The Time Masters by Wilson Tucker (Lancer, 1971)

Wilson Tucker is another one of my "forgotten favourites" --a science fiction author whose work I relish, but is barely remembered today.

THE YEAR THE FUTURE BEGAN

Was it 1940--when the United States made the fateful decision to proceed with the construction of an atomic bomb?  Was it 1957--when Sputnik finally cracked the door that led into space?  Or will it be that day in the very near future when the first starship probe seeks the nearest stars, in hope of finding intelligent life other than man?  The question is of the utmost importance to one man and one woman, castaway on this alien planet, Earth, by an unimaginable disaster--10,000 years ago!

  "An unimaginable disaster".  Oh please.  That's almost the same as telling us that the author couldn't think of a reason to strand his characters on Earth, so he fudged it.

In any case, it doesn't really matter, because the emphasis in this book is on what our 10,000 year old castaways are doing in the here and now--"now" being the near future the author has imagined.   The original publication date was 1953, so in some ways it's a very 1950s future filled with secrets and Cold War paranoia.

Of course, the 1953 copyright date makes complete nonsense of the reference to Sputnik on the back cover, because for obvious reasons Sputnik doesn't appear in the book!

The front cover on the other hand... it's a beautiful example of late sixties/early seventies design.  It depicts our ancient castaways falling to Earth in transparent spacesuits--or maybe they're indulging in a bit of nude free-falling disco instead.  Either way, I love it!