Broken Time

I was up until 2 A.M. this morning because I had started reading "Broken Time" after dinner and couldn't put the book down until I finished it. The heroine, Siggy is your basic B-average high school graduate who needs to go off-world to find a job (jobs are very scarce in this future universe), and ends up working as a janitor at the Institute for the Criminally Insane. Siggy grew up in the midst of a galactic cold war that occasionally turned hot, and the technologically superior Enemy is still trying to decide whether or not to exterminate the human race once and for all. It doesn't help our side one bit, when a serial killer who thinks he's the Antichrist is turned loose in alien territory.All of Maggy Thomas's characters came to life for me, even the alien 'Speedies' and the serial killers in 'Monster Row'. Her heroine, Siggy is open, friendly, and smart, and teaches ballroom dancing just for fun. She is neither passive nor timid, in spite of the fact that she doesn't know what she really wants to do for a living (how many of us did at her age?). She doesn't back down from murderers, sadistic guards, or even angry aliens. Notwithstanding her lowly status, Siggy never gives up on her determination to find the Lost Boy, teach the Speedies how to dance, and make the Galaxy a safer place for humanity. What she does flows naturally from who she is."Broken Time" has a strong plot that bubbles along with enough future-tech gobble-de-gook to keep us geekish readers happy trying to deconstruct the theory behind 'time pockets' and artificially speeded-up humans. And there are enough loose threads at its end to make me hope for a sequel. Maggy, don't disappoint me. I want to read more about the indomitable Siggy!

Amazing book! I was not expecting such a great adventure, wonderful characterization or brilliant imagination. I am in awe. Can't wait till she writes more. Want to read a book where the characters actually learn and grow? Here it is. Want a story that is frightful, suspenseful and witty? Here it is. Want some new insights into what the universe (and others) may hold for us? Check out this little gem of a book. I could not put it down.The view into the psychology of serial killers, the theory of time, the story of human and alien relations, but mostly the budding awareness of one young woman who finds out just how special and important she is in the scheme of things will stay in my memory for a good long time.

This strange story about the growing up of Siggy Lindquist is curiously enthralling.It takes place in a universe so crowded that anybody of less than stellar abilities and accomplishments is relegated to brutal menial labor on distant outposts of "civilization".It is at one such outpost that Siggy meets the main protagonists of this tale. Beware that some of the details of her time at the Institute for the Criminally Insane are extremely grotesque and distressing.Despite my reservations about these vivid descriptions, I found the plot and its characters to be totally involving and fascinating. I liked Siggy immensely and was pleased and touched by her ability to cope and to grow beyond the circumstances that often threatened her. I found the humans, the "speedies" and the rest of the other-than-human beings to be very well realized and so intriguing that they still pop up in my memory and welcome further contemplation.A good story, good actors well drawn, strange twists and unusual space and time concepts, an exciting and gratifying ending.I rarely feel that a book is worth 5 stars, but this one got to me and wouldn't let go.Highly recommended.

I read this book yesterday...started it in the morning and read nonstop until evening. The book is just wonderful. There's a heroine to care about, a couple of heroes and antiheroes, and a few human monsters tossed in for good measure. The problem is, determining which is which is not always easy because these people have depth and they're full of surprises. There's also an alien race and a bit of time travel, and yes I know that the way I'm describing it may sound like a bit of a kludge but it's not! It all ties together so beautifully.I can't wait to see more scifi from this author.

In the distant future, Earthlings have colonized many different types of worlds in numerous galaxies. Though technology has improved the lives of most with its incredible changes, several of the major problems that existed on late twentieth century earth remain. Unemployment still impacts the young. For instance, recent high school graduate Siggy Lindquist leaves her homeworld of Veil and even her galaxy to accept a janitorial job in the high tech prison on the planet Agate, where the most deadly human monsters are incarcerated.The Director assigns Siggy to work in the maximum-security block commonly known as Monster Row by the staff. Every day for the next seven years, under the direction of her boss, Siggy interacts with mass murderers Jerry Wolf, Joseph Bell, and MS-12. When Siggy is seriously injured during a prison breakout, the institute gives her a generous compensation package that allows Siggy to return to Veil and never deal with a serial killer again. She soon learns she a bit premature on the latter thought.Maggy Thomas is a bright new voice in science fiction and genre fans will enjoy it because of the complex story line, intricate characterization, and believable alien setting. Readers will accept the existence of non-human sentient beings that distrust Earthlings and their descendants. Siggy is a fascinating protagonist struggling to earn a living in a seemingly menial job when contrasted against the high technology world that surrounds her. The serial killers are intriguing as their so-called humanity hides their ugly souls so well that, at times, readers actually feel sympathy for them. The audience will demand that Ms. Thomas return to the BROKEN TIME universe in the short-term future.Harriet Klausner