What do you think?
Rate this book
Here, There & Everywhere
When Roxanne Bonaventure is eleven years old, a dying woman gives her a gift that changes her life utterly, making her a singular creature, with no analogue or equivalent. With the strange device called the "Sofia," she is granted the ability to travel anywhere in space and time, not only through times that were and will be, but also through the worlds that could have been and might someday be. From that day forward, no place or time can contain her, no danger can assail her, no mystery can elude her. From the deepest secrets of the past to the furthest flung visions of the future, Roxanne's life knows no boundaries except those she can imagine. But such power comes at a the life she might have led is forever lost to her, twisting away among the infinite threads of the Myriad. Roxanne finds herself isolated, unable to make lasting, meaningful relationships with friends, family, or strangers. Here, There & Everywhere is the story of one woman searching for herself, and for someone with whom to share her life. It is one story, and many stories - the jigsaw puzzle of a life, from youth to old age, projected against the backdrop of everything that ever was, might have been, and may yet be. Roxanne's adventures take her from Victorian England to Ancient Egypt, from the End of Time to the birth of The Beatles. Along the way, she encounters every method of time travel theoretically Visser Wormholes and Tipler Cylinders; a mysterious substance called chronium; and the slow and steady path we all take, moving forward one day at a time. And somewhere in the endlessly splitting paths of the Myriad lies the secret of Roxann
283 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
3 people are currently reading
283 people want to read
About the author
Chris Roberson
553 books265 followersChris Roberson is the co-creator with artist Michael Allred of iZombie, the basis of the hit CW television series, and the writer of several New York Times best-selling Cinderella miniseries set in the world of Bill Willingham’s Fables. He is also the co-creator of Edison Rex with artist Dennis Culver, and the co-writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, Witchfinder, Rise of the Black Flame, and other titles set in the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. In addition to his numerous comics projects, Roberson has written more than a dozen novels and three dozen short stories. He lives with a teenager, two cats, and far too many books in Portland, Oregon.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 30, 2012
I often select a book based solely on the title and cover. This process actually produces more “hits” than “misses” especially when doing so within a specific genre. If I’m on the fence I may also glance at the back cover (for indications of an unknown author’s prior work) or, even the blurb on the inside of the cover.
“Here, There & Everywhere” was once such random grab with a highly favorable outcome. I can’t (won’t) give away much of the story or plot because I think this book deserves to be judged on its own. Some books I am content to read when I have a few minutes; others I will make extra time for. This book was one of those exceptions where I put down other things for it.
I’ve always been a fan of science fiction in most of its guises. This book covers time travel and does so with wit, humor (no, they are not the same thing) and a good amount of imagination. The various worlds where our heroine goes are spelled out in the necessary details, but those details never detract from the story.
While some may find that the bits of science are new or even difficult, I think that they were good “color” but really just that. If you took out the occasional mention of a superstring or a brane the novel would not collapse in on itself (a quantum black hole joke there, folks).
What did surprise me was what the author threw into the “afterword.’. Not how he used to write with a group or his mention of Harlan Ellison’s stunt of writing in bookstore windows. (I thought I was the only one that remembered that he did that!) No, what I found most interesting was the history of this book and those are details I won’t writer down here.
I know that this won’t appeal to every reader, but it is a good book and one that combines originality and personality into a very enjoyable tale. I may not read anything else by Chris Roberson, but I am happy that I read this.
“Here, There & Everywhere” was once such random grab with a highly favorable outcome. I can’t (won’t) give away much of the story or plot because I think this book deserves to be judged on its own. Some books I am content to read when I have a few minutes; others I will make extra time for. This book was one of those exceptions where I put down other things for it.
I’ve always been a fan of science fiction in most of its guises. This book covers time travel and does so with wit, humor (no, they are not the same thing) and a good amount of imagination. The various worlds where our heroine goes are spelled out in the necessary details, but those details never detract from the story.
While some may find that the bits of science are new or even difficult, I think that they were good “color” but really just that. If you took out the occasional mention of a superstring or a brane the novel would not collapse in on itself (a quantum black hole joke there, folks).
What did surprise me was what the author threw into the “afterword.’. Not how he used to write with a group or his mention of Harlan Ellison’s stunt of writing in bookstore windows. (I thought I was the only one that remembered that he did that!) No, what I found most interesting was the history of this book and those are details I won’t writer down here.
I know that this won’t appeal to every reader, but it is a good book and one that combines originality and personality into a very enjoyable tale. I may not read anything else by Chris Roberson, but I am happy that I read this.
August 31, 2021
Intriguing but meandering. I tried to finish, but towards the last 70 pages, I just didn't care any more. The series of short stories about different time traveling adventures is fun. They just don't add up to a satisfying conclusion. (I did skim the last 20 pages.)
April 30, 2010
I've been enjoying discussions with friends about Young Adult fiction and "fiction that appeals to teens but isn't specifically marketed as YA". I think a likely reason why more authors aren't known for their teen readership is that the YA label often turns off many adult readers (which is unfortunate) but most teen readers will not hesitate to read something that isn't specifically labeled YA (which is fortunate). There's a lot of common ground in the Fantasy / Science Fiction genre in particular, and I wouldn't hesitate to include this novel by Austin author Chris Roberson in a YA collection.
is a lighthearted romp through time; lighthearted not because it doesn't touch on some deep thoughts of philosophical deepness, but because it treads lightly and provides a number of recognizable and fun historical references to welcome readers who are just starting to explore the genre. At the same time, science fans and science fiction enthusiasts will enjoy the many little details sprinkled throughout (I recently read Abbott's and was tickled that one of the characters mentioned it). What I liked most, actually, was the author's explanation of how this book came to be. He and a group of Texas writers took a cue from Harlan Ellison and would collectively write a novel over the course of a single weekend, posting chapters online as they went where fans could follow along and offer suggestions. Ideas born from one of those weekends eventually, through many iterations, became this book.
Another serendipitous find at the Austin Public Library. A fast and enjoyable read on a lazy weekend.
is a lighthearted romp through time; lighthearted not because it doesn't touch on some deep thoughts of philosophical deepness, but because it treads lightly and provides a number of recognizable and fun historical references to welcome readers who are just starting to explore the genre. At the same time, science fans and science fiction enthusiasts will enjoy the many little details sprinkled throughout (I recently read Abbott's and was tickled that one of the characters mentioned it). What I liked most, actually, was the author's explanation of how this book came to be. He and a group of Texas writers took a cue from Harlan Ellison and would collectively write a novel over the course of a single weekend, posting chapters online as they went where fans could follow along and offer suggestions. Ideas born from one of those weekends eventually, through many iterations, became this book.
Another serendipitous find at the Austin Public Library. A fast and enjoyable read on a lazy weekend.
July 29, 2024
Young Roxanne is given a time-traveling bracelet by a dying woman. Not only does it travel time, but space...and world lines. She spends her life exploring the endless fascinations of not only her world history, but so many other worlds. And she needn't worry about messing anything up—everything she does creates a new split, and she simply follows the next world.
I found this to be a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive novel. Each chapter is almost completely independent from the other, starting with the prologue where Roxanne is chasing Beatles' concerts—and aside from the title and chapter names being references, that is never brought up again in the entire novel. During one of the earlier stories she discovers the existence of a room in the Arctic that allows people to time travel, and another adventure has her finding out that 'chromium' exists and H.G. Wells definitely based his book off of a professor who disappeared when using it. These things as well as some other small details are referenced again in the end (the last story).
Roxanne basically possesses extreme superpowers with her fancy bracelet and rarely has to live with the consequences of her actions. She's really arrogant, which is sometimes funny and sometimes alienating. There is some fun science and time-travel stuff.
I was entertained enough by the book to finish it but I almost gave up halfway through. I found the diary entries to be almost entirely pointless.
I found this to be a collection of short stories rather than a cohesive novel. Each chapter is almost completely independent from the other, starting with the prologue where Roxanne is chasing Beatles' concerts—and aside from the title and chapter names being references, that is never brought up again in the entire novel. During one of the earlier stories she discovers the existence of a room in the Arctic that allows people to time travel, and another adventure has her finding out that 'chromium' exists and H.G. Wells definitely based his book off of a professor who disappeared when using it. These things as well as some other small details are referenced again in the end (the last story).
Roxanne basically possesses extreme superpowers with her fancy bracelet and rarely has to live with the consequences of her actions. She's really arrogant, which is sometimes funny and sometimes alienating. There is some fun science and time-travel stuff.
I was entertained enough by the book to finish it but I almost gave up halfway through. I found the diary entries to be almost entirely pointless.
August 14, 2007
I've always loved time travel stories.
When I was a kid, I loved them for the sheer coolness and excitement of the idea: If you could go anywhere, anytime, where would it be? As I got older, I still loved the cool idea, but suddenly things like internal consistency and paradoxes loomed larger — if that stuff was off, it started to ruin the cool fun idea. Then I read a lot of stories where the science was at the forefront, but little things like plot and character faded away. I kept looking for a happy medium — a story where the science was solid and made sense AND there was a plot and characters that I cared about. And then I found it.
My friends, I give you Here, There & Everywhere by Chris Roberson.
Here, There & Everywhere is the story of Roxanne Bonaventure, who, as a young girl, is given a bracelet (called the Sophia) by a mysterious old woman. The Sophia is a time-travel device which allows Roxanne to travel anywhere and anywhen, including alternate timelines. She spends the rest of the book searching for answers to a number of questions, including the origins of the Sophia.
Roxanne is a fabulous character, charming and believable from childhood on. Other characters are drawn equally well, especially Roxanne's father, but even characters we meet only once are memorable.
I'm also fond of the way the story is structured. We get Roxanne's story in a series of vignettes contained in short chapters, with some years skipped between each one. This evokes very well the way Roxanne lives her life among the different timelines she visits. You're able to follow the storyline with no problem, yet you can also feel the same sense of disconnect that Roxanne feels.
Roberson has done a terrific job with Here, There & Everywhere. It's a fast, enjoyable and humorous read that has enough substance to give you plenty to think about when it's all over. And what could be better than that?
When I was a kid, I loved them for the sheer coolness and excitement of the idea: If you could go anywhere, anytime, where would it be? As I got older, I still loved the cool idea, but suddenly things like internal consistency and paradoxes loomed larger — if that stuff was off, it started to ruin the cool fun idea. Then I read a lot of stories where the science was at the forefront, but little things like plot and character faded away. I kept looking for a happy medium — a story where the science was solid and made sense AND there was a plot and characters that I cared about. And then I found it.
My friends, I give you Here, There & Everywhere by Chris Roberson.
Here, There & Everywhere is the story of Roxanne Bonaventure, who, as a young girl, is given a bracelet (called the Sophia) by a mysterious old woman. The Sophia is a time-travel device which allows Roxanne to travel anywhere and anywhen, including alternate timelines. She spends the rest of the book searching for answers to a number of questions, including the origins of the Sophia.
Roxanne is a fabulous character, charming and believable from childhood on. Other characters are drawn equally well, especially Roxanne's father, but even characters we meet only once are memorable.
I'm also fond of the way the story is structured. We get Roxanne's story in a series of vignettes contained in short chapters, with some years skipped between each one. This evokes very well the way Roxanne lives her life among the different timelines she visits. You're able to follow the storyline with no problem, yet you can also feel the same sense of disconnect that Roxanne feels.
Roberson has done a terrific job with Here, There & Everywhere. It's a fast, enjoyable and humorous read that has enough substance to give you plenty to think about when it's all over. And what could be better than that?
October 4, 2025
I read this 15+ years ago but thanks to ADHD's gift of a terrible memory, I really had no recollection of it other than that it was about time travel, and that I'd enjoyed it, and a vague image of reading it in a booth at a restaurant somewhere. Years later I stumbled across a copy for sale for $1 at my local library and I grabbed it excitedly for my collection, put it on the shelf, and there it has sat for nearly ten years until I just decided this week to pick it up again. (It's just occurred to me that it's quite possible that it was this exact copy I read the first time.)
I don't reread books often, but sometimes I am very much in need of a read that I am sure I will enjoy, and thanks to my aforementioned terrible memory, I can enjoy a book all over again with confidence. It's a little bit like time travel. But of course there is the danger that a book will not hold up nearly as well now that I have read far more books in my late 40s than I had in my late 20s.
So I was very pleased to find that yes, I did enjoy this book very much the second time. It's sort of a collection of short stories that tells a larger tale, each one mostly self-contained but always more or less compelling. It reminds me a bit of The Graveyard Book that way. I love time travel stories, and the variety of adventures our heroine has kept things interesting throughout.
I was disappointed to see that the book has quite a low number of Goodreads ratings, which is a shame, because I certainly think it deserves a greater audience. Maybe my review will catch another reader or two. I hope you'll give it a try!
I don't reread books often, but sometimes I am very much in need of a read that I am sure I will enjoy, and thanks to my aforementioned terrible memory, I can enjoy a book all over again with confidence. It's a little bit like time travel. But of course there is the danger that a book will not hold up nearly as well now that I have read far more books in my late 40s than I had in my late 20s.
So I was very pleased to find that yes, I did enjoy this book very much the second time. It's sort of a collection of short stories that tells a larger tale, each one mostly self-contained but always more or less compelling. It reminds me a bit of The Graveyard Book that way. I love time travel stories, and the variety of adventures our heroine has kept things interesting throughout.
I was disappointed to see that the book has quite a low number of Goodreads ratings, which is a shame, because I certainly think it deserves a greater audience. Maybe my review will catch another reader or two. I hope you'll give it a try!
July 4, 2009
This is really one of my favorite books. It is the one I like to re-read when ever I get the chance. Chris Roberson has written a fun book about a woman via a bracelet called Sofia who can travel through time and space and divergent time lines as well.
Even though he keeps up with current theories of time travel he doesn't forget that the best science fiction isn't about the science but the people.
So as with some science fiction the writer can get too involved in the science and forget to develop the people with in the story.
Also he doesn't explain everything. He explain the things that need to explianed while leaving the rest up to our own imaginations. Which is a mark of a great writer.
I highly recommend this book. You like the main character of Roxanne. She is what drives this story.
And for more of what I think check out my blog:
http://betweenthefirstandlastpage.blo...
Even though he keeps up with current theories of time travel he doesn't forget that the best science fiction isn't about the science but the people.
So as with some science fiction the writer can get too involved in the science and forget to develop the people with in the story.
Also he doesn't explain everything. He explain the things that need to explianed while leaving the rest up to our own imaginations. Which is a mark of a great writer.
I highly recommend this book. You like the main character of Roxanne. She is what drives this story.
And for more of what I think check out my blog:
http://betweenthefirstandlastpage.blo...
September 15, 2009
What a handy gadget to have, the Sofia. And the trips I'd make with it would be ones quite different to Roxanne's. My top three would be:
Back to 1918 to the cellar at Ekaterinberg to see which of the Princesses survived.
Back to the Pacific Ocean, particularly Gardner Island in 1937 to see where Amelia Earheart did end up and
back to medieval Europe to find the real Romeo and Juliet.
I particularly enjoyed the humour, the way Roxanne aged along with her sensibilities AND the ending.
Back to 1918 to the cellar at Ekaterinberg to see which of the Princesses survived.
Back to the Pacific Ocean, particularly Gardner Island in 1937 to see where Amelia Earheart did end up and
back to medieval Europe to find the real Romeo and Juliet.
I particularly enjoyed the humour, the way Roxanne aged along with her sensibilities AND the ending.
March 27, 2008
After being slightly traumatized by The Time Traveler's Wife, it was nice to enjoy this relatively angst-free fantasy romp through time and alternate worlds. The shout-outs to other time traveler stories do start to get a bit too silly and the author did annoy me seriously at least once, but on the whole, it was all in good fun.
April 21, 2013
No sé que decir de este libro, no sé si es bueno o malo, sólo el lector en turno lo decidirá.
21/04/2013 Es un buen libro, quizá el tema no es muy original pero la trama y el desarrollo son buenos, dan ganas de leerlo por segunda vez (y eso es raro en mí). Le aumenté una estrella.
21/04/2013 Es un buen libro, quizá el tema no es muy original pero la trama y el desarrollo son buenos, dan ganas de leerlo por segunda vez (y eso es raro en mí). Le aumenté una estrella.
October 2, 2007
A good time travel novel that basically hit all the tropes and commented on them nicely. Not much of a plot but good character development.
November 28, 2008
I loved the humor in this book. At times, I was completely lost, especially in the physics, but all in all it was pretty good.
Read
July 29, 2011Read this after hearing the writer interviewed on Cover to Cover (http://www.dragonpage.com/). Guessed the twist at the start. Which is a shame. Too obvious!
March 2, 2012
Disjointed.
July 17, 2014
uneven (you can tell it wasn't written as a novel), but an author to watch. More importantly, there are many Beatles appearances. I loved that.
March 3, 2023
"Here, There, and Everywhere" is a near perfect time travel story that will keep the reader glued to the page until the very end.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews