Convergence

by Thomas Settimi

The feathery white ribbons in the sky above Adams County, Pennsylvania, were nothing unusual—just the common vapor trail evidence of high-flying jet aircraft. But for the men on the ground below they were a puzzlement. And no the year was 1863 and the men were Confederate soldiers marching toward the most significant battle of the American Civil War.Thousands of miles away and 105 years later, Navy pilot Nathaniel Booth and his navigator complete their air mission over Laos and are headed back to the deck of the USS Enterprise when their aircraft mysteriously vanishes. Our hero Booth is declared Missing In Action. Years later when Rose Booth, the family matriarch, learns that her son may not have been a casualty of the war as previously believed, she enlists a prominent history professor and his protégé to uncover the truth. They trace the path of our hero as he faces the unfamiliar challenges of life and times from an era in American history long past.In this carefully researched historical novel with a cosmic twist, the author recounts the compassionate struggle to weave together the threads of a lost airman’s life and bring solace to a grief-stricken mother. 88,000 Words, 73 Chapters, 346 Pages

Genres: Historical Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Science Fiction, Historical

380 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2007

About the author

Thomas Settimi graduated from the Institute of Technology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and holds a Master's Degree in Physics from the University of California at Riverside. For much of his early professional career he was engaged in technical writing and engineering for the Department of the Navy and defense-related firms. As a youth, Thomas enjoyed Robert Heinlein, especially THE DOOR INTO SUMMER and EARTH ABIDES by George R. Stewart. His current favorite fiction works include 11.22.63 by Stephen King and THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE by Philip K Dick. Thomas resides in Brookings, Oregon, with his wife, Charlotte.

Reviews

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed the story, it lost one star because it did not answer the question about the trust fund. Why include those characters at all, in that case? Except for that disappointment, it was a good book.

[Ciscokid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book for history buffs. The story starts out in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, but soon takes a twist. Through some kind of "spacial warp" an American Naval plane is transported through time to the middle of the Civil War, a few days before the battle of Gettysburg. The story, taking place similtaniously in Vietnam, the later half of the 19th century and the present U.S., follows the story of a US soldier,from the Vietnam War, who finds himself in a different war in a different century.

This book is full of historical facts about the Civil War and to a lesser degree, the Vietnam War. It was interesting to see how the main character adjusted to the life over 100 years ago with his knowledge of future events.

I didn't care for the side story of the professor and his assisstant. The little information they managed to find, I felt, added little to the story. If this part had been more in depth....more clues found about the Khronos corp. and the Nat's involvement.....more details about his time in the 19th century....something to make it more interesting and pertinent to the story. I also feel that the author didn't make it clear as to who the "asian" woman and her "friend" was. A little more info about them, to clarify things, would have been nice. I'm hoping this might be resolved in a sequel.....and I AM hoping there is a sequel.

[Cherei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read 'Convergence' in one sitting! Granted.. it was 2:30 AM before I got to bed.. but, all in all.. it was worth it! lol

The story has some VietNam American soldiers from 1968 flying into the jungle.. when POOF.. a blinding light.. and the terrain changes to Gettysburg a few days prior to the huge battle. One soldier is fortunate enough to find his way back to his time.. along with one wounded Civil War soldier. Whereas the pilot finds himself stuck in time. Thankfully... he IS a student of history.. and manages to survive very well!

The storyline weaves back and forth between different times.. I still haven't quite figured out if I somehow missed a chapter of the History Professor hooking up with a gal who is auditing his class as they try and solve the mystery behind an American US soldier's flight helmet buried in a Civil War era trunk.. at Gettysburg. But, that really doesn't detract too much from the story!

I read the books out of order.. starting with the author's second book in the series. Having totally enjoyed that one.. I decided to read this one! It doesn't really matter which order you read them.. as they're both stand alones! I like that too!

It makes one wonder.. if Time travel could be this easy.. just finding that "window" into the past.. and strolling on through! I'd like to find that door.. for a week or so!

[Richard Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting concept for time travel, a subject I normally do not partake. It reminded me of the television series, The Twilight Zone. The plot involved an impressive amount of historical detail, including intertwining real figures into the narrative, making this history buff excited about where we were going and where we would end up. My only criticism might be the level of historical knowledge of the "future" that the main character retained and used for his own benefit.

In general this book was well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone with a modicum of historical and sci fi interests.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Read Ending Too Soon

Really well done. The introduced romance between the Professor and auditing student appears irrelevant in terms of story. Might have developed that more with plot. Left some open threads on the second trust which should have been resolved. Was pleased the typical "time travel artifacts finding" plot resulted in better than average story telling.

[B. Soreil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The skill with which the author seamlessly weaves his fictional characters and actual historical figures is breathtaking! The details of history are not only absolutely correct but told with equal compassion for all combatants. The time travel element is handled so deftly that instead of being the focal point, it is the characters and history itself that are
the stars! Truly a great read!

[Edmund Sass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this book. Though the concept of time travel seems implausible, the author manages to make it believable. The book is nicely written, and the author weaves accurate historical information into the story quite well. I would recommend this book not only to science fiction lovers but also to those who enjoy historical fiction.

[Curtis Thetford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting historical fiction story. I like the way a lot of history was included in the story line. The allusions to historical events, both in the U.S. and in colonial Asia have stimulated an interest in researching some of the events described.

I won't give away too much plot, but if you like history and time-travel stories, the story is worth reading and held my attention well. The writing itself was average I thought... not up there with the likes of Tom Clancy (I would love to have seen a writer of that skill take on this plot line!). There is more focus on the plot line itself and relatively little character development, and any treatment of the internal conflicts (what would it really feel like to adjust to society in a different time? What emotions would be going through your head while confined in a prison camp? What about the homesickness of being uprooted from home and family? etc.) and thinking of the characters themselves is very light. Various plot intricacies seem to resolve themselves a too easily and left me feeling a little unfulfilled.

The book would make an interesting movie plot, and the book really feels more like a light screen play than a fully developed novel. In addition, there are a few editorial mistakes that have slipped through (like using 'there' instead of 'their' in a couple of places. Still, it only takes a couple of days to read the story, it wasn't hard to get through at all and I enjoyed the time spent with the book.

[Jim A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. I don't usually read science fiction, or in the case of this book, quasi science fiction. It was a good read.

For those who enjoy this genre, my other foray into time warps and time travel was the trilogy by John Birmingham, beginning with Weapons of Choice. These three books I also enjoyed.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the concept of this book. I liked how historical facts were interwoven throughout this work of fiction. I hope that Thomas Settimi considers writing a sequel to this book (I want to know what happens next). It's definitely worth a read (you won't be sorry).

[Gene Komaromi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Sci-Fi read with a story built around a time convergence that takes the reader from Vietnam in the 1960's to The Civil War and back to the present with an interesting plot twists and interesting characters.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book overall was good. I enjoyed the premise as well as the history. My only complaint is that it ended pretty abruptly. I felt it could have expanded a little more on the climax and aftermath.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

[Michel Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book although fiction is not my favorite genre, throw a little history in there makes it enjoyable for me. If you enjoyed 11/22/63, you would like this read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. There was one question left unanswered. What happened to the trust fund?

[Margaret Boehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel.. was somewhat hard to follow but good story

[John Love IV · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting time travel series. Good characters and like the plot.