Fred Saberhagen (1930–2007)

An odd novel, but for me typical of American SF in the 1970s. The opening chapter is interestingly done as it introduces several different main characters, one section at a time, with each new section starting with the next character noticing the previous one in passing. Fairly soon we learn that these characters are in the same locations, but separated in time but some completely unexplained phenomenon called the veils. A veil falls on Azlaroc once a year, like shrinkwrap encasing whoever is on the planet at that time, so that they can't leave. Those encased in adjacent times can interact but as the number of veils increases, things become dimmer, blurrier, and eventuallly people are like ghosts to each other. While there is some attempt to develop rules for what happens, there is absolutely no sign any has tried to explain this, nor the spheres and cones that make ujp the landscape, not the "blacksky" darkness at one end of the planet. It's all just there while the forgettable stories of one of the trapped humans tries to communicate a warning across the layers to present visitors, a thief tries to carry out an odd theft of a book in a crypt, and another trapped human follows a rich man seeking a way to escape via folds in the veils that seem to lead to a nearby pulsar.

I can't really recommend this collection of magical properties disguised as science fiction coujpled with stories of not very great emotional import.… (more)