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Summer of Love
In the height of the 1960s, fourteen-year-old Susan Stein, alias Starbright, meets Chiron Cat's Eye, a boy from the future who must find a specific hippie whose fate will affect many generations to come. Reprint.
433 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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702 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Mason
75 books72 followersStay safe and well in 2021! Please visit my website at http://www.lisamason.com for all my print books, ebooks, screenplays, Storybundles, interviews, blogs, my husband Tom Robinson's bespoke jewelry and artwork, cute cat pictures, and more!
My second collection, ODDITIES: 22 Stories, is available now as an ebook on Kindle worldwide and as a print book in seven countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. The collection includes stories previously published in OMNI, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Full Spectrum 5, and others, plus six new stories. A Locus Magazine Notable Book.
I've got eight other books available as beautiful trade paperbacks (and ebooks): CHROME, Summer of Love, The Gilded Age, The Garden of Abracadabra, Arachne, Cyberweb, One Day in the Life of Alexa, and Strange Ladies: 7 Stories.
Summer of Love was a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, The Gilded Age was a New York Times Notable Book. My Omni story, "Tomorrow's Child," sold outright as a feature film to Universal Pictures and is in development.
My second collection, ODDITIES: 22 Stories, is available now as an ebook on Kindle worldwide and as a print book in seven countries, including the U.S. and the U.K. The collection includes stories previously published in OMNI, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Full Spectrum 5, and others, plus six new stories. A Locus Magazine Notable Book.
I've got eight other books available as beautiful trade paperbacks (and ebooks): CHROME, Summer of Love, The Gilded Age, The Garden of Abracadabra, Arachne, Cyberweb, One Day in the Life of Alexa, and Strange Ladies: 7 Stories.
Summer of Love was a Philip K. Dick Award Finalist and San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book, The Gilded Age was a New York Times Notable Book. My Omni story, "Tomorrow's Child," sold outright as a feature film to Universal Pictures and is in development.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 31, 2007
This is one of my favorite books, a "comfort-food" read. I first read it probably 10 years ago, and re-read it often. It's one of my default books, for when I really need to read something but don't want to start anything brand new and want something soothing and familiar.
I love the way Lisa Mason wrote this book; her writing style, her choice of tense and words. Everthing about this book works for me; the concept, the story, the characters. And every time I read it, I come away with something new.
I love the way Lisa Mason wrote this book; her writing style, her choice of tense and words. Everthing about this book works for me; the concept, the story, the characters. And every time I read it, I come away with something new.
September 6, 2011
With a nice combination of well-written hippie prose and tech time traveling science-fiction goodness, Mason sends us back to the 60s, to a time and space remembered both as a summer of love and a summer of strife.
Dig this: it's 1967 in San Francisco; Summer of Love. Teenybopper Susan, new alias Starbright, runs away from her suburban Ohio home, seeking peace and love in The Haight-Ashbury. She crosses paths with a real cool cat, one young Chiron Cat's Eye in Draco, goes by Chi and hails from the way future. Sausalito, 2467. They share a pad with a soulful cosmic lady, Ruby, who owns her own shop, The Mystic Eye. Chi's mission? Midst the weed and patchouli swirl and confusion of the whole funky, trippy scene, find The Axis. Protect the Axis. Save his world. Far-out! I dug this charming, heartfelt novel. Did I mention that all the chapter titles are named from sixties songs? So groovy. Peace. Love, Dove.
Dig this: it's 1967 in San Francisco; Summer of Love. Teenybopper Susan, new alias Starbright, runs away from her suburban Ohio home, seeking peace and love in The Haight-Ashbury. She crosses paths with a real cool cat, one young Chiron Cat's Eye in Draco, goes by Chi and hails from the way future. Sausalito, 2467. They share a pad with a soulful cosmic lady, Ruby, who owns her own shop, The Mystic Eye. Chi's mission? Midst the weed and patchouli swirl and confusion of the whole funky, trippy scene, find The Axis. Protect the Axis. Save his world. Far-out! I dug this charming, heartfelt novel. Did I mention that all the chapter titles are named from sixties songs? So groovy. Peace. Love, Dove.
July 16, 2009
I loved this book almost all the way through- I've been meaning to read it during a summer for like 2 summers now, and I'm glad I finally did. The prose at the beginning was reminiscent of Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-aid, and it reminded me of another book, Move Underground, which combined Beatnik prose with H.P. Lovecraft. Summer of Love combined hippie prose with science fiction, but I thought it was better because it didn't rely on demystifying or making protagonists out of historical people. Sure, there was a dig at the Morningstar Ranch, and Janis Joplin and some others made appearances, but I liked how Summer of Love took the reality of the 60's yet still kept some of the heightened sense of nostalgia or optimism or fantasy that era has taken in american folklore. It wasn't cynical, it rang true.
But nearing the end of the book I came to realize everyone but the three main characters had been slowly transformed into caricatures and ignorant people. I didn't like that. And while the book had a freewheeling tendency throughout (sometimes confusing, never boring), at the end way too much was explained in rather dull backstories- there was too much world-building of the future, which turns out to be a progressive liberal's wet dream. But it was still shown to have faults, which I liked.
Ultimately, the promise of the first half was lost with all the back-story and explanation crap in the second half. Quite a lot could have been cut out of this book, and I sometimes felt myself wishing there wasn't any science fiction aspect to it at all. It took on a smugly superior (and feminist) tone that I found disdainful and preachy. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it very much, and it has opened my eyes to the sort of books I should try reading again- I love psychedelic and science fiction crap!
But nearing the end of the book I came to realize everyone but the three main characters had been slowly transformed into caricatures and ignorant people. I didn't like that. And while the book had a freewheeling tendency throughout (sometimes confusing, never boring), at the end way too much was explained in rather dull backstories- there was too much world-building of the future, which turns out to be a progressive liberal's wet dream. But it was still shown to have faults, which I liked.
Ultimately, the promise of the first half was lost with all the back-story and explanation crap in the second half. Quite a lot could have been cut out of this book, and I sometimes felt myself wishing there wasn't any science fiction aspect to it at all. It took on a smugly superior (and feminist) tone that I found disdainful and preachy. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it very much, and it has opened my eyes to the sort of books I should try reading again- I love psychedelic and science fiction crap!
June 30, 2013
The classic time travel to 1967. Summer of Love is up as The Summer of Love Serials in seven affordable installments for all readers worldwide! Start at Summer of Love, Serial 1: Celebration of the Summer Solstice.
A Philip K. Dick Award Finalist. A San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book. Nineteen Five-star Amazon reviews. From the author of The Gilded Age, A Time Travel (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book), The Garden of Abracadabra, Volume 1 of the Abracadabra Series, and Celestial Girl (A Lily Modjeska Mystery) Books 1—4.
On US Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA85YN0
On Canada Kindle http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00AA85YN0
On UK Kindle http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AA85YN0
On Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summe...
On all other readers http://smashwords.com/b/327561
A Philip K. Dick Award Finalist. A San Francisco Chronicle Recommended Book. Nineteen Five-star Amazon reviews. From the author of The Gilded Age, A Time Travel (a New York Times Notable Book and New York Public Library Recommended Book), The Garden of Abracadabra, Volume 1 of the Abracadabra Series, and Celestial Girl (A Lily Modjeska Mystery) Books 1—4.
On US Kindle http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AA85YN0
On Canada Kindle http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00AA85YN0
On UK Kindle http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AA85YN0
On Nook http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summe...
On all other readers http://smashwords.com/b/327561
March 6, 2008
the perfect combination of historical fiction, smelly hippies, and sci-fi!
May 23, 2011
I read this when I was in sixth grade about fifteen or sixteen years ago. It changed my life. Some say pot is the gateway drug, but this was mine.
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August 24, 2023This was one of my favorite books in high school, but trying to read it again as an adult.. it doesn't have the same effect. I enjoyed the scenes in San Francisco, but the sci-fi didn't do it for me. I had to put it down. Maybe I will try again one day, as this really was a favorite back in the day.
August 30, 2018
I usually don't read time travel novels.
Why not? Well, I guess I expect them to be somewhat dull because the writer is focusing on making sense of the whole time travel set up - and how changes in the past affect to the future now - instead of developing good characters.
But here Mason managed to create great characters with a nice arc which make the story work.
And her writing style is also nice and appealing.
So I would say this is a really good book. Much much better than I expected.
But there are certain details that bothered me quite too much.
One of them were those entities called demons. They made no sense (other than forcing the storyline this or that way) and were quite silly to be honest.
The other one were the visions of the alternate world, which were absolutely unnecesary (other than forcing the characters to believe Chi's story, but the novel would have worked anyway if Susan belived him for sentimental reasons and Ruby simply remained skeptical).
These details looks too simplistic and kinda teen-ish, and for me they are the difference between a good book and a masterpiece.
Why not? Well, I guess I expect them to be somewhat dull because the writer is focusing on making sense of the whole time travel set up - and how changes in the past affect to the future now - instead of developing good characters.
But here Mason managed to create great characters with a nice arc which make the story work.
And her writing style is also nice and appealing.
So I would say this is a really good book. Much much better than I expected.
But there are certain details that bothered me quite too much.
One of them were those entities called demons. They made no sense (other than forcing the storyline this or that way) and were quite silly to be honest.
The other one were the visions of the alternate world, which were absolutely unnecesary (other than forcing the characters to believe Chi's story, but the novel would have worked anyway if Susan belived him for sentimental reasons and Ruby simply remained skeptical).
These details looks too simplistic and kinda teen-ish, and for me they are the difference between a good book and a masterpiece.
September 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. I’m an old soul and a hippie at heart and am fascinated by time travel. It was such an interesting combination and I don’t believe many people could’ve navigated between the two so seamlessly. When the future of our country is described almost 500 years from now, it seems totally plausible. It didn’t come off as silly or far fetched. I found myself asking how could someone be this creative through out the entire book. I’m not really a science fiction person but this book has definitely made me open to reading different things.
July 27, 2011
My favourite SF book of all time, beautiful, cynical and completely involving. I wasn't yet born in 1967 but in less that 350 pages Mason utterly immerses you in the Haight Ashbury 'scene' and fills you with nostalgia for somewhen you've never been. Unmissable.
May 11, 2010
One of the best time-travel books I've ever read. Great info about San Francisco in 1967.
September 22, 2011
Such a fascinating and fantastic novel. It deftly and beautifully melds three of my favorite genres: the hippie novel, the time-travel novel and the sci-fi novel.
February 4, 2018
Ever since the Save Betty project completed there has been degradation in the archives. The Luxon Institute for Superluminal Applications (LISA, still love that acronym) has determined that San Francisco in 1967 is a hot dim spot. They commission the Summer of Love project. Twenty-one year old Chiron Cat's Eye in Draco will t-port from 2467 to the summer of love where he is to find the Axis, a teenage girl from the Midwest will have important descendants, and protect her through the summer. This Susan Stein takes an alias, so Chiron has only probabilities to know if he finds the right girl.
In 1967 Susan receives a postcard from Nance, aka Penny Lane, who is in San Francisco. Her parents find the postcard, tear it up and burn it. She runs away that night and takes the name Starbright. She arrives hoping to see Penny Lane, but instead meets up with Stan the Man, manager of the Double Boogie band. She is invited to live with them in a house that is a constant party. She loves it, but a week later Stan hooks up with someone new. She meets Ruby again and Ruby takes her in. That first night Chiron saw an eye symbol by Ruby's shop, decided to hang around there and Ruby let him sleep on the couch. He's not sure that Starbright is the Axis, but there is a high probability.
Without being preachy major themes in the book include the environment, population control, women's rights and addiction. These were put into the setting of real life 1967. Street names referenced in the book exist and the Grateful Dead did have a concert there on August 22. I enjoyed the story without any nostalgic feeling, other than references to old Star Trek episodes and other SF works.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a little icky when Starbright was staying at the Double Boogie house, but after that it was excellent and that first chapter or two set up encounters throughout the rest of the book. I loved all three of the main characters, Starbright, Chiron and Ruby.
In 1967 Susan receives a postcard from Nance, aka Penny Lane, who is in San Francisco. Her parents find the postcard, tear it up and burn it. She runs away that night and takes the name Starbright. She arrives hoping to see Penny Lane, but instead meets up with Stan the Man, manager of the Double Boogie band. She is invited to live with them in a house that is a constant party. She loves it, but a week later Stan hooks up with someone new. She meets Ruby again and Ruby takes her in. That first night Chiron saw an eye symbol by Ruby's shop, decided to hang around there and Ruby let him sleep on the couch. He's not sure that Starbright is the Axis, but there is a high probability.
Without being preachy major themes in the book include the environment, population control, women's rights and addiction. These were put into the setting of real life 1967. Street names referenced in the book exist and the Grateful Dead did have a concert there on August 22. I enjoyed the story without any nostalgic feeling, other than references to old Star Trek episodes and other SF works.
I really enjoyed the book. It was a little icky when Starbright was staying at the Double Boogie house, but after that it was excellent and that first chapter or two set up encounters throughout the rest of the book. I loved all three of the main characters, Starbright, Chiron and Ruby.
March 12, 2020
Summer of Love is a beautiful work of literature encapsulated within the science-fiction genre. It invites you on an emotionally jostling roller coaster ride.
Lisa Mason is a prolific author who weaves a time-travel story that delves into many underlying themes at a micro and macro level during the famous "Summer of Love" pandemic in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1967.
The author also descends underneath the epidermis of the street's kaleidoscopic and "groovy" ambiance to reveal what is and what is not through each character's eyes -- and whether or not we can rely on hope to wake us up the next morning.
I felt the characters (even the secondary ones), the moments, the sights, the sounds and the smells of the time. As if I myself was time traveling. I found myself not only reading but tasting each word; sometimes going back to read a sentence, a paragraph or a page again.
This is a novel I will not hesitate to recommend.
Lisa Mason is a prolific author who weaves a time-travel story that delves into many underlying themes at a micro and macro level during the famous "Summer of Love" pandemic in Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, in 1967.
The author also descends underneath the epidermis of the street's kaleidoscopic and "groovy" ambiance to reveal what is and what is not through each character's eyes -- and whether or not we can rely on hope to wake us up the next morning.
I felt the characters (even the secondary ones), the moments, the sights, the sounds and the smells of the time. As if I myself was time traveling. I found myself not only reading but tasting each word; sometimes going back to read a sentence, a paragraph or a page again.
This is a novel I will not hesitate to recommend.
July 30, 2023
I saw a review comparing this to the Terminator (man from future sent back to the past to save humanity) and I cackled. It's got some guns in this one too... 100,000 hippie tourists descending on Haight-Ashbury in 1967 for the Summer of Love sounds like it ought to be sci-fi and we do get a time-travelling visitor trying to find a young woman. It's unruly and hazy and tries to explore a bunch of things. The historical fiction side of things was intriguing. Spending a summer in San Fransisco with Ruby and Starbright and Chi was funny and upsetting and interesting and infuriating. I was a bit more confused by the future elements.
When I first tried to read this I got really irritated by the choppy writing style and couldn't make it past the first few paragraphs before having to put it down and read something else first. Glad I gave it another go and made it past that particular barrier.
When I first tried to read this I got really irritated by the choppy writing style and couldn't make it past the first few paragraphs before having to put it down and read something else first. Glad I gave it another go and made it past that particular barrier.
October 11, 2017
I really liked it! This book is a mixture of history and fantasy with a small dollop of horror... I think that Lisa Mason found a good way to describe the 'summer of love' in San Francisco with all the wonderful hopes and expectations that made thousands of kids move to the Haight Ashbury. The hunger, despair, drug use and women abuse follow shortly after.
This is mixed with the story of a young time traveler who has to find our Protagonist to be able to save his world.
It's an easy, fast read that includes some 'tech talk' that I was unable to follow but I don't think that it matters.
This is mixed with the story of a young time traveler who has to find our Protagonist to be able to save his world.
It's an easy, fast read that includes some 'tech talk' that I was unable to follow but I don't think that it matters.
January 12, 2018
A re-read of a favorite time travel/historical fiction novels. Holds up well.
January 22, 2019
did for hippies what Nana did for over romanticizing women of a certain type
January 14, 2024
I hate hippies. Time traveling rules make very little sense even when they're explained outright. If you "take comfort" in this book, there's something wrong with you.
September 20, 2016
I avoided reading this book for a long time because something about the title put me off. I can't explain it, I just don't like it. But at first it seemed that I was wrong to judge this particular book by its cover. It starts a little slowly but soon picks up, and manages to get well past the half-way point before it goes wrong.
For over half the book, the author had resisted the temptation to explain time travel, and that was great. We knew basically what Chiron was there to do, we didn't need to know the technical details. In fact, I wish I didn't know the technical details because they're dumb as fuck. And the last quarter of the book gets dragged way down by this ridiculous bullshit.
I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but it's not just peripheral details, the time travel bullshit becomes irrevocably entangled with the plot, and it just left me irritated and unsatisfied.
For over half the book, the author had resisted the temptation to explain time travel, and that was great. We knew basically what Chiron was there to do, we didn't need to know the technical details. In fact, I wish I didn't know the technical details because they're dumb as fuck. And the last quarter of the book gets dragged way down by this ridiculous bullshit.
I wish I could give this book a higher rating, but it's not just peripheral details, the time travel bullshit becomes irrevocably entangled with the plot, and it just left me irritated and unsatisfied.
May 31, 2011
“Captures the moment perfectly and offers a tantalizing glimpse of its wonderful and terrible consequences.” San Francisco Chronicle
“A fine novel packed with vivid detail, colorful characters, and genuine insight.” Washington Post Book World
“Remarkable. . . .the intellect on display within these psychedelically packaged pages is clear-sighted, witty, and wise.” Locus
“Mason has an astonishing gift. Her chief characters almost walk off the page. And the story is as significant as anyone could wish. This book will surely be on the prize ballots.” Analog
“A priority purchase.” Library Journal
"Brilliantly crafted. . . .An engrossing tale spun round a very clever concept." Katharine Kerr
A dazzling wild ride into a time when nothing was impossible.
“A fine novel packed with vivid detail, colorful characters, and genuine insight.” Washington Post Book World
“Remarkable. . . .the intellect on display within these psychedelically packaged pages is clear-sighted, witty, and wise.” Locus
“Mason has an astonishing gift. Her chief characters almost walk off the page. And the story is as significant as anyone could wish. This book will surely be on the prize ballots.” Analog
“A priority purchase.” Library Journal
"Brilliantly crafted. . . .An engrossing tale spun round a very clever concept." Katharine Kerr
A dazzling wild ride into a time when nothing was impossible.
December 31, 2016
It's San Francisco 1967 ... or San Francisco 2467 depending on which now is your now. You dig? It's the Summer of Love in the City by the Bay (or the City under the dome). Chiron is sent from 2467 to 1967 to keep an eye on Starbright, the Axis, a runaway from Shaker Heights Ohio in search of her friend Penny Lane.
This book is so much fun. It's got hippies and free love, the physical and the meta-physical, science and science fiction galore.
The characters are fun, and the story is really clever and engaging. The writing started out a bit weird for me, but the weirdness either went away or I got used to it.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but if you do have an opportunity to read it, I recommend it.
This book is so much fun. It's got hippies and free love, the physical and the meta-physical, science and science fiction galore.
The characters are fun, and the story is really clever and engaging. The writing started out a bit weird for me, but the weirdness either went away or I got used to it.
Unfortunately, this book is out of print, but if you do have an opportunity to read it, I recommend it.
May 30, 2016
This is a book that comes together and reveals the magic at the end. Getting there may be pointless and frustrating at times, and you may wonder what a half-decent period drama mixed with a moral scold of a time traveling teenager could work out to. It does, though. As the characters grow into their own people, Lisa Mason's hip, rapid fire and sharp prose will t-port you into the Summer of Love, until you're running down the streets of San Francisco with them. When the book ends, even with its questionable and contrived plot device at the end, you'll leave as changed as the flower children in the Haight-Ashbury.
July 13, 2015
What a load of nonsense. The book couldn't seem to make up it's mind if it wanted to be a Young Adult novel discussing the difficulties of escaping 60's American suburbia and 500 year future "destiny", or an adult novel exploring the hedonistic fugue of the era. Perhaps I needed to have been there, in California during the actual summer of love of 1967, to get the references. I can understand why time travellers might wish to visit, but the time travelling characters in this book weren't selling it to me. Also, trigger warning for chapter one and chapter two. I bailed out in chapter two.
April 28, 2015
wow, a visit back to the 1960's. It was fun, and it was enlightening. I felt like I was right there with Starbright, Ruby, and. Chiron Cat's eye in Draco....yeah, that's his real name!
If you like Time travel stories this is a good one. Not a romance, but has romantic elements.
Only thing I did not like was that it was written in present tense. that took some getting used to. (she sees, he takes, Ruby thinks, etc.) Once I adjusted it was great.
If you like Time travel stories this is a good one. Not a romance, but has romantic elements.
Only thing I did not like was that it was written in present tense. that took some getting used to. (she sees, he takes, Ruby thinks, etc.) Once I adjusted it was great.
September 19, 2007
I owned this book in college and my younger sister took it from me. She was a hippie at heart and really identified with this book. Later I would find it again and own it.
It takes place during the summer of love. Part fictionalized history with science fiction time travel thrown in. Fasinating.
Not the best written book in the world but enjoyable.
It takes place during the summer of love. Part fictionalized history with science fiction time travel thrown in. Fasinating.
Not the best written book in the world but enjoyable.
September 27, 2013
I just... couldn't finish reading this. Some of the characters were interesting, but some were so frustrating I started skipping over large portions of their tales. The book comes across as preachy, like it has a strong but subversive political agenda, so I put it down halfway through. Might try it again someday, but who knows.
October 9, 2015
I enjoyed the atmosphere of this book much more than the two characters. I still never fully understood Chi's future, despite the abundant details - it just never felt "real" to me. But the stuff set in 1967? That was far easier to wrap my head around and enjoy. Ruby A. Maverick was fun to read and was who kept me int he narrative more than Starbright or Chi.
January 10, 2016
it started slow and uninteresting
i nearly stopped reading it and i jumped to a different book for some time
but it gets better and better until the end
(by 30% i was no longer thinking of dropping the book, at 50% it was interesting, at 80% i started finding time to read it instead of reading it wen i had time)
and i really like the message of the book
i nearly stopped reading it and i jumped to a different book for some time
but it gets better and better until the end
(by 30% i was no longer thinking of dropping the book, at 50% it was interesting, at 80% i started finding time to read it instead of reading it wen i had time)
and i really like the message of the book
October 16, 2011
After seeing this book at the libray for over a year i finaly read it and loved it : ) i always liked the cover but when i would read the back i would always put it back im so glad i finaly gave it a shot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews