Because look what I done in all three of these books.
Alternate universe stories.
Sliding Doors stories, stories where a single moment in time – catch the train/miss the train, hold your tongue/speak your mind, immanentize the eschaton/go to Subway for the 6 inch tuna – causes a dramatic change in the universe.
A recent reflection on my comic book collection in general and the Fantastic Four in particular sent me back to The Baxter Effect and by gosh, despite my usual ‘I should have found a better way to say that’ and the ‘what a stupid plot point’ regrets… I’m pretty pleased with the finished product.
Without going into great detail, in the story – because of a particular scientific invention – Ben Grimm gets to live the life he always wanted. Thing is* … no one else does.
The older I get – the more life I live – the more of these ‘what if’ moments come to mind for me. The more poignant those reflections become.
This story is definitely one of those ‘can’t put the genie back into the bottle without breaking a few eggs or cancelling your omelette order altogether’ tales.
Some of my favorite stories utilize this same concept:
Jack Finney’s Time and Again.
My favorite ST:TNG episode – ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise.’
One of my favorite ST:TOS episodes – ‘The City on The Edge of Forever.’
Others?
- – pun intended