the merchant and the alchemist's gate theme the merchant and the alchemist's gate theme

acts foolishly in not pursuing his Personal Legend, making it difficult to O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.. . (p. 71). Published 2007. 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Charrette, Movie review: Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Boy Meets Girl Massacre (Annotated) by Ainslie Hogarth, A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James, An Interview with Kim Alexander, author of The Sand Prince, The Chronicles of the Black Company by Glenn Cook, How to Train Your Dragon by DreamWorks Animation. Your email address will not be published. In a chance meeting with an Alchemist, Bashaarat, Fuwad comes across Bashaarat's invention, a contraption which Basharat calls - "The Gate of Years". Great writing - not enough to satisify for the price, though, Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2007. When, after numerous trials in the desert, Fuwaad arrives in Baghdad, he finds he cannot change what he hoped to rectify. This surprised me. A wandering merchant in medieval Baghdad is brought before the Caliph, and recounts tales of ingenious gates that allow time travel to the past and future. Nested stories of portals to alternative lives, set and told like a Tale of the Arabian Knights. Above all, it's a story about recognizing the will of Allah and accepting it, no matter what form it takes. I knew it was foolhardy; men of experience say, Four things do not come back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity, and I understood the truth of those words better than most. In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. OH MY GOD. Please try again. An additional star for the enriching discussions Another excellent story by Ted Chiang actually, it's three stories, set in a framing device. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Ted Chiang is an American speculative fiction writer. Please try your request again later. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. When a potential customer walks in, the inventor offers him the chance to go through his gateway and through time - but first he tells the stories of three other people who took such a journey, and what befell them. As it is, the middle-eastern, arabian-nights style setting adds an extra layer of interest. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. At the conclusion of that tale, Fuwaad asks to visit his own past. Subscribers receive quality lists of upcoming deadlines for lit mags and contests, free fiction, and exclusive content regarding writing, craft, and interviews from established authors. Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2014. The future is fixed, then? The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Ted Chiang O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. The story that he recounts to the Caliph begins with a walk through the market, where he notices that one of the largest shops in the market had been taken over by a new merchant. Fuwaad agrees, and Bashaarat leads him deeper in through a workshop, arrayed with devices whose functions I could not guessbars of metal wrapped with enough copper thread to reach the horizon, mirrors mounted on a circular slab of granite floating in quicksilver (centrifuges? After the tale, Fuwaad, who is considering using the Gate, talks with Bashaarat about the nature of time and choice. It begins with a walk in the bazaar, but soon grows into a tale unlike any other told in the caliph's empire. In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. I found it was brilliantly written. ? You mean you can turn base metal into gold? You can view our. If you wish, I can tell you the story of one such person. Bashaarat proceeded to tell me such a story, and if it pleases Your Majesty, I will recount it here. He relays the tales the door maker told him about a rope maker and a weaver whoeachventured through a 20-year-spanning door more than once, and then the tale of the well-to-do man's wife who did the sameall before heimparts his own time-hopping adventure. It is said that repentance and atonement erase the past. (pp. Learn more. The room remains the same, no matter which door you use to enter. : Not too complex, yet more complex than some full length novels Ive read. The other tales came from his shop in Cairo, where there had been a Gate for many years. If it pleases your Majesty, he offers, I will recount it here.. Tales within taleswith alchemy and magic mirrors that allow time travel. Its a magical store, of course, or at the very least a shop run by a learned person with access to the products of a great many cunning artificers. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! The crystal merchant is the most fully fleshed-out irredeemable character in I have, and so have numerous customers of mine. His aim is to travel through time in Cairo, visit Baghdad on his personal errand, and then return to Cairo to make it back through the Gate. They seek a source of gold that is cheaper than mining ore from the ground. Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web. Earlier you said I was the first to whom you showed this. If this was my first exposure to Ted Chiang I would have thought Very good storyteller but not sure what the fuss is about. Hearing Bashaarats words, I felt as if I were reeling. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an. Its immediately clear, too, why Chiang is so revered in genre circles, or why his small body of work has swept just about every science fiction award you can name. Dont have an account? "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang", "Review | Ted Chiang's 'Exhalation,' like his story that inspired 'Arrival,' fuses intellect and emotion", "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate: Ted Chiang: Subterranean Press, 83 pages", "Fiction Book Review: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate", Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38 54' N, Longitude 77 00' 13" W, If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again, The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth, Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones, Sinner, Baker, Fabulist, Priest; Red Mask, Black Mask, Gentleman, Beast, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Merchant_and_the_Alchemist%27s_Gate&oldid=1089286923, Hugo Award for Best Novelette winning works, Works originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Nebula Award for Best Novelette-winning works, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, "Enter a Soldier. The merchant and the alchemist's gate Find a copy in the library Finding libraries that hold this item. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is a fantasy novelette by American writer Ted Chiang, originally published in 2007 by Subterranean Press and reprinted in the September 2007 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Half lyrical Arabian Nights legend and half old school cautionary SF tale, this skillfully written story and its theme of insurmountable fate may comfort as many readers as it makes uncomfortable. SparkNotes Plus subscription is $4.99/month or $24.99/year as selected above. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% Rather, using the Gate is like taking a secret passageway in a palace, one that lets you enter a room more quickly than by walking down the hallway. He tells himself that he read analysis of The Unimportance of Death and Fear Previous Epilogue Next The Pursuit of Your Personal Legend Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013. Sci-fi & Fantasy Anthology by Whatcom Community College is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Another twist to SF and fantasy of the last ten years is the emergence of prominent international authors, and a more solid footing for authors of color. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. The Merchant and The Alchemist's Gate - Plot Summary Plot Summary The story follows Fuwaad ibn Abbas, a fabric merchant in the ancient city of Baghdad. From an award-winning science fiction writer, the long-awaited new collection of stunningly original, humane, and already celebrated short stories. (The baker is another irredeemable character, as Time travel stories are notoriously hard to tell with any success. The universe began as a giant breath being held, Chiang writes in the title story, likening the ever-expanding space around us as a giant exhalation. Within these nine, glittering narratives, we can glimpse the possibilities such an exhalation might hold: the thrumming complexities of the heart, the malleability of time, a universe that only grows more expansive and mysterious with each passing minute. Paulo Coelho and The Alchemist Background. Please try again. SparkNotes PLUS At 13, Lucy Hart ran away from home to escape neglectful parents, Atwood (The Handmaids Tale) explores love and loss in this brilliant collection that mixes fantastical stories about the afterlife with realism. Also available online through the WCC Library databases. You have done this? I asked him. A Baghdad merchant discovers an alchemical device that can send a traveler back in time 20 years. [4] In a review of Chiang's collection Exhalation, Kirkus Reviews commented specifically on The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, calling it "an instant classic". Hardcover - July 23, 2007. Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2013. In medieval Baghdad, a merchant obtains an audience with the caliph toapprise him ofa merchant-alchemist whohas created doors between past and future. Alice Through the Looking Glass (Chapter 4), The Confessions of the Chelmsford Witches, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court excerpt, Gullivers Travels (A Voyage to Lilliput), Jacobus de Voragine (1230-1298) and Archbishop of Genoa, A True Discourse Declaring the Damnable Life and Death of One Stubbe Peeter. I am trying to read more short-stories, because they give you such a lot of return for such a small investment! , ! Well, that has changed, and this story is one of the ones leading the charge. Metempsychosis: Or, The, Urrea (The House of Broken Angels) transports readers to the Western Front of WWII in his stunning latest. My journey to the past had changed nothing, but what I had learned had changed everything, and I understood that it could not have been otherwise. Currently based in Berlin, following stints in Moscow, Tbilisi, Munich, Washington, Warsaw, Budapest and Atlanta. Another twist of the braid, and Bashaarat tells The Tale of the Wife and Her Lover. The weavers wife hops back and forth through the Gate of Years more than any other character, conspiring with herself and running roughshod on anyone elses notion of causality. Shaffer blends tragedy and triumph in a whimsical and gratifying debut romance about what makes a family. Fuwaad is prosperous, trading in fine fabrics, though his father was a grain merchant. Chiang has acquired a massive reputation on the basis of very few pieces of short fiction. The novella The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate (2007 chap) is an intricately woven Oriental Fantasy involving Time Travel. %PDF-1.3 In a series of narratives we come to know that using this device can be . This is a Gate of Years. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! For a while it had seemed that Chiang would continue exclusively to work as a story writer, as it was difficult to conceive of a full-length novel sustaining the intense unremitting focus of his best work. This edition,from Subterranean Press, is beautifully illustrated, both bookcover and interior designs. In short, this was the best story of 2015 for me. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate is a wonderful and touching blend of Middle Eastern storytelling and matter-of-fact, accessible science fiction. This curious time-travel novella from Hugo-winner Chiang ( Stories of Your Life and Others ) is a gracefully told lesson about accepting fateor, as better suits this medieval Arabian setting, the. In short, it is to extract some hope from a lost situation (peace?). Your group members can use the joining link below to redeem their group membership. Not that it isn't worth rereading. maintains a crystal shop on the top of a hill in Tangier, and was rather successful He currently works as a technical writer in the software industry and resides in Bellevue, near Seattle, Washington. Translations; In the medieval Middle East, an alchemist has developed a kind of time machine. The first part is also called The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate, and starts with a scene from The 1001 Nights, with the first-person addressing the "mighty Caliph and Commander of the Faithful" and promising that "were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of one's eye, the marvel of its presentation would not exceed that of . It's a gem of a story and will be worth re-reading every so often. (p. 84). Alchemy does describe a means to make gold, but the procedure is so arduous that, by comparison, digging beneath a mountain is as easy as plucking peaches from a tree. (p. 12). Not to be missed! Olson, Ray, Copyright American Library Association. You may find one more agreeable to look at, but you cannot say one is true and the other is false. (p. 75). hgYu`> Zhyz 8#4]Lt It's a wonderful story. That is precisely what happens, though the weaver finds that neither his present nor future selves gain much from the theft. It's a story that includes not just buried treasure and a band of thieves, but also men haunted by their past and others trapped by their future; it includes not just a beloved wife and a veiled seductress, but also long journeys taken by caravan and even longer ones taken with a single step. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate by Ted Chiang is a short story in the. Wed love to have you back! Among the people drawn together. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. Call me a miserly skinflint if you will, but 9 quid for 60 pages seems a bit much. In medieval Baghdad, a penniless man is brought before the most powerful man in the world, the caliph himself, to tell his story. Calmer. Highly recommended. Book Summary. | Also blogs at A Fistful of Euros, though less frequently than here these days. You'll also receive an email with the link. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" is from EXHALATION by Ted Chiang, published by Penguin Random House Audio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random . This curious time-travel novella from Hugo-winner Chiang (Stories of Your Life and Others Citation: Ted, Chiang. 2015. It's very difficult to examine complex abstractions and, Hugo- and Nebula-winner Chiangs standout second collection (after 2002s Stories of Your Life and Others) explores the effects that technology and knowledge have on consciousness, free. If it had been written with a more sci-fi setting, it still would have been good, but less fantastical. Title: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Title Record # 834616 Author: Ted Chiang Date: 2007-07-00 Type: SHORTFICTION Length: novelette Language: English User Rating: 9.00 (3 votes) Your vote: Not cast VOTE Current Tags: Iraq (1), egypt (1), merchants (1), time travel (1) Add Tags. , ISBN-13 Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! A very short book set in medieval Baghdad. The story was written in Arabian night style (stories within story) with a time machine as the magical device. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Nothing erases the past. A wandering merchant in medieval Baghdad is brought before the Caliph, and recounts tales of ingenious gates that allow time travel to the past and future. This is a mesmerizing short story, and a worthy successor for Chiang's previous collection: Stories of Your Life and Others. My thanks to Kevin Ansbro for the enlightening, delightful find! 4 0 obj Pancha Tantra - Five Wise Lessons: A Vivid Retelling of India's Most Famous Collection of Fables. Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 21, 2007. Bashaarat smiled. The stores owner introduces himself as Bashaarat (the name may mean good news), and he appears to have unlimited time available for Fuwaad. TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. example of the dangers of an unfulfilled life, evident in his disappointment over But the patient reader who heeds Fuwaadsand Chiangsentreaty will find a narrative every bit as dizzying and mindbending as the writers reputation suggests: 1001 Arabian Nights by way of Back to the Future Part II. That wish . 3gO|pzq1'HC`L- ;zin4EALnv`CL8#Om0XYivyrKa@ When Fuwaad learns that the shop keeper has another gate in Cairo that will allow people to travel into the past, he attempts to travel backward to see his deceased wife. The Merchant And The Alchemists Gate. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy, Love at the End of the World by Lindy Biller, The Masters Review Volume X With Stories Selected by Diane Cook. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we dont use a simple average. [1] In 2019, the novelette was included in the collection of short stories Exhalation: Stories. Fuwaad is amazed. The best kind of science fiction." Barack Obama, via Facebook"THE UNIVERSE BEGAN AS AN ENORMOUS BREATH BEING HELD."In these nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories, Ted Chiang tackles some of humanity's oldest questions along with new quandaries only he could imagine.In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a . What a lovely and meaningful tale. I didn't just like this one, I loved it too. And yet I dared to hope that Allah had judged my twenty years of repentance sufficient, and was now granting me a chance to regain what I had lost. "Nothing erases the past. Episode 89: The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - YouTube "Grief burns but does not consume." A grieving merchant stumbles into the shop of an Alchemist, who shows him a device that. Tien-chi Chiang. to make a pilgrimage to Mecca because he thinks he will have nothing to live for My problem was that I'm pretty sure that I've read it before in an anthology or something, though I don't remember what the anthology was, and I wish this had been clearer so that I would have known that I had already read the story before I bought it. In the second tale, a man named Ajib steals money from his future self, leading to misfortune. Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson, Apr He is a graduate of the noted Clarion Writers Workshop (1989). The younger version listens to the older, gaining many tips on staying alive amid accident and disease, living to an old age in wealth and comfort. , Subterranean; First Edition (July 23, 2007), Language once hes achieved his dream. The crystal merchant takes no pride in his Exhalation, like its predecessor, also ends with a brief, fascinating appendix of story notes detailing Chiangs inspiration and process for each story. This story was an absolute joy to read. March 3, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. It begins with a walk in the bazaar, but soon grows into a tale unlike any other told in the caliph's empire. Fuwaad journeys to Cairo. The Assassins Gate, a widely read book about the invasion, was published two years before Chiangs novelette.) Loved the fairy tale like feel, the time travel, the narration. This episode is sponsored by Penguin Random House . What do most seek, then? Fuwaad does not tell Bashaarat why he wishes to visit the past, though he does tell the sultan. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - Sci-fi & Fantasy Anthology Fantasy Required Readings The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate Read Online Another twist to SF and fantasy of the last ten years is the emergence of prominent international authors, and a more solid footing for authors of color. A short fairy tale-like story about time travel and the choices we make and responsibility. The shop owner tells him three stories of people who have traveled through the gate to meet their future selves. >u~n "53c H|^&P=#hOQ~W.nr7w}Zp1|%HW?J0M8 2$Z_ME What did they learn when talking to their older selves? This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness. In the manner of the Arabian Nights, Chiang wrapsstorieswithin a story, and all of them interrelate to argue that "the past and the future are the same." This surprised me, for he did not seem the type to make such a sharpers claim. Full content visible, double tap to read brief content. Irene Woodward, a tough New Yorker, covers up the bruises received, Lin-Greenbergs exceptional debut novel (after the collection Vanished) explores a complex web of relationships at a fading mall in Albany, N.Y. fact that he comes across as a good person. The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner . No two of Exhalations stories are alike. I'm not entirely sure what Ted does with his time, since over the course of seventeen years, he's written fewer than a dozen short stories, the sum of which would easily fit into a typical novel. This curious time-travel novella from Hugo-winner Chiang (. ) understand his motives when he refuses to change his ways, even after Santiago shows Everyone in the world should read this. Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them. ?W1\js! Whatever the case, Chiangs worlds are vividly realized, immersive and utterly unexpectedand not a single one gives up its secrets easily, leaving it to the reader to peel back the layers and puzzle out what kind of story theyve stepped into. Very well-written and enchanting. 3334). The crystal merchant understands that he acts foolishly in not pursuing his Personal Legend, making it difficult to understand his motives when he refuses to change his ways, even after Santiago shows him the benefits of taking risks. Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations. A Baghdad merchant discovers an alchemical device that can send a traveler back in time 20 years. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Coincidence and intention are two sides of a tapestry, my lord. [5], It won the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Novelette[6] and the 2008 Nebula Award for Best Novelette.[7]. For the true brilliance of Chiangs work lies in his range and versatility as a storyteller. The first story in the collection is "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a compact, interwoven series of tales that discusses a time-shifting "gate" that allows people to move. years, plus two new stories written for this book. on 50-99 accounts. Listen to this episode from LeVar Burton Reads on Spotify. Free trial is available to new customers only. Writer, editor, translator, project manager, reformed bookseller. But it doubles as a preamble for Chiangs entire oeuvre, especially for those first-time readers who, lured by the author who wrote the short story that inspired 2016s soulful sci-fi blockbuster Arrival, are likely double-checking the dust jacket right around now to make sure they picked up the right book. O MIGHTY CALIPH AND Commander of the Faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence; a man can hope for no greater blessing as long as he lives. "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" Part 1 by Ted Chiang. The shop owner invites Fuwaad into the back workshop to see a mysterious black stone arch which serves as a gateway into the future, which the shop owner has made by the use of alchemy. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! : In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a . If our lives are tales that Allah tells, then we are the audience as well as the players, and it is by living these tales that we receive their lessons. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. " The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate " is a fantasy novelette by American writer Ted Chiang, originally published in 2007 by Subterranean Press and reprinted in the September 2007 issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction. You'll be billed after your free trial ends. The story I have to tell is truly a, ABSTRACT:Ted Chiang's sf narratives"thought experiments," in his wordsare written in a variety of genres and cover a variety of ideas, including considerations of temporal issues such as time, By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our. Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices. is Santiagos own father, but we dont see either of them as much as the crystal Many thanks to Cheri and Kevin for another delightful experience. *Y}lA&IC@?,`6YLc~DB~jUG_gn6_IifN;K5^[,ttx.X"[ZEge|t E:). Sometimes it can end up there. [3], Publishers Weekly wrote a positive review for the story, calling it "skillfully written". This collection contains all six previously published, Is science fiction a literature of ideas, or of characters? Stepping through the Gate of Years moves the stepper twenty years forward of backwards in time. % All Rights Reserved. : It's revealed that his circumstances and journey are extraordinary. The Merchant and the Alchemists Gate, the first story in Ted Chiangs luminous new collection Exhalation, opens with a benediction: O mighty caliph and commander of the faithful, I am humbled to be in the splendor of your presence. Our narrator, Fuwaad ibn Abbas, informs us that he was born here in Baghdad, City of Peace, and that he has spent his life as a purveyor of fine fabricssilk from Damascus and linen from Egypt and scarves from Morocco that are embroidered with gold. Now, he stands in attendance before the caliph without a single dirham in my purse, but with a strange and winding story to tell. It looks like you're offline. stream Not that past and future are identical, but that they stay the same and cannot be altered, evenif one could journey back to the former or forward to the latter to change it. There was a problem loading your book clubs. The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate One of my favourite authors is Ted Chiang. Other Titles. Subscribe now. In the first tale, the rope-maker Hassan learns where to find a buried treasure that will make him wealthy. FB7 V!Ov??4DEv+V.UXi(X'=&SW-2 fSJpJ,37]#Y%A: ]Z$;9X G9!SZqgln-[_WG 6 !5i' DxN] l$36t>(R9n{0B?xsc|F_.~*$UGXC`8d@(d-ylZr /CS}z&_+8"'01sf!B=ZkbZo\p4M i,nuMq^x~UXN|+V8nc%ZQWHV8JVi+c{"Q_#A=,'_b-zHIF+[~l((6 bBs53MZQ| yp}:bYhlDqNp2&y,3/9Sj5L\ +{06L`hH++!ndS+{`5^.#@}K"E $24.99 But wait, theres more, adds Bashaarat. The Merchant And The Alchemists Gate. Fantasy & Science Fiction 113.3 (2007): 135-160. The story I have to tell is truly a strange one, and were the entirety to be tattooed at the corner of . for a customized plan. Join us for the conclusion of this time travel tale set in medieval Baghdad. There is repentance, there is atonement, and there is forgiveness. As of 2013, his short fiction has won four Nebula Awards, three Hugo Awards, the John W Campbell Award, three Locus Awards, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award. A wandering merchant in medieval Baghdad is brought before the Caliph, and recounts tales of ingenious gates that allow time travel to the past and future.