Guardians of Time

Al Stray is manager of the Port Credit Public Library.

This book, set in the twenty-third century, focuses on the mental and physical development of a teenager, the son of a prominent politician. Fourteen-year-old Finnegan Turpin is being groomed to take his place as a productive member of Earth’s technological society. Since all his needs are looked after by machines, his world is rather limited in scope; contact with other humans is kept to a minimum. In the year 2263 the computer is supreme.

Finnegan rebels; he and his parents are sent away, 652 light years away. Wilbert, the father, is to become Earth’s first ambassador to an unknown planet, Kalimar, which turns out to be everything that Earth isn’t. Life, especially for adults, is not regimented. Kalimarians do what they want to do, what they enjoy doing. Life is not entirely utopian; people must still work to provide for their necessities, but these have been reduced to a minimum. Emphasis is on the development of the mind through literature, poetry, art, and philosophy. In the course of a few years, Finnegan becomes a Kalimarian in thought, body and soul whose mission it is to oversee the positive evolution of the universe.

Peter Baltensperger, a high school English teacher, uses his first novel to voice his concerns about the current state of education, with its emphasis on mathematics and science. He has created in Finnegan a character the reader can feel for and identify with. The parents, on the other hand, remain on the periphery. Perhaps this can’t be avoided, since parents and children in this future world have little to do with each other. This is unfortunate since the father, Wilbert Turpin, also has a mission; this sub-plot is hinted at but not fully developed. Other characters remain shadowy; among the more interesting is The Wall, not really a character at all.

Guardians of Time is an intriguing first novel. Baltensperger has created a new world based on antiquity, when philosophy was dominant. In doing so he has created a world that feels both comfortable and alien. The latter is due in part to the use of new words, most of which seem to favour the s sound (e.g., Shulliahna, Siliah, Shoon Llallassah and Shenondah). Yet despite its merits I feel the book will miss its intended audience. The over-sized paperback format and the juvenile-looking cover will not attract teenage readers. Perhaps a sequel would correct this.