Three Wars Through Time

Doctor Who refers to a permanently off-stage "Great Time War." Poul Anderson, exercising considerable economy and restraint as an author, presents three entirely different conflicts through time:

in The Corridors Of Time, Wardens and Rangers travel along time corridors in an invariable reality;

in There Will be Time, Havig's group and the Eyrie time travel psychically in an invariable reality;

in Time Patrol and The Shield Of Time, the Time Patrol, Neldorians and Exaltationists travel on timecycles in a variable reality.

Thus, three means of time travel in two kinds of reality. Timecycles are conventional time machines, like updated Wellsian Time Machines, whereas time corridors and psychic time travel are Anderson originals.

Only one of these conflicts is between an unequivocal good and and unequivocal evil. Havig's group aims at human emancipation whereas the Eyrie aims at the restoration of white supremacy. Wardens and Rangers are aristocrats and bureaucrats. Neldorians use futuristic weapons to gain power in the ancient world, then "...set new records for luxurious living." - Time Patrol (New York, 2006), p. 221. Exaltationists seek to remake time in order to rule it in order that their wills may be wholly free. The Patrol preserves history as it is because it will eventually lead to transcendence of animality and humanity.

The most restrained account of a time war is in There Will Be Time. Havig gathers his forces in the far past before making a single decisive assault on the twenty second century Eyrie at a time when its defenses will be most relaxed. Eyrie agents who are not killed must be apprehended quickly to prevent them escaping into time. Some of Havig's soldiers jump from a plane in the twentieth century, then time travel to make a surprise parachute attack on the Eyrie in the twenty second.