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Reviewed by S. Mathur for Readers' Favorite
Talisman by Tom Catalano is not your usual time travel story. Archaeology student John Shaw is on a dig in Antigua with a team from the University of Chicago, led by the brilliant Professor Henri Rutherford. On the last day of the disappointing trip, they unearth a skeleton holding a small, puck-shaped object that appears to be made of gold. The two have different ideas about what to do with the object, which turns out to be a time travel device, based on their ethical choices. Slowly but surely, the consequences of those choices begin to play out in their lives, as the past and present not only keep changing but also repeating. Unexpectedly, a government intelligence agent appears in the loop, seeking to use the device for his own nefarious purposes. How does it play out? Does the good guy win or lose in the end?
This is a thoroughly engrossing version of the dilemmas and results of time travel. In Talisman, author Tom Catalano has created a very convincing scenario, full of authentic details about archaeological digs, academic skullduggery, campus life, Chicago, and maintenance work. John Shaw is a very sympathetic protagonist, and the villains are suitably fiendish. The writing, and especially the dialogue, is of high quality, drawing you into the story from the first page to the last. Readers who love science fiction, time travel, and archaeologically oriented mysteries will enjoy this book and find some new and original ideas in these genres. Highly recommended.
