Great Work of Time facts for kids
"Great Work of Time" is a science fiction story by American writer John Crowley. It's about a secret society that tries to change history. Their goal is to stop World War I from happening. They want to keep the British Empire strong and growing. This story involves time travel and was first published in 1989.
Contents
The Story's Main Plot
Caspar Last invents a time machine. He uses it to travel to the 1800s in British Guiana. He wants to get a very rare stamp called the British Guiana 1c magenta. Caspar plans to sell the stamp for a lot of money. He also wants to make sure no one ever uses time travel again.
The Otherhood's Plan
A mysterious group called the Otherhood buys Caspar's stamp. They also take control of his time machine. The Otherhood wants to use time travel to save the British Empire. In their new timeline, the British Empire stays a powerful world leader throughout the 1900s.
Denys Winterset's Mission
In the 1950s, a young official named Denys Winterset works for the Colonial Service in Africa. He travels on the Cape to Cairo Railway. There, he meets a strange person and is asked to join the Otherhood. Winterset learns he must travel back to 1893. His mission is to kill the group's founder, Cecil Rhodes. If Winterset fails, Rhodes will change his will later. This would stop the Otherhood from ever forming. Then, the original history would return.
A Different Timeline
In another version of history, a different Denys Winterset travels into the future. This future was created by the Otherhood's time travel. He learns that changing history too much has caused many unexpected problems. The people in this future ask Winterset to go back in time. They want him to stop the other Winterset from killing Rhodes. This would bring back the "true" original history.
The Mission Fails
The first Winterset arrives in 1893 Cape Town. He easily gains Rhodes's trust. When he has a chance to act, a mysterious force stops him. This force is hinted to be the future Winterset. The mission fails, and Winterset is stuck in the past. He starts working for Rhodes. He sees firsthand the harsh ways Rhodes built his colonies. Winterset can only watch as the "Original Situation" returns. The world then goes through two World Wars. After the second war, the British Empire breaks apart.
Life in the True Timeline
In the final part of the story, a young Winterset lives in the "true" 20th-century history. He joins the Colonial Service, which is now losing power. The Empire's colonies in Africa are becoming independent nations. In 1956, he meets his older self in Africa. He learns the truth about time travel. He helps his older self escape the chaos in Africa. They return to London. The story ends with their last meeting many years later.
Winterset later sees a newspaper ad in The Times. It announces the sale of the rare 1856 British Guiana stamp. He knows the Otherhood owned this stamp in 1956. This makes him realize that time travel means his own story could still be changed.
Awards and Recognition
This story won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novella in 1990.
Publication Details
- Novelty: Four Stories, 1989
- The Great Work of Time, 1992, publisher: Spectra, ISBN: 0-553-29319-2
