The Mary Celeste is one of the most famous maritime mysteries ever recorded. In December 1872 the ship was found drifting in the Atlantic with its cargo intact, sails partly set, and no one aboard. The captain, his family, and the entire crew had vanished without explanation.
In Time for Survival, George O. Smith imagines a startling possibility behind the disappearance. A historian from the distant future secretly boards the ship, hoping to observe the event firsthand and write an account that will bring him fame. Instead of quietly witnessing history, he finds himself caught in something far stranger.
Technology from centuries ahead suddenly surrounds the vessel. Spectators gather while technicians prepare to document the coming disaster with cameras capable of recording across time. To them, the disappearance of the Mary Celeste is not a tragedy. It is a historical event they have come to witness.
But the crew has no intention of waiting quietly while strangers prepare to record their fate. When Captain Benjamin Briggs realizes what is happening, he makes a decision that upends the historian’s carefully planned mission.
George O. Smith combined technical imagination with sharp humor. A prolific contributor to Astounding Science Fiction and Startling Stories, Smith wrote stories that treated advanced technology with seriousness and wit. He is also remembered for the popular Venus Equilateral series and “Lost Art,” about the rediscovery of forgotten technology.
With Time for Survival, Smith turns a real historical mystery into a clever science fiction twist. The result asks an irresistible question: what happens when people from the future start treating the past as entertainment?
