Quest Crosstime [Anglais] [Poche]

"Quest Crosstime (1965)" is the sequel to Andre Norton's "The Crossroads of Time (1956)," and continues the adventures of Blake Walker, a citizen of our own circa-1950s Earth.

Science has never been Norton's strong suit, so when the action shifts to an alternate Earth where life never began, don't quibble over the presence of a breathable atmosphere. Breathe in, breathe out, and follow Blake Walker as he attempts to track down a missing telepathic twin, with the help of her similarly-gifted sister.

"Quest Crosstime" is a wildly scenic adventure through alternate Earths. One of my favorites---a jewel-like vignette to the main plot---is ruled by turtles whose brainy heads are too large to pull back into their shells.

E6525, the alternate Earth where much of the action takes place, had a couple of twists to its history as compared to our own time line:

* Richard III won the Battle of Boswell and the Plantagenets continued to rule in England;
* Cortez was killed in his final battle with the Aztecs, and the Spanish never established an Empire in the New World.

Norton expends a great deal of imagination and verve in creating a successor Aztec Empire that rules North America west of the Mississippi. The action never falters as Blake in his disguise as a trader from New Britain continues his search for the missing twin.

I believe the author may have originally planned to write a sequel to "Quest Crosstime," as the action ends rather abruptly with some of the Time Wardens still stranded on E6525, and only a handful of the bad guys accounted for. I've checked Andre Norton's web site and no sequel is listed, so if any of her fans know of one, please drop me a line.

Quest Crosstime (1965) is the second SF novel in the Crosstime series, following The Crossroads of Time. In the previous volume, Pranj held back the mental thrusts of the agents. Illusions appeared and were banished. The outlaw heard someone at the door and leaped to the entrance, only to be flung back unconscious. Then the crosstime agents took Blake back to their homeline.

In this novel, Blake Walker has been a crosstime traveler since his infancy. Originally from another timeline, he grew up on Earth. Now he is a Wardsman in the Vroom Crosstime Service.

Marfy Rogan is twin sister of Marva. Both are daughters of Eric Rogan, one of the Hundred on Vroom.

Com Varlt is a Master Wardsman in the Service. Blake had known Com as Kittson during his first crosstime adventure.

Pague Lo Saie is a senior Wardsman in the Service. He had used the name Erskine in the previous adventure.

In this story, Marva disappeared from the Project. Although her personnel disk indicates that she is well, Marfy cannot reach her mind. So the detector is wrong.

Blake travels to the sterile timeline of the Project to deliver a minor instrument and to check up of the girls. When he arrives, neither girl is in the camp. Marfy is out in the storm and Marva is supposedly away in the helicopter.

When the storm lets up, Blake meets Marfy out by the rocks. She explains her concern over Marva and asks to return with him to Vroom. Then the Project loses contact with the helicopter.

Blake and Marfy take his crosstime shuttle back to headquarters, but it loses the settings and slips out into an unknown timeline. Blake checks the controls and finds them damaged beyond repair. Then they are attacked by intelligent turtles and lizards. Finally another shuttle detects their emergency beacon and takes them back to headquarters.

Marfy knows the crosstime level to which Marva might have gone. Eric equips a small party -- including Marfy, Com, Lo Saie and Blake -- to check out the timeline. If Marva is there, Marfy will sense her mind.

This tale confronts Blake with a conspiracy on the Vroom homeline. On various occasions, he is attacked physically and mentally. Only his sense of danger and his mindshield keep him alive and free.

These works definitely influenced Turtledove's Crosstime Traffic novels. Unfortunately, this story is the last in the series. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Norton fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of alternate timelines, political intrigue, and personal courage.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Blake Walker is a warden who is called upon to track the whereabouts of one of two sisters, who has vanished while in a transport ship on another world. His task leads him across alternate worlds and timelines, and he encounters political mysteries and intrigue.

Science is lacking in this novel, and character development is non-existent. Many of Norton's books feature people or animals/aliens that are interesting and easy to like. Not so here. Telepathy is prominent in this story, but here it is strictly between humans, and it far less interesting than other Norton stories involving animal telepathy. There is plenty of action, but not enough background to care about it. Despite all the action, I experienced mostly boredom, and not suspense. This was a rare disappointment for me, with an author that I have always counted on for quality stories.