THE ATOMOGRAPH

In Duffy’s SF series-starter, a former boxer is recruited by a mysterious organization that sends operatives back in time to repair the future.

In 2020, Londoner Joe Cartigan is a down-on-his-luck boxer with a failing gym and deep regrets when a mysterious, anonymous text (“Locker 347. Waterloo Station. 23:00”) leads him to a small case containing a very nice watch that’s “probably worth more than his gym.” The next day, a woman named Kira arrives for a boxing lesson, but she already has impressive combat skills; she explains that the watch is actually a time-travel device called an Atomograph, which belongs to a secret organization with a job offer. All Joe has to do is follow some orders, go back in time, and make changes to the past that the organization deems necessary. It all seems like a gift, at first: a meaningful career, cool gadgets, the opportunity to use his skills for good, and even a romantic relationship with Kira. But as the missions get harder and more morally complex, Joe starts to wonder if his bosses are lying to him. Is the promise of changing the future worth the price? This book is the first entry in a series, so not all of Joe’s questions are answered, but his career as an agent appealingly unfurls like a video game: Kira, working dispatch, provides exposition; the fight scenes keep the blood pumping, complete with witty one-liners (“You took your time,” notes one of Joe’s targets when they meet). As in many other time-travel tales, the novel explores the ethical dilemma of killing one person to save another, and Joe faces increasingly dizzying versions of this problem. Overall, Duffy’s book is lean, and time certainly flies—which sometimes means that there isn’t time for very much emotional investigation. Kira, in particular, is a cipher: Is she trustworthy? There isn’t quite enough in the novel to evaluate this point. Similarly, the potential of Joe’s past regrets isn’t fully explored—at least not yet. Still, fans of time-travel tales and fight scenes will find this a satisfying read.

A brisk thriller that asks intriguing questions.