Short and to the point
4 out of 5 stars
Short and to the point, this short story has a big punch packed in it.
If At First.. has a lot going on in such short pages. Hamilton is a master of the short-story. He’s able to tell a story with more guts than some full-length novels.
This story tells a tale of time-travel. What can someone do if they have figured out how to time travel. What good could they do? What bad? What major innovations could they move further back into history? These are all things that Hamilton asks in If At First.
Overall, a great short story. Fun from beginning to end. And the ending was abrupt but needed. A definite for anyone who likes a quick read — or who loves to think at the end of a story.
Published by Del Rey on June 20, 2011
Genres: Short Story
Also by this author: Light Chaser
Peter F. Hamilton was born in Rutland in 1960. He began writing in 1987 and sold his first short story to Fear magazine in 1988. He has also been published in Interzone and the In Dreams and New Worlds anthologies, and several small press publications. His first novel was Mindstar Rising, published in 1993, and he has been steadily productive since then.
Peter lives near Rutland Water with his wife Kate, daughter Sophie and son Felix.
- When I Picture You by Sasha Laurens (Narrated by Lauren Fortgang, Hillary Huber) - January 4, 2026
- Bellosio by John F. Shekleton (Narrated by Ray Montecalvo) - December 2, 2025
- Wake Up, Nat & Darcy by Kate Cochrane (Narrated by Jeremy Carlisle Parker) - November 13, 2025
