tek's rating: see introduction

A Swiftly Tilting Planet (pub. 1978)
Goodreads; isfdb; Madeleine L'Engle; TV Tropes; Wikipedia

Well, I'll start by saying that Charles Wallace Murry is now 15 years old, which I guess makes Meg Murry O'Keefe about 23. (Oh, my, did I just say "Meg O'Keefe"? Yep, she and Calvin are now married.) Meanwhile, Calvin is speaking at a conference in London, about immunology. But the other Murrys are all home for Thanksgiving. Sandy has been away at law school, and Dennys at medical school. Even Mr. Murry is home, for a change. Joining the Murrys for the occasion is Meg's mother-in-law, Branwen O'Keefe. Sadly, Fortinbras has at some point died of old age. But they suppose a new dog will find them, sooner or later.

Meanwhile, the generally pleasant atmosphere of the holiday is interrupted by a phone call from the President of the United States, who often consults with Mr. Murry on scientific matters, and has become close to him. It's not good news, today. The dictator of a small South American country called Vespugia, Mad Dog Branzillo, has acquired nuclear missiles and is threatening war. There is perhaps a 24 hour period in which war might be averted, but no one seems particularly hopeful. Rather, they're beginning to worry that it could mean the end of the world, or at least the human race. Sandy says that might not be so bad. Which, in retrospect, reminds me again of the fourth book. Incidentally, Mrs. Murry at one point mentions her mother having told her about one Spring, many years ago, when there were tense relations between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, and nuclear war had been predicted. Again, this book came out in 1978. I'm not at all certain what particular crisis this refers to, so of course it's no help in determining the book's setting. I'd have guessed the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, except that that was in October. I'm afraid I don't know enough history, so my only other guess would be the early 1980s, but it's impossible for that to have been many years before this book is set, even if it is set sometime after it was published. Sigh.

Mrs. O'Keefe is in bad condition, physically, seems far older than her years. She isn't sociable, rarely speaks, isn't really happy, and doesn't seem to want to be here, claims not to understand what anyone's talking about. It's really quite surprising that she accepted the Murrys' invitation at all. However, it's very important that she's here today. Out of nowhere, she begins to recall a rune her grandmother had taught her, many years ago. The rune holds great power, reciting it can ward off danger. Charles Wallace becomes quite interested in it. Mrs. O'Keefe somehow believes Charles Wallace, who she calls Chuck, will be able to stop Mad Dog Branzillo. And then, before dinner has even begun, she says she wants to go home, so Dennys drives her.

Later that night, a dog shows up, and so becomes the Murry family's new pet. Charles Wallace declares that her name is Ananda, which is Sanskrit for "that joy in existence without which the universe will fall apart and collapse." Meanwhile, Charles Wallace has become interested in learning more about Mrs. O'Keefe's ancestors. Her maiden name was Maddox, and Charles thinks there may be some connection to Branzillo, perhaps going back thousands of years. He goes outside to think, and Meg takes Ananda up to bed, and kythes with Charles Wallace. She tells Ananda to help her kythe.

Out at the star-watching rock, Charles Wallace begins to call out part of the rune, and I'm sure you will not be in the slightest surprised to learn that a unicorn appears. He is called Gaudior, which is Latin for "more joyful." He will carry Charles Wallace, but they must watch out for Echthroi, which will frequently cause them trouble. And Charles Wallace shall have to move in and out of Time, as well as people. From this point on, the book is pretty much one long episode of Quantum Leap. Except that while he is Within other people in other times, he doesn't really control them, he mostly just experiences what they experience. This can help him learn things that will prove useful, though he may also cause some changes in events. And Meg got a sense of what he was experiencing, through her kything with him. Though Charles Wallace himself would not know himself while he was Within someone, it would be as if he was that person. And he must keep his own thoughts and knowledge from that person. It's rather complicated.

Charles Wallace will go Within a few people in different times, and it's all about establishing connections. He keeps trying to remember some book he'd read at some point, but for some reason he couldn't remember anything clearly about it. The people he became, however, and things he experienced, would help him piece everything together, and ultimately learn the connection between Branwen Maddox O'Keefe's family, and Mad Dog Branzillo. Meg's kything, meanwhile, would inspire her to try to figure things out, back home. And she could kythe information to him, to help him on his journey. Some of the people he went Within would be far back in time, but finally, he ended up within Chuck Maddox, the little brother of Branwen (nicknamed Beezie), when they were children. Then, Mrs. O'Keefe returns to the Murrys' home, to show them a letter she found in her attic, from 1865, which was written by someone related to someone Charles had been Within, earlier. Meanwhile, Beezie and Chuck's grandmother had often told them stories from a book about the past, and from old letters.... Eventually, Charles Wallace goes within Matthew Maddox, who had lived during the Civil War, and written a book, and exchanged letters with his brother, Bran.

It's all very complicated, and I can't recall it all clearly - heaven knows mere skimming's of little use, I'd have to reread the whole thing. Even so, I recall that even as I originally read it, it was confusing. Perhaps in part because of my inconsistent reading habits, but that's certainly not the only reason. But hey, we all know that time and space are of little importance, because everything's connected. And eventually, the book shows us all the connections... even if they are more twisted than a season of Lost. Anyway, Charles Wallace finally returns to his own body, in his own When. And Mr. Murry rereads the letter Mrs. O'Keefe had brought, though somehow it seems different. And then the President calls, about Madog Branzillo. And... well, Meg and Charles Wallace's memories, and perhaps Mrs. O'Keefe's, are different from those of everyone else. Which is all I want to say. No doubt I've already said too much, but the important thing about this book is not so much the result, as what led to it. And I've left out anything truly important about that, so... have fun reading it for yourself, and try not to let any Echthroi or plot twists knock you loose in the wind.

Followed by Many Waters