Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing Time’s Agent by Brenda Peynado, a recently published science fiction novella about pocket universes. I didn’t know quite what to expect from this one, but it sounded really intriguing. So, I had to check it out. Read on to see what I thought about it!

“What would you do, given another universe, a do-over?”

Forty years ago, archeologist Raquel and her biologist wife Marlena once dreamed of the mysteries they would unlock in their respective fields using pocket universes— geographically small, hidden offshoots of reality, each with its own fast or slow time dilation relative to Earth time—and the future they would open up for their daughter.

But that was then.

Forty years later, Raquel is in disgrace, Marlena lives in a pocket universe Raquel wears around her neck and no longer speaks to her, what’s left of their daughter’s consciousness resides in a robotic dog, and time is a commodity controlled by corporations squeezing out every last penny they can.

So, when a new pocket universe appears, one that might hold the key to her failed calling, Raquel seizes one last chance to redeem herself to her wife, live up to her own failed ideals, and confront what it means to save something—or someone—from time.

***Thank you to Tordotcom for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

Time’s Agent was such a fascinating novella that explored some heavy, thought-provoking themes. I’m always a bit leery of novellas because I never know if the author will manage to tell a rich and meaningful story with enough depth. The shorter format often leaves me wanting more, but not in a good way. This book managed to tell a great story that felt complete and satisfying on both the emotional and conceptual levels.

The premise of Time’s Agent was probably my favorite thing about it. I loved the idea of the pocket universes with varying speeds of time compared to our own. It was just such a cool thing to explore. The setting of Santo Domingo was also really unique, and it was so fascinating to see what a dystopian future might look like there. It did take me a minute to get up to speed on the specifics of the setting and premise, though. I had some trouble settling into the first few chapters because the story just jumped right into things with lots of terms and details that I didn’t understand. I was hooked enough to settle in for the ride, and I’m glad I did. Things made sense as the story went along. So, my trust in the storytelling was rewarded.

The main character in Time’s Agent, Raquel, had my deepest sympathies. Through her struggles, the story explored the concept of grief in some gut-wrenching ways. She lost 40 years in the blink of an eye and came back to a completely different world. Her personal losses were staggering. I did feel for her, but I was a bit surprised how removed she seemed. The impact of her losses on her family were at the heart of the story. However, I never felt very attached to her or like I got to know her all that well. I think maybe a bit more balance between showing her life before and after the accident might have been helpful in making her feel even more relatable.

The world-building in Time’s Agent was really cool. The commentary on colonization provided by integrating the story of the indigenous people into Raquel’s story was very interesting. Pitting her career in archaeology against the very survival of those people provided some thought-provoking content and a great area of growth for Raquel. However, I wanted to know more about the natives, their history, and how they accomplished their amazing feats. It wasn’t necessary to understand this story, but I still would’ve loved a bit more detail, especially since it might have given a bigger glimpse into why Raquel was so passionate about them.

The commentary on end-stage capitalism was another thing Time’s Agent did very well. I’m not going to say much about it because it is definitely something to be experienced by reading this story. However, the imagery of the damaging nature of over-consumption was harrowing. I also liked how the story explored the ways that capitalism can corrupt scientific exploration and the search for knowledge. It warned that discoveries are not made in an ethically pure vacuum, which means that research must be conducted keeping in mind how others might use it for profit no matter how destructive.

Overall, Time’s Agent was a heart-wrenching story of love and loss wrapped in thought-provoking speculative fiction. If a dystopian story about corporations using up multiple universes to the point of ruin for the sake of profit is something that sounds interesting, I definitely recommend picking up this novella. Therefore, I rate Time’s Agent 4 out of 5 stars.

Have you read Time’s Agent by Brenda Peynado? What did you think? Let me know down in the comments!