Poul Anderson's Time Patrol series now boasts a new chapter with his novel The Shield of Time. This epic spans the ages of the Patrol's timeline, from ancient America to the 1990s. Every page rings with the high adventure and excitement that have been hallmarks of Anderson's writing for decades.

Shield consists of three loosely connected novellas, all involving the legendary time-traveler Manse Everard and introducing new Patrolwoman Wanda Tamberley. The first part describes the Patrol's third battle against the superhuman Exaltationists; future-born beings out to turn history into their private amusement park. The second turns on Wanda Tamberley's torn allegiances, as she tries to reconcile the need to maintain the proper historical record with her feelings for a tribe in neolithic America. The third involves the whole Patrol as its members fight to restore the timeline that produced them after a sort of undercurrent in time changes history in the 11th century.

Poul Anderson flavors his narrative with sharp insights on the human condition. Libertarian readers will appreciate his bitter comments on government (at one point Everard reflects that war is what government does best of all) and will especially like how the actions of individuals can change the course of history or the outcomes of great struggles.

The Shield of Time is a powerful book well worth the reader's time and money; Anderson has once again proved that he can write history in SF better than most, and entertain his readers while doing it.

Thomas Cron is an Atlanta SF fan who specialises in Alternate Histories. He has encylopeadic knowledge of the genre.