Navigator: Time's Tapestry, Book Three (Time's Tapestry)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
As William the Conqueror's men attempt to stamp out the flames of rebellion, a prophecy is uttered. A bedraggled woman in a ruined chapel speaks of civilizations in conflict, armed by the engines of God...

And that prophecy proves to be true as the fearsome war between Christianity and Islam leaves its mark across the land. In Spain, a rogue priest dreams of the final defeat of Islam, for he has found a rent in the tapestry of time, a point where agents from the future used diabolical weapons of destruction to change history. Centuries later, in 1492, as men of vision weary of the strife and are drawn to the unknown West, one such explorer seeks the funding for his voyage- while a mysterious Weaver plots to unravel the strands of time and stop him.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars

great thought providing alternate historical epic January 3, 2008
3 out of 5 found this review helpful

I Musta'rib AD 1085. In northern Spain, English teenager Robert wants to become a holy warrior until he meets and falls in love with intelligent Muslim Moraima. At the same time, scholar Father Sihtric and the Vizier of Cordoba hate their symbiotic relationship as the Christian is forced by the Moors to build God's weapons from the Eadgyth of York prophesy he possesses while the Vizier is forced to rely on the priest to obtain the wine he needs to quench his alcoholic dependency. These two enemies work together on their personal needs, but will do anything to keep Robert and Moraima apart; as cross religious love has no place under God.

II Crucesignati AD 1242-1248. The Christian crusading armies force the Muslim Subh to flee Seville where she hid her shame of a Christian ancestor circa the late eleventh century. At the same time Joan the Christian fled the Christian Holy Land kingdom Outremer when it fell. Each possesses a segment of a prophecy that when combined will make God's engines drive the infidels out. When these two women meet, hell has come to Spain in the fury of these two enemy combatants.

III Navigator AD 1471-1492. A new power has surfaced in Spain at a time when the Christian's Crusade against the Muslims proved successful. The middle class sees things more from an economic opportunity perspective than a godly viewpoint. This has led to a new religious fervor from within as the Spanish Inquisition weeds out heretics especially from the middle class. Talk is focused on womanizing Genoa baboon Columbus as he wants to sail west to reach the East instead of journeying through Islam. He might be the Dove named in a recently discovered prophesy or another heretic needing a fiery lesson.

The third Time's Tapestry (see EMPEROR and CONQUEROR) covers the century between William's victory and Columbus' trip. The book is divided into three stanzas that accentuate the changes in fortune of the prime groups especially the fall of the Moors and the rise of the Christian middle class. Stephen Baxter continues to make his case that those who sit on their past glory by introspection lose over time to those who look beyond barriers for opportunities. A terrific tome that provides readers with a great thought providing alternate historical epic.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed by yet another postponed conclusion (no WOW payoff) March 10, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have been a longtime fan of Stephen Baxter's books, and have been particularly impressed by his ability to give mind-bending WOW payoffs for each novel. However, I have been progressively more dissatisfied by the Time's Tapestry alternative history series. I keep reading them, hoping for some WOW, but have been disappointed once again by Navigator. It seems we must wait until the end of the series (if even then?) for some resolution to the time meddling interference of the Weaver or Witness or whoever. I have to wonder that after an amazingly prolific writing career, or perhaps because of pressure from his publisher for increased book sales, that what once would have been a single book with a splendid WOW conclusion has been split into four (or more?) shorter books that lack the punch of novels earlier in his career (Timeships comes to mind here).

The prior review gives a good summary of the threads of Navigator, so I won't repeat that here. My only summary impression is that it has the flavor of a historical travel-log, but is not great science fiction. As a result I have learned something of the history of those span of centuries and now have a better appreciation of what the lives of people might have been like, although the portions relating to the Spanish Inquisition are quite gruesome (and probably true) and I found that rather unpleasant.

I have to wonder if the overarching theme of the conflict between Christian and Islamic cultures has been inspired by events since 9/11 and the Iraq war. The book does give a western person like myself better understanding of the distinctly positive cultural contributions of the Islamic world. It makes the prospect of global war between cultures that some advocate seem even more stupid. I have no idea if this idea is intended by the author.

To conclude, I would recommend that someone other than a dedicated Baxter fan postpone starting down the Time's Tapestry road until the next book comes out in July 2008. If readers then find it has a WOW payoff, then, yes, go ahead and dive into the series. I have to admit, however, that my enthusiasm for Baxter has been dampened.

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