- Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; First Edition
- Published Date: April 15, 1997)
- Pages: 160 pages
- ISBN-10: 031215514X
- ISBN-13: 978-0312155148
- Author: George Gaylord Simpson
- Additional Content: Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Jay Gould, Joan Simpson Burns
The Dechronization of Sam Magruder by George Gaylord Simpson is a different sort of novella. It was written by George Gaylord Simpson, one of the premier paleontologists of the 20th Century, but was not published during his lifetime. His daughter found the manuscript after his death and worked to have it published. She got Arthur C. Clarke to write an Introduction and Stephen Jay Gould to write an afterward. They showed their respect for the author, his work over the course of his life, and the story of Sam Magruder.
In 2162, Sam Magruder is working on his studies and experiments with time when he dechronizes and finds himself 80 million years in the past. One of the unique aspects of this book is the theory of how time works. There are essentially two aspects of time that operate separately. In one sense, there is only a single instant of time that anyone can experience. That is “now” and you cannot be anywhere else. The second aspect of time is linear and it only reaches into the past. There is never any future in this timeline only the current ‘now’ and the past. Should someone slip between the current ‘now’ dimension and the timeline dimension, they will slip in time as well to some time in the past, but the position along that timeline could be anywhere since time began until the ‘now’ they left. Once they arrive in the new time, they revert to a ‘now’ only, so they can never return to a future that no longer exists for them.
The story pays tribute to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells by naming most of the characters in 2162 with their titles or descriptions (The Pragmatist, The Universal Historian, etc.) similarly to what Wells did in his famous novel. These folks are gathered in 2162 to hear the description of a story related on 80 million year old slabs that were found recently and apparently written by Magruder.
This is an interesting story about loneliness and aloneness and survival. It gives us insight into Simpson’s views of dinosaurs and how they might look an act. At time those seem prescient (colorful dinosaurs) and at times they are little dated (slow, cold-blooded dinosaurs). Current theories have moved on beyond Simpson, but it does not detract from the story. It is an inventive and interesting take on time travel and the effects of that on a person and his psyche.
The introduction by Clarke and the afterward by Gould add a level of richness to the story and provide insight into Simpson and his importance for science. Both of these writers have a huge amount of respect for the man, and for his works.
If you like time travel stories, if you like dinosaurs, if you like rigor in your pseudo-science, The Dechronization of Sam Magruder is probably a novella you will enjoy. I did.
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“Anthrophobia: A Teacher’s Tale” – by Matt Truxaw
