Lancelot Stebbins, as he grows older, becomes increasingly irate at the world that refuses to recognize his greatness as a scientist. When the discovery of a form of time travel promises him immortality, it’s a race to create a spectacular demonstration which cannot be forgotten before his wife manages to bungle everything and leave him in obscurity.
In virtually every respect, this is a superior story. The time-travel gimmick is unusual and therefore interesting, the characters—basically Stebbins and his mousy wife—are both good. The plot is plausible, and the ending unexpected but satisfying. And yet somehow the story doesn’t appeal to me particularly, I don’t know why. Perhaps it’s because the focus of the whole story is just how unpleasant Stebbins is, and I don’t like having unpleasant people thrust into my face so insistently. I'm not sure. Still, in terms of technical quality it’s a good story and definitely one worth reading.
