The Time Hoppers
A 25th-century bureaucrat investigates time travelers from the future.
In 1967, Doubleday published *The Time Hoppers*, a science fiction novel by American author Robert Silverberg. The story follows Joe Quellen, a 25th-century bureaucrat whose job is to look into "hoppers"—time travelers from the future whose appearances in earlier eras have been recorded for centuries. It also involves his brother-in-law, Norman Pomrath, an unemployed blue-collar worker who is eventually given a chance to travel back in time.
Quellen is a Class Seven bureaucrat on a heavily stratified, overcrowded Earth in the 25th century, governed by a single world government. People in lower classes, like his sister and brother-in-law (Classes Fourteen and Fifteen), are limited to a single room, with the shower fully exposed. Oxygen is rationed. Quellen himself has secretly secured a house in Africa, but if discovered, he would face severe punishment, as living space is extremely scarce. Technology is highly advanced, including teleportation and time travel. At the story's start, Quellen’s superiors have learned that missing segments of the population have traveled to the past seeking a better life; they are unsure whether to be relieved at losing thousands of people or worried that the time travelers might alter history. Quellen is assigned to handle the situation.
- author
- Robert Silverberg
- nationality
- American
- field
- Science fiction novel
- first_published
- 1967
- publisher
- Doubleday
- protagonist
- Joe Quellen
- setting
- 25th-century Earth
Lore & Background
Joe Quellen is a Class Seven bureaucrat in a highly stratified, overpopulated 25th century Earth with a one world government. Those who are in lower classes, such as his sister and brother-in-law in Classes Fourteen and Fifteen, only have the right to a one-room apartment, with even the shower out for full display. Oxygen is rationed. Quellen has managed to find a house for himself in Africa, but if this is discovered he would be severely punished as living space in the world is at a premium. The level of technology is highly advanced; teleportation is a reality, as is time travel.
Reader's Guide
The Time Hoppers explores themes of overpopulation, social stratification, and the consequences of time travel. When the novel opens, Quellen's superiors have discovered that missing segments of the population have time-traveled into the past for a better quality of life; they don't know whether to be happy that they had shed thousands of people, or concerned that the time-travelers might change history. Quellen is assigned the task of dealing with the situation. The novel reflects mid-20th-century anxieties about population growth and resource scarcity, presenting a future where even oxygen is rationed and living space is at a premium. Its significance lies in its examination of how individuals might escape a dystopian society through time travel, and the ambiguous response of authority to such escapes.
Did You Know?
- The novel was first published by Doubleday in 1967.
- The protagonist Joe Quellen is a Class Seven bureaucrat in a one world government.
- In the 25th-century setting, oxygen is rationed and teleportation is a reality.
- Quellen's superiors are uncertain whether to be happy or concerned about population segments time-traveling to the past.
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