't like the "low-tech SF" stuff. But, I really like the way Farmer writes. His books are FUN. I've loved his stuff since HS. Part of it just seems like I can feel the fun psychically transferred from the writer.
His characters were not developed that greatly. Even the main character.
Nothing really original as far as SF went, either.
The back and front cover were inaccurate, though. And, the story confused me because of that. The main characters were from 2080AD. They went back to 12,000BC. That was pretty straightforward. The cover said 2780AD, though. So, I kept expecting them to make some kind of accidental trip to 2780 or to have another time traveler from that time. Until the very end of the book, I expected 2780 to factor in somehow. Obviously, 2780 was just a misprint.
Some of the low-tech stuff from 2080 was a little funny. Like the lack of computers-relying on books from the future for research.
His characters were not developed that greatly. Even the main character.
Nothing really original as far as SF went, either.
The back and front cover were inaccurate, though. And, the story confused me because of that. The main characters were from 2080AD. They went back to 12,000BC. That was pretty straightforward. The cover said 2780AD, though. So, I kept expecting them to make some kind of accidental trip to 2780 or to have another time traveler from that time. Until the very end of the book, I expected 2780 to factor in somehow. Obviously, 2780 was just a misprint.
Some of the low-tech stuff from 2080 was a little funny. Like the lack of computers-relying on books from the future for research.
July 12, 2023
This is a second read for me after reading it long ago. Judging by some of the reviews, many don’t understand the purpose here. This is a time travel novel to set up the rest of the Khokarsa/Opar books in which Farmer planned to write a total of 5 to 12 (including this book.). Unfortunately he only wrote 2 Opar books after this. While many science fiction fans turn to this book for the time travel concept, the main purpose for Burroughs fans are the Tarzan , and eventually Ancient Opar pieces. If you haven’t read Edgar Rice Burroughs, and don’t understand Farmer’s fascination with Tarzan, you might be a little lost on the Gibardsun character.
This 1972 novel by Farmer, an author criminally under-read by modern readers, is also part of the World Newton Universe. This, for me, is about a 3.6, as I view it more of a lead in to a series I wish would have been completed.
This 1972 novel by Farmer, an author criminally under-read by modern readers, is also part of the World Newton Universe. This, for me, is about a 3.6, as I view it more of a lead in to a series I wish would have been completed.
June 13, 2010
The first working time machine sends a team of four back to when mammoths roamed the world. Dealing with this primitive world as well as tensions within the group, make for a dramatic bit of adventure.
Then Farmer gets cute and throws in a little twist that ties into some of his other books.
One of Farmers more straightforward adventure books.
Then Farmer gets cute and throws in a little twist that ties into some of his other books.
One of Farmers more straightforward adventure books.
January 13, 2016
Not exactly a swashbuckling adventure, neither a deeply thought-provoking and wry account of time-travel, this novel is more like a long-drawn attempt to link Wold Newton with Khokarsa, with hints of other things. Good on its own, but if you are looking for a more dynamic read, look for something else. I say, because I know.
July 15, 2021
Avant de lire "Le Dernier Cadeau du Temps", je n'avais lu qu'un seul roman de Philip José Farmer, "L'Homme qui trahit la vie", qui s'est révélé être un court et très bon roman de sf dont je me souviens encore (même si le sexisme omniprésent me gênait déjà).
J'avoue que pour "Le Dernier Cadeau du Temps", j'ai un avis beaucoup plus mitigé.
Ce livre nous raconte l'histoire de 4 explorateurs qui effectuent le premier voyage dans le temps, effectuant un bond de l'année 2070 après J.C. à 12000 ans avant J.C., à l'époque préhistorique du peuple Magdalénien.
Pour commencer par le point positif, je dirais que l'auteur retranscrit très bien tout le contexte historique de l'époque, et cela m'a toujours semblé cohérent. Je ne suis pas très calé sur ce sujet là, mais justement, j'ai trouvé qu'on en apprenait beaucoup grâce à ce récit (et je pense que l'auteur s'est bien renseigné sur le sujet, de la façon dont il en parle dans les moindres détails).
La plume de Philip José Farmer aide également à cela : elle a un côté très factuelle et addictive, et elle marche très bien pour ce côté "historique" ainsi que pour les scènes d'action.
Ce sont ces éléments qui ont fait que ma lecture du roman n'a pas totalement été gâchée. Car malgré tout, j'ai trouvé les 4 personnages principaux de cet histoire très caricaturaux et "mal bâtis" ; je n'ai pas réussi à y croire, à m'attacher à eux, et donc à me fondre totalement dans le récit. Je n'ai jamais compris leurs réactions et leurs motivations, tout cela est resté très flou jusqu'à la fin.
Cela est moins vrai pour ce qui est du peuple qu'ils rencontrent, que j'ai trouvé plus attachant et mieux amené.
Le deuxième défaut qui m'a gêné est que ce récit de sf est daté. Ma lecture a été rendue assez inconfortable par le racisme et le sexisme sous-jacent ; heureusement, l'auteur ne va jamais si loin que ça dans ses propos, mais on sent que le texte a été écrit à une autre époque.
Mais au final, ce qui me fait le plus dire que je n'ai pas apprécié ma lecture (à part pour les détails historiques), c'est que je n'ai rien retenu des 184 pages de ce récit. Aucuns personnages, enjeux ou événements ne m'ont marqué, et une fois la révélation finale exposée (à laquelle on s'attendait depuis la moitié du récit), j'ai refermé le livre sans vraiment rien ressentir.
"Le Dernier Cadeau du Temps" n'est pas un livre de sf essentiel à découvrir, sauf si vous aimez tout ce qui sent le vieux. Ce n'est pas mon cas ; mais ce n'est pourtant pas ça qui m'empêchera de découvrir les autres romans de l'auteur.
J'avoue que pour "Le Dernier Cadeau du Temps", j'ai un avis beaucoup plus mitigé.
Ce livre nous raconte l'histoire de 4 explorateurs qui effectuent le premier voyage dans le temps, effectuant un bond de l'année 2070 après J.C. à 12000 ans avant J.C., à l'époque préhistorique du peuple Magdalénien.
Pour commencer par le point positif, je dirais que l'auteur retranscrit très bien tout le contexte historique de l'époque, et cela m'a toujours semblé cohérent. Je ne suis pas très calé sur ce sujet là, mais justement, j'ai trouvé qu'on en apprenait beaucoup grâce à ce récit (et je pense que l'auteur s'est bien renseigné sur le sujet, de la façon dont il en parle dans les moindres détails).
La plume de Philip José Farmer aide également à cela : elle a un côté très factuelle et addictive, et elle marche très bien pour ce côté "historique" ainsi que pour les scènes d'action.
Ce sont ces éléments qui ont fait que ma lecture du roman n'a pas totalement été gâchée. Car malgré tout, j'ai trouvé les 4 personnages principaux de cet histoire très caricaturaux et "mal bâtis" ; je n'ai pas réussi à y croire, à m'attacher à eux, et donc à me fondre totalement dans le récit. Je n'ai jamais compris leurs réactions et leurs motivations, tout cela est resté très flou jusqu'à la fin.
Cela est moins vrai pour ce qui est du peuple qu'ils rencontrent, que j'ai trouvé plus attachant et mieux amené.
Le deuxième défaut qui m'a gêné est que ce récit de sf est daté. Ma lecture a été rendue assez inconfortable par le racisme et le sexisme sous-jacent ; heureusement, l'auteur ne va jamais si loin que ça dans ses propos, mais on sent que le texte a été écrit à une autre époque.
Mais au final, ce qui me fait le plus dire que je n'ai pas apprécié ma lecture (à part pour les détails historiques), c'est que je n'ai rien retenu des 184 pages de ce récit. Aucuns personnages, enjeux ou événements ne m'ont marqué, et une fois la révélation finale exposée (à laquelle on s'attendait depuis la moitié du récit), j'ai refermé le livre sans vraiment rien ressentir.
"Le Dernier Cadeau du Temps" n'est pas un livre de sf essentiel à découvrir, sauf si vous aimez tout ce qui sent le vieux. Ce n'est pas mon cas ; mais ce n'est pourtant pas ça qui m'empêchera de découvrir les autres romans de l'auteur.
May 7, 2018
This is literally the PJF novel I hate the most :-(
This book combines two themes/treatments that piss me off:
Firstly, Farmer's 'Tarzan Fixation.' The man liked Tarzan, period. He wrote several books featuring him in different guises. Nothing at all wrong with that. I just can't stand this particular Tarzan book.
And second, ze romance . . . Now there's nothing wrong with romance, absolutely nothing at all. It's just that IMHO, Philip Jose Farmer (though a definite Sci-Fi genius) was exceptionally bad at writing anything even vaguely smelling of roses and throbbing hearts.
Of course, being a writer myself, I may be viewed as being doubly biased in this light, but . . . I actually formed this opinion ages before I ever began writing. I think it was while reading PJF's 'A Private Cosmos' . . . I don't remember too clearly. I'm sure it was ages ago anyway . . .
Ah, so I just utterly, really dislike, as in TOTALLY HATE, this damn book . . . I'm certain of that too.
This book combines two themes/treatments that piss me off:
Firstly, Farmer's 'Tarzan Fixation.' The man liked Tarzan, period. He wrote several books featuring him in different guises. Nothing at all wrong with that. I just can't stand this particular Tarzan book.
And second, ze romance . . . Now there's nothing wrong with romance, absolutely nothing at all. It's just that IMHO, Philip Jose Farmer (though a definite Sci-Fi genius) was exceptionally bad at writing anything even vaguely smelling of roses and throbbing hearts.
Of course, being a writer myself, I may be viewed as being doubly biased in this light, but . . . I actually formed this opinion ages before I ever began writing. I think it was while reading PJF's 'A Private Cosmos' . . . I don't remember too clearly. I'm sure it was ages ago anyway . . .
Ah, so I just utterly, really dislike, as in TOTALLY HATE, this damn book . . . I'm certain of that too.
December 27, 2022
I hate time travel and rarely enjoy a book that features this particular trope. (Exceptions: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers and Roadmarks by Roger Zelazny plus Ray Bradbury’s short story A Sound of Thunder.) Philip Jose Farmer’s Time’s Last Gift bluntly does not measure up to those classics but it is entertaining. Four scientists travel back in time to 12000 BC. Of course one of them is not who he appears to be…No spoilers this is all on the back cover. I must admit I like the theory of time travel presented here by Farmer: do whatever you like in the past as it is the past and “already happened” so you cannot change anything. It’s a different angle and makes for a different type of story. Four stars.
April 16, 2025
This was my second time reading a book by Philip José Farmer and HOLY CRAP it might just be an even better book then the first one I read, "Lord Tyger"!
"Time's last gift" is one of the most clever, unique, thoughtful, and all around mind blowing time travel to the beginning of humanity type stories! Its hard to really explain the plot of it anymore without spoiling it but needless to say I loved every second of it!
"Time's last gift" is one of the most clever, unique, thoughtful, and all around mind blowing time travel to the beginning of humanity type stories! Its hard to really explain the plot of it anymore without spoiling it but needless to say I loved every second of it!
March 19, 2024
I loved it...
January 10, 2026
I liked this book a lot - would love additional books of John Gribardsun’s adventures
November 8, 2024
I first read this book when I was teenager. Since it came out in eBook form I read it again having had fond, if not foggy memories of the story.
"Time's Last Gift" is a time travel story. Four scientists from 2070 A.D. go back in time to roughly 12,000 B.C.. There they become a de facto part of a tribe of physically modern, but primitive human beings. They study the tribe and the area around where they landed in the past, which is the same area as the research center they left from in 2070 A.D.. Eventually they lead the tribe on a trek through France, Spain, Northern Africa, Sicily, Italy, and back to the home of that tribe in France. Along the way, mixed into the story is the drama of a marital rift between two of the scientists and a deepening mystery about the leader of the expedition. After 4 years in the past the scientists return home to find a stunning surprise. Nope, no butterfly paradox or alternate timeline. You will just have to read the book to find out what that stunning surprise was.
I enjoyed rereading this long lost book.
There are two editions of this book. The author revised some sections of the book and added an epilogue in 1977.
"Time's Last Gift" is a time travel story. Four scientists from 2070 A.D. go back in time to roughly 12,000 B.C.. There they become a de facto part of a tribe of physically modern, but primitive human beings. They study the tribe and the area around where they landed in the past, which is the same area as the research center they left from in 2070 A.D.. Eventually they lead the tribe on a trek through France, Spain, Northern Africa, Sicily, Italy, and back to the home of that tribe in France. Along the way, mixed into the story is the drama of a marital rift between two of the scientists and a deepening mystery about the leader of the expedition. After 4 years in the past the scientists return home to find a stunning surprise. Nope, no butterfly paradox or alternate timeline. You will just have to read the book to find out what that stunning surprise was.
I enjoyed rereading this long lost book.
There are two editions of this book. The author revised some sections of the book and added an epilogue in 1977.
April 22, 2024
Would have expected sci fi. But although there is time travel involved, the entire story takes place in 12,000 BC. It’s really an adventure story involving four scientists studying primitive tribes in Europe.
What makes this stand out? Why did I enjoy it so much? I think because most adventure stuff by Farmer involves some sort of mystery that is not always resolved. This story does not follow that pattern. There are a couple of mysteries involving attempted murder and the core mystery about the true identity of the main protagonist Gribardsun. The resolution left me a little underwhelmed, which prevents me from including this as one of my favorites.
I have read plenty of stories about time travel. But this is the first to treat it in this way. Farmer’s logic in this story is that time paradoxes are impossible. And that travel through time is possible (with the correct technology) as long as there is no chance that you will ever meet yourself. Also, the “butterfly effect” is not possible, because any changes made by a time-travel always should have happened.
What makes this stand out? Why did I enjoy it so much? I think because most adventure stuff by Farmer involves some sort of mystery that is not always resolved. This story does not follow that pattern. There are a couple of mysteries involving attempted murder and the core mystery about the true identity of the main protagonist Gribardsun. The resolution left me a little underwhelmed, which prevents me from including this as one of my favorites.
I have read plenty of stories about time travel. But this is the first to treat it in this way. Farmer’s logic in this story is that time paradoxes are impossible. And that travel through time is possible (with the correct technology) as long as there is no chance that you will ever meet yourself. Also, the “butterfly effect” is not possible, because any changes made by a time-travel always should have happened.
February 28, 2013
those 2 stars are 1.5. It's hard to think that a story about immortality and time travel together could be boring. This book does that. It takes its main character and put him up on a pedestal where only he is right. The characters around him know something is not right but they love him so much that they let it slide as if it does not matter. And the book makes a villain out of the guy that could see mos clearly that the guy was fucked up. Also the epilogue just shits on the entire science of time travel explained at the start.
It makes me afraid to start reading Riverworld, but I'll see. Different universe with characters that i hope don't get shoved down my throat.
It makes me afraid to start reading Riverworld, but I'll see. Different universe with characters that i hope don't get shoved down my throat.
May 18, 2018
Pretty poor characters and even worse plot.
October 14, 2024
An scientific expedition to prehistoric times seems to contain enough promise to stretch Farmer's talent into an unforgettable and exciting book. Sadly that is not entirely so. The book is good, but that is more because it shows a lot of promise that because it is a polished work that we come to expect from this master of SciFi.
It all start with a pseudo-scientific explanation on time-travel, not too credible but vague enough to stand even after 52 years, and probably fitting right in the Scifi of 1972 when this book was first published. We read about meeting a native tribe, which is more easy than expected, language difficulties and language studies, plants, animals and people. The books pre-dates Lucy, the african woman that all white people descend from since Famer finds no trace of black and suggests that the may be a sort of retard tribe that will evolve in a backyard somewhere out of the well-advanced white people that cover the face of the earth.
More serious is that the writer seems to have a problem wiht the plot of the book. Scientific expedition, psychological and marriage problems as a result of time-travel, a mysterious history linked to the expedtions' leader, a romance, the fountain of youth/drink of eternal life.
He jumps left and right amdist these themes where the last one is merely suggested at first and only in the last couple of pages will become the main theme that should explain all.
It all start with a pseudo-scientific explanation on time-travel, not too credible but vague enough to stand even after 52 years, and probably fitting right in the Scifi of 1972 when this book was first published. We read about meeting a native tribe, which is more easy than expected, language difficulties and language studies, plants, animals and people. The books pre-dates Lucy, the african woman that all white people descend from since Famer finds no trace of black and suggests that the may be a sort of retard tribe that will evolve in a backyard somewhere out of the well-advanced white people that cover the face of the earth.
More serious is that the writer seems to have a problem wiht the plot of the book. Scientific expedition, psychological and marriage problems as a result of time-travel, a mysterious history linked to the expedtions' leader, a romance, the fountain of youth/drink of eternal life.
He jumps left and right amdist these themes where the last one is merely suggested at first and only in the last couple of pages will become the main theme that should explain all.
March 16, 2024
I enjoyed this book more when I stopped thinking of it as sf and started thinking of it as a H Rider Haggard book. Four people travel back in time to 12,000 BCE: the great white hunter, the woman who falls for him, her jealous husband, and the other guy. The spend four years wandering around and interfering in various tribes. One would probably get a lot more from this book if they would read through the Philip Jose Farmer literary universe which I doubt I'll ever get around to doing (I have too many Victorian/ Edwardian novels to read without reading a series based on them).
Two things really annoyed me about this book.
Two things really annoyed me about this book.
June 5, 2018
If you know Philip José Farmer's particular fixations, then one of Time's Last Gift's twists will become obvious long before the end. But it's not really THE twist in the tale, there's more, until at the end, Farmer may have tripped himself up. I won't spoil it, but there's an easy fix to the way time travel works in the story to avoid one particularly confusing paragraph. ANYWAY! This is the story of a group of scientists who go back to 12,000 BC to study the Magdalenian era, with lots of nice extrapolation of what life might have been like for primitive man. This, as much as the intrigue surrounding the expedition's mysterious leader, makes the book a fair page-turner, even if it can feel like an elaborate set-up for the final chapter punchline. Its actual weakness is character psychology. The dialog is so stiff, it hides emotional content, and makes some of the character development - especially the romance - largely unbelievable. Not one of Farmer's greats, but certainly of interest to SF fans interested in the soft sciences.
February 2, 2018
A team from the late-21st century returns to around 12,000BC and attaches itself to a tribe in the South of present day France in this early-1970s science fiction novel and, like much sci-fi from the pre-1980s era, the age shows particularly in the relationships and attitudes of the protagonists and the primitive nature of the computer equipment. Here the description of the lifestyle and the adventures of the four expeditioners balance out the telegraphed surprise of the nature of one of the characters in a light but entertaining read.
October 23, 2023
I found in this book all the typical ingredients which make a good Philip Jose Farmer story but it lake focus on a particular subject. P.J.F. has attached the story to the Wold Newton series afterward and it can be read as an origin story for Tarzan which is far from the time travel subject. On the other side, there is a hint to the different time travel, fast and slow, Heinlein used in the door into summer. The book being relatively short, it cannot cover all grounds and now I am curious and I want to read more of the Wold Newton series.
July 28, 2025
Very impressive.
I still can't quite get my head around the temporal paradoxes.
Some of the interpersonal drama became a bit much for me after a while (given temporal cognitive effects and 'animal magnetism').
I probably should reread it at least once, for better appreciation.
The epilogues touch on potential effects, and more paradoxes, in the Wold Newton Universe.
Spoiler alert: by publication dates (maybe less relevant with the time paradoxes),
I should have read Farmer's biography of Lord of Greystoke first.
I still can't quite get my head around the temporal paradoxes.
Some of the interpersonal drama became a bit much for me after a while (given temporal cognitive effects and 'animal magnetism').
I probably should reread it at least once, for better appreciation.
The epilogues touch on potential effects, and more paradoxes, in the Wold Newton Universe.
Spoiler alert: by publication dates (maybe less relevant with the time paradoxes),
I should have read Farmer's biography of Lord of Greystoke first.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2022
It's hard to recommend Time's Last Gift without giving away a big secret of the story. I guessed it, and anyone reading about this book will find the spoiler. However, I think this story is only a so-so story unless you enjoy the secret. It didn't do much for me. I have a long review of this novel on my blog.
https://classicsofsciencefiction.com/...
https://classicsofsciencefiction.com/...
February 26, 2024
Interesting time traveling adventure, some plagiarism of Rudyard Kipling seems to be at play here even though he’s clearly coming at this from a different perspective. I think it’s kind of worshipping at Kipling’s feet and also Jerry Siegel’s and Joe Shuster’s portrayal of the Superman hero story. Instead of being lost as a baby he is instead trying to escape civilization because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hide his longevity from the government.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2012
Time travel is one of those long sought-after pieces of science fiction that most everyone loves. Some of the most famous science fiction pieces have time travel in them or is central to them, like Doctor Who or Star Trek. So it really shouldn't be any surprise that I'd eventually dig my nails in to a time-travel centric piece like an oldie but a renewie - Time's Last Gift by Philip Jose Farmer.
This book had originally been published well before I was ever born, but was re-released with Titan Publishing lately. It tells the tale of John Gribardsun (Don't even ask me how to pronounce that) and a bunch of his little peons as they travel back in time from the 21st century to 12,000 BCE. There's a lot I could honestly say about this short novel, but I'd rather keep most of that to myself as they are largely my personal opinions on what could have been done better with this re-release.
The truth is, I was actually rather disappointed with this book, especially considering this comes from the same writer who had done the Riverworld series, which many people might recognize from SyFy a while back. The book itself was filled with errors that although minor and jarring from the story was rather strange to see for a re-release. But the story itself was rather well done, if anything I could get behind the story being told, once I managed to get past the first forty pages or so. That's something to be expected though, and generally why I have a much harder time reading books before the 1990s since most books before then never actually really get into the functioning and world creating story until forty pages into a book. So I won't hold that against Farmer.
My particular amusement with this novel largely came from two aspects. The first of which was a shaman in the story that they met who made the universal rock-on sign, with middle fingers and thumb closed into a fist and pinky and pointer finger extended. I was laughing at that, just for the simple notion of seeing this highly painted man with a bone rattle making the rocker sign, apparently shamans were the first rock stars. It fits, considering all the dancing and singing they would do.
The second amusement came well past the end of the book, with the inclusion of the epilogue and also all the little tales about the main character's adventures from 12,000 BCE to 1982. Oh yes, the main character 'Gribardsun' certainly managed to live that long. It was from this epilogue and the ending that you discover that not only is Gribardsun actually Tarzan originally, which I absolutely love when people extend upon already established characters like Tarzan who came from the same author to do the John Carter series. But then you discover that apparently Tarzan is all of our ancestors numerous times over from the amount of children he had and was also Terah the father of Abraham (From the old testaments of the Bible).
Normally I hate giving away the endings to a novel, and I haven't actually given away the real ending to the novel, but if I hadn't gone to this particular area, I would have been hard pressed to actually find worth while things to talk about with this book. Many of the characters, even the main one Gribardsun had no real substance to them, other than Gribardsun was a 'mysterious' man with a strange past. The only character I thoroughly enjoyed in this novel was a native of 12,000 BCE, a cave-girl named Laminak. And of course, she was also one of the characters to die in the novel which I hated so much, but because I hated it, it showed how well Farmer had managed to at least tell a story, since I had been largely wanting Laminak to end up with Gribardsun.
I won't deny there was clearly definitely good story in this, but the large majority of the novel felt like filler and that was with also the notion that the writing style was very much like summarizing everything in the same context that I use when I write a short story. There were many areas were conversations were just mentioned rather than actually happening on the pages right before you with quotes. Really, this novel should have either been pulled out more to be a full novel story, or shortened down to a simple short story. Instead it sits somewhere between a novel and a novella with plenty of information not even needed. I got more out of the Afterword notes at the end of the novel than I really did throughout the whole book.
I'd still at the very least recommend this book to people who particularly enjoy time-travel type works, or even historical fiction. I'd more likely call this piece historical fiction than science fiction, but because of the time travel aspect it holds well to science fiction. If you don't like those particular things then this novel is going to be difficult to push through unfortunately. The characters themselves tell a story better than the characters actually showing a story unfold. More story came out of five pages of one character telling another character about the story of Gribardsun than entire chapters of this book.
It seemed a lot like Farmer had been trying to write an epic, accounting the tales of Tarzan much in the same way Greeks used to account the tales of Heracles. And although I think it did a decent job, it could have been so much better. There was so much potential in this book and I always hate to see wasted potential.
This book had originally been published well before I was ever born, but was re-released with Titan Publishing lately. It tells the tale of John Gribardsun (Don't even ask me how to pronounce that) and a bunch of his little peons as they travel back in time from the 21st century to 12,000 BCE. There's a lot I could honestly say about this short novel, but I'd rather keep most of that to myself as they are largely my personal opinions on what could have been done better with this re-release.
The truth is, I was actually rather disappointed with this book, especially considering this comes from the same writer who had done the Riverworld series, which many people might recognize from SyFy a while back. The book itself was filled with errors that although minor and jarring from the story was rather strange to see for a re-release. But the story itself was rather well done, if anything I could get behind the story being told, once I managed to get past the first forty pages or so. That's something to be expected though, and generally why I have a much harder time reading books before the 1990s since most books before then never actually really get into the functioning and world creating story until forty pages into a book. So I won't hold that against Farmer.
My particular amusement with this novel largely came from two aspects. The first of which was a shaman in the story that they met who made the universal rock-on sign, with middle fingers and thumb closed into a fist and pinky and pointer finger extended. I was laughing at that, just for the simple notion of seeing this highly painted man with a bone rattle making the rocker sign, apparently shamans were the first rock stars. It fits, considering all the dancing and singing they would do.
The second amusement came well past the end of the book, with the inclusion of the epilogue and also all the little tales about the main character's adventures from 12,000 BCE to 1982. Oh yes, the main character 'Gribardsun' certainly managed to live that long. It was from this epilogue and the ending that you discover that not only is Gribardsun actually Tarzan originally, which I absolutely love when people extend upon already established characters like Tarzan who came from the same author to do the John Carter series. But then you discover that apparently Tarzan is all of our ancestors numerous times over from the amount of children he had and was also Terah the father of Abraham (From the old testaments of the Bible).
Normally I hate giving away the endings to a novel, and I haven't actually given away the real ending to the novel, but if I hadn't gone to this particular area, I would have been hard pressed to actually find worth while things to talk about with this book. Many of the characters, even the main one Gribardsun had no real substance to them, other than Gribardsun was a 'mysterious' man with a strange past. The only character I thoroughly enjoyed in this novel was a native of 12,000 BCE, a cave-girl named Laminak. And of course, she was also one of the characters to die in the novel which I hated so much, but because I hated it, it showed how well Farmer had managed to at least tell a story, since I had been largely wanting Laminak to end up with Gribardsun.
I won't deny there was clearly definitely good story in this, but the large majority of the novel felt like filler and that was with also the notion that the writing style was very much like summarizing everything in the same context that I use when I write a short story. There were many areas were conversations were just mentioned rather than actually happening on the pages right before you with quotes. Really, this novel should have either been pulled out more to be a full novel story, or shortened down to a simple short story. Instead it sits somewhere between a novel and a novella with plenty of information not even needed. I got more out of the Afterword notes at the end of the novel than I really did throughout the whole book.
I'd still at the very least recommend this book to people who particularly enjoy time-travel type works, or even historical fiction. I'd more likely call this piece historical fiction than science fiction, but because of the time travel aspect it holds well to science fiction. If you don't like those particular things then this novel is going to be difficult to push through unfortunately. The characters themselves tell a story better than the characters actually showing a story unfold. More story came out of five pages of one character telling another character about the story of Gribardsun than entire chapters of this book.
It seemed a lot like Farmer had been trying to write an epic, accounting the tales of Tarzan much in the same way Greeks used to account the tales of Heracles. And although I think it did a decent job, it could have been so much better. There was so much potential in this book and I always hate to see wasted potential.
January 8, 2019
First read this decades ago and recall thinking it was okay. Having just reread it, I can confirm it is definitely better than okay. Not quite up there with To Your Scattered Bodies Go but still a very good sci-fi novel involving time travel. The main character is a bit of an enigma but, as you will discover, he has good reason to be so. Old school enjoyable science fiction.
Ray Smillie
Ray Smillie
November 10, 2020
An interesting examination of time travel and history, it feels a bit light compared to similar novels, but is a brisk and easy read thanks to Farmer's sparse, but effective, prose and action-oriented plotting.
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