HERE, THERE &
EVERYWHERE
Publisher: Pyr
Release Date: 2005
Cover by
John Picacio
Here, There &
Everywhere is the
story of Roxanne Bonaventure, a woman who at an early age is granted
the ability to travel anywhere in space and time by means of a strange
device called the "Sofia." With this device, Roxanne is able to travel
not only through times that were and will be, but also through the
worlds that could have been and might someday be. Despite the
unparalleled freedom and mobility offered by the device, though,
Roxanne finds herself cut off and isolated from all of those around
her, unable to make lasting, meaningful relationships with friends,
family, or strangers.
Roxanne's story,
then, is one of a woman attempting to find a place for herself, and to
find someone with whom to share her life. The episodic chapters of
Here, There & Everywhere take the form of snapshots, brief
glimpses every few years of Roxanne's life, bound together by
interstitial first-person diary entries that provide continuity
between the episodes. Roxanne's adventures take her from Victorian
England to Ancient Egypt, from the End of Time to the birth of the
Beatles. The various chapters play with the genre conventions of
science fiction, romance, adventure, detection, and more, all with an
underpinning of theoretical physics.
Sample Chapters
available
online.
Praise
Roberson's irreverent alternate
histories of the Beatles, Sherlock Holmes, and H.G. Wells are a
welcome stitch in the age-old time-travel tradition.
Entertainment Weekly
Clever,
irreverent, and at times touching.
Matthew L. Moffett, The School Library Journal
As profound as it is
irreverent, Here, There & Everywhere is an enthralling blend
of science fiction, alternate history, adventure, and mystery.
Reminiscent of Rudy Rucker's classic Master of Space and Time,
Roberson's debut is, above all else, pure unadulterated fun.
Paul
Goat Allen, The Barnes & Nobles Review
"Here, There &
Everywhere" is a group of short stories melded into a single
narrative. Roberson does a reasonable job of cobbling the disparate
elements into a cohesive whole, giving Roxanne an overarching
conflict that is eventually resolved in a satisfying manner. He also
displays an infectious enthusiasm for the conventions of pulp
adventure fiction and sufficient wit and skill to maneuver around
their pitfalls. His book is always fun, thoughtful and clever in the
way it uses the latest theories about cosmology to rationalize
Roxanne's multidimensional sojourns. “Here, There & Everywhere” is
an enjoyable romp by a promising new voice in science fiction.
Michael Berry, San
Francisco Chronicle
