Consider this your invitation to enter the world of Charles Yu's "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe."

While traversing the immense exhibit hall at San Diego Comic-Con, I stumbled across a small vendor table proudly displaying the latest book by Charles Yu. With a cover showcasing every imaginable science-fiction hand-held gun from film and television, it was impossible to resist picking up the book. It did not matter if you were a Star Trek fan or a Buck Rogers fan, there was a sci-fi pistol for everyone right there on the cover. Curious, I took the opportunity to speak with the author about this intriguing new book.

Coincidentally, Yu is an attorney working for a visual effects company in Venice, Calif. Being surrounded by high tech gizmos and gadgets, or at least the portrayal of them, and being a massive science-fiction fan ever since he picked up his first Isaac Asimov book, the sci-fi realm has had an irresistible pull on Yu.

Yu first ventured out into the writing world with his book "Third Class Superhero," which featured a collection of short stories and was published in 2006.

Taking a bolder step, this past year, Yu opted to write a feature length book about the trials and travails of a young time machine mechanic whose life is turned upside down when he gets stuck in a time loop. Instead of railing against his unfortunate circumstances, he elects to pursue a journey to find his missing father. But like any good hero, he gets distracted along the way by the needs of those similarly trapped or who are using time machines for misguided purposes.

As any good time traveling fan knows, there are (1) fixed points in time that cannot be messed with and (2) you really do not want to go back in time and visit your own timeline to alter the events of the past. It can create issues of paradoxes and alternate timelines that may erase the fabric of who you are.

Yu shared that this was a story that had been bouncing around in his subconscious for quite a while, and every now and then it would ebb to the surface and he would jot down a piece of the jigsaw puzzle of the story. Some of those key pieces included the idea that in this story the universe was broken. Whether by accident or design, this was a broken universe." It is unfinished with a gaping hole.

Another key puzzle piece was the use of companions for the trapped time traveler. Thus, seeking to populate the story, he wrote in an A.I. entity by the name of Tammy, a computerized boss named Phil, and a specter of a dog. As any "Doctor Who" fan knows, time-travel can be a lonely occupation so it is wise to pick up a companion or two before the wild time-shifting ride begins.

Interestingly enough, Yu is not well versed in Whovian-lore, having only been recently introduced to the Who-verse. He is a fan of David Tennant's portrayal in "Doctor Who," but is quick to point out that his story pre-dated that exposure. Instead, he credits his inspirations to Isaac Asimov, Kurt Vonnegut, Piers Anthony and even the film "Back to the Future."

Having created his own universe, broken as it is, Yu calls it Minor Universe 31 -- and there is a story behind that name as well, though that may be a tale to tell another day. While "How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" is intended to be a standalone book, Yu is open to the possibility that he may one day return to the Minor Universe 31 to tell more tales of some of the other characters that are encountered during the journey.

Yu is also intrigued by the idea of one day creating a comic-book version to accompany the book as the characters are so richly drawn that it would lend itself to a graphic novel format. But in the end, he has told this story and is anxious to get it out there to hear how the fans react to it.

What I found most intriguing from my conversation with Yu was that he immediately understood that his role as an author was to engage and entertain. He may cast aliens in his stories, but he is keenly aware that extraterrestrials are not his intended audience. Hence, he kept his characters relatable and used recognizable names for them in order to give the audience some basis with identifying with them -- even if they were A.I., robots or simply computer-generated. Thus, his books are written for people, not aliens!

Finally, the last and most significantly, Yu took a leap of faith by naming his protagonist after himself. This is a bold creative maneuver on his part as many may find it rather egocentric. However, upon hearing Yu's true motivations for such nomenclature, it was interesting to hear that he only did so as it opened the doorway for him to create the character. By sharing the name, he could visualize the character and suddenly identified with him in a way that made him real. While Yu intended to change the name before publication, in the end he left it alone as, by that point, that was who the character was and changing the name would have destroyed the link that made him human -- at least in Yu's eyes.

"How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe" is available Sept. 7 through Pantheon Books. As the famous saying goes, "Time waits for no man." Discover a world where time does not stand still and in which a man is trying to safely navigate the shifting sands of time.