Review: For King and Country by Robert Asprin and Linda Evans
In this interesting take on time travel, only the time-traveler's mind can move back through time. On arrival, the time-shifted person provides guidance to (or takes over) a person in the destination era, in a schizophrenic guest/host relationship.
The story is driven by an IRA terrorist who is known to have acquired a place on the time-exploration team, and complicated by uncertainty about his (or her) precise identity. The terrorist's goal is to assassinate King Arthur, and so prevent the ascendancy of Britain over Ireland.
But how will the terrorist, who is after all unable to carry modern weaponry back to Arthurian times, manage to create this mayhem? The answer is the terrorist's knowledge of a bio-weapon, available anywhere (even today), and a plan to "weaponize" and deliver it to the best effect.
This is not a riveting novel; it is easy to put down and just as easy to pick up again later and read on from that stopping point. It is enjoyable and well-written, with engaging characters and a diverting story, worth reading for the plot twists and sense of everyday life in Arthurian Britain and Ireland.
The story is driven by an IRA terrorist who is known to have acquired a place on the time-exploration team, and complicated by uncertainty about his (or her) precise identity. The terrorist's goal is to assassinate King Arthur, and so prevent the ascendancy of Britain over Ireland.
But how will the terrorist, who is after all unable to carry modern weaponry back to Arthurian times, manage to create this mayhem? The answer is the terrorist's knowledge of a bio-weapon, available anywhere (even today), and a plan to "weaponize" and deliver it to the best effect.
This is not a riveting novel; it is easy to put down and just as easy to pick up again later and read on from that stopping point. It is enjoyable and well-written, with engaging characters and a diverting story, worth reading for the plot twists and sense of everyday life in Arthurian Britain and Ireland.
Liner Notes:
- The outcome from deploying the bio-weapon used in this story will appall anyone, yet it is equally accessible today for use by any terrorist.
- After you've read this novel, you will never again casually slide a used knife into the slot of a knife-stand without sterilizing it.
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