The Other End Of Time

The Other End Of Time is a classic science fiction novel by Frederik Pohl.

I bought The Other End Of Time because it was a scifi and more importantly because Pohl is referred to as asking unpleasant questions. ...Some of them are outright disturbing. I would dissagree with this comment.

While the book was easy to read, and had some interesting moments, I wouldn't call it a great book. It's alright. Pohl takes us on a journey with a handfull of humans who make some startling discoveries about who they really are. The questions brought to mind are that of Am I really me How do we know what's real and what's not? Very philisophical questions. They are kidnapped by aliens. Humiliated and studied like lab rats, they are forced to ask themselves questions about their souls and heaven while having to fight for their freedom against their alien captors. While there was a marginal amount of action and a lot going on at times, the book always seemed to stay a little too distant. I wasn't pulled in. This struck me as odd at first. For one thing I burned through it in a few days. It was easy to read, it had some great descriptions of Earth in the year 2031.

But it always seemed to be begging me to be pulled in, instead of actually pulling me in. Another thing that puzzled me was the fact that it seemed to be a stand-alone book. However it states that it's part of a series. I may check out the other two in the series, if only for the hope of them changing my mind about this book. It would be nice to see if it turns out to be an excellent series. As for this book, I just think it's an alright read. As for the disturbing questions Pohl asks in the book? It could be that I am too desensitized, but I felt the subjects were far from disturbing.