Wayback is an adult Christian fiction sci-fi novel by the first time author Sam Batterman. (ISBN: 978-1-933204-87-1, VMI Publishers, 2009, $14.99)It all begins with the discovery of a strange and super-powerful futuristic weapon that has been hidden since the fall of Hitler and his Nazis. He had a horrific plan to use it's abilities to transport its user to any time period in the past. Now, a group of handpicked scientists, adventurers, and geniuses have been recruited to put this machine to use as a tool for understanding the true age and history of the world. What they find and the time period they enter proves to be dangerous and eye-opening for science, so-called established facts, and religions.
So, in Wayback the machine takes this group to the time of the Flood and Noah's arc in biblical times. I'm not a big fan of biblical fiction, but for those of you who are interested...
The writing is of a pretty high level. I felt that Sam Batterman wrote with lovely imagery and descriptions that didn't bore but, instead, enhanced the story. I personally didn't feel a connection with any of the characters, but I could see how a reader interested in this sort of literature could come to enjoy their personalities and their discoveries in this B.C. world, which is full of danger and unpredictable situations.
I wasn't really blown away, nor disappointed. As I said, Wayback is not really my personal bibliophile taste, so I don't feel that I really have a right to say if it was good or not.
If Wayback had used the same plot device, but transported the characters to a more recent time period and didn't focus on the religious aspects quite so much, I may have been more entertained and invested. In saying that though, I feel that I should point out that I found some of the theological discussions to be fascinating - but again, not escapist enough for me personally. We all have our tastes, and this just isn't one of mine. ;)
I wouldn't necessarily seek out more novels by Sam Batterman, but I do feel he is talented and that many readers who love this sort of Christian fiction will become big fans.
On a different note, the cover of Wayback is appealing to me with it's cleanliness (I know that sounds odd, but it's just so clear and uncluttered) and seems to suggest some level of science fiction. It isn't as eye-catching as it could be and certainly doesn't really represent any scene of the book, but it does its job well enough.
SO - does the premise of Wayback intrigue you? Because, if so, don't take my word for it! Go check it out! :)
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