Review: The Heresy of Time

Clifton Wilcox, The Heresy of Time, (CWW Publishing, 2026)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8703814123

A riveting story of time travel and the meaning of witnessing

1936 A strange craft crashes in Germany’s Black Forest. Nazi scientists rush to harness the new alien technology. They call it Die Glocke (The Bell). Their fear of it ‘can be directed,’ says SS Gen. Kammler, who leads the investigation.

It has strange properties – it can manipulate time. The time travellers discover that their very observation shapes the events.

Like all time travel experimenters, especially if they’re ruthless Nazis, Kammler wants to control the variables, catalogue the contradictions, bring back evidence from the future, harness the technology for the Reich. If only he can figure out how it works. If the evidence changes upon observation, who is the observer?

Seeking metaphysical clarity for the science they are witnessing being defied, Kammler turns to – the Pope – who challenges his arrogance masterfully. The Holy Father wants ‘proof’ – proof of the central tenet of Christianity. Introducing the Vatican into the story is genius. It took me by surprise, as hitherto, Kammler’s team were just considering the sci-fi aspects of Die Glocke (how does it work? etc). Once they turned to more metaphysical questions, turning to the Pope for answers makes sense.

Even though Kammler is supposed to be an evil Nazi, I liked him. I liked how masterfully he led the investigation team. I thought ‘the technician’, ‘the physicist’ etc should have had names and personalities. I really felt the men’s apprehension around Die Glocke.

I just love this story’s Concept. Though at times I found the philosophical dialogues a bit too cryptic, it did give the narrative a kind of dreamy quality. I was riveted by the excellence of the writing. The dialogue is natural-sounding; the repartee is sharp. The metaphysical discussion is intelligent; the science bits are great, too.