One Against Time

by Astron del Martia

Harold Newman was a loser. He was a plodding bank clerk whose past was weary and whose future was dull. Until the moment when his mind was activated by a warp in time and he became a super brain - a brilliant freak gifted with the power of twenty computers. Suddenly Harold's future wasn't dull anymore. It was deadly.

Genres: Science Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

Pseudonym of John Russell Fearn

Reviews

[Gill · Rating 1 out of 5]

What got me was the treatment of all the female characters. One gave her boyfriend access to classified equipment "because [she is] a woman" (that was actually what she said in court), Harold's intended is a bitch who abuses him, the girl in the park was ridiculous (she really wanted Harold to make a move [aka fuck her] but keeps telling herself not to be easy!), and Mary is too busy trying to be the next Delilah to do much of anything useful.

I believe I've covered everyone who got a name/whole scene.

I could just leave my copy on the subway but I don't think I'd be doing anyone a service.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book 20 years ago when I was 14. Picked it up in Cinema bookshop Hay-on-Wye, was probably my first foray into obscure vintage SF and I've been collecting ever since.

I won't read it again in case the illusion is ruined.

One thing that stayed with me is the idea that the chap was so intelligent he could control individual atoms in his body, making him capable of walking through walls by arranging his atoms among those of the wall. I lay in bed dreaming about swimming through concrete.

[Brad · Rating 1 out of 5]

hahahahaha

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, comically outdated at times. Could make a good film.

[Jessica Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got recommended this book by my dad. He said it was a really good book, so I went into the story with high expectations. And.... I thoroughly enjoyed it, even though I was a bit skeptical.

The book had some interesting concepts with time travel and it's effects on what would happen if the future influenced the past. I was a little put off by the dated views on women. I found the characterizations of every female character to be lacking and kind of offensive, but I guess that's to be expected from an old book. I looked past that because the ideas explored were compelling, even though I found the mind reading and being able to control people's thoughts/bodies to be a bit silly.

It's a good read. If you're interested in a time travel novella and can ignore sexism, give this a read XD

[Pedro · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this one 4 stars but I had a think about it first. It’s good premise. In its time perhaps an original twist on time travel but in our time -probably because we’ve become more immersed in them in the 50 years since this was published - it seems dated in its prose and dialogue.

The thing I really liked about it was it was set in two futures. A alternate 90’s dystopia on the cusp of a discovery that would morph it into the far flung future utopia whose denizens instigate the central crisis of the plot and then scrabble, panicked, to fix.

But is the future more set than we think? Can it really be affected? Or do all paths lead to the same point regardless of what we try to sabotage?

[Mel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was incredibly sexist. But I wasn't sure if the sexism was there because it was a distopian society, or because that was the way the author actually felt. So I kept reading. It wasn't as good as PKD. I found it for free at a queer book swap, though it wasn't a queer book. One of the female characters was punished in the distopian society by having her gender stripped from her because her female feelings had led someone to escape because she couldn't refuse them because she was in love. Most bizarre.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this years ago but I still remember it well. It has the vibe of a short story... not a lot of character development and a relatively simple plot. Think "Flowers for Algernon" meets "The Bourne Identity."

It's heavy-handed and far from politically correct but still enjoyable.

[Emanuele Gemelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Per quello che è, alla fine ho trovato il romanzo divertente e godibile; la storia non è molto originale e la scienza è un po’ troppo fanta, ma ci sta tutta. Come al solito la traduzione della collana Cosmo Argento non penso renda giustizia all’originale.

[Geoff Field · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is predicated on some very dodgy "science" and some very dated attitudes. It went out to the street library

[Elephantom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it as a young adult.
Just reread it and yes I can see some faults, but it's still a pretty good story

[A.J. Sefton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I used to travel to work on a train. I always had something to read and I bought books from a remainders bin for 10 pence each. That was why I bought this one. Not flattering but that's what happened.

​The short book is reminiscent of Time and Again by Jack Finney and there are a few elements that are very similar - and I have sometimes confused the titles. In both books, the central character is in a dead end job until something happens (in this book, a warp in time) giving our hero super intelligence. His role now becomes vital to save the world.

His intelligence, which is equal to twenty computers, gives him many new gifts. One is that his girlfriend is no longer attractive to him as she is ordinary and inferior in every way. The other is that he can move by controlling his body's atoms so it appears that he can walk through walls. The science aspect is simple and outdated and the view of women is very poor, even by 1970s standards.

From the plot to the lack of character development, this novella is aimed at young adults wanting a quick, easy read.

[Peter Foster · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seriously, comicality bad characterisation.
I read this a few years ago and thought it so bad that I had to check that it was not a vanity published book.
I only finished reading it because of my incredulity that a book could be so consistently bad.

[Ruby Tombstone Lives!]

The author is named, "Astron del Martia". The plot revolves around a man with a "superbrain with the power of 20 computers!". This is bound to be brilliant!

[Alessio bozza · Rating 1 out of 5]

Banale, nella trama, nel background del protagonista e in tutto.

[Brian Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun old school time travel novela! (if you can ignore the two scenes of pure misogyny)