Any Time Now

by Chris Butler

Kate Chapman lives alone now, the life she expected to live cruelly snatched away from her. When a stranger crashes into her life she thinks perhaps she might start to live again. But the stranger is more than he seems. He is displaced in time, manipulating forces he believes he can control. He knows that he is falling in love with her. But Kate, and those she loves the most, are in danger. And time is running out.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction

Nook

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

CHRIS BUTLER lives in Brighton & Hove, England. He is the author of ANY TIME NOW and THE FLIGHT OF THE RAVENS. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s and Interzone, as well as The Best British Fantasy 2014.

Reviews

[Sara]

What term of life want it
stranger in yr door
line of time travel like storm
what age of flower keep the door happy
many city bild in my dream
i want y
throw time y know y travel
monstir fly around
still y can find my door
yr parphan cut my name in window
what thee kill
what thee ask
my life strange without my shadow of love

[A.D. Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully-plotted time-travel novel that kept me guessing until the end. The characters are well drawn, the glimpses of the future (and the future-tech) are intriguing, and I loved the marvellous, puzzling, stories told by Mary which speak to the themes of the book.

Recommended!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Chris Butler's "Flight of the Ravens" I bought the kindle edition of this earlier work.
It tells of a series of unexplained power surges which are investigated by a sinister government agency. Gradually it emerges that these events coincide with the appearance of a mysterious and traumatised man, Joe, who is helped by Kate, a young woman herself trying to deal with a devastating bereavement.
As the plot develops we learn that Joe is from the future, a future where the world has become entirely ordered and city based. Wildlife has been almost eliminated from the Earth and animals, ordinary to us, are rare in Joe's world. Butler subtly and touchingly shows us this in Joe's attention to every stray cat or dog he sees and his delight in going to London Zoo. In fact the full cast of characters, good, bad and middling are convincingly drawn and we warm especially to Joe and Kate as they try to deal with their problems of past, present and future. The plot is satisfying in SF terms and the bitter-sweet ending quietly moving.

[Mohamed Rezgui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I don't prefer reading romance books, I liked this book. The story is great and the characters are well developed.
It is definitely a book that we should read :)