Review: Tear In Time--imaginative and a pleasure to read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2012
As he did with "Endless Summer" Christopher Petersen dragged me away from my preferred reading genres (crime/thrillers and literary fiction) and thrust me into an historical novel with time travel and chilling descriptions of the American Civil War. I'm very glad he did.Dr. David Warner, a surgeon, steps into a hospital elevator and is transported to a field hospital just behind the front lines of the Civil War in 1862. The surgeon in charge is Dr. Morgan, who is overwhelmed by the staggering number of casualties, many of whom will die of infection as was the case back then. Dr. Morgan doesn't question David's entry into the operating theatre, and David (from year 2005) shows Dr. Morgan modern techniques in surgery and infection control. As a physician, I was impressed by the author's research as he provides intricate details of the surgeries.The battles at Antietam and Gettysburg are described in horrific detail. David's relationship with the elderly Dr. Morgan is a father-son thing, and very heartwarming. The intriguing thing about time travel stories is the question of whether or not the traveler (David Warner) can change the course of history. This is part of what made the film "Terminator" so vital, and the same questions arise in this novel.David actually meets General George Armstrong Custer, General Ulysses S. Grant, and distinguishes himself both in the surgical theatre and on the battlefield. Yes, it's pure fantasy, but that's what this novel deals with, and it does so exceedingly well.Yes, as some critics have pointed out, the novel needs some editing, but nothing distracted  me from the pure fun and pleasure I derived from reading so deeply imagined a story. Will David change the course of history? Will he survive the horrors of war? Will he ever return to year 2005?I won't spoil the reader's pleasure by answering these questions, but they bedeviled me throughout the novel's progress. Christopher Petersen is a writer with a future. A solid four stars!Mark RubinsteinAuthor, "Mad Dog House" (October 23rd, 2012)