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Evertime: The Iteration of the Martingale
Sagan, bred to be mercenary muscle for inhuman environments, has always been a survivor, but after a mission goes almost impossibly wrong, his number may finally be up. And what's worse, he's now out of work, too. A producer of hypnotically boring custom videos for the super rich and her shadowy network of friends offer him a way out, but can he shed everything that's made him who he is and accept a new way to live? And can he do it in time?
Aliens, video games, Emily Dickinson Easter eggs, spicy foods, age-old philosophical headscratchers, and maybe even some strange romance are just a few of the landmarks of Evertime, from the author of the "slippery, artful, and mythic piece of prose" that was This Album Full of Angles.
What readers are saying:
“‘Evertime’ boldly defies the concept of ‘nothing new under the sun.’”
“I want to spoil this book for you.”
“This book is really like nothing else that’s out there.”
“Draws you in from the very first paragraph…I found myself hiding away until very late at night indulging in this story.”
A “fascinating combination of worlds.”
“You’ll end up so wrapped up in its depths you’ll lose sunlight before you’ll lose interest in reading.”
“An inside-out adventure unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.”
Aliens, video games, Emily Dickinson Easter eggs, spicy foods, age-old philosophical headscratchers, and maybe even some strange romance are just a few of the landmarks of Evertime, from the author of the "slippery, artful, and mythic piece of prose" that was This Album Full of Angles.
What readers are saying:
“‘Evertime’ boldly defies the concept of ‘nothing new under the sun.’”
“I want to spoil this book for you.”
“This book is really like nothing else that’s out there.”
“Draws you in from the very first paragraph…I found myself hiding away until very late at night indulging in this story.”
A “fascinating combination of worlds.”
“You’ll end up so wrapped up in its depths you’ll lose sunlight before you’ll lose interest in reading.”
“An inside-out adventure unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before.”
350 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 2015
1 person is currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2015
I want to spoil this book for you, to run you through all the masterful ways in which it explores the nature of personhood, fairness, life, technology, history, and culture- but more than that, I want to tell you about its characters- to reveal who and what they are and to see your reactions. That said, I can't bring myself to say too much, for the fear you won't have the intense pleasure of discovering these things for yourself. Instead, I'll leave you with impressions of why I was so delighted to keep coming back to the world Reichard crafted for Evertime.
First, there is a weight of realistic-feeling history behind everything- every word, every movement, every locale seems steeped in an evolved essence that feels more grown than contrived. Though Evertime is most certainly a fine example of science fiction, unlike some works in the genre, nothing feels plastered on. You get the sense that this world is one of the possibilities that could crystallize from our own.
Second, Reichard has woven in so much depth to Evertime that he can 'throw away' interesting events and truths of this near-future world simply to color the background and fill in that previously-mentioned history. If you are at all a follower of popular futurists, you will catch one of their beloved possible futures coming to life in these pages. Without giving up a thing, I can say that the moment it dawned on me how natural this layering of imagined history seemed was when the past-tense mention of of this proposed world-altering event was casually used as a marker of time without much fanfare. It simply was a part of the tapestry of knowledge common to the denizens of Evertime's place in history.
Third, Reichard's characters ( the temptation to spoil here is terrible) exist in a state that would be easy to fetishize and over-think. He takes a very interesting conceptual space and treats it as normal, and in doing so, allows us to explore a truly different world on terms we understand and with which we can empathize. You will forget where you are while you are reading and you will be repeatedly made glad that you have done so.
Last, but not least, Reichard proves fluent in cultural references that ground and enrich the story. I need not elaborate; the references you recognize, you'll enjoy.
If you are a lover of near-future fictions and altering your perceptions, exploring the world from a point of view paradoxically alien and wholly intelligible, and you simply love a good story, you will enjoy Evertime, and you will be waiting impatiently as I am for the next installment.
First, there is a weight of realistic-feeling history behind everything- every word, every movement, every locale seems steeped in an evolved essence that feels more grown than contrived. Though Evertime is most certainly a fine example of science fiction, unlike some works in the genre, nothing feels plastered on. You get the sense that this world is one of the possibilities that could crystallize from our own.
Second, Reichard has woven in so much depth to Evertime that he can 'throw away' interesting events and truths of this near-future world simply to color the background and fill in that previously-mentioned history. If you are at all a follower of popular futurists, you will catch one of their beloved possible futures coming to life in these pages. Without giving up a thing, I can say that the moment it dawned on me how natural this layering of imagined history seemed was when the past-tense mention of of this proposed world-altering event was casually used as a marker of time without much fanfare. It simply was a part of the tapestry of knowledge common to the denizens of Evertime's place in history.
Third, Reichard's characters ( the temptation to spoil here is terrible) exist in a state that would be easy to fetishize and over-think. He takes a very interesting conceptual space and treats it as normal, and in doing so, allows us to explore a truly different world on terms we understand and with which we can empathize. You will forget where you are while you are reading and you will be repeatedly made glad that you have done so.
Last, but not least, Reichard proves fluent in cultural references that ground and enrich the story. I need not elaborate; the references you recognize, you'll enjoy.
If you are a lover of near-future fictions and altering your perceptions, exploring the world from a point of view paradoxically alien and wholly intelligible, and you simply love a good story, you will enjoy Evertime, and you will be waiting impatiently as I am for the next installment.
March 23, 2015
I liked it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews