Meg Murry-O'Keefe, married to Calvin (no surprise) and expecting her first child, is home with the rest of the Murrys for Thanksgiving. Calvin is away in London giving a groundbreaking paper to a major conference, and so isn't present when Meg's father gets a disturbing call from the President of the United States.
Mad Dog Branzillo, the military dictator of a South American republic is doing more than sabre-rattling with his nuclear weapons, and the President is not hopeful about the prospects for avoiding all-out nuclear war. The world could well end within twenty-four hours unless this very unreasonable despot is made to see reason. Calvin's mother unexpectedly provides the family with a clue, however. It seems that Branzillo may be a very distant relation of the family. Fifteen year old Charles Wallace pounces on this very small hope and, with the help of a unicorn named Gaudior, goes backward in time and experiences the joys and sorrows of the O'Keefe's ancient ancestors through their eyes. The story of the extensive family that eventually produces the insane Branzillo is explored, and Charles Wallace tries to subtly alter the 'might have beens' in the hopes of bringing about a better present. Can he do it? He has the help of Gaudior, and Meg Murry provides moral support via kythe, but opposing Charles Wallace are the Echthroi, who would be quite happy to see the Earth vanish in a mass of mushroom clouds. A Swiftly Tilting Planet has its foot in both the Time Quartet and the O'Keefe family series of novels, and not just because Meg is pregnant with Polyhymnia O'Keefe. On the Time Quartet side, it features Charles Wallace travelling back through time in order to save the world. On the O'Keefe family side, we are presented with a far more complex story about human interrelationships. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book - sensitive (sigh....) FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - part earth & part fantasy world Time Travel: - largely backwards/past Is this an adult or child's book? - Kid's book (ages 7-14) Time Travel story? Yes Family relations Yes Descript. of chases or violence - 20 % planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 10 % Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 50 % Main Character Identity: - Male Profession/status: Age: - a teen Really unusual traits? Main Adversary Identity: - magical being Age: - long-lived adults Profession/status: Has magical powers? Yes Eccentric: Yes How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor Intelligence - Genius (really!) Setting Terrain Takes place on Earth? Yes Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog |