Time Crawlers REVIEW

Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal

Rating: 2.5-3/5

 

I was sent this for an honest review So here goes:

 

This was a series of science fiction short stories by debut author Varun Sayal. Sci-fi for me is usually a hit or miss and this was no exception. Some stories were good, others… not so much. I’m putting individual ratings (out of 5 stars) to make it easier.

 

1-NARK ASTRA was about this weapon that will destroy the entire world. Apparently it was a take on Indian Mythology, but I don’t know any Indian Mythology so that went over my head. I read this one and had to stop halfway because the characters were too pretentious and I just really couldn’t follow the dialogue. I really had to push myself to finish. It was a lot of philosophy, but really not my style. (1 star)

2-DEATH BY CROWD was definitely more of my style. It was dark and twisted and very Black Mirror. Again, still mostly just dialogue (this was written in the form of an interview) but easier to read through. I was very intrigued by the premise. I enjoyed the discussion of morality, especially because the interviewee was a man who created a television show that literally was just volunteers burning themselves to death. Yeah. It’s crazy. (4 stars)

3-GENIE was kind of cringe-y. The writing style was strange. The genie was speaking like a teenager and it just didn’t seem to suit me. However, the idea itself was interesting. Definitely an interesting take on the magical lamp and the genie that grants wishes. (2.5 stars)

4-TIME CRAWLERS was another interesting one. Still not really a fan of the writing style (written as if it’s like a skit, with two characters and their dialogue like an interview. Eh.), but once I got past that, the conversation was very interesting (though all the technical sci-fi mumbo jumbo went over my head and I totally skimmed it) and the ending was cool! (3 stars)

5-ECLIPSE was another one that was reminiscent of Black Mirror. This one had aliens, and explored the idea of who the aliens really are and morally grey characters (which as you know, is my jam). (3.5 stars)

6-THE CAVE was just okay. Honestly, I don’t really remember it very much. It was fine, but nothing memorable. (2.5 stars)

 

I would recommend a few of the stories for those that like science fiction. Overall it was a cool way to talk about morals and philosophy, but not really my normal cup of tea.