Gate Of Time

Author: Robert Silverberg

When I imagine Two Hawks, I visualize him as a Cherokee Indiana Jones (the Raiders/Temple/Last Crusade Indy, not that Crystal Skull tripe, thank you very much.) At other times, I picture him kinda like The Rock. Because, you know, it's my fantasy and WHO SAYS I HAVE TO CHOOSE? There's something about Two Hawks that women will find sexy, and men will find admirable. He's a rugged explorer, with a sharp intellect and education behind him, and a natural inclination and adaptability to his surroundings. The plot begins in the thick of World War 2. Native American bomber pilot Roger Two Hawks is off course on a mission to bomb the Ploesti oil fields, and has a mid-air collision with a German plane. He and Pat O'Brien (the turret gunner) are the only people to open their parachutes, and they bail out over enemy territory to find themselves on an alternative planet Earth. A different war is occurring on this Earth, with primitive technology even by World War 2 standards. The native people speak a style of Iroquois language. The American continents never rose, and American Indian ancestors remained in Asia and Europe. With a convenient plot device will make snobs laugh, Hawks is a sci-fi fan and has figured out he's in a parallel history. The story becomes Two Hawks quest to live in this alternate earth, and find a way back home. And what sort of story would it be without a love interest? Another reason why you should read Farmer's novel: This author once inspired Jimi Hendrix to write â€œPurple Hazeâ€.