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The story I read was translated by Donald Yates.

This brilliantly written classic is like none other I have yet read. It is somewhat of a riddle. The author seems to be offering us a philosophical explanation of “time��, being truly what happens in the “now�� or present, with both the past and the future taking place in one’s mind, with the result that they are all at the same time, convergent, divergent, and parallel. It is a fascinating and entirely believable hypothesis. However in providing this explanation the story reads like a mystery where the narrator is a Chinese man who is a German spy during WW1, who needs to relay a message to the Germans.

Time being like a labyrinth with “forking paths�� depending on when (past, present or future), and what choice is made at each moment. Much like a spy skulking through a city, making choices and turns so as not to be followed. Despite the atmosphere of war, soldiers, death, the story is light and at times humorous. Clues are proposed and yet nothing is clear until the very end, the punchline, like a riddle. You can almost hear the author laughing as he discloses the final scene, having enjoyed the build up leading the reader through the labyrinth on a bit of a goose chase.

Brilliantly imaginative! Did the author provide an exposé on the philosophy of time, illustrated by a spy mystery, or was it a spy story, solved by the particular timing of events. Well done!