Review of Exiles of Tomorrow

 Review of “Exiles of Tomorrow” by Marion Zimmer Bradley

I have not heard of Marion Zimmer Bradley's author, but I found some disturbing information regarding her personal life when I looked her up. So, while I don't support the author, I can separate the artist from their work. Bradley's most notable work is “The Mists of Avalon” series, which I have not read but sounds like a decent Arthurian fantasy. I read this story before learning of the author's controversial life. Please do some research about the author first to determine for yourself whether or not you want to read her works.

“Exiles of Tomorrow” It's a very short story to read, not easy to find. I read it from the book “The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy, " a collection of mostly short stories. This book is full of incredible tales by writers like H.G. Wells, Mary Shelley, Stephen King, Ambrose Bierce, Jules Verne, and many more. If you're a big fan of science fiction or fantasy, I highly recommend buying this book. I bought it as a textbook for a class I took and had been reading (and re-reading) stories from it for years. A lot of which I cover here on the blog. You can buy the book here https://amzn.to/3v2CtCz

So, onto the short story “Exiles of Tomorrow.” The story is told in three parts. The first and last are the present day, and the second part is a flashback to the future. The story starts with an older man talking to his younger neighbor acquaintance, Carey Kennaird. The young man asks the older gentleman, Mr. Grayne, about time travel science fiction. He then tells the man a story, which is the second part of the story. A man, Mr. Kenner, is in prison and will be exiled to the past as his punishment. He tells his wife also to get banished to the same time, in the past, so that they can be together. Because time exiles are not allowed to marry people from the past. The third part of the story reveals that Carey Kennaird is the son of Mr. Kenner and his wife, but they have returned to the future where they were from. When Carey confronts Mr. Grayne, he confesses to having helped his parents. Mr. Grayne then tricks Carey into touching an item that kills the young man. While Mr. Grayne regrets his job, he claims that he had no freedom or choice and that anything is better than exile in time.

The one thing that stood out to me in this story is how Bradley depicts time travel. It reminds me of how time travel was used in the Marvel movie “Avengers: Endgame.” Traveling to the past does not have a paradox and will not affect your future because the timeline is always moving forward no matter which time period you are in. It's an interesting take on time travel, different from H.G. Wells' “The Time Machine.”

The concept of this story is fascinating, sending prisoners back in time as part of their exile. It almost reminds me of the movie “Looper”, but the person was executed in the past, not just exiled in that movie. The one thing I didn't understand about the story is if Carey is the son of Mr. Kenner, then what happened to Carey when his parents went back into the future? It's maybe implied that Carey is the son of Mr. Kenner but not his wife, so maybe Carey grew up with his mom, and Mr. Kenner just left him behind. The story's last line is Mr. Greyne saying that a child should not be born before their parents have been born. That's how he justifies killing Carey.

Bradley does an excellent job at telling a whole story for a very short story, with a great concept that doesn't fully reveal everything but leaves room for mystery. I enjoyed reading this story, and I love the concept of time exile. I wish there were more details on how time exiles affect society. I highly recommend getting “The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy” book so that you can read tons of fantastic stories, including “Exiles of Tomorrow.”

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12295401-exiles-of-tomorrow

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