Erasing Time

Catapulted 400 years into the future, 18-year-old twins Sheridan and Taylor Bradford are appalled by the Brave New World they encounter. Mankind’s first time machine, the Time Strainer, has brought them forward by accident, apparently because, like a bad Internet search, their names resembled those of the target, scientist Tyler Sherwood. Worse, there’s no way back, and the future is a fascist dystopia. Hill’s (Slayers) vision teeters on the edge of farce in both premise and details, yet never takes that step too far. Sheridan focuses on the values of her upbringing while adjusting, sometimes wrenchingly, to a new world. By her side is Echo, the bereaved survivor of another set of twins, who understands the girls’ desire to escape the domed city-state of Traventon. As a “wordsmith,” a historian and linguist, he can help bridge the gap in their knowledge—but can he be trusted? This age-old jailbreak plot is seasoned with plentiful, often amusing novelties and historical misinterpretations. It’s a mash-up of Weird Science and Erewhon, and though the social message can get heavy-handed, the fun is never far behind. Ages 13–up. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Sept.)