The Crossroads of Space and Time
The Crossroads of Space and Time contains a wealth of ideas and characters that work toward an engaging sci-fi opera.
The Crossroads of Space and Time emulates the characters, setting, and action of classic works of science fiction. An authorial collaboration between father and daughter Charles and Irene Nickerson, the story follows a collection of spacefaring bears and their adventures.
Characters are caught within a web of conspiracies, heists, battles, and romance in a mystery that involves an ancient species and its civilization, which is spread among a system of planets. Throughout the story, self-belief and love become defining characteristics for the main characters, and a general theme of trying to do what is right permeates the text.
The narrative follows the escapades of Tiberius and Babs, two highly trained bears and lovers. They are tasked with a mission to foil the criminal activities of several gambling organizations in their planetary system. But as they delve deeper into plots and schemes, they uncover pictographs on distant worlds that seem to point to an ancient civilization and a prophecy.
The bears’ relationship is tried and tested, and they forge their marriage through the trials they face. Tiberius struggles to accept his family legacy of crime-fighting and heroism, and constantly questions his own abilities while he tries to make his father proud. Babs helps him to see past his own misgivings, and their love for one another strengthens them both individually and as a couple.
Characters often tread a thin line between upholding the law and breaking it. There is a slight values dissonance, as well: the main characters are right no matter what they do, and they always have an explanation for muddy decisions on hand. As the plot progresses, Tiberius becomes more confident in himself, and his love for Babs helps them both to overcome the challenges they face.
Grammatical and spelling issues detract from the text, as do issues of pacing. It is hard to discern section breaks within the text as a whole. Character and plot development, too, can be confusing, and some characters are underdeveloped and seem to exist only to serve a single purpose or provide a reason for events to occur.
The Crossroads of Space and Time contains a wealth of ideas and characters that work toward an engaging sci-fi opera. The authors point to inspiration from such works as Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Stargate, and fans of these series may enjoy the story told here as well.
Reviewed by
CJ Triplett
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