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Time Traders/Ross Murdock #6
Echoes in Time
Having revitalized the classic Solar Queen series to critical acclaim, Andre Norton and Sherwood Smith now turn their storytelling talents to Norton's popular Time Traders series.
Time agents Ross Murdock and Eveleen Riorden are recalled from their honeymoon to take part in a dangerous find a team of Russian scientists who have vanished without a trace from a research mission in the past of a far-off planet. Along with a team of Russian time Agents with their own mysterious agenda and Saba, a new agent teamed with Gordon Ashe, they leap into the alien world's distant history.
There they encounter several alien races, whose appearance, language, and customs are almost incomprehensibly strange. Something changed this world, and music seems the only tool that might prove a key to unlocking the planet's secrets.
But as they try to decipher a digital alien Rosetta stone, time is running out for their mission. Ross now knows what happened to the missing scientists--but can he save his team before they too vanish forever?
This thrilling adventure of a desperate race against treacherous time itself is a tale filled with excitement and wonder in the grand Time Traders tradition.
Time agents Ross Murdock and Eveleen Riorden are recalled from their honeymoon to take part in a dangerous find a team of Russian scientists who have vanished without a trace from a research mission in the past of a far-off planet. Along with a team of Russian time Agents with their own mysterious agenda and Saba, a new agent teamed with Gordon Ashe, they leap into the alien world's distant history.
There they encounter several alien races, whose appearance, language, and customs are almost incomprehensibly strange. Something changed this world, and music seems the only tool that might prove a key to unlocking the planet's secrets.
But as they try to decipher a digital alien Rosetta stone, time is running out for their mission. Ross now knows what happened to the missing scientists--but can he save his team before they too vanish forever?
This thrilling adventure of a desperate race against treacherous time itself is a tale filled with excitement and wonder in the grand Time Traders tradition.
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 13, 1999
34 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
About the author
Andre Norton
609Ìýbooks1,342ÌýfollowersAKA: Alice Mary Norton; Andre Alice Norton; Andrew North; Allen Weston.
Norton always had an affinity to the humanities. She started writing in her teens, inspired by a charismatic high school teacher. First contacts with the publishing world led her, as many other contemporary female writers targeting a male-dominated market, to choose a literary pseudonym. In 1934 she legally changed her name to Andre Alice. She also used the names Andrew North and Allen Weston as pseudonyms.
Norton published her first novel in 1934, and was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society in 1977, and won the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) association in 1983.
Norton was twice nominated for the Hugo Award, in 1964 for the novel Witch World and in 1967 for the novelette "Wizard's World." She was nominated three times for the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement, winning the award in 1998. Norton won a number of other genre awards, and regularly had works appear in the Locus annual "best of year" polls.
On February 20, 2005, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which had earlier honored her with its Grand Master Award in 1983, announced the creation of the Andre Norton Award, to be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult literature market, beginning in 2006.
Often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy by biographers such as J. M. Cornwell and organizations such as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Publishers Weekly, and Time, Andre Norton wrote novels for over 70 years. She had a profound influence on the entire genre, having over 300 published titles read by at least four generations of science fiction and fantasy readers and writers.
Notable authors who cite her influence include Greg Bear, Lois McMaster Bujold, C. J. Cherryh, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Joan D. Vinge, David Weber, K. D. Wentworth, and Catherine Asaro.
Norton always had an affinity to the humanities. She started writing in her teens, inspired by a charismatic high school teacher. First contacts with the publishing world led her, as many other contemporary female writers targeting a male-dominated market, to choose a literary pseudonym. In 1934 she legally changed her name to Andre Alice. She also used the names Andrew North and Allen Weston as pseudonyms.
Norton published her first novel in 1934, and was the first woman to receive the Gandalf Grand Master Award from the World Science Fiction Society in 1977, and won the Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) association in 1983.
Norton was twice nominated for the Hugo Award, in 1964 for the novel Witch World and in 1967 for the novelette "Wizard's World." She was nominated three times for the World Fantasy Award for lifetime achievement, winning the award in 1998. Norton won a number of other genre awards, and regularly had works appear in the Locus annual "best of year" polls.
On February 20, 2005, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, which had earlier honored her with its Grand Master Award in 1983, announced the creation of the Andre Norton Award, to be given each year for an outstanding work of fantasy or science fiction for the young adult literature market, beginning in 2006.
Often called the Grande Dame of Science Fiction and Fantasy by biographers such as J. M. Cornwell and organizations such as Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Publishers Weekly, and Time, Andre Norton wrote novels for over 70 years. She had a profound influence on the entire genre, having over 300 published titles read by at least four generations of science fiction and fantasy readers and writers.
Notable authors who cite her influence include Greg Bear, Lois McMaster Bujold, C. J. Cherryh, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Tanya Huff, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Joan D. Vinge, David Weber, K. D. Wentworth, and Catherine Asaro.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 20, 2024
Rating: 3 stars
Similarly to Firehand, the previous book, which also had a coauthor, Echoes in Time is not really a new "Andre Norton" book in the truest sense of the word. That is perhaps the reason why for me Echoes in Time was good, but it still didn't really reach the highs of the first and fourth books, i.e. the ones actually written by Norton. But I did find some interesting drama about the authorship of Echoes in Time, but I'll talk about that later.
It has been a few months, so bare with me while I try and get the plot straight for this book. Ross Murdock and Eveleen (who have recently gotten married... which is still kind of weird) are called in to do some time travel stuff by none other than the Russians, the very people who mucked everything up in book one. Yes, the Americans have to work with the Russians. It is very buddy buddy between the two Cold War enemies, with the first portion of the book dedicated to them ironing out their differences, so it is clear Echoes in Time was written in 1999.
But anyway, the reason the Russians need help is because they have lost a time travel crew on a far away planet and they can't help rescue them by themselves because of how badly they were beaten in the previous Baldy battle. Also, their scientists have discovered this really really old carving on the planet, but strangely enough it is depicting a time agent from present day who's name is Saba. The multinational rescue team lands on the planet, only to discover that various alien cultures have degraded into animals, and then everyone starts getting sick. As they continue trying to look for the missing Russians and attempt to ascertain what is going on with all the animals, this other alien species that live on the planet instantly recognise Saba and take her for special training. The disease grows worse for Ross, Eveleen and company until Saba figures out how to communicate with the planet and she does some confusing stuff and then everyone gets cured.
Then the Baldies launch an attack and there is some fighting. And during the fighting... I might be wrong... but there was maybe a suggestion that the Baldies were hyper evolved humans. I could have read it wrong - in fact, I want to be wrong - but that is what I thought I picked up. I hope the insinuation that the Baldies are future humans doesn’t go anywhere, because I typically don't like that trope and it would not fit with this series, and I don't think anyone should try and make it.
That's pretty much the gist of it. I also want to bring up that this book mentioned Travis at one point� I know I said I didn’t really enjoy his books... but he was kind of dropped after The Defiant Agents and never heard from again. His character was fine, I just don't like him leading the books as much as I do Murdock, which seems to be the common consensus given who has been the main character in the past three books. But now that Travis is gone, I kind of miss him...? I mean, I absolutely don't want to go back to The Defiant Agents and the ooga-booga device anytime soon, but maybe just a few mentions of him would be nice. I don't know, maybe he died in the third book and I never noticed. I was so distracted by all the pseudoscience and de-evolved nonsense that it is possible I missed it.
Now, to the juicy drama. On Andre Norton's official website, under the page dedicated to this book specifically, you find this interesting tidbit about the writing of Echoes in Time:
That, my friends, is the kind of pettiness we can all appreciate.
Now I ended the last review with a series ranking, so I will do the same here: The Time Traders, book one, is still firmly in top position; then a small gap and book four, Key Out of Time; then a bigger gap and then in close succession Galactic Derelict (book 2), Echoes in Time (this one, book 6), and Firehand (book 5) in third, fourth and fifth respectively; and then an even larger gap and of course the Ooga-Booga Book aka book three The Defiant Agents in last.
Similarly to Firehand, the previous book, which also had a coauthor, Echoes in Time is not really a new "Andre Norton" book in the truest sense of the word. That is perhaps the reason why for me Echoes in Time was good, but it still didn't really reach the highs of the first and fourth books, i.e. the ones actually written by Norton. But I did find some interesting drama about the authorship of Echoes in Time, but I'll talk about that later.
It has been a few months, so bare with me while I try and get the plot straight for this book. Ross Murdock and Eveleen (who have recently gotten married... which is still kind of weird) are called in to do some time travel stuff by none other than the Russians, the very people who mucked everything up in book one. Yes, the Americans have to work with the Russians. It is very buddy buddy between the two Cold War enemies, with the first portion of the book dedicated to them ironing out their differences, so it is clear Echoes in Time was written in 1999.
But anyway, the reason the Russians need help is because they have lost a time travel crew on a far away planet and they can't help rescue them by themselves because of how badly they were beaten in the previous Baldy battle. Also, their scientists have discovered this really really old carving on the planet, but strangely enough it is depicting a time agent from present day who's name is Saba. The multinational rescue team lands on the planet, only to discover that various alien cultures have degraded into animals, and then everyone starts getting sick. As they continue trying to look for the missing Russians and attempt to ascertain what is going on with all the animals, this other alien species that live on the planet instantly recognise Saba and take her for special training. The disease grows worse for Ross, Eveleen and company until Saba figures out how to communicate with the planet and she does some confusing stuff and then everyone gets cured.
Then the Baldies launch an attack and there is some fighting. And during the fighting... I might be wrong... but there was maybe a suggestion that the Baldies were hyper evolved humans. I could have read it wrong - in fact, I want to be wrong - but that is what I thought I picked up. I hope the insinuation that the Baldies are future humans doesn’t go anywhere, because I typically don't like that trope and it would not fit with this series, and I don't think anyone should try and make it.
That's pretty much the gist of it. I also want to bring up that this book mentioned Travis at one point� I know I said I didn’t really enjoy his books... but he was kind of dropped after The Defiant Agents and never heard from again. His character was fine, I just don't like him leading the books as much as I do Murdock, which seems to be the common consensus given who has been the main character in the past three books. But now that Travis is gone, I kind of miss him...? I mean, I absolutely don't want to go back to The Defiant Agents and the ooga-booga device anytime soon, but maybe just a few mentions of him would be nice. I don't know, maybe he died in the third book and I never noticed. I was so distracted by all the pseudoscience and de-evolved nonsense that it is possible I missed it.
Now, to the juicy drama. On Andre Norton's official website, under the page dedicated to this book specifically, you find this interesting tidbit about the writing of Echoes in Time:
"I have been told by reliable sources that this book was originally supposed to be written by Andre and Pauline Griffin, at the last moment the publisher pulled Pauline from the project and brought in Sherwood Smith. This aggravated Andre to no avail for Sherwood would not listen to her input about the story. When she received her copy of the book, she hid it out of site.[sic] When a friend of hers brought the title up in a conversation Andre directed them to remove this and the other three titles by Sherwood from her house. Upon her death she willed the copyrights to Sherwood because she hated all four books so much that she did not want her Estate associated with them. When you read them, it is evident that Andre had little to do with them for they do not fit her style. They are included because her name appears on the front cover. ~ JW"
That, my friends, is the kind of pettiness we can all appreciate.
Now I ended the last review with a series ranking, so I will do the same here: The Time Traders, book one, is still firmly in top position; then a small gap and book four, Key Out of Time; then a bigger gap and then in close succession Galactic Derelict (book 2), Echoes in Time (this one, book 6), and Firehand (book 5) in third, fourth and fifth respectively; and then an even larger gap and of course the Ooga-Booga Book aka book three The Defiant Agents in last.
December 20, 2012
"Time Traders" using alien spacecraft travel to an alien planet and through time. The plot is confusing at best. Most of the book is spent on the interactions and personal dynamics of the time traders team members. Unfortunately, most of these team members are uninteresting.
There is however one interesting character, Saba, an Ethiopian woman who is preternaturally talented in music and languages. Alas, the story is not told much from her point of view, so we do not learn enough about her. Saba does a play a key, but completely mysterious, role in the poorly explained denouement.
There is however one interesting character, Saba, an Ethiopian woman who is preternaturally talented in music and languages. Alas, the story is not told much from her point of view, so we do not learn enough about her. Saba does a play a key, but completely mysterious, role in the poorly explained denouement.
Read
March 2, 2018In these later books (this one is from 1999), the coauthor is often an important key to whether a reader will like a particular book. Having read several other books coauthored by Sherwood Smith (those were in the Solar Queen series), I knew that I found Smith's take on things interesting, while Norton's firm grasp on lesser-known Earth cultures and histories was a solid backdrop.
The dedication is by Smith: "With heartfelt thanks to Dave Trowbridge, tech wizard extraordinaire, for unstinting help."
I might as well state up front that I LIKE the linguistic and cultural elements. I found the idea of a language that requires the speaker to whistle and hum at the same time more than a little daunting (I did manage it, once or twice, but I don't think I could've sustained it), but fascinating. I liked the elements of archaeological/linguistic detective work, and I found myself trying to figure out the solutions based on my own history in the subjects.
Some of the aliens are more than a little odd--there's one species, for example, which seems to exchange genetic material by stealing things from each other, then stealing them back. coated with the pollen (?) from the partner-in-theft. The Jecc are also, I gather, all bisexual and marsupial--and odd mix, but not unimaginable.
I kept expecting the time travelers to go back to the time of the First Expedition, because there was evidence that at least some of the travelers had been to the planet at an earlier time (at least one was evidently expected). Though I had encountered the idea of beings that didn't live in linear time before, I didn't think of this as leading to prophetic visions--my mistake.
I still think there was room for negotiation in the situation. Possibly this was later tried, with a fully briefed new team which could (possibly) establish communication before irreversible changes took place--and maybe even negotiate a truce.
I picked this up at a used bookstore. I had known there were books in the Time Traders series which I hadn't read--but I realized as I read this one that there are others, as well. I don't have a complete listing of the series, and some seem to've been published under more than one title.
So, for example, I did look at a copy of Key Out of Time, but I was pretty sure it was one of the ones I already had, and I was right. On the other hand, there was an earlier volume I had read, but I still don't have a copy. In that one some of the original characters went to the same planet which was the setting for this book. When I'm pretty sure I have all of them, I'll make a list myself. I THINK there are two (3?) remaining which I don't have copies of. I also suspect that I have read at least one of the older ones, but have never owned a copy.
The dedication is by Smith: "With heartfelt thanks to Dave Trowbridge, tech wizard extraordinaire, for unstinting help."
I might as well state up front that I LIKE the linguistic and cultural elements. I found the idea of a language that requires the speaker to whistle and hum at the same time more than a little daunting (I did manage it, once or twice, but I don't think I could've sustained it), but fascinating. I liked the elements of archaeological/linguistic detective work, and I found myself trying to figure out the solutions based on my own history in the subjects.
Some of the aliens are more than a little odd--there's one species, for example, which seems to exchange genetic material by stealing things from each other, then stealing them back. coated with the pollen (?) from the partner-in-theft. The Jecc are also, I gather, all bisexual and marsupial--and odd mix, but not unimaginable.
I kept expecting the time travelers to go back to the time of the First Expedition, because there was evidence that at least some of the travelers had been to the planet at an earlier time (at least one was evidently expected). Though I had encountered the idea of beings that didn't live in linear time before, I didn't think of this as leading to prophetic visions--my mistake.
I still think there was room for negotiation in the situation. Possibly this was later tried, with a fully briefed new team which could (possibly) establish communication before irreversible changes took place--and maybe even negotiate a truce.
I picked this up at a used bookstore. I had known there were books in the Time Traders series which I hadn't read--but I realized as I read this one that there are others, as well. I don't have a complete listing of the series, and some seem to've been published under more than one title.
So, for example, I did look at a copy of Key Out of Time, but I was pretty sure it was one of the ones I already had, and I was right. On the other hand, there was an earlier volume I had read, but I still don't have a copy. In that one some of the original characters went to the same planet which was the setting for this book. When I'm pretty sure I have all of them, I'll make a list myself. I THINK there are two (3?) remaining which I don't have copies of. I also suspect that I have read at least one of the older ones, but have never owned a copy.
May 15, 2022
This science fiction novel is an extension of Andre Norton’s Time Traders series. A joint team of Russian and American Time Agents, including Ross Murdock and his wife Eveleen, travel to a planet where a Russian team of Time Agents have disappeared without a trace. This is the same planet as in Galactic Derelict, which in our current time is populated by savages but has an abandoned archive of the voyage tapes needed for interstellar travel. The Russian team had gone to an earlier era, when the planet had a thriving civilization with many varieties of aliens co-existing in harmony, in hopes of finding additional voyage tapes. The joint team travels in time to a century after their disappearance, to find out what happened to the missing team and to complete their mission. The mix of aliens and cultures is fascinating, and the denouement is surprising. A pleasure to read.
March 25, 2023
I love Andre Norton, but this is not one of my favorite series. I can tell that the later books in the series were primarily written by the co-authors. I didn't really care for this book. I kept putting it down, sometimes right in the middle of a paragraph. I made myself finish it so I could move on to the next (and thankfully last) book in the series. I can't wait to get this series over with so I can move on to something I really enjoy. Unlike most of Andre Norton's series, I doubt I'll ever read this one again.
June 19, 2019
This was my first book by these authors and I really enjoyed it! I didn't mean to drop into the middle of the series. I will definitely be seeking out the remainder of the books. The character development was solid, especially with Ross and Eveleen. The world building was fantastic. I felt like I was actually present. The mystery was interesting, though I guessed wrong as to why the Time Agents were getting sick.
October 3, 2024
stayed up late to read it all
This was a great story delving into the mysteries of time travel, Alain cultures and relationships. The characters were well developed and the planet entity was a good surprise.
This was a great story delving into the mysteries of time travel, Alain cultures and relationships. The characters were well developed and the planet entity was a good surprise.
May 27, 2013
Time agents Ross Murdock and Eveleen Riorden were married in the last book in this series. As this story opens, they are enjoying their honeymoon when they are recalled to take part in a dangerous, joint assignment. A team of Russian scientists, who were sent to explore the ancient space port that Ross and Gordon discovered in book two, have vanished without a trace. Now, Ross, Eveleen, Gordon, and a new time agent Saba are teamed with Russian counterparts to determine what happened to the first team. As they jump back into time, they encounter numerous alien races with appearances, languages, and customs that are almost incomprehensibly strange. As the entire team begins to experience an unknown sickness, time is running out. Ross is the first to come up with a possible solution to the disappearance, but can the team escape the consequences of their actions or are they doomed to disappear, as well? A worthy addition to the Time Traders series.
July 7, 2012
Slow to get going but satisfying completion with just enough twist to keep it interesting. Having grown up on Norton, Heinlein and Asimov, I could tell that Sherwood Smith's style had a great influence (to my disappointment, but Your Mileage May Vary).
March 30, 2012
This was written in a very different style than the previous Time Trader stories. The concepts are presented in a deeper fashion, a more complex style and inside of a more complex story. 'Echoes' moved the series from YA to Adult in a big way. The story was well worth the read.
February 29, 2016
Second read, actually, though I don't remember what I read the first round, so it mostly felt like a fresh book.
Also, went - eh, it's Andre Norton. How did I not realise it's Andre Norton?
I'd say it's like a 3.5. I like it more than an I like it, but a bit less than an I really liked it.
Also, went - eh, it's Andre Norton. How did I not realise it's Andre Norton?
I'd say it's like a 3.5. I like it more than an I like it, but a bit less than an I really liked it.
October 1, 2022
A good addition to the "Time Traders" series
I really enjoyed this, I read "Galactic Derelict" at a young age and was always hungry for more.
The story line is good and held my attention, I was a fantastic revisit to the alien spaceport.
I really enjoyed this, I read "Galactic Derelict" at a young age and was always hungry for more.
The story line is good and held my attention, I was a fantastic revisit to the alien spaceport.
March 30, 2011
While the premise was interesting, the book seemed to be over before I had a good grasp on the characters or even the situation.
October 18, 2011
The Americans join with the Russians to investigate the diaappearance of a Russian time team and find that we are our enemy.
February 10, 2013
Too many pages dedicated to nuances of an alien language. Other than that, there's a good story here.
Read
July 13, 2013Wasn't that interesting...didn't connect with the characters.
February 25, 2017
The story just didn't resonate with me. I stopped reading at page 157. Maybe another time.
June 23, 2015
Different take on classic Norton characters, more focus on social relationships than individual challenges of character and self-worth.
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