Big Time

An intriguing idea—an underground drug that allows you to see the short-term future—let down by an aimless story. It reads like the author sure wishes he was in a rock band, taking copious drugs, living the rock’n’roll high (very high) life. The band story and the time warping never really coalesce, and like so much time travel there are ‘but what about’ traps around every corner that leave the story flailing. The rogue totalitarian Australia is a fun nightmare, and the short-story-competition-winning chapter on a time anomaly is excellent. Alas it all peters out to a shrug.