Young Adult Science Fiction
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As it turned out, it was late afternoon by the time they did start back for the teleport vehicle, and they didn’t notice the shiny eyes watching them from the darkness of the cave entrance. The girls did not hear the growl from the beast nor did they see the tongue lick greedily over long, sharp teeth as the monster within the cavern laid its head back on a huge paw. Perhaps it was thinking of its next victims.
Again, that night they dined on fish and what was left of the fruit, then drank from their water containers, and felt refreshed. Sitting outside, they marveled at the clear skies and bright stars in the heavens, but were momentarily frightened when a large meteor flashed through the atmosphere, lighting the sky like daylight.
“Do you think it landed?” Nancy wondered. “I didn’t see an explosion, if it did.”
“Something that big would have made a noise, I think.”
“It either burned up in the atmosphere,” Gail guessed. “Or bounced back into space.”
Somewhere in the grassy darkness, they heard the fierce roar of a predator, and sudden chills crawled up their backs.
“What was that?” Nancy asked.
“I don’t know.” Gail admitted. “But it was awfully close.”
“It sounded like it was mere yards away,” Barbara told them. “It might be a good idea if we went inside before something sneaks up on us from the surrounding darkness.”
“Last one in is a rotten pig,” Nancy yelped.
“I think the saying refers to a rotten egg.” Barbara told her. “But I get the point.”
“Who cares?” Nancy said, as she was the first one inside the TV.
“Whoever is last,” Gail laughed, “and ends up a rotten egg!”
Just as they shut the teleport vehicle, they saw a large body slinking in the shadows, only yards from the TV. Two long teeth glistened in the moonlight, and they heard a low roar of disappointment as the beast voiced its displeasure in trapping its latest prey.
“It was a Nimravid,” Gail said.
“One of those saber-toothed cats?”
“Yes, Barbara,” Gail told her. “Just like the one that fought those Hyaenodons for the deer earlier.”
“Maybe it’ll leave by morning,” Nancy hoped. “Don’t cats only prowl at night?”
But it wasn’t. All through the night, they heard the beast prowling around the TV, every now and then scratching at the vehicle, trying to reach them. They huddled closer together during the long night.
When the sun broke over the horizon, they didn’t see the cat-like monster at first and thought it had left, but as Barbara started opening the portal of the TV, a terrible smell assaulted their nostrils, and then they saw the beast’s head rise above the window to the rear, and quickly shut the teleport vehicle again.
“What’ll we do?” Barbara asked. “We can’t go out with that thing waiting to pounce on us!”
“All that we can do.” Gail told her. “Wait it out. And hope the beast returns to its den.”
“Can’t we leave yet?” Nancy asked. “What’s the status of the batteries?”
Looking at the control panel, Gail shook her head. “The batteries show just under full charge. I would rather wait for total power again before we attempt to teleport.”
Later that morning, a herd of Kryptoceras wandered nearby, and Barbara pointed them out to Gail: “There are more of the deer with four horns!”
A cow and her calf was grazing close by, and the saber-toothed Nimravid edged its way out to the herd, until it was within easy reach, then rushed for the calf. As it sunk its tusks into the young deer, the rest of the herd raced off, while the girls watched the predator dragging its prey towards the hill and its den.
Shortly afterwards, a pack of Hyaenodons trailed the scent of the recent kill to the teleport vehicle. Spotting the girls inside, they commenced attacking the TV with terrible violence!
Review(s):
THREE GO BACK by Tom Johnson
ISBN #978-0-578-05107-9 (Paperback)
Night To Dawn Books
Cost: $12.97, 133 Pages
SF/Educational/Adventure (YA)
Ratings: 5-Stars
In the 24th century, when travel is by teleportation vehicles, and the affluent live in bubbles floating thousands of feet above the ground, three young girls prepare for school as one presses the teleport button. At the exact same time, a massive magnetic storm from the sun strikes the Earth, disrupting the mechanism and turning their teleportation vehicle into a time machine.
Instead of instantly materializing at their school, the girls find themselves thousands of years in the past, at some point during the Ice Age. Time and time again, they attempt to return to the 24th century, only traveling farther back in Earth’s past with each press of the button. With the batteries draining from each jump, they are stranded in each epoch for short periods of time, in which they experience the danger and excitement of fantastic adventure in ancient surroundings.
Previous novels by this author have fascinated me, and I was not disappointed with this one. There is a wonderful mix of adventure and camaraderie among the characters as they discover their world’s past history first hand, and observe ancient life in the raw flesh. As they constantly go further back in time, the girls begin to fear they may never return to the world they once knew, and the reader turns each page in anticipation of some new thrill or danger.
This is a unique adventure for the Young Adult, with an educational content seldom found in stories for this age group. As I read this exciting tale, I discovered a thrill for an older generation of readers as well. Perhaps some of us do want to go back!
Terry Roberts, Reviewer (SF/Etc At A Glance)
