The Didymus Contingency

If you could jump to any point in time and anonymously observe history, what time would you travel to? Its a question many fantasize about. And its the question on which Jeremy Robinson based The Didymus Contingency. The book centers around two physicists: Dr. Tom Greenbaum and Dr. David Goodman. Together they pioneer a new technology that lets them travel through time.

Through an interesting and compelling turn of events, Tom Greenbaum has suffered a lapse in his religious faith. This leaves him somewhat at odds with his research partner, David Goodman. Finally, Tom decides to prove to David that his faith is unfounded. He jumps into the past arriving at a period several years before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. He plans to witness the supposed miracles of Christ and with a scientific mind, debunk them. David ends up chasing Tom back through time in an effort to prevent him from interfering with history. Together they spend a great deal of time witenessing biblical events first hand.

The novels biblical central plot almost turned me away from the book. I'm not a particularly religious individual and I don't tend to enjoy religious debate and have little patience for those who try to foist their ideals upon others. Early in the book it became obvious that this was not the goal of the story. Though the plot centers on biblical events, it does so from a historic perspective and is not the least bit preachy while finding a remarkable balance that both religious and non-religious readers can enjoy.

What would you do if you could go back in time? What what would you see? What would you try to change? Did events unfold as history has recorded? These are all questions covered as the story unfolds. The Didymus Contingency is a well written work of science fiction that takes readers on a truly unique time travel adventure.

As I mentioned, the central subject almost led me to pass this book by. But I have become a big fan of Jeremy Robinson's other works and felt compelled to give this book a try. Not only was I not disappointed, but I am also happily recommending it to anyone interested in the time travel genre.