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Temporal Displacement #2
That was Now, This is Then
IN A FOLLOW-UP TO GROUNDBREAKING A LONG TIME UNTIL NOW, MASTER OF MILITARY SF MICHAEL Z. WILLIAMSON SENDS EPOCH-DISPLACED SOLDIER SEAN ELLIOTT AND HIS CREW ON A RESCUE MISSION WITHIN THE FOLDS OF TIME ITSELF.
SOLDIERS OUT OF TIME
Then: First Lieutenant Sean Elliott and nine other mixed-service U.S. soldiers on a convoy in Afghanistan suddenly found themselves and their MRAP vehicle thrown back to Earth’s Paleolithic Age. And they were not alone. Displaced Romans, Neolithic Europeans, and more showed up as well. Some would be allies. Some became deadly foes.
Now: Scientists from an almost unimaginably far future need the survivors’ advice and support to reconnoiter and ultimately recover other groups displaced in time. The problem is not all of those other groups want to be recovered or even understand where they are. Prehistory is an ugly place, fascinating to visit, but no place for a civilized person to live. But the future, gorgeous as it is, has a darker side that dampens the appeal. In the end, only inventiveness, grit, and a thirst for freedom from the fickle tides of time can keep Sean and the displaced Americans alive and on a path to finally find a place—and a time—to call home.
About That Was Now, This Is Then:
“. . . a classic story of survival. They may not like each other, but must to depend upon each other. Williamson shows how they pull together to create a solid society. . . . outstanding entertainment. Each character is different and fully developed. Even those you may dislike seem worth caring about. . . . grabs readers from the beginning and keep them reading to the end.”—The Galveston County Daily News
About Michael Z. Williamson:
“A fast-paced, compulsive read . . . will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.”—Kliatt
“Williamson's military expertise is impressive.”—SFReviews
SOLDIERS OUT OF TIME
Then: First Lieutenant Sean Elliott and nine other mixed-service U.S. soldiers on a convoy in Afghanistan suddenly found themselves and their MRAP vehicle thrown back to Earth’s Paleolithic Age. And they were not alone. Displaced Romans, Neolithic Europeans, and more showed up as well. Some would be allies. Some became deadly foes.
Now: Scientists from an almost unimaginably far future need the survivors’ advice and support to reconnoiter and ultimately recover other groups displaced in time. The problem is not all of those other groups want to be recovered or even understand where they are. Prehistory is an ugly place, fascinating to visit, but no place for a civilized person to live. But the future, gorgeous as it is, has a darker side that dampens the appeal. In the end, only inventiveness, grit, and a thirst for freedom from the fickle tides of time can keep Sean and the displaced Americans alive and on a path to finally find a place—and a time—to call home.
About That Was Now, This Is Then:
“. . . a classic story of survival. They may not like each other, but must to depend upon each other. Williamson shows how they pull together to create a solid society. . . . outstanding entertainment. Each character is different and fully developed. Even those you may dislike seem worth caring about. . . . grabs readers from the beginning and keep them reading to the end.”—The Galveston County Daily News
About Michael Z. Williamson:
“A fast-paced, compulsive read . . . will appeal to fans of John Ringo, David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and David Weber.”—Kliatt
“Williamson's military expertise is impressive.”—SFReviews
669 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 7, 2021
67 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 18, 2021
I received an advance reader copy of this book from Baen Books in exchange for an honest review.
This is the second book in a series. In the first book, a group of U.S. Army personnel is transported back in time, where they encountered warriors from different eras in time. In this volume, the Army personnel return to the past at the request of the future society responsible for the time glitch to recover another group of U.S. soldiers stranded in a different time period.
I couldn’t resist the premise of this book, and it’s full of cool and imaginative technology. There we lots of characters, which is something I usually enjoy in the books I read, but in this case I think they were introduced too quickly and as a result there were some that I got confused telling apart through most of the book. I also feel like the pacing was too slow, with too much time spent explaining things in depth. The author is no doubt experienced in military operations, as those scenes seemed very realistic.
I gave That Was Now, This Is Then four stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed the concept and the basic plotline, but at points it lapsed into info dumps and some scenes that didn’t seem to move the story forward.
This is the second book in a series. In the first book, a group of U.S. Army personnel is transported back in time, where they encountered warriors from different eras in time. In this volume, the Army personnel return to the past at the request of the future society responsible for the time glitch to recover another group of U.S. soldiers stranded in a different time period.
I couldn’t resist the premise of this book, and it’s full of cool and imaginative technology. There we lots of characters, which is something I usually enjoy in the books I read, but in this case I think they were introduced too quickly and as a result there were some that I got confused telling apart through most of the book. I also feel like the pacing was too slow, with too much time spent explaining things in depth. The author is no doubt experienced in military operations, as those scenes seemed very realistic.
I gave That Was Now, This Is Then four stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed the concept and the basic plotline, but at points it lapsed into info dumps and some scenes that didn’t seem to move the story forward.
December 6, 2022
Not as good as the first book, but still very good. Love finding out more about the society that eventually took over the Earth. Would love to read the sequel to this book.
August 17, 2022
Slow burn in the worst way. The story drags. There are moments of good characterization but without any decent follow up.
February 5, 2022
Five years ago Michael Z. Williamson wrote a fun tale about a mixed group of soldiers sent back in time accidently 13,000 years, which is A Long Time Until Now (hard). Eventually they were rescued by time travelers from a few centuries. Other groups were also sent accidently back and they want the soldiers rescued to help them. But That was Now, This is Then (hard from Baen). Some of the first group can’t go so they get replaced by scientists. This is definitely a luxury trip compared to the first, with future technology. The ones they are rescuing, however, have had a long five years to adapt to the past and not all are willing to return. Then there’s a second group of sixth century Norsemen who require a second trip. The people from the future like the way our heroes worked with the rescued soldiers and want them for more expeditions, suggesting that sequels will come soon.
December 10, 2021
Wow
There was unexpected depth to some characters. Growth and development, both from the first novel and within this one. Hard choices being faced, with good and bad results.
Another jaunt back in time, this time purposefully, to rescue a different patrol. Where the first team faced their challenges with almost superhuman capability, this time they find a team that had made…poor choices.
The lost team feels more ‘real’ to actual troops this time, where the original team was almost purposefully designed (!) to handle the challenge of being lost in the past.
Worth both time and the money.
There was unexpected depth to some characters. Growth and development, both from the first novel and within this one. Hard choices being faced, with good and bad results.
Another jaunt back in time, this time purposefully, to rescue a different patrol. Where the first team faced their challenges with almost superhuman capability, this time they find a team that had made…poor choices.
The lost team feels more ‘real’ to actual troops this time, where the original team was almost purposefully designed (!) to handle the challenge of being lost in the past.
Worth both time and the money.
June 29, 2022
Almost but not quite
The future society does seem more like a teenager's dream ,the far past more sophisticated than current evidence shows . Most military. types are anywhere near as flexible in intellect or emotional stability . I say this from the perspective of 17 active duty in two branches of US military .
The future society does seem more like a teenager's dream ,the far past more sophisticated than current evidence shows . Most military. types are anywhere near as flexible in intellect or emotional stability . I say this from the perspective of 17 active duty in two branches of US military .
December 15, 2022
Second books are tricky things. The first book (whether it's by a new author, or a new series by an established author) is a blank slate, but you come to the followup book with Expectations.
For instance, one of my favorite characters from the first book doesn't come back, instead only being glimpsed in memory. And this book is a lot darker than the first, as our heroes are sent to retrieve some other US troops, an element that didn't have the Right Stuff, the right combination of knowledge and skills to allow them to not only survive, but thrive in the Paleolithic. It's not the completely grim Everybody Dies situation, but the survivors have taken severe psychological damage, and several must pay a steep price.
We also learn some uncomfortable and even unpleasant things about the future people. Their name isn't Cogi -- that's an obnoxious and rather juvenile prank Crider and Arnet played on our heroes in the first book. The name they give as their own is Bykos, from Bykostan -- but even that's only the name of their group, not an appellation for all the people of that era. And their attitudes toward downtimers is getting steadily more unsettling. Our era is viewed somewhat patronizingly, but with respect -- but not so the people from various pre-industrial eras. Not even the pretense of a choice is given to the Paleos who must remain in their own time, even when it means separating mothers and children with much weeping.
The ending is pretty clearly a setup for the next volume -- but it looks like it's going to be even more uncomfortable. Our heroes no longer feel good about cooperating with the Bykos -- but can they refuse to help with the location and capture of a rogue futurian who's fled into the distant past with pretty clear plans for empire-building, and damn the consequences for the timeline as a whole?
This book is also awkward to discuss because I know the author well enough to be pretty sure where certain characters are Drawn From Life, but I don't want to comment on them in ways that could touch on matters of a private nature, and certainly not speculate on whether they reflect on the stories behind certain events in the author's life. Authors draw from life, but when writing fiction, the actual events are the germ, not the totality, and often the needs of the story are the basis of alterations as much as, if not more than, the need to maintain the privacy of one's friends and family.
For instance, one of my favorite characters from the first book doesn't come back, instead only being glimpsed in memory. And this book is a lot darker than the first, as our heroes are sent to retrieve some other US troops, an element that didn't have the Right Stuff, the right combination of knowledge and skills to allow them to not only survive, but thrive in the Paleolithic. It's not the completely grim Everybody Dies situation, but the survivors have taken severe psychological damage, and several must pay a steep price.
We also learn some uncomfortable and even unpleasant things about the future people. Their name isn't Cogi -- that's an obnoxious and rather juvenile prank Crider and Arnet played on our heroes in the first book. The name they give as their own is Bykos, from Bykostan -- but even that's only the name of their group, not an appellation for all the people of that era. And their attitudes toward downtimers is getting steadily more unsettling. Our era is viewed somewhat patronizingly, but with respect -- but not so the people from various pre-industrial eras. Not even the pretense of a choice is given to the Paleos who must remain in their own time, even when it means separating mothers and children with much weeping.
The ending is pretty clearly a setup for the next volume -- but it looks like it's going to be even more uncomfortable. Our heroes no longer feel good about cooperating with the Bykos -- but can they refuse to help with the location and capture of a rogue futurian who's fled into the distant past with pretty clear plans for empire-building, and damn the consequences for the timeline as a whole?
This book is also awkward to discuss because I know the author well enough to be pretty sure where certain characters are Drawn From Life, but I don't want to comment on them in ways that could touch on matters of a private nature, and certainly not speculate on whether they reflect on the stories behind certain events in the author's life. Authors draw from life, but when writing fiction, the actual events are the germ, not the totality, and often the needs of the story are the basis of alterations as much as, if not more than, the need to maintain the privacy of one's friends and family.
May 9, 2022
In the sequel to A Long Time Until Now, a new displacement occurs, with a neolithic youth appearing in modern day Afghanistan. The same team as before is contacted for a new mission, but not all are keen to go. A pair of scientists are added, much to the dismay of the future humans, who would rather not see too much technology transfer as this could lead to timeline disruption.
The characters are well fleshed out, and there author uses the setting to delve into issues of post-traumatic stress, separation, obligations of marriage, and other things common in deployments. The conflict in the book is not about an external enemy, but rather about the challenges faced by individuals. Much of the book has to do with the strictures and traditions of organisations, and it helps that Mr. Williamson can make discussions on logistics and camp setup interesting reading.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2022/05/...
The characters are well fleshed out, and there author uses the setting to delve into issues of post-traumatic stress, separation, obligations of marriage, and other things common in deployments. The conflict in the book is not about an external enemy, but rather about the challenges faced by individuals. Much of the book has to do with the strictures and traditions of organisations, and it helps that Mr. Williamson can make discussions on logistics and camp setup interesting reading.
http://www.books.rosboch.net/2022/05/...
April 18, 2022
good story, a pit tedious with details at midpoint
I liked the follow on to the first story.
More tech details included, but I missed the description of the strugoles of the second groups of Rescuees. That made the first story.
I hope to see a third installment with a possible elimination of the Genocide of Africans. I know that this might change the timeline for the Bykos; but some pruning of that somewhat monstrous society could be in order.
I suspect that their terror of "Destabalizing" the temporal physics was based on fear that something might erase their Sybaritic Utopia and make them work for a living.
IMHO a world population of Aryians would be an horrific ending to the Human Race. God made us a Race of Many Colors to remind us that one monoculture is a Cult not a Civilization.
I liked the follow on to the first story.
More tech details included, but I missed the description of the strugoles of the second groups of Rescuees. That made the first story.
I hope to see a third installment with a possible elimination of the Genocide of Africans. I know that this might change the timeline for the Bykos; but some pruning of that somewhat monstrous society could be in order.
I suspect that their terror of "Destabalizing" the temporal physics was based on fear that something might erase their Sybaritic Utopia and make them work for a living.
IMHO a world population of Aryians would be an horrific ending to the Human Race. God made us a Race of Many Colors to remind us that one monoculture is a Cult not a Civilization.
January 7, 2023
I liked this book, but couldn't get over the fact that it was so similar to its predecessor. A handful of unknowns leftover from the previous book, A Long Time Until Now, were answered and a few interesting scenes helped carry the book along. He seems to have left it open for a third installment, and if he does write a third, I hope there is some new, earth-shaking content that strays wildly from the first two.
February 3, 2025
Excellent Part II
As good as the first. Accurate military characterization. Nicely-done growth of main characters, with some backstories. Continuing, well written plot, history, and sense of place. There’s a setup for a potentially 3rd novel. I hoe to see that written and published. I’d be pleased if the series continues after that.
As good as the first. Accurate military characterization. Nicely-done growth of main characters, with some backstories. Continuing, well written plot, history, and sense of place. There’s a setup for a potentially 3rd novel. I hoe to see that written and published. I’d be pleased if the series continues after that.
August 19, 2025
The second installment in this alternate history yarn is a bit disappointing, too much sci-fi and too little alternate early history.
The deus-ex-machina which I did dislike in the first book are here back in force. I understand that they are the backbone of the series but somehow do not fit . At least for my taste they don't.
The deus-ex-machina which I did dislike in the first book are here back in force. I understand that they are the backbone of the series but somehow do not fit . At least for my taste they don't.
February 17, 2022
Mission focus with believable characters
MZW has spun a tale of fantastic events and world-changing technology from interesting points of view again. Looking forward to more of this.
MZW has spun a tale of fantastic events and world-changing technology from interesting points of view again. Looking forward to more of this.
October 10, 2022
Good stories not so far into the future
Very good read , well written and fast read. Something was projected of the inherently evil that time travel problems present expressly in the shocker revealed at the end.
Very good read , well written and fast read. Something was projected of the inherently evil that time travel problems present expressly in the shocker revealed at the end.
May 16, 2023
Loved it
Time travel has problems and it's the US military's problem to deal with. They get some help from some folks from the future and things get messy. I can't wait for the next one.
Time travel has problems and it's the US military's problem to deal with. They get some help from some folks from the future and things get messy. I can't wait for the next one.
December 21, 2023
outstanding
What an incredible book, such a great job by Michael Williamson. His first book was also excellent. I hope he writes more in this series, I’ll be the first to buy it. Thank you Michael Williamson, job well done
What an incredible book, such a great job by Michael Williamson. His first book was also excellent. I hope he writes more in this series, I’ll be the first to buy it. Thank you Michael Williamson, job well done
December 27, 2024
Very good follow-up to its predecessor, revisiting and refining some of the characters and developing the 21st Century characters relationship to the future folks whose experiments in time caused groups to be lost in time.
December 23, 2021
time travel hijinks
This was another wonderful book by Williamson. Well researched and well written. Can't wait until the next installment and the cliff hangers are amazing.
This was another wonderful book by Williamson. Well researched and well written. Can't wait until the next installment and the cliff hangers are amazing.
January 13, 2022
Was well worth the money I paid.
January 31, 2022
Good follow up to original
Expands on the original premise in interesting ways. Brings in new characters and settings that left me ready for the third volume.
Expands on the original premise in interesting ways. Brings in new characters and settings that left me ready for the third volume.
February 1, 2022
Well-done with several twists to keep you on your toes.
February 24, 2022
Repeat and repeat again
So excited for this book and then so disappointed. Maybe 20% was about food, another 20 on booze. Maybe 20% was worth reading. Where's the octopus?
So excited for this book and then so disappointed. Maybe 20% was about food, another 20 on booze. Maybe 20% was worth reading. Where's the octopus?
September 16, 2022
Really not a big fan of this series... I think I just chose it because it was an "easy" thing to find. I think I really was looking for alternate histories, and fell into this odd military time-travel thing. Not really my thing.
January 17, 2023
The story drags and no one seems to ever be in peril.
April 21, 2025
I didn't hate the writing but nothing really ever happens. The plot is blah (though a cool idea) and there is no real character development or focus on any one main character either.
November 20, 2025
Another excellent entry into this series, with some really interesting plot developments.
I hope that there will be another one.
I hope that there will be another one.
June 7, 2024
Good read! I enjoyed it. Less conflict than the first and less surprises, but I'll keep reading the series.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews