Till the End of Time

Previously met in Time After Time and Twice Upon a Time , historian Alex Balfour has inherited the ability to travel between the present and the past--always to a time and place he's studying, though he can't control when, where or for how long he'll vanish. In his latest, thoroughly absorbing and enjoyable adventure, he is taken back to WW II--first to Pearl Harbor, then to Pacific islands to find information on Japanese atomic research for Franklin Delano Roosevelt. While Alex is helping John F. Kennedy survive the destruction of his PT boat, Alex's longtime girlfriend, Molly Glenn, is researching Japanese germ warfare--specifically, lab tests done with American POWs--for a major New York Times article. Neat, detailed juxtapositions of places, people and the events of Molly's present and Alex's past keep the plot moving; characters, from common GIs to such celebrities as Orson Welles and Amelia Earhart, are likable and human, while Alex himself is a strong, intelligent and sympathetic hero. He manages to return to Molly in time to give her firsthand accounts of Japanese atrocities in scientific labs and to confront an old enemy. In the end, his talent for time-travel sets him down at the point in time where he is most needed. A well-constructed story line, appealing characters and insights into the effects of time on human nature and on one man's actions attest to Appel's continuing ability to keep readers glued to the page. (Aug.)