Mysterium Paperback – August 31, 2010

Mysterium_ by Robert Charles Wilson is a very well done, engrossing earlier work of the author's, one that I don't believe has gotten anywhere near the attention of his later works (such as _Darwinia_, _Bios_, and _The Chronoliths_). It is also unfortunately out of print, though there are a great many used copies out there at relatively cheap prices. _Mysterium_ is a book one could place in the "island in the sea of time" sub-genre of books on alternate history and parallel universes, one made famous recently by of course _Island in the Sea of Time_ by S. M. Stirling (1998), _1632_ by Eric Flint (2000), and _Weapons of Choice_ by John Birmingham (2004) and their sequels, the premise being that some little corner of the modern day world (or a whole fleet instead of an island or a town in the case of _Weapons of Choice_) of our Earth gets sent into the past (which becomes from that point on a parallel universe, when those people from our time interact with the rest of the world). _Mysterium_ differed in two respects; first, this story came first (for whatever that is worth), as it is copyright 1994, and second, the town of Two Rivers, Michigan found itself in is a parallel universe from the beginning, contemporaneous with our Earth but with a history that diverged from our own close to two thousand years ago. But I get ahead of myself. An archaeological team working in a remote area of Turkey on what was believed to be a rather unremarkable prehistoric site came across what looked like a bit of jade embedded in the soil. Remarkable in its own right, further digging revealed that what was assumed to be a small piece was actually part of a much larger item that was not actually jade but some strange substance with extremely unusual optical properties. Of great interest - and unfortunate to its discoverers - the item was also extremely radioactive, many of those who discovered it dying quickly of radiation sickness. Obviously an item not of this Earth, with Turkey's permission the United States government removed it under heavy protection to a new research facility built just to study it, one set up on an old and largely abandoned Indian reservation near the quiet town of Two Rivers, Michigan. The base, very much aloof and apart from the town, at first piqued the curiosity of the locals, wondering what the meaning of the new base was in an era of declining defense spending and also hopeful of new jobs. When the new jobs don't really materialize to any great degree and the base stayed extremely quiet, they quickly forgot about it. One night though - a mere twelve pages into the book I would like to add - mysterious bright lights and an explosion at the facility, just visible to those in the town, heralded a bizarre event, one that removed the entire town and the military base to a parallel universe, the exact same spot on the globe on a world with a totally different history, in an alternate Michigan. Fully aware that there was some accident at the base, the townspeople awoke to find the power, water, and phones out, and those few with battery powered radios not able to get any stations except for a very distant one, one that seemed to be putting on some quasi-religious radio play of all things. Most just went on with life for a bit as best they could, hopeful that the utilities would be restored, though several tried to leave town and made an amazing discovery; all roads and trails out of town just stopped, ending in a cut as sharp as if a laser had made it. So sharp was the divide that trees were split right down the middle along the line, bare heartwood exposed for all to see. The other side of the line, inches beyond the road, was virgin forest, deep dark woodlands that had never known an axe. One of the locals who possessed a floatplane took off, hoping to uncover more of this mystery. He found that the town was now deep in the wilderness, all nearby other roads and towns long vanished, and what should be Detroit had completely different architecture, odd-looking cars, and even horse-drawn wagons. Heading back home, his flight apparently attracted the attention of the authorities of this world, who moved in with aircraft, tanks, and soldiers, putting the town under martial law. The startled locals learned that they were in an alternate reality; they were not in the United States of America, but in an entity called the Consolidated Republic, a French-English nation that ruled most of North America and was regrettably run by an authoritarian religious theocracy. What's more, it was not a Christianity as the townspeople knew it; it became apparent later in the book that the Christianity in this world was a intolerant descendent of Gnostic Christianity, this world's history having diverged considerably during Roman times, as the Roman Empire never became Christian and indeed even to the present Apollo and other Greco-Roman gods were still worshipped in many countries of Europe (ones at war with the Consolidated Republic). The locals privately derided this world's Christianity as being practically polytheistic, while the Proctors (much feared Gestapo-like religious police of the Bureau de la Convenance Religieuse) despised the Two Rivers Christians as worshipping a "stick figure Christianity," one unbelievably crude and simplistic. Regrettably, the conflict between Two Rivers and the authorities was much more severe as that, as the Proctors had dire plans for the town, for they believed it to be both incredibly useful as source of advanced technology and weaponry (being about roughly 50 years ahead of them) and as a blasphemous and dangerous threat to their social order. The remainder of the book dealt with the ugly plans of the Proctors and the secret resistance lead by several townspeople and their sympathizers.

I happened upon Robert Charles Wilson's Mysterium while browsing through a selection of upcoming books on Amazon. The description sounded interesting and soon after the book became available I made a purchase. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that, rather than being a "new" book, I had just spent my money on a book that was originally released in 1994.For what it's worth, the book was an interesting if not terribly original take on the parallel universe genre. It made for a relaxing diversion over a lazy Labor Day weekend. But I couldn't get over the fact that the publishers were so misleading in their marketing of this book. In a number of places, the plot was rather jarring such as its references to "the 20th century" and its sense of wonder at the idea of cell phones that are now so ubiquitous.OK ... so I did enjoy the story and would usually give it four stars. But I have to take at least one of those stars away for the deceptive marketing of this book.

"Mysterium" was one of the best books I've ever read. There were so many moments that I thought," There's no way Wilson is going to be able to tie all these loose ends together." But he did a masterful job of it. The characters and the story's setting was very rich. The ending had all the tension and excitement of a Hollywood blockbuster. I wouldn't be surprised if they made this book into a movie. Very entertaining but also very thought provoking. I would recommend it to anyone who loves science fiction.

I give it four stars because it wasn't exciting or innovative enough for me. The quality of writing was exceptional. Maybe I just was in a sour mood.

...but this book, not so much. There's a reason I could never get it at the library or bookstore, and that reason is clear to me now. Unless you're a dedicated RCW completist, give this one a pass.

I first read Mysterium 20 years ago and never forgot it. So I was pleased to find it on kindle and have found that the story reads quite well . Frankly they should make a movie or miniseries out of this.

A well written book about a town displaced into a different parallel. Unfortunately, having read several books by Mr. Wilson, I anticipated the ultimate deus ex machina at the conclusion.

This was my least favorite book by Wilson I've read so far. The characters and world are not as well developed or as interesting as his best works. It's okay but I'd start with Spin or The Chronoliths if you've never read any of his stuff.

Robert Charles Wilson's SF novels are based around scenarios where a fundamental aspect of reality is changed and charts the reactions of victims and observers to that change, whether that be the disappearance of an entire continent, or Earth being cutting off by a membrane causing the stars to disappear from sight. In this novel, following a bizarre accident at a secret research centre, an entire town in Michigan, Two Rivers, is transported to the equivalent spot and the same time in a parallel dimension where technology is more primitive, but a different form of Christianity holds sway, and women and racial minorities are oppressed - though these aspects are incidental to the plot and only mentioned briefly. In the end, having taken the town over to find out its advanced technological secrets, the authorities in the parallel world decide on a drastic solution to the anomaly that has arrived in their midst. There are a mixed bunch of characters on both sides, and new alliances form as the final fate of the town becomes clearer. A quick and mostly engaging read - there were a few info dumps, though less often than in Spin.

Fast paced and original alt history with metaphysical overtones.Well written . Well drawn characters. Never bores and often intrigues. Will seek out more by this author

A bit too much religion in my sci-fi unfortunately. Was an interesting read but only finished reading due to hoping for a decent explanation.

I read this book in three streaks before sleeping. It's a perfect evening read. Not very suspenseful, just the usual Wilson novel (= a good read). Robert Charles Wilson is my favorite author and I really liked Mysterium. It reminded me a bit of Blind Lake, which is by far my favorite novel by Wilson.

Immersed in Sci-Fi for years, I find this author to be refreshung! Just when I think I know what's coming -WHAM! I'm caught off-guard! Plus, I think this is one of his better books!