I wanted to read this one because I had read all the other Time Trader books. I think this is the last one. But it was kind of disappointing. I liked the focus on Ross and his emotions but all the guerilla fighting was not that interesting for me. It did make me think about the war in Afghanistan, which very much resembles the type of fighting and environment in this book. Vietnam too in some ways. But I wouldn't read it again or recommend it. ( )

Murdock and Ashe are stuck in the living past of Hawaika after they'd seen off the threat of the Baldies to that ancient world. Not quite resigned to their fates, the two men reckon they're stuck there after their gate had been destroyed but Karara and the mysterious guardians of that past come to tell them that a way back was to appear in the near future. Not inclined to argue this seemingly incredible statement, the two men soon find themselves faced with the slight figure of Eveleen Riordan, come to bring them home. Back uptime in their present, they find Hawaika a living world but one that had been the heart of a thriving human civilisation had been reduced to a cinder and with a new mission; the reversal of the burn off. Back in time, Murdock finds himself organising a guerrilla war against the invading Ton, who's death was fated to wreck the nascent civilisation that would eventually beat off a Baldy incursion. As they fight for this land, Murdock and Riordan find themselves growing closer, and Murdock finds himself falling for the land he's fighting for as well. Eventually, the enemies are beaten and Ashe, Murdock and Riordan come back to a living presence.

Although Norton has already introduced the concepts of having members of the opposite sex having important roles in her previous Time Traders tale, this one also pushes a degree of romantic entanglement that is unusual for her books, though this is most likely the doing of her co-author PM Griffin ( )

This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com & Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road Facebook Group by Bookstooge's Exalted Permission. Title: Firehand Series: Time Traders Author: Andre Norton, P.M. Griffin Rating: of 5 Battle Axes Genre: SFF Pages: 282 Synopsis: Ross Murdock and Co head to a world that in the future opposes the Big Brains and win. The Big Brains burn the world in the past and Ross must prevent that from happening, all the while hiding Earth's involvement. And he gets involved with some chick. My Thoughts: This was a disappointment. Who ever P.M. Griffin is, this collaboration did not work for me, at all. This was a bloody romance. I don't have a problem with those, but I do when it is completely different from the previous FOUR books in the series. I enjoyed this as a standalone story, but not as a part of the Time Traders. I don't know if I want to read any more. I believe the rest of the Time Traders are collaborations as well and this one just turned me right off. " ( )