I had never heard of Ken Grimwood or his novel Replay until I read Glen's memorial , written shortly after Grimwood's death. Between that and the fact that the novel had won the World Fantasy Award forBest Novel in 1988, it was a no-brainer that I should read this book. I received a copy this year for Christmas, and now that I have read it, consider me a fan — Replay is wonderful.

In Replay, Grimwood takes a simple science fiction premise — a man relives 25 years of his life over and over — leavens it with a couple of complications (one is that his "replays" keep getting shorter), and plays it out to one of several possible conclusions. What makes the novel interesting is that Grimwood gradually reveals the "rules" governing the novel's universe, and he consistently brings in new wrinkles with every cycle. I don't want to reveal more, because part of the wonder of the novel is the continual surprise laced with the perfect logic that marks the progression. The prose itself is workmanlike but descriptive. Grimwood was clearly not a show-off, but he obviously worked hard at his writing mechanics to make things very readable and never boring.

The end result is not just a successful science fiction story; it's a thoughtful commentary on life itself. It is life-affirming and a little bit heart-breaking. I found myself close to tears after reading one particularly good passage, and after I turned the final page, I sat for quite awhile, thinking about how I'm living my own life.

Thanks, Glen, for bringing this novel to my attention. I can't say (yet) that it changed my life, but it's the kind of novel that has that potential.