Imagine you had the opportunity to travel back in time and change the course of history. Not your own personal history but that of the planet. Would you go back and prevent Hitler coming to power? Would you stop Donald Trump becoming the president? What if you were given the chance to halt global warming before it had even started? But what if every time you changed the past you had to temporarily sacrifice one of your limbs or organs? Does that still seem like a good deal? This is the premise for Marty Essen’s satirical sci-fi comedy DOCTOR REFURB.
Doctor Stefan Westin is struggling to cope with the steady influx of Covid patients at the hospital where he works. Added to this is the stress of his divorce and the uncertainty of his new relationship with veterinarian Tara Kramer. One day he hears a voice in his head offering him the chance to be a hero for planet Earth. Decisions he can make will change history and save humanity from environmental catastrophe. All he needs to do is nominate characters from the past to be deposited on to another planet before their negative actions can have an impact on earth. There’s a catch. Every time he chooses somebody he has to forfeit a limb. Or an organ. The voice in his head assures him that anything lost will grow back. Eventually. The voice is coming from a representative of an alien race and as Westin’s adventures progress, the aliens reveal that this is not the first time they have visited our world.
Essen is a naturalist, educator and prolific author and DOCTOR REFURB is the latest in his series of time-travel based satirical sci-fi novels. Given Essen’s background it’s unsurprising that he writes passionately about environmental causes and by using science-fiction as a vehicle to express his concerns about the state of the planet he allows his imagination to run riot. His prose is witty and pacy. The characterization of Stefan and Tara is well developed and their gentle bickering is the source of many amusing moments. In the early stages of the novel some of the humorous incidents tend to be slightly disjointed and mildly repetitive like a recurring skit on a television show. As the novel progresses things become smoother and the narrative drive is no longer overshadowed by the gags. An extended sequence where the heroes are sent back in time to visit a corrupt missionary in South America is very well handled.
Though committed Republican party members and evangelical Christians might balk at some of Doctor Westin’s antics and decisions, readers with an open mind and a good sense of humor will greatly enjoy DOCTOR REFURB. The novel uses satire and comedy to raise important issues about the state of the planet. It’s a thought provoking read peppered with moments of high comedy.
~Kent Lane for IndieReader