Patricia Hamill's Blog: I read too much! - Posts Tagged "time-travel"

Time Shifters by Shanna Lauffey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A cool story, interesting science fiction mixed with modern day historical fiction.

Time Shifters opens on a restaurant in Southern California. Akalya is having dinner with a couple of friends when a commotion in the back heralds what she thinks is a raid on undocumented workers in the kitchen. That is it does until the action spills out into the dining room and people she recognizes as fellow time shifters are captured and taken away. Akalya abandons caution and protocol and shifts away, narrowly escaping a similar fate. After trying to warn one of her close friends, a little too late to make much difference, Akalya shifts back to The Strand in 1965 California, a time and place cherished in her fondest childhood memories, to collect herself and figure out what to do about the abductions. From this base of operations, Akalya steps outside of her comfort zone and begins a one woman cloak and dagger operation that spans decades.

One thing I enjoyed about this story was the experience of traveling to 60s and 70s Southern California. The feel of the time and place, in my opinion, are spot on and it's easy to imagine yourself there with Akalya, both as an adult visiting and as a child growing up there. The author gives just the right amount of nostalgia to draw you in without going into history lesson mode. I also loved the little pictures sprinkled throughout the book. They're just pictures of houses, beaches, skyscrapers, etc., but they are well placed and help draw you into the locations and the times in the story.

The thoroughness and consistency applied to the shifting science is noteworthy, particularly since this story is billed as science fiction. The science isn't overwhelming, but the explanations are logical and work well in the scope of the story, and the characters stick to the established conventions. I also liked how the most scientific of the explanations are kept in the forewords of each chapter so they don't get in the way of the narration, while the more organic comparisons are presented in the narration, such as when the main character renames grandfather theory as Bill and Ted Theory, after Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. I particularly enjoyed the nod to Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern. Though the main character doesn't outright say those are the time shifting dragonriders she's taking about when she calls it her favorite series, readers who are familiar with McCaffrey's Dragonriders will have no trouble making that connection.

I didn't particularly care for the quirky names for normal people and Akalya's people, kind of too much for such a small story, but as part of a ten book story, it will probably be ok. I also think calling normal people some kind of name as if they are outside your circle is, well, not endearing. Not picking on this story, I didn't like it in Harry Potter either. Of course, it's not farfetched that they would have names for themselves versus others. There are historical and modern day precedents for this.

Another thing I noticed was that the main character lacks a sense of urgency, most likely due to her ability to move herself through time. While it works for the story, it kind of interrupts the action and excitement when Akalya takes off on some leisurely activities in the past, such as renting an apartment, collecting furniture for it and considering taking on a job in the past to earn currency with the proper dates on it.

On a more humorous note, when Akalya tracks her people to a 'portacabin' on the beach, I, for some reason, thought it was some kind of weird word I'd never heard of, possibly in a foreign language. Imagine my chagrin several chapters later when I realized I should have been pronouncing it as port-a-cabin. Made sense after that.

Overall, I really liked this story. It is the first in what the end matter of the book describes as a 10 part series, but the story does have a complete plot and resolution, leaving enough in the realm of the unknown to lead into the next story without being too much of a cliffhanger. I think people who enjoy science fiction, especially the kind that includes time and distance shifting and the kind that includes realistic scientific explanations for the fictional science, will likely enjoy this book. Those who like books with extraordinary powers or science fiction that are set in mundane times and places may also find this in their realm of interest. Finally, I think anyone who grew up in California and experienced the beaches or jaunting out on the rocks and dodging the crabs and sea life there might enjoy the memories this story evokes.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest, non-reciprocal review.



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Children of the Morning by Shanna Lauffey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Fantastic sequel, lot's of action.

I read the first in this series, Time Shifters, a while back and said I'd love to find out what happens next. Imagine my surprise when the author sent me a copy of Children of the Morning on the day it was released. That was a few weeks ago, but I finally got a chance to read it. Let me tell you, it was just as good as the first.

Here's what I liked. First, this installment is true to the story set up in book one. Sometimes sequels get a little sidetracked, but not this one. I think it's a sign that the author has taken the time to plan out her story ahead of time. She's also come up with a plausible set of constraints for Akayla's abilities and sticks to them. Second, action, action and more action. This story is wrought with near misses, sinister plots and danger, even more so as those targeting the main character's people become wise to her strategies. I also think it was a good move to push Akayla's ability to its limit and to put other constraints in place. Time and space are her playground, or at least they were, but as the story progresses, the playground is shrinking. Ok, third, nostalgia. As in the first story, Akayla spends a good deal of time in the past, namely Sacramento and L.A. California. As someone who has been there, I recognized many of the locations and thought their descriptions were spot on (and there are pictures!). Some of it saddened me, time passing and beautiful things lost to all but memory, but in a good way. Last, the romance. It's still a work in progress, which makes sense for a ten-part story. With eight books left, it would take some of the fun out of it if the love interest was resolved so early.

Now for the things I didn't like. Well, that's difficult, because my overall impression was very positive. I guess all I really have is there were just a few typos. Very few. Maybe five or six, tops. On the whole, though, Children of the Morning is a well-polished tale and I feel like I'm grasping at straws to find something I don't like about it.

I loved this book. It's a fantastic time travel adventure with a lot less down time than in the first book and a good deal more danger, and the romance is just right for this stage in the story. I think those who enjoy modern historical adventures, like the twists that time travel introduces, and enjoy a little clean romance will enjoy this story. Those who have lived in or visited the places described may find that adds a certain element of nostalgia. I highly recommend this book.



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The Future Memory Man by Shanna Lauffey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Another fine addition to this series. Kallie and Marcus are getting cozy in their new life together, but Connor continues to pop up and throw in complications. The main focus of this story seems to be the lingering ambiguity of Connor’s past and future selves as well as a question of just how much of an influence his father had on his character. Kallie in particular has trouble fully trusting him, but cannot resist helping him when he asks.

As always, I enjoyed the sense of nostalgia that fills these stories. The photos (even one of Kallie and Marcus’ cat) are all pretty nice surprises whenever they pop up. They’re a nice touch and something that make this series unique. They show up well, even on my cheap, black and white Kindle.

Another thing I enjoy, though a lot of it in this book was over my head, is the theoretical exploration of time and distance travel. It’s fascinating, and I love how the science gets mixed in with the story. I think the only stuff that was really over my head, however, was what Harlan was explaining to Connor, and I pictured Kallie’s eyes glazing over as the two discussed it.

Another cool thing the book explores is the idea of the paradox and the time loop. I think it just touched on it, mostly setting up for the next book if my guess is right.

The one thing this instalment lacks is a clear and present danger. An imminent threat. The villains are mostly absent and everything seems to have shifted to information gathering mode. There’s still some action, it’s just not as much the center of the story this time around.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I recommend it to folks who like a well-thought out time travel story that fits plausibly into the real world.

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.




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