Castaways in Time

Mr Adams writes like he was a seasoned cavalry officer and puts you in the saddle with his character of Bass Foster. A little dated (1978) but still a great read from one of the original progenitors of the alternative or future history genre. His years of soldiering shine through the pages.

In the aftermath of the storm to end all storms, Bass Foster's house is swept back in time to a war-torn medieval England that never was. Bass and five unexpected guests find themselves embroiled in a contentious holy war ignited by the Church against the rightful throne of 17th century England. Quickly, for survival's sake, the castaways in time must choose sides and adapt themselves to the turbulent socio-political climate of this parallel earth, harnessing their cumulative knowledge of science and technology and putting into use Bass's modest arsenal of modern weaponry - thusly significantly influencing the temporal tide of history. Before S. M. Stirling, Harry Turtledove, and Eric Flint first dabbled in time travel and alternate histories, Robert Adams' blood-and-guts six-book series Castaways in Time thrilled readers a generation past. This novel, titled Castaways in Time, is the opener to that series and is one of the better, more fully-realized time travel adventure stories I have read. It certainly is the best of the six installments. Robert Adams was a history and military buff and it shows in his detailed minutae of life and war in not so jolly, bloody old England. He narrates his medieval military campaigns with vivid authority and easy familiarity. There's a visceral feel conveyed by Adams which impacts the reader and places him or her right there in the heat of the skirmishes, on that wartorn battlefield. Bass Foster, our lead character, is a man in his mid-forties who has let the world pass him by. But it's a good thing he knows quite a bit about the art of war because his martial expertise comes in very handy in a savage world where "might makes right." It's not long before his consummate soldiering is recognized and hailed by his 17th century peers. His fellow temporally-challenged travellers also contribute greatly and are accordingly elevated in status, notably Pete Fairley (an innovative jack-of-all-trades), Bud Webster (a huge bear of a man and himself an accomplished soldier) and the initially meek Professor William Collier. In fact, the professor, whose hobby is studying military history, has a knack for strategy and tactics, as well as being an ace at firearms and the sword. Very early on, he becomes a trusted adviser to the king and is granted an earldom - which, it turns out, is a bad thing. His resulting enmity with Bass Foster provides a subplot that further ratchets up the action-packed storyline. Also, keep an eye out for Nugai, a taciturn but deadly local whom I grew to liked. The pace of this book is certainly frenetic. Lots of things transpire in a very short time. Events are described in brief but all-encompassing passages. There is no shortage of military action. One minor quibble I have is that Robert Adams chooses to minimize scenes of the moderns initially coping with their very odd situation. They get transported back into time; then, next thing you know, two weeks pass and they've already accli

The what-ifs presented by the author are great. The books have multilple plots and charactors that always keep you interested. I was led to this series by Adams Horseclans series and have proceded to try to acquire all the books in both. I have most of them but would like to obtain a check list for both series. If anyone has one, please let me know.