Evelyn Freeling’s Reviews > The Revisionists > Status Update

Reading this 15 years after it was published, I rolled my eyes at some of the early posturing but that was actually just really solid writing for the story's thematic arc. I've never read a sci-fi spy thriller before or any spy thrillers for that matter, but this is actually really good. I'm shocked it has so few reviews and ratings on here.

One time traveling man from the future, one man from present day, each changing history in his own way, each being forced to confront their beliefs. I thought because of the politics that are captured in the book in a time of Islamophobia and our government's focus on Islamic terrorists, that the road would feel dated but it feels instead irreverent and timeless now.

I was fairly ambivalent about this book when I first started reading it, but the way Mullen constructs his scene, that climax between Sari, Sung Hee, and the diplomat literally made me gasp aloud. I also love the foil between Leo and Zed and the thematic questions that are being asked.

Damn, Sang Hee's story just brought me to tears. What a scene. Tense, heartbreaking, frightening.

Generally, it has a propulsive plot so far. Told from 4 POVs, Leo is insufferable as a character, Zed is sometimes annoying with his cringe "funny" insights as a character from the future, but I really like Tasha and Sari and appreciate that both of their POVs have been used to convey that Leo isn't meant to be "likeable" as a character. Without them, this book would be giving icky man lit.

I don't read a ton of time travel fiction, so maybe this isn't a unique point for a novel to make, but of the time travel fiction I have read I've never seen this point made.

I don't read a lot of blatant sci-fi such as this, but there was an interesting point made about time travel fiction in general where characters are going back in the past to change the future. Namely, that it wouldn't change the future, it would only create an alternate timeline. The future that those future characters are from would remain unaffected, so traveling into the past to change the future is pointless.

For example, "Black men stand on corners, white women push strollers, Latinos paint the row houses or fix their roofs. Amazing how specified the races are to their tasks."

Like... lol okay then.

It's interesting to read what is basically a military/spy meets science fiction thriller published back in 2011 fifteen years later. The political assumptions that were once generally publicly accepted have changed so much, it feels very anachronistic. Also there are some moments that are fairly cringe, one of the pov characters, Zed, is from the future and makes what are supposed to be humorous observations.