Review by Booklist Review
Tess is a cultural geologist in an alternate world with access to ancient time machines. She and the Daughters of Harriet are embroiled in a secret time-editing war to achieve a world where abortion is legal in the U.S. They are fighting a group of men who are trying to create a permanent sexist dystopia rooted in male control of reproduction. Meanwhile, a teenage riot girl named Beth is set adrift when she and her friends murder a man in self-defense. Beth struggles to control her own future while Tess works to edit history by jumping to the Algerian Village of Chicago's World Fair, with the goal of striking down the Comstock Laws. Newitz's carefully built narrative of time travel and conflict is rooted in the drive and joys of intersectional feminism, sex positivity, and acceptance. The heart of the book lies in the Daughters, Anita, CJ, Tess, and a traveler from the dystopian future, all determined to protect and bolster the rights of women across present, past, and future. This riot of a book will have readers delighting both in the thrilling battle over timelines in an intricate, alternative world and in the joys of inclusive feminist solidarity.--Leah von Essen Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Newitz's mind-rattling second novel (after Autonomous) is a multilayered tale of "editing" history, human rights, and the ripple effect. Geologist and time traveler Tess (2022 CE) is fighting a misogynist group set on subjugating women across the present and future, then destroying the time machines to lock in their dominance permanently. Punk rock-loving high schooler Beth (1992 CE) just wants her own life, and normalcy after witnessing a murder. Their lives intertwine in ways neither quite understands, and the effects of their connection extend for centuries in both directions. Newitz's fascinating extrapolation is an intelligent, gut-wrenching glimpse of how tiny actions, both courageous and venal, can have large consequences. The sidelong looks at prejudice-born horrors are frequent but not overwhelming, and the examinations of how much darkness one might be willing to endure in order to stop a vaster terror are heartbreaking. Smart and profound on every level, this is a deeply satisfying novel. Agent: Laurie Fox, Linda Chester Literary. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
High schooler Beth just wants to enjoy punk rock and live her teenage life. But in 1993, she witnesses a murder that threatens to upend normalcy forever. Tess is a geologist from 2022, fighting with a group called the Daughters of Harriet to keep women's rights alive--all across the time line. Arrayed against Tess and her group are misogynistic anti-time travel activists who follow the edicts of Anthony Comstock. When Tess's and Beth's paths cross, they are forced to come to terms with a past and future that are malleable, caught in a war for control, and where one tiny change can have significant consequences. Amplifying many of the touchstones of youth, family, and friendship gives readers a new twist on the butterfly effect. VERDICT In her sophomore work, Newitz (Autonomous) comes back to an Earth that highlights the truths of our past and possibilities of our future. The fantastical elements do not hide the all-too-real horrors women could face, but intelligence and hope are woven into every level. Shrewd commentary and a host of sources highlight Newitz's strength in prose.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Time travelers battle for the future in this feminist sci-fi thriller.We begin in 1992, where (or is it when?) "traveler" Tess has appeared at a punk concert in California. She's on the lookout for "anti-travel activists" who want to shut down the mysterious "Machines," structures of unknown origin that somehow facilitate time travel. Tess discovers that a group of misogynist crusaders, centered around the ideas of 19th-century conservative moralist Anthony Comstock, are trying to change events in the past so that women are stripped of all human rights. Tess and her friends, who are diverse in both race and gender, chase these "Comstockers" through time to stop them from fulfilling their evil plans. Meanwhile, teenager Beth, who is really living in 1992, escapes her oppressive home life to revel in the California punk scene with her best friend, Lizzy. But what is Beth supposed to do when she meets a traveler from the future who warns her to stay away from Lizzy? And why is that traveler, Tess, making detours in time to find Beth when she has a conspiracy to thwart? Newitz (Old Media, 2019, etc.) does well enough with the time-travel premise, but where this book really shines is in its page-turning plot and thoughtfully drawn characters. The Comstockers' plan, with its rhetoric plucked straight from present-day "men's rights" online forums, is truly terrifying. Between careful attention to Tess' development, Beth's chapters, and the near-constant jumps through time, the story charges along until Newitz suddenly ties it all together with breathtaking finesse. The humdinger of an ending is a perfect cherry on top.An ambitious adventure that keeps the surprises coming. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
