Another Space in Time, Returns

by Richard Bunning

Another Space in Time, Returns", works well as a standalone book even though it was envisaged as a sequel to "Another Space in Time" before the first book was finished. In this novel we continue to follow the fortunes of Rodwell Richards as he struggles to defeat the terrorists who all but destroyed him. Rodwell is settled and married in his second life, and is about to become a father as this story begins. Neither he, nor his wife, has yet any idea that Rodwell is going to be an almost immediately absent father. Rodwell is soon to replace his twin brother inside the local terrorist cell of the Vids, in an attempt to accumulate enough evidence to bring the criminal organisation down. Life on this other earth-like planet, Axa-Goranas, isn't so very different that we can't recognise its landscapes, and human technologies. In the State of Albion, where this story's events take place, the population even speak English. However, this is most certainly not the Earth and, for all anyone knows, this place may not even be in our Universe. Possibly we are in a parallel dimension that is only an arm's length from us or perhaps we are untold billions of miles away. We don't know. What we do know is that at least a fifth of the population have lived before, on our blue planet, and arrived on Goranas after dying prematurely. Rodwell struggles to survive, whilst doing right by both his new employer, the Loxley Police, and by his nearest and dearest. Are these responsibilities incompatible? At times it certainly seems so. This is a science fiction story, with many broad philosophical strands. The speculative framework allowed an abundance of believable and exciting drama, as well as providing plenty of tangential food for deeper thought.

404 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

Most often, I write speculative fiction.
My speculative books are "Another Space in Time", the originally titled "Another Space in Time, Returns" and "Spiderworld"
I have two collections book of flash fiction out, out that despite their titles have absolutely nothing to do with cooking- "Fifty Egg Timer Short Stories" (Mixed genre) and the originally titles "Fifty More...
My latest book is "In Two Hundred Squared Words", which is a book of Double Drabbles, ie 200 word stories. This is suitable as a gift book. Another work is totally unsuitable as anything other than a gift item, a very silly novelty one. It is "Understanding Women: A guide for male survival" by Jennings, Bunning and Lebel.

I have some earlier works, which are reworked neoclassical plays. These will be of interest to those who wish to read Jean Racine in prose English. Not everyone's cup of tea, but handy if one's French is lacking.
I am an advocate of independent, vanity, and small press authors, and with this in mind I regularly review.

Above all, I like to be read. Even if my works don't attract your interest I hope that you look at my GR reviews to find books you are interested in.
Thanks for wading through this.

Reviews

[Ian Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sequel to "Another Space in Time", but I found it to be fine as a stand-alone. Bunning starts with a background that gives what I assume is a reasonable summary of the first book (I have only read this one), and I had no trouble following the story is set on another planet, Goranas, that is populated largely by natives who are telepathic, together with "arrivals" who are not. Arrivals are people who have died on Earth, but since there are so few of them, there must be some selection process, although what it is is not shown. The main protagonist is Rodwell Richards, who discovers he has a twin brother who died at birth on Earth, but on Goranas has become a serious player in a criminal organization known as the Vids. The local police kidnap this brother and persuade Rodwell to take his place. The police plan is not especially good, the police and government are riddled with corruption, so Rodwell's life expectancy is not good. In addition, Rodwell is not exactly an efficient agent. Good material for a thriller.

The story is told first person present, and this has some consequences. One is that there are of necessity periods where nothing much happens, for example, in going from A to B. Now, to prevent the story becoming unreasonably jerky, these periods have to be filled in with the protagonist's thoughts, and with what he sees. Accordingly, there are plenty of descriptions, and plenty of periods of philosophical thinking. The situation of resurrection on another planet gives plenty of opportunity for such thinking, and also the question of the corruption and the questions of what to do next. Accordingly, the story is frequently very introspective. If this appeals, the story proceeds at a good pace, and the thriller parts are well-structured, leaving aside the trouble that Rodwell gets into is largely his own fault. As long as the reader accepts this form, this is an excellent read, and is the best I have read in this first person present form, hence the grade.

[Dixiane Hallaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stand-alone sequel to "Another Space in Time," this book delves deeper into Richard Bunning's imaginative, interesting, and consistent universe. The story is full of drama, with plenty of action. Bunning takes you into the mind of the protagonist who, as people do, thinks a lot about what he’s about to do as he embarks on a dangerous under-cover operation. He argues with himself endlessly about whether or not the ends justify the means. In actuality, people do have long internal arguments that circle around the same thoughts as they step into morally questionable territory, but the reader does not have to share it all.
That being said, would I read another Richard Bunning book? Definitely. His writing is grammatically correct; his proofreading is excellent. More important—his creative storylines are interesting.

[L.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Space In Time, Returns by Richard Bunning is a four hundred and four page novel written in first person, present tense (and written correctly). It is the second in the series however it is a standalone story. You are even brought up to speed, in case you did not read the first book. It starts a little slow but quickly turns into a page-turner. The plot keeps you guessing and the characters are interesting and likeable.

After Rodwell Richards death and rebirth onto Axa-Goranas, a parallel earth-like world, he starts a new life where he is married to Lucy and has a baby on the way. Before long everything is quickly turned upside down. Working undercover for the police, he takes the place of his twin brother and begins to gather information to wipeout a terrorist group. Rodwell struggles under pressure to get the job done and to keep everyone he loves out of harm’s way.

[Richard Bunning]

I am the Author.