The Interchange by Andrew Orange

The Interchange by Andrew Orange
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Imaginative Russian Sci-Fi novella!

Muscovite and student Tim Ivanov is an underdog in every sense of the word. He's undersized, under-motivated, under-funded (and mom has told him he's now on his own), and the ladies won't give him the time of day. So, when a voice in his dreams - the voice of Hautama, the supreme ruler of the entire world in the year 3500 - proposes to change places (bodies) with him for 13 days in the distant future, he's listening. And agrees. Then nothing happens. So Tim goes about his business as a poor student.

To complete his course of study at the university, Tim and his coursemates are scheduled for a summer at practice camp for ummm… practical experience. But on arrival, the students discover the camp is practically falling down. Not only are the facilities minimal, but those present don't work, and the closest town seems to have based their entire economy on getting money out of the desperate students.

It's pretty grim until that night when the students organize a wild orgy of a party on the shore of the river that runs through the camp. Tim, turned off by the antics of some of his fellow students, is leaving the party to go back to his bunk when he is confronted by a drunk local, getting into a losing brawl. When next he awakens, Tim discovers he's no longer at the camp nor in his own time or body. The Interchange has occurred.

The Interchange is an imaginative novella of time travel set in and near Moscow. The depiction of Russian student life seemed typical of what is usually portrayed in the media, but the author's vision of the future is creative, unexpected, and frightening. The language is a bit rough and crude, as are the characters, but still, I found myself rooting for the main character Tim. I like how Tim gained confidence in his new situation and took action. And I appreciated the footnotes the author provided for terminology and additional explanation tremendously.

I recommend The Interchange for readers who enjoy stories of time travel, visions of a far distant future, or with a Russian flavor and setting.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Hidden Gems.


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