I'm not sure what you were expecting when you last saw Garison Fitch, but I bet it wasn't this. In what purports to be book three of "The Legend of Garison Fitch", Garison doesn't even show up until the third and final act.
For the first two acts, "Lost Time" is the story of two experimental pilots in the Republic of Texas Army Air Corps, circa 1947. Pulled away from the front (of WWII, which I bet you thought ended in 1945!), they are sent to test an aircraft that is heralded as "an end to war". Instead, they are propelled far into the future, where they find their home town a desolate wasteland. When they return to 1947, the war is over, their country is gone, and the world has changed. How could a trip to the future change the past?
Just when we thought we had a grip on time, White jerks the line out of our hands and leaves us holding a whole new breed of thoughts. Perhaps time is linear after all, but—if so—the lines don't run the way we expect them to.
The writing style is vintage Sam White, though there's something about it that's different. As if we're just reading a shadow story and the real story is out there somewhere else. If you've read the first two novels, you know that story is the story of Garison Fitch. So, this novel is not so much the third story in line, but a parallel story with the other two. In fact, this novel could be read first (in which case reading the other two will bring about the "Oh! That's why that happened!" moments one experiences while reading this one third).
"Lost Time" contains a stronger element of romance than the first two books in what is billed as "the true history of time". When Jason and Bronwyn are lost, with each other as the only familiar elements around, the romance seems inevitable. Rather than trying to be coy with a "will they/won't they" motif, White goes for a "When will they?" attitude.
There's also a short story included in this book that will be a welcome read to any fans of Darius Fitch (the frontiersman whose exploits peppered book one). While it's very confusing, it adds an almost palpable mystique to the whole Fitch family and leaves the reader hoping there will one day be an entire book about Darius [Editor's note: White says there won't be, though this short story is related to another novel he has yet to publish, whatever that means!].
Finally, "Lost Time" is billed as Christian fiction, but while reading it there is nothing that seems overtly Christian (or anti-Christian, for that matter) in it. It is only after reading the entire book (especially in conjunction with the other two books) that one realizes that the theme of "Lost Time" may well be the most overtly Christian of all.
In the review of "Saving Time" there was a question about what the final sentence meant. If you haven't read "Saving Time" make sure "Lost Time" is handy when you do, because it answers the question.
