Timestop!

by Philip José Farmer

This is one of three Quartet U. K. paperback printings. Reprint and re-title of the 1960 novel, "A Woman a Day." Also published under the title "The Day of Timestop."

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia, Science Fiction Fantasy

151 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Philip 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.

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

In all honesty this book probably deserves more than two stars for the barrage of great ideas thrown about in it. The world Farmer builds is trippy and funny and fires a million ideas a chapter without slowing things down with explanations. And it's loaded with sex and violence. But honestly it's pretty disposable and silly and was obviously written in a week for some quick money. I wouldn't recommend but you gotta respect the sort of mind that can write this sort of crap-in-a-week in a week.

[Vladimir Ivanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Давно искал эту редкую книгу Фармера, вот наконец раздобыл. Ну, не лучшая его вещь... видно, что довольно ранняя и сыроватая. Но все равно, Фармер есть Фармер, у него даже проходные повести вполне занятны, эпатажны, читаются легко.

"По женщине в день" - это чистый шпионский триллер про разведки, контрразведки, внедренных агентов, заговоры, спецоперации. Написано живо, резко, с фирменной фармеровской фантазией. Секс, перестрелки и погони чередуются с фонтанами провокационных идей. Неожиданный плюс - действие происходит в том же мире тоталитарной Государственной Церкви, что и знаменитые "Влюбленные", хотя никакой другой связи между книгами нет (ну, кроме того, что в обоих сюжетах важное место занимает вопрос подавления и табуизации сексуального желания у граждан Церкви).

3.5. Прямо скажем, это не "Влюбленные" и не "Мир Реки". Симпатичный проходняк на пару вечеров, не более.

[Bre LoPresti · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Killing for your country is one thing, but this use of fortification as a weapon — it’s unspeakable !!”

I love getting lost in one of Farmer’s worlds bc it’s always a fun ride - it took me a second to get into this but was locked in for the latter half — would recommend if you have been exposed to Farmer maybe not the best to start with !

(3.5 stars imo)

[Martyn Vaughan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a very confusing book. I don't know much about Farmer except that he introduced sex into SF ten years before everybody else. The plot is hard to follow, but goes something like this: The Mars colony launched a virus on Earth which wiped everybody out except Iceland and Israel (sic). Society has since been controlled by a Secret Service that have an odd religion about some prophet who has gone travelling in time but has promised to be back. And when he does it will be Timestop. Oh, and the rulers don't like people enjoying themselves in - that - way. As part of the fightback the Underground have surgically altered a number of female operatives with a new organ situated on their vagina which will drive any man wild with pleasure. This will help break down their autocratic rule.
That's the most sense I can make of it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy Timestop!. The casual sexism and oh so 60s superspy antics just seemed too old fashioned for my modern mental taste-buds. But I persevered and now that I have finished I really quite enjoyed it. Although written in the late 1950s it definitely has the vibe of a 1960s spy caper.
The post apocalyptic society with its oppressive religious dogma and big brother fascism is hardly revelatory but Farmer keeps his foot on the throttle all the way , as Dr Leif Barker tries to navigate his way through various dangers and opportunities (all while lusting over the twin of a recently deceased concubine to the fascist states leader).
By the end it all made sense and there was more coherence (and closure) than I had expected.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Not a bad read by any means, but there is no reason to seek it out either. There is plenty of intrigue and adventure. And violence. And sex. And because Farmer and 1960, violent sex. And the way he integrates religion and faith is quite nice and could have been explored more deeply.

[Lukerik · Rating 1 out of 5]

At least it’s short. Obviously written at great speed and without much care. I’m sure he was making a lot of it up as he went along so it’s not so much a plot as a series of events, not all of which make sense. And what is the book about? Particularly galling is just how many good ideas there are wasted here.

I suspect that Beacon Books gave Farmer the title and the cover art and told him to write something quickly that matched. That would explain the odd opening scene which doesn’t really match the rest of the novel, but which is what’s depicted on the cover. It’s not how Moth & Rust opened. I suppose he picked out an earlier piece of work to expand/rework so he didn’t have to do all the writing in a week. The title still makes absolutely no sense though which is why it was changed to Timestop in later printings.

[John Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

As other reviewers have said, there are a lot of interesting ideas but they're all disjointed and mashed together. The world building sucks. The main character is an entitled rapist and the world is full of repressed women who either want to be raped or fall in love with him after 5 minutes.

There is a difference between obvious male fantasy (the Gor series) and sexism. Unfortunately this book seems to cross the line into the latter category. An unworthy addition from an otherwise excellent writer.

[Richard Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The casual sexism in this sci-fi tale jars a bit, even allowing for the fact that it was written in the late 1950's. But it is an intriguing story with lots of ideas all competing for attention and I think it could have been successfully developed into something more than its slim 150 pages. I've certainly read much longer world-building books which have had less to say than this one. Ultimately it's no masterpiece but if you can set aside the ridiculous sexist attitudes expressed at times, it's worth a read for curiosity value if nothing else.

[Lewis Szymanski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not Farmer's best book. I haven't read any Farmer in a long time, so my memory of how good he is is probably clouded by time and adolescence.

There are a lot of interesting ideas in this book. no real depth or exploration of any of them, just a constant stream.

This seems to be loosely connected to The Lovers, and maybe Dare. I only say that about Dare because I vaguely remember a footnote in The Lovers that connected it to Dare.

[Brennon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A weird, hard to follow book.

Apparently, an expanded version of a short story. It would seem it should have been left as a short story.

I have only read a couple of this author's books, but I am noticing some common themes this author seems to use.

[Kenneth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scifi book I read back around 1970 or thereabouts. Remember that I enjoyed reading it but unfortunately don't remember much about the plot.

[Mikael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense, fast-paced, and until almost the end I can’t quite figure out what’s going on. More in a confusing way than that of suspense.
And yet, the story is interesting enough to keep me from putting it down.

[Hex75 · Rating 3 out of 5]

ok, il libro è,se non parte di un ciclo vero e proprio, parte di una serie di libri chiamata "il precursore" (dal fondatore della religione che regola la vita di uno dei paesi in cui le storie sono ambientate) e forse a leggerli tutti si potrebbe avere una visione più chiara del caotico mondo creato al buon philip josè farmer: ma questo "gli anni del precursore" letto così è un discreto casino, di quelli che mettono a durissima prova i lettori occasionali del genere.
leggere questo libro prevede che il lettore prenda tutto per buono, lasci scorrere tutti i particolari (termini, ruoli, classi sociali, luoghi) disseminati lungo la storia senza timore lasciandosi rapire dall'indubbia capacità dell'autore di creare mondi dalla struttura complessa eppure a loro modo "funzionanti", perchè se ci si ferma a chiedersi "che cazzo ho appena letto?" si rischia di buttare il libro in un angolo prima ancora di arrivare a metà.
a complicare il tutto c'è anche la struttura contorta della vicenda, fatta di macchinazioni, complotti e colpi di scena, che tantissimo immagino debba al clima politico di quegli anni: si parla esplicitamente di "guerra fredda", ed è facile vedere nell'enfasi inquisitoria di candleman -inquietante figura tra il poliziotto e il gerarca- un riflesso tanto del terrore staliniano quanto del maccartismo (il libro è del 1960, quando i processi per attività antiamericane erano storia di ieri).
e se vogliamo dirla tutta non è che il protagonista principale, il dottor leif barker, sia proprio da metter sul podio dei personaggi più simpatici della storia della f.s.

insomma: una bilancia in cui da una parte abbiamo grande creatività e la voglia di mettere tanta carne al fuoco, dall'altra una certa confusione, e sono il gusto personale e la passione per il genere a far decidere da che parte farla pendere...

[Raj · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dr Leif Barker, undercover agent for the Cold War Corps of the state of March, is given orders to cremate a woman immediately without any examination. This piques his curiosity and he discovers organs that leads him to suspect the woman as an extra-terrestrial.

I mostly enjoyed this book, with interesting world-building (existing states and power structures were wiped away when the vast majority of the world's population is destroyed by a genetically engineered virus) and society but the main problem for me came in the first chapter, where the protagonist rapes a woman. This is explained away by the fact that she was an enemy agent who was sent to seduce him, but it still reads uncomfortably and throws a pall on the rest of the book, throughout which Barker is portrayed fairly sympathetically. Probably not one that I'll go back to.

[Alien · Rating 1 out of 5]

Centuries after the viral war against the Martians, a theocratic dictatorship rules. Their founder claims to be able to travel through time.

I did not like the world building. About a hundred different ideas are thrown at the reader. He has to fight his way through, until some things are explained. Still the whole thing does not give a believable consistent setting.
The main protagonist is arrogant and not likable at all. He introduces himself by coercing a woman to have sex with him.
In this book nothing works for me.

[Luís Baixinho · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro começa de forma interessante e movimentada e o universo descrito é interessante. Mas o fim parece-me um bocado atabalhoado e forçado.
Vale a pena ler, mas existem melhores livros do autor na coleção.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the first Riverworld book, this is a bit of a disappointment.

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1981 grade C

aka Timestop!