Time and Tomorrow

by John D. MacDonald

This is a 3-in-1, including Wine of the Dreamers (1951); The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything (1962); & Ballroom of the Skies (1952).

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

504 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

John D. MacDonald was born in Sharon, Pennsylvania, and educated at the Universities of Pennsylvania, Syracuse and Harvard, where he took an MBA in 1939. During WW2, he rose to the rank of Colonel, and while serving in the Army and in the Far East, sent a short story to his wife for sale, successfully. He served in the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations. After the war, he decided to try writing for a year, to see if he could make a living. Over 500 short stories and 70 novels resulted, including 21 Travis McGee novels.

Following complications of an earlier heart bypass operation, MacDonald slipped into a coma on December 10 and died at age 70, on December 28, 1986, in St. Mary's Hospital in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was survived by his wife Dorothy (1911-1989) and a son, Maynard.

In the years since his death MacDonald has been praised by authors as diverse as Stephen King, Spider Robinson, Jimmy Buffett, Kingsley Amis and Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.. Thirty-three years after his passing the Travis McGee novels are still in print.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book with some trepidation as John D. MacDonald is known more as a mystery than as a science fiction writer. I was pleasantly surprised. The story "The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything", a time-travel bit, was very moving--and I usually don't like time travel stories. MacDonald just happens to be a good writer.

[Jay Goemmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time and Tomorrow (1979) by John D. MacDonald.

"Old school, but a nice change."

This 1979 anthology gathers three of suspense writer MacDonald's (creator of Travis McGee) science fiction novels: "Wine of the Dreamers" (1951), noted for its idea of "long-distance telepathy" (from lightyears away, to boot); "Ballroom of the Skies" (1952); and "The Girl, The Gold Watch, & Everything" (1962). Wordy, old-school male adventure fiction of the 1950's doesn't really hold up well now, but the style was a nice change from the slick and gritty prose of most contemporary novels.

(14 Oct 2007)

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three full length (or nearly so) science fiction stories from the early career of John D. MacDonald. This collection was published in 1980, shortly after a collection of his short science fiction works. Good writing here; I need to delve into Travis McGee or Cape Fear soon.

Wine of the Dreamers starts off with sabotage but expands into a story of lost space colonies and long distance psychic contact. Chapters alternate between characters from Earth and afar, allowing the story to emerge in wonderful fashion. One of the main characters Sharan Inly is a great strong female, especially considering this book's date of 1951. Bard Lane (what a great name!) is her male counterpart, and together with the alien characters bring this story to life. A solid 4 stars.

I've read The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything as a separate novel, and reviewed it there. 3 stars.

Ballroom of the Skies, from 1951, rounds out this collection. It starts as a political thriller and then quickly drops into the territory of psychic abilities. The main character Dake Lorin must solve a mystery and then make some big choices. Probably the best part of this story is a description of a future Earth, verging on World War IV between an India Pakistan alliance and three fascist blocks - Brazil, Irania, and North China. The Aryan racism is described especially well, and this world is almost the second main character. For all that, though, the ending is a little abrupt, making this the weakest of the books - 2½ stars.

[Phil Wujek · Rating 2 out of 5]

First: I am a sci-fi fan. Second: I am a fan of the character Travis McGee. That being said, I was glad to get a copy of "Time and Tomorrow," which is a collection of three sci-fi stories written by John D. MacDonald, the author of the Travis McGee series. The three books included are "Wine of the Dreamers" (1951), "The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything" (1962) and "Ballroom of the Skies" (1952). Note that they are not presented in the order of being written. I liked the fact that they were not too terribly dated. The time in which they were written was well represented, and the forecasting of future events and technologies was not too far fetched. At points I had the feeling MacD was being paid by the word. Just when I was beginning to think "where does this fit in and where is he going?" he told us! Nice touch. The first book "Wine of the Dreamers," made me think of a new book, "Ready Player One." "The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything" reminded me of a Twilight Zone episode. Bottom line, I'm glad to have checked this off of my list. I doubt if I will revisit this anytime soon.

[Mark Sherrod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great departure from the Travis McGee series...I always try to find a MacDonald book I haven't read when I'm stuck for something to read. These three stories didn't disappoint.