Passing The Geek Test

Although The Vanishing Point is not a science fiction book, it does contain certain elements of that genre. This is a novel of ideas in topics such as finding meaning, destiny, and the future of humanity.

There is also the topic of time travel. Now, this is a notoriously tricky issue to deal with in fiction. Many a gaping plot hole has been created by the introduction of a character being able to travel through time. For example, once Dumbledore had given Hermione the Time Turner, all she needed to do was go back far enough and kill the young Voldemort. Time travel can be very tricky.

In The Vanishing Point, I believe I have solved the narrative problems caused by time travel.

Aware that this would a rather bold claim to make, I wanted to get independent verification. I therefore put my time travel idea to the geek test.

My brother’s step son, Jack, is extremely bright, and extremely geeky. I’m not being rude – he wears his geekiness proudly. He is the sort of person who regularly debates the intricacies of the Marvel cinematic universe on Reddit forums.

I asked him his view on my time travel solution. “Leave it with me”, he said.

A few weeks later he called me. He said that he had put my solution to his fellow geeks. They had debated the idea, and trying to find flaws in my logic, or holes in the argument.

He was pleased to confirm that they could not find anything.

I had passed The Geek Test!