Weaver: Time's Tapestry, Book Four by Stephen Baxter Search Amazon for other books by or about Stephen Baxter. Rating: Reviewed by: John Walsh

Stephen Baxter's best work is characterised by its willingness to engage with very large-scale themes: he has, after all, repeatedly dealt with the end of the universe, the restructuring of matter and the nature of time and space in relativistic terms. In Weaver, which is the fourth and concluding episode in his Time's Tapestry series of novels, he is again concerned with weighty themes, in this case the nature of history and historical change, the role of the individual in dynamic history and the impact of imperialism upon society. It is not giving too much away to note that the action takes place during the Second World War, since this is made clear from the book cover. The early part of the war is re-imagined in the light of what might well have been a pivotal moment: that is, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk. The implications of this are examined through the war careers of both British and German protagonists, in addition to an American woman in Britain to visit her son who has volunteered to join the International Brigade. In due course, their various paths enable them to come across the nature and purposes of the mysterious Weaver who has been sending messages into the past in the attempt to influence the progress of human history, as was explored in the three preceding episodes in the series.

This is on the whole a satisfying conclusion to an entertaining and thought-provoking series of books, even if the questions that had previously been raised will have solutions that will always be slightly problematic for a reader who has invested so much time in going through the whole series. The loose ends are tied up quite nicely and a few possible inexplicable additions are also added to the text, providing some of the salt of that which may never be known to the rational solutions outlined. Baxter's characterization is as functional as ever and the characters lack much of an intellectual hinterland, at least as explained by the author. The result is, as I have no doubt observed in previous reviews of his work, that it can be difficult to identify individual characters simply by the way that they think or phrase their thoughts. It is one of the marks of literature, after all, that characters are so vivid and finely defined that we as readers can imagine them not only as being genuinely alive but understand so much about them that we can predict how they would react and what they might say in any given situation. Still, it would be unfair to expect any author to combine mature reflections on space and time in the galaxy with Proustian sensitivities. Besides, there is nothing here which would distract any sensible reader from pursuing the mysteries to the end.

Stephen Baxter is one of contemporary science fiction's most reliable and interesting authors and nearly all of his works are worthy of consideration. This is certainly one such case, even if readers are advised that they will appreciate much more of what is going on if they begin with the first part of the series and pursue it sequentially. However, it would be just about possible to read this as a standalone novel and to understand and enjoy it. This series has helped push Baxter further into the attention of the mainstream book-reading public and his new works are now promoted at the front of book shops. I would recommend interested readers to explore more of his oeuvre.