When I inserted the word ‘Time’ into the title of my first book of the Timecrack Adventures, I pondered its meaning and how mankind and history conceived such a proposition. One that we take as a natural part of our existence, just like breathing the air around us.

If you are of a religious bent and consider the question: what exactly is time? The answer is probably quite straightforward. God created it like everything else. But for many cultures the question of which god? is debatable. And no doubt it will continue to be so until the end of time.

If you are of a more philosophical persuasion, you may well ask what existed before time was created, and will it ever end? Or does it only exist in the mind of man? Again, the question is open to debate

If, like me, you tend towards the search for a scientific answer, there are plenty of excellent books on the subject, which may enlighten the serious reader. The following include some of my own favourites:

Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku

Time by Alexander Waugh

How to Build a Time Machine by Paul Davies

A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking

Wonders of the Universe by Brian Cox

There are many more, of course, but these are a few from my own library that I have enjoyed reading when seeking information for my own books.

For writers such as myself who explore the worlds of science fiction and fantasy, time is a mysterious but wonderful opportunity to use our imagination to create characters and situations in stories that readers will enjoy. For example:

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Time and Again by Jack Finney

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Dune by Frank Herbert

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman

Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

This list is endless, and so many more could have been included, but it drives home how popular the sci-fi/fantasy genre is, and no doubt it always will be for young and old readers, from all walks of life.

I have started to edit the third book of the trilogy: The Varakite, a Timecrack Adventure. It continues to explore the mystery of time travel and the multiverse, with the story of a man afflicted by an ancient curse that forces him to seek victims to satisfy his need for energy. The time is the 1840s. The place is Ireland during the Great Famine. Archie, Richard and Kristin, as usual, are in the thick of the many adventures that overtake them.

I hope readers will enjoy the story, as much as I did in the writing of it. Meantime, I will post updates on my website www.williamlongbooks.co.uk on its progress towards publication.

W.L.