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I'm a retired electronics engineer with an interest in light fictional writing. I was born in Zimbabwe but in 2002 I relocated to Johannesburg, South Africa, where I now live with my wife, Nola. At times in the past I have done a bit of short story writing, this beginning with the acquisition of one of the first very early electronic typewriters. I was fascinated by it so occasionally I would spend the evening writing short stories for my two little girls at that time. I never tried to get anything published, although in the eighties I produced a self-help book about VCRs. I've often given thought to what things could be like if one could travel in time, even though I don't believe it will ever be possible. Wars could be averted, fortunes made, quantum leaps in tech stuff, and so on. So I thought I'd have a bit of fun with Samuel Pepys (pronounced 'peeps') and Sir Isaac Newton, both of whom lived in the sixteen-hundreds and are world famous today. That's how it started and I didn't actually plan to write a book at all. But as the story evolved, I thought it might be interesting to put it in the hands of others. My only intention was to provide entertainment, pure and simple, nothing more. I have tried to inject humour as well as romance and curious scientific oddities - my electronics background prevailing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite
Another Time in a Vacuum by Roland Burisch is a witty fantasy adventure of anachronistic proportions. Meet Monty, a time-traveling historian who travels back to 1673. Imagine the thrill of excitement that greets him as he meets one of history’s most important diarists, Samuel Pepys. He musters the courage to tell Pepys that he has important information, but the eminent diarist is suspicious that he could be an extortionist. Monty tells Pepys that he is from the future and that he is familiar with the contents of Pepys’s diaries. Monty introduces the diarist to his mobile phone to lend authenticity to his claim. Monty remembers that Sir Isaac Newton is alive in the same period, with which Pepys concurs unless Newton has been beheaded for heresy. But Monty tells him that Newton will go down in history for his work. This fills Pepys with disbelief. Monty brings the two men into the present, and these two historical figures will witness the contemporary period with awe and bewilderment, an adventure that they will fill with many questions.
Another Time in a Vacuum is a fascinating time-travel adventure that is intelligent, witty, and at times, sad. While this novel takes the idea of time travel as an essential element in the storyline, it is more about a comparative look at the lifestyle and norms of the past with the present. It is inevitable that the two famous men will not understand Monty initially. But Roland Burisch equips his plot with confidence in the intelligence of Pepys and Newton. They eventually understand why Monty exists in their time without many ramifications about the historical timeline getting altered. Burisch wisely hinges on the mechanics of dialogue and the interaction of the trio for the plot. It is also one of the reasons why this novel works because you like the quirks of the characters. They are wise, funny, and fish out of water. It sounds like a story that you will enjoy reading. It is.
