The Big Time

My impression of The Big Time is that, in my adolescence (circa 1970), I would have given up not far into the book because of the fantasy-like setting and the absurd but mature discourse of the characters. I am glad that I read it when I could appreciate the writing style. The setting is a waystation that exists outside of all possible times and universes. It is a Place for soldiers of a war spanning time and space to get R & R and medical care. The characters have died in their original "timeline" and participate in order to continue existing. However, they don't know who they are fighting or for what reasons. Problems arise when some voice their desire to leave the war, and when a device for passage out of the Place disappears.

The book is not Hard Sci-Fi, and I think it reads like a play. Readers born in the 1st half of the 20th Century would better understand the historical references to World Wars 1 and 2. For the wars are fresh in the author's mind, evidenced by frequent use of German phrases in the dialogue. Overall, it's a fast read, uses some witty language, and tells an interesting existential perspective.