Mysterium

Mysterium_ by Robert Charles Wilson is a very well done, engrossing earlier work of the author's, one that I don't believe has gotten anywhere near the attention of his later works (such as _Darwinia_, _Bios_, and _The Chronoliths_). It is also unfortunately out of print, though there are a great many used copies out there at relatively cheap prices. _Mysterium_ is a book one could place in the "island in the sea of time" sub-genre of books on alternate history and parallel universes, one made famous recently by of course _Island in the Sea of Time_ by S. M. Stirling (1998), _1632_ by Eric Flint (2000), and _Weapons of Choice_ by John Birmingham (2004) and their sequels, the premise being that some little corner of the modern day world (or a whole fleet instead of an island or a town in the case of _Weapons of Choice_) of our Earth gets sent into the past (which becomes from that point on a parallel universe, when those people from our time interact with the rest of the world). _Mysterium_ differed in two respects; first, this story came first (for whatever that is worth), as it is copyright 1994, and second, the town of Two Rivers, Michigan found itself in is a parallel universe from the beginning, contemporaneous with our Earth but with a history that diverged from our own close to two thousand years ago. But I get ahead of myself. An archaeological team working in a remote area of Turkey on what was believed to be a rather unremarkable prehistoric site came across what looked like a bit of jade embedded in the soil. Remarkable in its own right, further digging revealed that what was assumed to be a small piece was actually part of a much larger item that was not actually jade but some strange substance with extremely unusual optical properties. Of great interest - and unfortunate to its discoverers - the item was also extremely radioactive, many of those who discovered it dying quickly of radiation sickness. Obviously an item not of this Earth, with Turkey's permission the United States government removed it under heavy protection to a new research facility built just to study it, one set up on an old and largely abandoned Indian reservation near the quiet town of Two Rivers, Michigan. The base, very much aloof and apart from the town, at first piqued the curiosity of the locals, wondering what the meaning of the new base was in an era of declining defense spending and also hopeful of new jobs. When the new jobs don't really materialize to any great degree and the base stayed extremely quiet, they quickly forgot about it. One night though - a mere twelve pages into the book I would like to add - mysterious bright lights and an explosion at the facility, just visible to those in the town, heralded a bizarre event, one that removed the entire town and the military base to a parallel universe, the exact same spot on the globe on a world with a totally different history, in an alternate Michigan. Fully aware that there was some accident at

The books of Robert Charles Wilson, while cloaked in the familiar trappings of science fiction, are without exception quiet novels of character, of people forced to adapt to new situations and to remake themselves in a new world where the rules have been turned upside down. His work contains many of the same qualities of Roger Zelazny's ealy short stories, which were often considered weak on ideas but were written with such vigor and style that they forged his reputation back in the late 1960s. In Mysterium, a possible alien artifact is taken to the small town of Two Rivers, Michigan, where a mysterious explosion somehow transports the entire population of the town into an alternate dimension. While keeping the tension running, Wilson sets a languid pace, affording us the opportunity to get know his characters, not just through the various problems they must now confront, but by examining how their past experiences dictate their responses to their present dilemma.

I found this at a used bookstore too. I hadn't heard of Robert Charles Wilson and boy! what a good book. He writes well and the plot about an alternate universe is intriguing. I kept thinking about the Dark Tower in Stephen King's mythos. I am going to see if the local library carries other of Wilson's works. I think he's definitely going to be somebody to pursue!I highly recommend this one. I couldn't put it down. And usuallly, I'm famous for buying cruddy books at the used bookstore. This one is a gem!

I picked this one up on a whim from a used bookstore, and was very pleasantly surprised. A quick read full of great sci-fi elements. Definitely track down a copy of this book if you can!

Wilson delivers a fast paced alternative-history / science fiction novel about a town 'blasted' into a parallel 'Amerika' dominated by the french and the english. A world in which christianity took hold couple of centuries too late. The book is very interesting, and presents new and rare viewpoint. The only downside is the two of the main characters, "the scientists" both a little unbelievable. Other than that - It's a great one.