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Time Pullers
Time Pullers may forever change the way people think about UFOs, but here, readers will find no reference to alien craft of any kind. What do Napoleon Bonaparte, an Osage Indian dancing and singing to the stars on a lonely hill on a dark night, and a semi-trailer truck trying to run a gate on a US Air Force Base have in common? Only Time Pullers will tell.
272 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2011
About the author
Horton Deakins
1 book22 followersAward-Winning Finalist in the 'Fiction: Science Fiction' category of The 2012 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News
Horton Deakins, author of Time Pullers, is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma where he majored in computer science and physics. An Oklahoma native, Horton has also lived in three other states and made his home in Japan for fourteen months, and yes, he eats sushi. In addition to writing, his interests have been in martial arts, composing and playing music, and sailing, to name a few. Currently, he lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 8, 2013
X Files meets the Time Tunnel as a disparate band of army, agents and scientists attempt to change past events to save humanity’s future.
Time Pullers is not a light and easy read: with a wealth of technical detail, complex science and army procedure, there’s weight to this tale, it’s not a book for the plane and the beach. There’s a lot of exposition at the start, which takes a little getting into, but as the characters start to grow and the dark and intricate rhythms of the story and complicated relationships develop, the story really begins to grip and becomes a truly compelling piece of fiction, with a wonderful twist towards the end.
One thing I would add, and a purely personal note: there’s an awful lot of emphasis on meat-eating and animal slaughter in this book – not one I’d recommend for vegetarians!
Time Pullers is not a light and easy read: with a wealth of technical detail, complex science and army procedure, there’s weight to this tale, it’s not a book for the plane and the beach. There’s a lot of exposition at the start, which takes a little getting into, but as the characters start to grow and the dark and intricate rhythms of the story and complicated relationships develop, the story really begins to grip and becomes a truly compelling piece of fiction, with a wonderful twist towards the end.
One thing I would add, and a purely personal note: there’s an awful lot of emphasis on meat-eating and animal slaughter in this book – not one I’d recommend for vegetarians!
September 29, 2012
The book starts out very technical and the characters are a bit analytical. The story is good and prepare to have your mind twisted at the end. Stay with the book and you will appreciate the ending. I thank Mr. Deakins for giving me the opportunity to read his story.
September 2, 2012
*I received this novel from the author, after I showed an interest in his novel on Goodreads.*
This novel is a sci fi novel, set in an Air Force base in the US. The novel begins when a strange, mysterious man tries to force his way into the Air Force base, insisting that he needs to speak to somebody in charge. He calls himself "Mr G" and says he is from the future. He tells an incredible tale about how he needs help to change the past in order to save the future.
I liked this novel, I gave it 3/5 stars, in my books this stands for "I liked it". There were, however a couple of things that lowered its rating for me.
This novel has a lot of physics jargon in it, as the author describes just how time travel would be possible in this situation. Physics is not one of my strong subjects and I can honestly say I couldn't get my head around it. At the beginning of the novel, I tried to understand it, making good use of the glossary at the back (good idea, by the way!), but soon it all got too much for me. Eventually I just read the information, without really knowing what I was reading about. Thankfully this didn't spoil the novel too much, as I could still grasp what was going on, without having to know the ins and outs. Due to the author describing the time travel in so much detail, this took up a large portion of the novel, which meant it took a little longer to read. I felt this meant the "real plot" of the novel didn't really get started until the last 80 or so pages. This also meant the plot was over quite quickly, I would have enjoyed a little more problems of action when they were trying to change the future, but at the end of the novel, it becomes apparent that the point of the plot is not what you expect.
My favourite part of the novel, is definitely the end, the plot twist is great. It was totally unexpected to me so I found the last 50 pages really enjoyable. I must say though it was a little gory, and I didn't quite have the guts for it at midnight, so I had to put it down until the morning.
What initially attracted me to this novel on Goodreads, was the really interesting and intriguing idea for a plot. I haven't read a novel like this before, and I thought it would probably be something I would enjoy, as I love everything sci fi.
I think the characters definitely played a great part in this novel, with the diversity between them, adding to my enjoyment of reading it. My favourite were probably General Vega and Dr Dubois. I liked the friendship these two had and the history in Vietnam, but I also liked their individual personality traits too.
I also enjoyed the slight romantic sub plot, between two of the team members. I thought this was a really interesting aside, which offered some light relief from the heavy informative main plot, but was also good to read on its own.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, and I am very grateful to the author for sending me a copy. I would recommend this if you have a good knowledge of physics, as it will help with the details, but I would also recommend it if you like an interesting and unique sci fi novel.
This novel is a sci fi novel, set in an Air Force base in the US. The novel begins when a strange, mysterious man tries to force his way into the Air Force base, insisting that he needs to speak to somebody in charge. He calls himself "Mr G" and says he is from the future. He tells an incredible tale about how he needs help to change the past in order to save the future.
I liked this novel, I gave it 3/5 stars, in my books this stands for "I liked it". There were, however a couple of things that lowered its rating for me.
This novel has a lot of physics jargon in it, as the author describes just how time travel would be possible in this situation. Physics is not one of my strong subjects and I can honestly say I couldn't get my head around it. At the beginning of the novel, I tried to understand it, making good use of the glossary at the back (good idea, by the way!), but soon it all got too much for me. Eventually I just read the information, without really knowing what I was reading about. Thankfully this didn't spoil the novel too much, as I could still grasp what was going on, without having to know the ins and outs. Due to the author describing the time travel in so much detail, this took up a large portion of the novel, which meant it took a little longer to read. I felt this meant the "real plot" of the novel didn't really get started until the last 80 or so pages. This also meant the plot was over quite quickly, I would have enjoyed a little more problems of action when they were trying to change the future, but at the end of the novel, it becomes apparent that the point of the plot is not what you expect.
My favourite part of the novel, is definitely the end, the plot twist is great. It was totally unexpected to me so I found the last 50 pages really enjoyable. I must say though it was a little gory, and I didn't quite have the guts for it at midnight, so I had to put it down until the morning.
What initially attracted me to this novel on Goodreads, was the really interesting and intriguing idea for a plot. I haven't read a novel like this before, and I thought it would probably be something I would enjoy, as I love everything sci fi.
I think the characters definitely played a great part in this novel, with the diversity between them, adding to my enjoyment of reading it. My favourite were probably General Vega and Dr Dubois. I liked the friendship these two had and the history in Vietnam, but I also liked their individual personality traits too.
I also enjoyed the slight romantic sub plot, between two of the team members. I thought this was a really interesting aside, which offered some light relief from the heavy informative main plot, but was also good to read on its own.
Overall I really enjoyed this novel, and I am very grateful to the author for sending me a copy. I would recommend this if you have a good knowledge of physics, as it will help with the details, but I would also recommend it if you like an interesting and unique sci fi novel.
September 19, 2012
C'est un livre que j'ai lu en VO et j'avoue que j'appréhendais un peu d'être freinée dans ma lecture par un vocabulaire trop technique (mais je l'aurai été tout autant en français) voire scientifique et pas du tout. J'ai lu ce livre très facilement et sans souci particulier et j'ai vraiment beaucoup aimé ma lecture. Je suis tout de suite rentrée dans l'histoire car l'auteur a particulièrement réussi à nous tenir en haleine régulièrement. De simples petits détails nous intriguent tout au long du récit et viennent relancer l'intérêt et les questionnements du lecteur.
Mais ce qui m'a particulièrement plu dans ce roman, c'est l'aspect très cinématographique qui se dégage de l'ensemble, cela apporte une vraie dynamique au récit. On imagine les personnages, la base… l'énergie et le dévouement de ces pionniers qui mettent tout en œuvre pour réussir leur mission et cela donne du rythme à l'ensemble. J'ai retrouvé avec ce livre l'atmosphère d'un film que j'aime beaucoup "L'étoffe des héros". La phase préparatoire de leur mission donne du poids et de la crédibilité à l'intrigue.
On finit même par trouver cette théorie et cette possibilité des voyages dans le temps complètement plausible grâce au soin du détail apporté par l'auteur mais à aucun moment l'ensemble est ennuyeux… bien au contraire. Cette partie du récit soulève beaucoup d'interrogations sur le rôle des personnages principaux. Ces derniers sont particulièrement intéressants dans leur évolution et dans la façon dont ils s'imbriquent dans l'histoire, tous ont un vrai rôle à un moment donné dans la mécanique du récit et une vraie personnalité qui se dévoile petit à petit au fil des pages.
Le récit est bien construit, rythmé dans une écriture fluide et vivante, l'histoire vraiment intéressante et prenante. Ce livre est un bon moyen de se lancer dans la science-fiction et le thème, pourtant déjà traité par de nombreux auteurs, a vraiment été développé dans ce livre de manière originale. On aimerait vraiment retrouver les personnages dans une nouvelle histoire…
Mais ce qui m'a particulièrement plu dans ce roman, c'est l'aspect très cinématographique qui se dégage de l'ensemble, cela apporte une vraie dynamique au récit. On imagine les personnages, la base… l'énergie et le dévouement de ces pionniers qui mettent tout en œuvre pour réussir leur mission et cela donne du rythme à l'ensemble. J'ai retrouvé avec ce livre l'atmosphère d'un film que j'aime beaucoup "L'étoffe des héros". La phase préparatoire de leur mission donne du poids et de la crédibilité à l'intrigue.
On finit même par trouver cette théorie et cette possibilité des voyages dans le temps complètement plausible grâce au soin du détail apporté par l'auteur mais à aucun moment l'ensemble est ennuyeux… bien au contraire. Cette partie du récit soulève beaucoup d'interrogations sur le rôle des personnages principaux. Ces derniers sont particulièrement intéressants dans leur évolution et dans la façon dont ils s'imbriquent dans l'histoire, tous ont un vrai rôle à un moment donné dans la mécanique du récit et une vraie personnalité qui se dévoile petit à petit au fil des pages.
Le récit est bien construit, rythmé dans une écriture fluide et vivante, l'histoire vraiment intéressante et prenante. Ce livre est un bon moyen de se lancer dans la science-fiction et le thème, pourtant déjà traité par de nombreux auteurs, a vraiment été développé dans ce livre de manière originale. On aimerait vraiment retrouver les personnages dans une nouvelle histoire…
October 29, 2012
This story starts off with a little bit of action: This guy shows up at a military base wanting to see the base commander. It is quite a hook the way it’s presented. I wanted to know what the deal was, you know, with this strange Mr. G.
But the story falls apart with all the physics of time travel, at a point when we should be getting to know the characters so we care about the outcome. It is dry reading. There is no conflict/resolution. There is a sort of stilted unbelievable non romance between two of the characters, but the author didn’t convince me to care much about any of them.
The one example of character development comes through at the end when we see another side to Mr. G. Throughout the story he is stoic, reserved, and even robotic. But at the end we get to see a bit of savagery from him, which adds a sort of horror to his otherwise calm demeanor.
The rest of the characters...They didn’t do much reminiscing about the life they were leaving behind the way people put in this position would do. There was sooo much set up for the final story at the end which was just a series of steps the characters were required to take to make this final task possible. The final task was to change the past so the present they came from would be different. I forget why this was desirable.
There is a cool twist and some conflict at the end and I’m glad I stuck it out for that. But this would have been a much better story if the author took the time to understand his characters and help us care about them.
Anyway, thanks for the story Horton—thanks for your take on this whole package. The ideas presented really made me think. Could we be our own aliens from another where or another when? Is there a multiverse from which visitors could arrive? What would their motivations be? What if their plotting failed?
But the story falls apart with all the physics of time travel, at a point when we should be getting to know the characters so we care about the outcome. It is dry reading. There is no conflict/resolution. There is a sort of stilted unbelievable non romance between two of the characters, but the author didn’t convince me to care much about any of them.
The one example of character development comes through at the end when we see another side to Mr. G. Throughout the story he is stoic, reserved, and even robotic. But at the end we get to see a bit of savagery from him, which adds a sort of horror to his otherwise calm demeanor.
The rest of the characters...They didn’t do much reminiscing about the life they were leaving behind the way people put in this position would do. There was sooo much set up for the final story at the end which was just a series of steps the characters were required to take to make this final task possible. The final task was to change the past so the present they came from would be different. I forget why this was desirable.
There is a cool twist and some conflict at the end and I’m glad I stuck it out for that. But this would have been a much better story if the author took the time to understand his characters and help us care about them.
Anyway, thanks for the story Horton—thanks for your take on this whole package. The ideas presented really made me think. Could we be our own aliens from another where or another when? Is there a multiverse from which visitors could arrive? What would their motivations be? What if their plotting failed?
September 27, 2012
I received a copy of this book as a gift from the author in exchange for a review.
A mysterious man crashes a truck into the gate of a military base, claiming that he has a way to change the future, which has been altered from its original continuum. Time Pullers continues to detail the scientists and agents who become involved in an attempt to change the past to save the future.
This book was difficult to get into. There’s a lot of dialogue, and sometimes it got confusing as to whom was speaking. Almost, but not entirely, lacking in personal thoughts from the characters, it was an impersonal and slightly difficult read. The heavily technical physics terms did not help my comprehension either, although it clearly shows that the author did his research.
Eventually, though, the book levelled out once all the explanatory details were out of the way. The last third of Time Pullers was definitely more enjoyable and understandable than the beginning two-thirds. Once the plot delved into the action and the character’s mission, it because easier to read. The ending built up to a twist (as all good books must have, in my opinion) that makes stumbling through the physics lingo worth the read.
I definitely recommend this book to people who are fans of science fiction, though make sure you’re prepared for an in-depth look at the physics side of time travel. Time Pullers is definitely a rarity when it comes to sci-fi supported by science. I hope that if you decide to read Time Pullers, you find it an interesting and enlightening read.
A mysterious man crashes a truck into the gate of a military base, claiming that he has a way to change the future, which has been altered from its original continuum. Time Pullers continues to detail the scientists and agents who become involved in an attempt to change the past to save the future.
This book was difficult to get into. There’s a lot of dialogue, and sometimes it got confusing as to whom was speaking. Almost, but not entirely, lacking in personal thoughts from the characters, it was an impersonal and slightly difficult read. The heavily technical physics terms did not help my comprehension either, although it clearly shows that the author did his research.
Eventually, though, the book levelled out once all the explanatory details were out of the way. The last third of Time Pullers was definitely more enjoyable and understandable than the beginning two-thirds. Once the plot delved into the action and the character’s mission, it because easier to read. The ending built up to a twist (as all good books must have, in my opinion) that makes stumbling through the physics lingo worth the read.
I definitely recommend this book to people who are fans of science fiction, though make sure you’re prepared for an in-depth look at the physics side of time travel. Time Pullers is definitely a rarity when it comes to sci-fi supported by science. I hope that if you decide to read Time Pullers, you find it an interesting and enlightening read.
October 24, 2012
This book starts off very slowly and with a lot of technical physics words. In some ways this helps to make this science fiction idea seem more real, but it is a bit excessive at times. However, once I discovered that the story makes just as much sense if I simply skimmed over these sections instead of trying to read the whole thing, I began to really enjoy the story.
It is not the kind of novel that I usually enjoy: the story is more developed than the characters and I usually prefer the opposite tilt, but this story was so creative and engaging that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
The idea is very unique and is presented in a very realistic fashion. You really could almost imagine this story being true.
The only major complaint I have, and I hate to say this because I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but the cover is horrible. Obviously, if you are reading this than you have already seen it. It looks to me as if a five-year-old did the design work. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this could really hurt the book as it is so intelligently written but you would never guess that from looking at it.
I would definitely recommend this book and suggest that if you are getting lost in the beginning, stick with it because it is definitely worth your time.
It is not the kind of novel that I usually enjoy: the story is more developed than the characters and I usually prefer the opposite tilt, but this story was so creative and engaging that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
The idea is very unique and is presented in a very realistic fashion. You really could almost imagine this story being true.
The only major complaint I have, and I hate to say this because I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but the cover is horrible. Obviously, if you are reading this than you have already seen it. It looks to me as if a five-year-old did the design work. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this could really hurt the book as it is so intelligently written but you would never guess that from looking at it.
I would definitely recommend this book and suggest that if you are getting lost in the beginning, stick with it because it is definitely worth your time.
October 23, 2012
I won this book on Goodreads.
In my opinion this book would benefit from a very strong editor. I know there is a good story and characters here. It was just very hard to get to them. In the begin of the book, it gets distracting with all the adjectives strung together to make a hard scifi story. It became distracting from the story and the concept that Mr. G was from a more advanced time. In the middle to last third of the book some of the main characters make decisions that felt like their backstory or reasoning had been removed. Craig begins the story sympathetic then becomes kind of nasty and then back to a hero. That can be great for a character but in this case something seemed missing or I wanted/needed more to understand his actions. I think this could have been a very outstanding book with some stonger editing.
In my opinion this book would benefit from a very strong editor. I know there is a good story and characters here. It was just very hard to get to them. In the begin of the book, it gets distracting with all the adjectives strung together to make a hard scifi story. It became distracting from the story and the concept that Mr. G was from a more advanced time. In the middle to last third of the book some of the main characters make decisions that felt like their backstory or reasoning had been removed. Craig begins the story sympathetic then becomes kind of nasty and then back to a hero. That can be great for a character but in this case something seemed missing or I wanted/needed more to understand his actions. I think this could have been a very outstanding book with some stonger editing.
March 2, 2013
Alas, I have finally succumbed to what appears to be common practice amongst authors--rating one's own book. And why not with a bias? How else could I, and why should I claim less than five stars if I want others to read it, or so goes the argument. Never a horn blower, I, but... it seems the right thing to do at this time.
Read it--you will believe.
Read it--you will believe.
September 29, 2012
The book was great. It was a little slow at the start but by the time the action started picking up, i was hooked. I so would like to see another book in the series. Just to be able to see where the characters go. Highly recommend this book, a must read in my book.
March 3, 2014
very detailed review to come...
November 19, 2022
Excellent book!!!
January 24, 2013
Interesting concepts here but the characters just didn't spring to life for me. I found them sometimes quite silly.
August 2, 2016
Meh. Too predictable. I never really liked any of the characters.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews