★倫敦書展重點小說！
What happens when time travel tourism becomes time travel terrorism?
In the 24th century time travel has become possible but is heavily restricted and used primarily as a means of masstourism.
Most of the action in THE TOURIST is set in the 21st century, where these tourists stay in enclosed resorts, closely monitored by reps and leaving only for chaperoned tours. A small number have been given special dispensation to live among us.
These settlers are called "extemps" and are generally despised.
Told in two interlinking strands, the primary narrator is Spens: a bored time travel rep from the 24th century, working through what he thinks are his last few months in the 21st century. On a routine trip to a standard attraction one of his clients disappears without a trace. He is forced by his superiors to turn PI and find her. At first he thinks she was smuggling drugs, but he gradually realises there's a far more sinister reason why she has disappeared which has potentially catastrophic consequences for our descendants.
The other strand, set in the 24th century, introduces Karia Stadt. At the beginning of the novel Karia is released from a long prison sentence on the condition that she aids in the search of some people who are believed to be stranded in her old home city. She recognises the man who is to escort her as somebody she once met in the early 21st. He was older then: the meeting is in his future so he has no memory of her. As they travel back to the now-ruined city she recalls the actions that led to her imprisonment. Actions that have their roots in our not too distant future.
Dickinson handles the time travel aspect in the best possible way and constructs a scenario which seems all too plausible. And Spens is a hugely engaging character whose wry observations and humour propel the novel, shining a light onto our society and the way we react to outsiders. Perfect for fans of WOOL or THE MARTIAN.
