The Eternal War

TimeRiders #4

by Alex Scarrow

Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912.
Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.
Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026.

But all three have been given a second chance—to work for an agency that no one knows exists. Its purpose: to prevent time travel destroying history...

A time wave has struck that alters the entire history of the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln has followed Liam into the present from 1831and now the world is in a dangerous state of limbo...

If the TimeRiders can’t return Lincoln to the past, the Civil War will never end. Can Maddy persuade two colonels on either side of no man’s land to cease fire long enough to save the future?

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Young Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Adventure, Historical Fiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published July 14, 2011

About the author

I live a nomadic existence with my wife Frances, and son Jacob. For now we're living in Norwich. I spent the first 10 years out of college in the music business chasing record deals and the next 12 years in the computer games business as a graphic artist and eventually a games designer. For those of you who like their computer games, here's some of the titles I've worked on:
Waterworld, Evolva, The Thing, Spartan, Gates of Troy, Legion Arena
Since signing up as an author with Orion, I seem to spend most of my time hunched over my laptop in various cafes and coffee bars sipping lattes, tapping keys and watching the ebb and flow of shoppers outside on the street. As I write this, I'm awaiting the launch of my next book - the sequel to , LAST LIGHT, and getting ready to find a publisher for the first book in a separate series, ELLIE QUIN. Ahead of me, lies research work for my next thriller, and also some screenplays I'm looking forward to writing. Although I'm glad to be where I am now, I do occasionally kick myself for not having succumbed to the writing bug much earlier. But then we all just muddle along through life, don't we? There's rarely a plan.
-Source: http://www.scarrow.co.uk/page9.html

Reviews

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Έχει περάσει αρκετός καιρός από τότε που σχολιάσαμε το τρίτο βιβλίο της σειράς "Οι φύλακες του χρόνου", του Alex Scarrow, και παρά που έχω διαβάσει το τέταρτο βιβλίο από το καλοκαίρι, δεν είχα βρει χρόνο μέχρι στιγμής να καταγράψω την άποψή μου γι' αυτό. Ήταν κάτι που δεν ήθελα να γίνει βιαστικά, όχι μόνο γιατί οι υποχρεώσεις μου ήταν πολλές και έπρεπε να καλυφθούν με τον καλύτερο δυνατό τρόπο, αλλά γιατί μετά τον "Κώδικα της Αποκάλυψης" που αν και μου άρεσε αρκετά, δεν παύει να έπεσε ο πήχης, ο συγγραφέας καταφέρνει με τον "Αιώνιο πόλεμο" να μπει και πάλι στο παιχνίδι, όχι απλά ανεβάζοντας και πάλι τον πήχη εκεί που τον είχε τοποθετήσει το δεύτερο βιβλίο, "Η μέρα του αρπακτικού", αλλά να τον πάει και λίγο ψηλότερα, πράγμα που δεν περίμενα και που σαφέστατα αποτέλεσε μια εξαιρετικά ευχάριστη έκπληξη.

Οι γνωστή, πλέον, σε όλους παρέα, έχει αναλάβει μία νέα αποστολή. Να επιστρέψει στο παρελθόν για μία ακόμα φορά, και πιο συγκεκριμένα στο 1831, έχοντας ως στόχο να αποτρέψουν τον θάνατο του Λίνκολν. Και πράγματι, τα καταφέρνουν, όμως η επιτυχία τους αυτή στιγματίζεται από ένα μοιραίο λάθος. Μαζί με εκείνους, στο παρόν, επιστρέφει και ο Λίνκολν με αποτέλεσμα να αλλάξει όλη η ροή της ιστορίας, αφού εκείνος δεν υπήρξε ποτέ, δεν έγινε πρόεδρος των Η.Π.Α. και σαν να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά, ο πόλεμος μεταξύ Νότιων και Βόριων δεν έληξε ποτέ, παρά συνεχίζεται μέχρι και σήμερα. Οι αντίπαλες πλευρές εξυπηρετούν πλέον ξένα συμφέροντα, έχοντας χάσει τον στόχο τους και έχοντας ξεχάσει πως και γιατί ξεκίνησε ο εμφύλιος αυτός, η Αμερική μαστίζεται από αρρώστιες, ενώ σαν να μην έφταναν όλα αυτά, ομάδες θυμάτων της ευγονικής που παλαιότερα χρησιμοποιήθηκαν από τους Άγγλους έχουν χάσει τον έλεγχο κάνοντας επιθέσεις σε άλλους ανθρώπους.

Διαβάζοντας όλα τα παραπάνω πολύ πιθανόν να σκεφτείτε πως ο συγγραφέας προσπάθησε να χωρέσει πολλά στοιχεία και γεγονότα -ίσως και κάπως ασύνδετα μεταξύ τους- σε μία μονάχα ιστορία. Και όχι, δεν θα έχετε άδικο. Αλλά η ουσία δεν βρίσκεται εκεί, αλλά στο πως ο ίδιος τα διαχειρίστηκε, πράγμα που πέτυχε με τρόπο μοναδικό και ανεπανάληπτο, δημιουργώντας μια ολότελα δικιά του ιστορία καταφέρνοντας εύστοχα και με λογική συνέπεια να παραποιήσει την ίδια την Ιστορία, έτσι ώστε να την φέρει στα δικά του μέτρα. Η ιδέα του Scarrow, με μία μοναδική λέξη, είναι λαμπρή! Με το βιβλίο αυτό καταφέρνει να αποδείξει όχι μόνο πως είναι ένας εξαιρετικός συγγραφέας, αλλά πως είναι και εξαιρετικός γνώστης της Ιστορίας και αρκετά ευφυής ώστε να την αξιοποιήσει με τρόπο μοναδικό προς χάριν της μυθοπλασίας, προκαλώντας μας ποικίλα συναισθήματα και προσφέροντάς μας μια περιπέτεια με συνεχείς ανατροπές κι εκπλήξεις που κόβουν την ανάσα.

Όσον αφορά τον χειρισμό των χαρακτήρων του, ο Scarrow κάνει επίσης εξαιρετική δουλειά, με τους ήρωές μας όχι απλά να έχουν ωριμάσει, αλλά να παρουσιάζουν τα φυσικά σημάδια φθοράς που επιφέρει η νέα τους θέση και κατάσταση, όχι μονάχα επειδή δεν έχουν τη δυνατότητα να επιστρέψουν στο παρελθόν και να διορθώσουν το λάθος τους, αλλά επειδή από παιδιά αναγκάστηκαν να γίνουν ενήλικες πιο γρήγορα απ' όσο έπρεπε, σηκώνοντας το βάρος όλου του κόσμου στις πλάτες τους. Δεν είναι, όμως, μονάχα οι πρωταγωνιστές που παρουσιάζουν ενδιαφέρον και ένα τρομερά δουλεμένο ψυχογράφημα, αλλά και οι δεύτεροι χαρακτήρες που ο καθένας με τον δικό του τρόπο προσθέτει ένα ακόμα λιθαράκι σε ένα χρονικό που δεν γνωρίζουμε που θα καταλήξει, αλλά που δεν μπορεί να μην αφήσει, στο τέλος, σημάδια και πληγές.

Καταιγιστική δράση, με φόντο ένα ζοφερό περιβάλλον που κάνει το στήθος σου να σφίγγεται από αγωνία για το τι πρόκειται να ακολουθήσει, και μια περιπέτεια που δεν σου επιτρέπει ούτε για μια στιγμή να βαρεθείς. Παράλληλα, θα λέγαμε πως το βιβλίο αυτό έχει και φιλοσοφικό υπόβαθρο, με τον Scarrow να αφήνει ξεκάθαρες αιχμές εναντίον του ανθρωπίνου γένους και της επιστήμης που, συνδυαστικά, προσπαθούν να παραστήσουν τον Θεό και να αποδείξουν πως ο έλεγχος, η δύναμη και η ισχύς, δεν είναι δυνάμεις που απλά υπάρχουν στο Σύμπαν, αλλά που πλάθονται, δημιουργούνται και τελικά, ακολουθούν την πορεία που εμείς ορίζουμε. Όμως, είναι έτσι τα πράγματα στην πραγματικότητα; Μάλλον όχι! Αν, λοιπόν, δεν έχετε ήδη διαβάσει τον "Αιώνιο πόλεμο", κάντε το όσο πιο άμεσα μπορείτε και χαθείτε μέσα στις εξελίξεις του που είναι ανατρεπτικές και συγκλονιστικές, που συγκινούν και προβληματίζουν, χωρίς καν να προσπαθούν.

[Francesca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes family is just due unità da combattimento, una ragazzina di tredici anni, una programmatrice di videogiochi e un passeggero del Titanic.

Razzismo trattato in modo un po’ approssimativo, come fosse un libro scritto 13 anni fa da un uomo bianco. E infatti.

[Erik Fazekas · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMFG!!!
Kde mám ďalší diel?!
Akože... nebol to najlepší diel, udržal si akúsi štandardnú úroveň, ale toľko vecí sa tu vysvetlilo, toľko pochopilo a TOĽKO naznačilo... že... fakt neviem, čo bude ďalej.

[Antonis Giannoulis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Πιο πολιτικός και με περισσότερα μηνύματα (αντιπολεμικά, αντιρατσιστικά και αντιευγονικα - μην φανταστείτε κανένα κομμουνιστικό μανιφέστο αλλά έστω και αυτή η μικρή στροφή του και προσπάθεια ήταν υπαρκτή ) λίγο πιο βαρετό στο πρώτο μισό και φλύαρο αλλά προς το τέλος επανήλθαμε στον κανονικό του ρυθμό .

[Terrible Reviewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves" - Abraham Lincoln

Here we are with book four of Alex Scarrow's Timeriders series. This time Liam, Sal and Bob et al find themselves venturing back in time to 1936, America and one drunken Abraham Lincoln. Though, much of the story is set in 2001, where a alternate timeline has occurred (due to certain events and the usual cock-ups by Maddy and Sal). The American Civil War never ended, the south is now under the control of the British and the north is now run by the French. Plausible I suppose, given the British and French were willing to aid both sides if you believe some of the historical evidence - though due to both sides stance on slavery, it would have been a very unpopular decision for both countries back home.

War is hell out there, the Timeriders find themselves caught in the middle of a war in New York, where it's become a sort of trench warfare conflict. Spurred on by these strange arrivals, the combatants band together to kick the British and French out of their country. Both sides are disillusioned with the war, due to underlying prejudice, slightly akin to the slavery issues from the original American Civil War. This perceived prejudice comes from the use of eugenics, genetically engineered beings, created for slave labour. Another interesting aspect is the similarity between the support units Becks and Bob, who are also genetically engineered super-cyborgs from the future. How they react to their situation helps push the story along and makes for interesting reading.

A continual trend with the sorry, that becomes even more apparent in this novel, is just how crap the Timerider team are at doing their job. The problem is, and it certainly hamstrings the story, is that Maddy is a moany-worrier, Sal is a kid of 12 years old and doesn't add anything to the team, beyond her made up swear-words. Their whole situation stems by them making a childish mistake, which avalanches into one big cock-up. By now, I'm finding it rather amusing just how badly Maddy is going to mess up - maybe this was the authors cunning plan all along. Write a bad character who you just want to see fail! Sneaky.

The truth is, I thoroughly enjoyed this YA novel. It's fairly well written and thought out (other than Maddy and Sal). I'm either getting soft or my reading tastes are going downhill as I age! *groans*. Of particular interest are the humanistic philosophical posits that come from the writers prose.

[Νικολέττα · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μου άρεσε η εξέλιξη στη γραφή του Άλεξ Σκαροου, όπως και η συνέχεια της ιστορίας των βασικών ηρώων.
Από εκεί και πέρα δεν μου κράτησε τόσο το ενδιαφέρον η υπόθεση αυτού του βιβλίου, εξού και τα τρία αστέρια.

[➳ Anthony ➳ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5
Date Reviewed: 13 January 2018
This Review was first posted on It’s All Anthony. For more reviews, check out the blog here.

This is the only series that I have to push myself to get the next book and continue. Now, I enjoy reading the series, but I always have this thought that says there is something else I can read, something better. These thoughts just want to make me stop and give up the series completely. However, I refuse to give up the series and I will finish it. I will finish all nine books of the series.

I have expressed many times that I worry for the series because I just don’t want it to be repetitive book after book. In each book, a different story involves another time period. Along with the time travel, it usually takes place within that certain time period. However, in this place, I am glad to say that Scarrow has finally shaken it up. It finally feels that Scarrow knows that it was time to make something different. Instead of the team being in a certain time period, the team was stuck in an alternate present day. That has really became an interesting take for the stories, and it was one that I really enjoyed.

The series are so darn good and for once, I am finally excited to read the next book (which will be in a while because I have a ton of other books to read…) which takes place in Rome! If I had to read anything involving history, it would either in Greece/Rome or Egypt (in which would totally have been cool for this series, but I guess not…). Now, onto the next time-traveling adventure!

[Jessica (Goldenfurpro) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

Short and Simple Review
This is yet another book where it's been a few years since I've read the previous books in the series. This series does a really great job of catching the reader up since most of the books have a contained story. I love time travel and I find the entire concept of this series fascinating, so I was glad to get back into this world and see these characters again. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this book though. In the beginning, I was very entertained by this book. The Time Riders find out that Abraham Lincoln has died before he was supposed to. They go back to save him, but Lincoln overhears them when they think he's unconscious and he follows them to the year 2001. I found this entire part interesting and seeing the effect this had on the time was also interesting because what would the world look without Abraham Lincon? But as the book continued the story felt a bit slow. The characters were mostly either trying to fix the time machine or traveling to get back to the time machine. Overall, I did like this book even though I felt like I had to push through the second half of the book. I would like to continue this series, but it looks like this is the last book at any library near me. It seems the rest of the series was not published in America, so I may have to order the next book online if I wish to continue.

[Robin Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

TimeRiders Book4, a series that grows and improves with every book, and that's not a simple compliment to the author because book one was a 5 star excellent read.
This is a fun series for any age, i'm 40 and i love them, I have bought all of them for myself, my 21 year old son, my 15 year old nephew, 12 year old niece, various cousins and my friends kids and they all love them.

Book 4 is a return to the brilliantly written characters that Alex Scarrow is so well known for and his greatest talent, the last book has been awarded the Red House Children's (older readers) book of the year 2011 for writing those amazingly real and likeable characters.

The story as usual roars along at a frenetic pace, so fast in fact that you will struggle not to devour the book in one sitting
As usual we get a further peek at the overall series back story that gathers pace as the series progresses, as story within a story, and at the end we are left to wonder where this writers imagination can take us next. This is a Book and series that has more awards in it and a writer that has further brilliance to put onto paper.

For those who have not, I suggest you go read his other thrillers, A thousand Suns, Last Light, Afterlight and October Skies all also brilliant stories.

Highly recommended.
(Parm)

[Linda Bakker-Zwakhals · Rating 2 out of 5]

I still like this series but this book just did not do it for me. Too long winded and another war story. And I am not the biggest fan of war stories.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

W trakcie słuchania padł mi poprzedni telefon, więc odnalezienie konkretnego momentu, w którym skończyłam odbyło się na zasadzie: o tego nie pamiętam! Ale chyba się wstrzeliłam. Podobał mi się ten tom! W popkulturze jest mnóstwo wariacji historii Abrahama Lincolna, ale czy kiedyś zastanawialiście się, jak wyglądałaby współczesna Ameryka, gdyby nie został on prezydentem? No cóż, tutaj możemy sobie o tym poczytać i wyszło naprawdę fajnie. Zapewne nie raz i nie dwa ktoś tam zastanawiał się, jaki wpływ na świat może mieć jedna konkretna osoba i co może się stać, jeśli by jej zabrakło. Tak, jak nie przepadam za historiami wojennymi, tak tutaj to po prostu gra.

[Ira Booklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saya kalau membaca TimeRiders itu, mau ga mau, harus terburu-buru, seperti dikejar-kejar waktu. Soalnya ceritanya sendiri seperti itu. Kalau tidak cepat-cepat, nanti gelombang waktu yang mengubah dunia akan terjadi, dan para tokoh dalam kisah ini akan melihat kilasan mengerikan di langit, dimana sejarah menyusun ulang dirinya kembali. Parahnya, penyusunan ulang itu menyebabkan dunia yang kita kenal menjadi dunia yang tidak kenal.

Saya rasa, petualangan Maddy dkk kali ini kalah menegangkan dibanding buku-buku sebelumnya. Entah karena saya sudah terbiasa dengan ketegangan seri TimeRiders, atau karena kali ini masalahnya terlalu terfokus kepada markas beratap lengkung, bukannya fokus kepada petualangan Liam di waktu yang berbeda, atau bisa juga karena ceritanya sendiri yang mengangkat tema perang abadi, dimana para prajuritnya sendiri sudah bosan berperang.

Tapi meskipun begitu, seperti biasa, saya tetap tidak bisa berhenti membaca TimeRiders. Saya bahkan tidak merasa sudah membaca lebih dari separuh buku saking serunya.

Ngomong-ngomong kali ini ceritanya adalah tentang perang saudara di Amerika. Ada hubungannya dengan sejarah Presiden Abraham Lincoln. Nah, bagi saya inilah asiknya TimeRiders. Saya bisa lebih mengenal sejarah yang pada awalnya hanya saya kenal sekilas.

Oke, kembali ke perang saudara di Amerika. Menurut sejarah yang sebenarnya, Perang Saudara tersebut berakhir di tahun 1865. Masalah besar terjadi saat gelombang waktu besar-besaran menghantam dunia. Hasilnya, Amerika di tahun 2001 masih terjebak di dalam perang saudara.

Well, bayangkan saja ada perang yang berlangsung selama ratusan tahun. Tidak ada pihak yang menang maupun kalah. Saking lamanya perang tersebut, kedua pihak yang saling bermusuhan pun sudah saling mengenal layaknya saudara. Eh tapi kalau dipikir-pikir mereka memang saudara sih, kan namanya juga perang saudara yak.

Awalnya gelombang waktu yang terjadi kecil saja. Maddy menemukan penyebab masalah dengan cepat. Dia bahkan mengijinkan Sal ikut bersama Liam untuk kembali ke masa lalu dan memperbaiki keadaan. Sayangnya, keadaan memang selalu saja menjadi lebih buruk kalau menyangkut TimeRiders.

Seseorang yang seharusnya mereka selamatkan ternyata mengikuti mereka ke tahun 2001. Kebetulan orang ini adalah orang yang menghentikan perang saudara di Amerika. Ketidakhadirannya di tahunnya sendirilah yang mengakibatkan Amerika masih terjebak dalam perang sampai tahun 2001. Luar biasa.

Mengembalikan orang ini ternyata tidak mudah. Ada-ada saja kejadian yang mengakibatkan satu-persatu gelombang waktu datang dan mengubah sedikit demi sedikit dunia yang ada saat ini. Saat gelombang waktu yang paling besar datang, Maddy terjebak sendirian di markas yang hampir runtuh, di tengah zona perang saudara dan nyaris putus asa.

Sisi positifnya adalah Liam dkk berada di zona waktu yang sama dengan Maddy, mereka hanya berbeda tempat. Sayangnya tempat tersebut sangat jauh dan juga banyak mengalami masalah.

Petualangan kali ini diawali dan diakhiri dengan misteri yang menyelubungi Sal. Sepertinya masing-masing anggota TimeRiders memiliki misterinya sendiri. Sayangnya, petunjuk misteri tentang Sal terlalu sedikit.

At last, susah untuk tidak suka dengan agen-agen perjalanan waktu ini setelah apa yang mereka lalui di buku-buku sebelumnya. Tapi favorit saya tetap Liam sih :D. So, 5 dari 5 bintang untuk buku keempat TimeRiders. Sudah jadi seri favorit soalnya.

[Phillip III · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eternal War was a great installment in the Time Rider series.

Abe Lincoln doesn't become president. Instead he is bound to die in a freak accident. Worse, when the Time Riders go back to the 1800's to fix history, Lincoln gets caught in the time machine and finds himself in 2001 --never having been president.

And the world is a mess.

The Time Riders have their work cut out for them as they desperately attempt righting so many wrongs ... time (naturally) is of the essence. If they can't fix what went wrong, countless lives will be at lost. It comes down to trust, and a tired present.

Phillip Tomasso
Author of Absolute Zero
and Damn the Dead

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this instalment, I gave it three stars because i still like this series.
I wasn't a big fan of the events happening in this book, i found it a bit boring.
Becks and Maddy are my favorite characters, even though one of them didn't survive.
I skim-read and it's the third time in a row, lol
I might still read the next book.

[Lyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'histoire se traîne un peu plus mais une chose est certaine le lecteur est maintenu dans le suspens jusqu'au bout !

[Luu Roldan · Rating 3 out of 5]

estaba considerando dejar la saga hasta aquí, pero ese último capitulo!!!! whaaaaaaat!?

[radhika ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

i will continue suffer thru the weird race stuff and trudge on thru this series bc i need to know what the main twist actually is pray for me

[Raoufa Ibrahim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abraham Lincoln was drunk when someone(a time rider for sure) killed him to change the history.

The trio: Maddy, Liam, and Sal need to save him so the history won't be altered. But a small mistake happened, Lincoln was saved but he came with them to 2001!

What would happen if Lincoln was never a president?! How the Civil war would have ended or would it end?

[Kahlan23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jazdci časom sú sériou, ktorej sa dostalo pred pár rokmi na sk knižnom trhu istej pozornosti. Ale tak ako ich hviezda rýchlo zažiarila (a právom), tak aj rýchlo zhasla (neprávom). V slovenskom preklade vyšli len totižto len prvé štyri časti. Čo je obrovská škoda, pretože táto séria si zaslúžila byť dovydávaná. Má v sebe totižto veľký potenciál a s každou časťou je lepšia a lepšia. Hold pred pár rokmi však viac pozornosti vzbudzovali upíri, vlkolaci a spol. ako cestovanie v čase. Absolútna vojna je teda poslednou časťou, ktorá u nás vyšla.

Niekto sa opäť zahráva s časom! Liam, Maddy a Sal sa musia pripraviť na štvrtú misiu v najdobrodružnejšej sci-fi sérii so štipkou histórie. Cestovanie časom môže zničiť náš svet. A teraz ide naozaj do tuhého! Časová vlna vymazala z dejín Abrahama Lincolna - významného amerického prezidenta. Pri Liamovom pokuse zistiť, čo sa vlastne stalo, oblafne prezident Lincoln aj Jazdcov časom a ocitne sa na ich základni v roku 2001. Bez Lincolna sa však Americká občianska vojna nikdy neskončila - táto nekonečná a absolútna vojna trvá už 150 rokov a teraz hrozí, že premení svet na večné bojisko. Túto misiu zachráni len Maddy. Musí prinútiť obe bojujúce strany vyhlásiť dočasné prímerie, aby mohli Jazdci časom zachrániť budúcnosť sveta.

Cestovanie časom je dokonalým námet pre akúkoľvek zápletku. Záleží to len na autorovi/autorke ako sa k tomu postaví a čo z toho vyťaží. Alex Scarrow vedel čo robí keď začal písať túto sériu. Vytvoril si vlastné pravidlá, nezabudol však ani na paradoxy, ktoré to celé môže priniesť. Do toho vplietol zápletku, ktorá nie je vôbec jednoduchá a každou ďalšou časťou nám z nej odhaľuje len kúsok. Ale len taký kúsok, ktorý nie že by niečo vysvetlil, ale taký, ktorý to všetko ešte viac zamotá a potrápi nás. Vie však ako to napísať tak aby čitateľa neodradil, ale práveže nalákal (aj keď by mal nadávať). V druhej a tretej časti to bola tajomná Pandora a teraz sa k tomu pridáva ďalší jazdec časom (?) a istý plyšový macík. Džahulla.

Za zápletkou nebudú musieť tentoraz cestovať naši hrdinovia ďaleko. Stačí len jedna cesta do minulosti aby napravili kontaminačnú vlnu a následný návrat z nej, aj spolu s niekým kto v nej mal ostať. Páči sa mi ako Alex Scarrow pohral túto časť s myšlienkou akoby sa mohol zmeniť svet v dôsledku neprítomnosti jedného človeka? Čo ak by tým niekým bol Abraham Lincoln. Čo ak by sa z neho nikdy nestal prezident? Zmenilo by to veľmi históriu? Vyzerá to tak, že hej. Jeho vplyv v americkej občianskej vojne bol naozaj významný, takže jeho neprítomnosť v dejinách narobí dobrú šarapatu. Vojna totižto neskončila a stále trvá. Naši hrdinovia majú tak čo naprávať.

Táto časť je teda plná akcie od prvej strany. Snáď ešte väčšia ako v minulej časti. Nikto z našich hrdinov nie je v bezpečí, najmä nie po tom ako sú nútení rozdeliť sa. Kým sa teda predchádzajúce časti zápletka odohrávala striedavo v minulosti a prítomnosti, v tejto časti zažijeme tak trochu zmenu keďže sa dej odohráva práve v zmenenej prítomnosti. Máme tak teda možnosť konečne "zažiť" dôsledky kontaminačnej vlny na plno. A pekné to teda nebude. Autor tentoraz totižto do zápletky zakomponoval pokusy s eugenikmi, ktorá môže byť ľahko zneužitá a zároveň predstavuje istý etický problém. Tu sa určite ako zaujímavé javili paralely medzi genikmi (eugenikmi) v zmenenej prítomnosti a černochmi (otrokmi) počas občianskej vojny, ktoré autor predkladal čitateľovi.

Táto séria má len a len jednu chybu, že nebola do slovenčiny preložená celá. Kto sa dostal až na koniec tretej časti si môže ísť od zúfalstva búchať hlavu, pretože by to nebol Alex Scarrow, keby príbeh nezakončil ďalšou bombou, ktorú hodí na čitateľov. Ďakujeme, Alex Scarrow. A keďže teda chcem zistiť ako to celé bude pokračovať ďalej, tak siahnem konečne po zvyšných častiach v angličtine a konečne sa tak po rokoch pustím do dočítania tejto série.

[Tom Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally, usually between "epics", I like to indulge in a little palette cleansing for the mind. My series of choice for these moments is Alex Scarrow's cheeky little number, Time Riders.

Three young kids, who should all have died, have been given a second chance at the moment of their supposed departure - to work for a top secret organisation whose goal is to make sure no-one can destroy the fabric of space-time via time travel.

The premise is interesting and fun, though there are some slight plot holes/inconsistencies which sometimes do allow Scarrow to escape from a hole he has somehow got into. Generally though, these tales do exactly what it says on the tin - they are marketed more towards Young Adults so maybe its not unsurprising that they aren't quite as developed plot wise.

The Eternal War is #4 in the series of (I think) 9, and we are starting to see an arc developing which wasn't quite so prevalent in the earlier books (though it was hinted at towards the end of #3). The first few felt like stand-alone tales but the last couple have really started to present more and more questions about the nature of the Time Riders, who recruited them, what the ultimate reason for their existence is and why is time travel so dangerous?

For the first time in the series you really sense something bigger lurking in the shadows, waiting to pop out and ramp up the intrigue a notch or two. Coincident with that is a further "layering" of the characters from what has been seen before. They are starting to feel more three dimensional and slightly more well rounded than they have been previously.

Another interesting difference in this particular story is the setting. Rather than our operatives having to operate from "the past" to try and fix what has gone wrong, Eternal War finds us in an alternative future, trying desperately to fix the necessary equipment in order to go back in time and repair the damage. This helps in allowing a number of the characters to get outside of the comfort zone they have been living in for the first few stories, further aiding their development and evolution.

Overall this feels like a very transitional book, the individual and loosely linked stories giving way to something which is a bit complex and over-arching than we though at first glance. These are never going to be towering epics, but they certainly clean the palette well whilst providing plenty of interest along the way.

Verdict: 4 stars out of 5

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved this series from the very first book but this, the fourth, was a major disappointment. There was nothing new about this - it was the same style as the previous books and didn't feature any big revelations as previous books have done. With a LOT of buildup (teaser images/jigsaws on the website for example) I was excitedly waiting for this book to come onto Amazon so I could preorder it. And then I simply had to start reading it as soon as I got it, despite the fact I've got about a million other books to read before this.

There were a couple of main things that I didn't like about this book. The technology and some of the description of certain "characters" were not up to scratch. Whether they were not well enough described for my imagination to work, or for some other reason, there was no image fixed in my head. And I normally can read these books pretty quickly but it took me the best part of a week to get through, and even then it felt like a chore to actually pick it up and read it, not pick it up and enjoy it.

The same characters come back, but they seem to be just plodding along and really doing nothing to move the story forwards. If it is true that Alex Scarrow has an end in mind to this series (I've heard it's rumoured to be six or as many as nine books!) he would have been best off skipping this book, or condensing it to fit in with another book, there's that much interesting storyline in it.

As expected, there's a big revelation/cliffhanger at the end of each book. One particular finale in a previous book had me bouncing in my seat and squealing and then telling my Dad he simply had to read it now. How did this one end? With me yawning and looking at my watch and thinking "was that it?"

[Jonathan Terrington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it, I skipped book three and read book four. Why? Well because I couldn't get my hands on book three. Skipping books in series is never something I like doing but it does give you a great idea of how powerful a series is.

The very fact that I could instantly understand what was going on shows that the TimeRiders series is one which allows for a reader to engage no matter the book number in the series. And I just created an awful run-on sentence. But now back to the novel. This for me was a return to the original premise of the story. It featured the American Civil War and the idea that taking Abraham Lincoln out of history meant that the war kept on forever backed by British and French troops on either side. It didn't become a war about slavery but about the British and the French using American troops and the land of America. That for me was fascinating.

Technology and action wise the story again picked up and featured the elements I loved about the first novel. There was the time travel technology, there were steam-punk airships, there were genetically created creatures of various types and there were two terminator/genetically created human soldiers. And because this was in the Civil War there was heaps and heaps of shooting, fighting and blood and gore. There was even one scene where you hear about the female AI unit walking into a room and killing all 20 men inside. This would make one interesting action film.

So if you like time travel and want to pick up another series read the first novel. And then eventually you might work your way through to this one. Or perhaps you'd prefer to jump in with the fourth book and work out everything that's going on. Your move.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minor time wave has Liam travelling back to 1831 to investigate and set right an accidental death of a young man named Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln wasn't supposed to die, his destiny was to become President of the United States but someone's been messing with time ... again. After ensuring that Lincoln remains alive, Liam returns to 2001 but somehow manages to bring Lincoln with him. With Lincoln now not being able to have influence on the American Civil war everything changes. The war never ends and instead becomes a battle between the French and British on US ground.

This fourth book takes the Timeriders series in a slightly different direction from the other books in the series. The previous instalments have had a majority of the action happening in the past. This time they are in the present, even though it's a very altered present. There's a very steam-punky feel to the story with the ongoing war drastically changing how science and technology developed. Computers and cell phones are unheard of but genetic engineering is much more advanced.

I really enjoyed reading this book and I was glad the author mixed up it up a bit in terms of the story pattern set in the earlier books. The characters are developing nicely and we're starting to get to know a lot more about the Timeriders agency and how the time travel technology came about. As an extra advantage, I found that I actually learned quite a lot about the American Civil War from reading this book, as I had an extremely limited knowledge of it before hand.

I highly recommend the Timeriders series, particularly to fans of Dr Who and Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan series.

[Lulitta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smart and witty

[Pari {Ridhee} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll like to be straightforward. I realized it in this book that Alex Scarrow was trying to warn us what could happen to us after fifty years if we didnt take care of our environment right now. In this book, Abraham Lincoln comes into the future. The plot is always the same, but the way there is a bigger secret to these series, which is revealed in The City of Shadows (I've not read it yet), makes it all the more interesting. Alex Scarrow realizes that if he continues with one or the adventure in every book, without a deeper secret, this book will go down and it will not be popular and will be read by nine year old kids when he wants older people to read it. After all its a YA novel. This keeps me going. I thought of leaving the book, but this secret stopped me. The way he puts the text, which will come where, attracts the attention also. That's the best part. He starts with different stuff. If he would start with the same thing, it would get so boring, no one would like to read it. He has brains, just like his brother, Simon Scarrow. People read it, enjoy it and tell me how you liked it!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another great entry in the TimeRiders series. I think the best way to describe this book is "TimeRiders goes steampunk" as our trio of time traveler's find themselves thrust into an alternate timeline in which the Civil War never really ended and technology has barely progressed beyond the Industrial Period.

While this is not my favorite TimeRiders book, it still had plenty of action and adventure to keep this reader engaged and keep me hooked on the series. And I was excited to see Sal get the opportunity to go out "in the field."

I would recommend this book (and the series) to any young avid reader as well as adults who enjoy well-written, young adult books that don't talk down to children.

[Jacqueline Curry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this one quite as much as book 3, but I am getting hooked onto the overall story of the series. I am getting a bit confused by the time waves though. The team aren't affected by the wave because "they don't belong here anyway", but at other times they have to run in panic to get home before the wave hits. If the wave doesn't affect them I have a few questions: In book 1 how did Sal come back? In book 2 how did they reset the schoolkids? And in book 3 surely that Adam character could never have joined the team since he did belong in 2001? I'm not sure if this is inconsistency or just not all revealed yet. Overall the little mysteries etc are pretty interesting. I like that Liam is growing up quicker than the other two, and I always love Bob and Becks.

[Stratis Vougioukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

ΣΥΓΚΛΟΝΙΣΤΙΚΟ !!! Πολύ ιδιαίτερο βιβλίο, με περισσότερο δράμα από τα προηγούμενα της σειράς και έντονη συγκίνηση σε κάποιες στιγμές. Στα τελευταία κεφάλαια και ιδιαίτερα στις τελευταίες σελίδες η όλη ιστορία φαίνεται ότι αλλάζει πλέον επίπεδο.

Ιδα��ική στιγμή για ένα σύντομο διάλειμμα.

Σα να τελείωσες μόλις το Χόμπιτ και να περιμένεις να βγει σε λίγες ημέρες ο Άρχοντας.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, just couldn't get into this one. My least favourite of all the series.

[Jacqueline · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite of this series so far...