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J.D. Stanton #3
Out of Time
The fog released more of the ship. As he watched the bow slowly emerge, Stanton saw something that made his gut twist. “This can’t be.” Stanton stared at the gray-white battleship. “It’s a Dreadnought.”But that kind of ship ceased sailing three-quarters of a century ago.It starts as a trip to help five troubled teens, courtesy of a new Navy youth program. With retired submarine commander J.D. Stanton serving as captain and two young naval officers heading the expedition, the state-of-the-art catamaran leaves port. It’s a routine voyage . . . until a mysterious storm pulls Stanton and his crew into an eerie world of swirling mist and silence. There is no sun, no moon or stars, no way to take a bearing. Electrical appliances fail. The diesel engine is sullen and unresponsive. And then, out of the mist, a ship slowly appears―H.M.S. Archer, a pre-WW1 Dreadnought.A ship missing since 1913.The antique vessel holds disturbing a ghostly crew . . . evidence of a mass murder . . . and a thousand questions. Now J.D. Stanton and his untried team must discover the answers―before this ship out of time leads them to their destruction.
347 pages, Paperback
Published September 29, 2003
2 people are currently reading
105 people want to read
About the author
Alton Gansky
74 books121 followersAlton Gansky is the author of 30 books--24 of them novels, including the Angel Award winner Terminal Justice and Christy Award finalist A Ship Possessed. A frequent speaker at writing conferences, he holds a BA and MA degrees in biblical studies. Alton and his wife reside in Southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 15, 2020
A little slow in the beginning, but I finally got hooked and couldn't put it down for several chapters. The five teenagers in the story each seem to fit different lost-soul stereotypes, and they find themselves assigned to a boat navigated by J. D. Stanton, a retired Navy officer, and two other adults there to assist in a week-long excursion. Other than being court-ordered to be there, it wasn't clear why five random teenagers would be hanging out on a boat with three random adults. I haven't read the first 2 books in this series, but I'm sure that some of those types of questions would have been answered if I had.
The early suspense follows the strategies of the three adults and their efforts to break through. With each teen having experienced different hardships before finding their way to the boat, an effort is made by the author to allow readers a connection with at least one of the teens as the plot thickens. One of the themes of the story is The Meaning of Life, and finding the answer to that question is the common thread of each character, whether adult or teen. Before any connections or discoveries are made, however, the crew finds themselves in a savage storm that rolls up out of nowhere, and no one seems safe from mortal danger. The crew learns that there's always the possibility that Life may end before Meaning is found.
The storm scene itself goes on for many chapters, and covers about 3-4 hours of plot time within the story. The suspense presented there is the highlight of the book. Once the crew outlasts the storm, they begin to experience strange phenomenon that is initially interesting, but seemed to also outlast my attention span. I went ahead and finished the book, and the story ends well, but the best parts were in the middle of the story.
I read another review that compares the book to an episode of Scooby Doo, and I definitely can see that. The story has a great message, but there's also a cartoon mystery feel from start to finish. I think most readers would enjoy this book because of that.
The early suspense follows the strategies of the three adults and their efforts to break through. With each teen having experienced different hardships before finding their way to the boat, an effort is made by the author to allow readers a connection with at least one of the teens as the plot thickens. One of the themes of the story is The Meaning of Life, and finding the answer to that question is the common thread of each character, whether adult or teen. Before any connections or discoveries are made, however, the crew finds themselves in a savage storm that rolls up out of nowhere, and no one seems safe from mortal danger. The crew learns that there's always the possibility that Life may end before Meaning is found.
The storm scene itself goes on for many chapters, and covers about 3-4 hours of plot time within the story. The suspense presented there is the highlight of the book. Once the crew outlasts the storm, they begin to experience strange phenomenon that is initially interesting, but seemed to also outlast my attention span. I went ahead and finished the book, and the story ends well, but the best parts were in the middle of the story.
I read another review that compares the book to an episode of Scooby Doo, and I definitely can see that. The story has a great message, but there's also a cartoon mystery feel from start to finish. I think most readers would enjoy this book because of that.
April 25, 2011
There were so many times when I almost stopped reading the book. Like, stop as in stop and return it to the library and never read it again. I don't know why I kept going though. All I know is that this is the most amazing mystery/sci-fi book I've ever read. Even if this is my first mystery book, I know it's one of the bests. Plus, it's got a lot of principles. Five stars aren't enough. AH-MAZING.
July 18, 2020
Out of Time is the third book in the J.D. Stanton series. Retired Navy Commander Captain J.D. Stanton has taken five troubled teens along with two Naval Academy students on a week long excursion on a private yacht. He hopes during the week to share his faith and help the teens anyway he can. But God has different ideas. They run into a storm that almost sinks them. Then they see a hundred year old Dreadnaught ship. While exploring the ship strange things happen that changes everyone including J.D. Stanton. Wonderful science fiction book.
September 12, 2025
This being the first book by Alton Gansky, I didn't know what to expect. I was surprised at the detail this author went into and was able to speed read over some of them that I felt I didn't need to know about ships. It was more moving than I would have expected.
July 28, 2017
Fun summer read, interesting concept but not consistent in its explanation. Maybe 3.5 stars is more accurate since it kept me reading to see conclusion
May 30, 2018
Always love a mystery, and a trip aboard a Dreadnought and a step back in time makes an interesting read.
September 14, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading other books by this author and in this series.
January 31, 2022
Long multiple character development then a quick rushed ending. The makings of a good supernatural story but falls flat at the end. Maybe a better children's book.
July 28, 2022
An interesting tale of faith and ghosts!! A bit long-winded at times.
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November 10, 2023Really enjoyed this from the JD Stanton Series, like the first linked to a War period. A great read, so much so I have kept the copy to read again.
July 31, 2014
This was a good read, to say the least. First of all, it was much, much better than I was expecting it to be. It is the story of a retired Navy officer who, along with two younger Navy officers, takes five troubled teens out on a catamaran for a week of sailing. All seems to be going well until an inexplicable storm comes up and drives the catamaran back in time.
The next thing everyone knows, they're facing a WWI Dreadnought, a huge battleship that is perfectly new but does not seem to have a crew. That is, until a few transparent men show up and make everyone believe that ghosts just might be real . . .
What did I like about this book? Well, the story was fascinating and well-written. I will definitely be reading more of this author in the future. Then, I could definitely tell that it was a Christian novel. There was no preachiness; the gospel just fit naturally into the story. Stanton, the main character, actually pointed out the fact that ghosts were impossible according to the Bible because the soul goes to either Heaven or Hell upon death, which I really liked. (Yes, I know that this is a "ghost" story, but you have to read it to find out what really happens.)
I also liked the fact that there was no romance to speak of. While I don't mind reading an occasional love story tucked away into a larger plot, I am always wary of romance in modern novels. I am happy to report that this book did not have any!
One word of warning: one of the troubled teens is a victim of sexual abuse. This subject is dealt with discreetly, the main character handles it in a godly manner, and no details are given. Still, it is mentioned in the story.
The next thing everyone knows, they're facing a WWI Dreadnought, a huge battleship that is perfectly new but does not seem to have a crew. That is, until a few transparent men show up and make everyone believe that ghosts just might be real . . .
What did I like about this book? Well, the story was fascinating and well-written. I will definitely be reading more of this author in the future. Then, I could definitely tell that it was a Christian novel. There was no preachiness; the gospel just fit naturally into the story. Stanton, the main character, actually pointed out the fact that ghosts were impossible according to the Bible because the soul goes to either Heaven or Hell upon death, which I really liked. (Yes, I know that this is a "ghost" story, but you have to read it to find out what really happens.)
I also liked the fact that there was no romance to speak of. While I don't mind reading an occasional love story tucked away into a larger plot, I am always wary of romance in modern novels. I am happy to report that this book did not have any!
One word of warning: one of the troubled teens is a victim of sexual abuse. This subject is dealt with discreetly, the main character handles it in a godly manner, and no details are given. Still, it is mentioned in the story.
October 9, 2015
Like the first book, (I don't have the second and you don't need it I don't think), Out of Time had an interesting concept in the water. Unlike the first, there were some things I didn't understand and kept wating for the author to explain, but he never did.
It was still pretty good, though.
It was still pretty good, though.
March 13, 2013
“Out of Time” was a reasonably fast-paced, imaginative story. There were a couple instances of improbable scenarios and the author was a bit off regarding his character description of some of the teenagers, but still found Mr. Gansky’s tale pivoting around historical ‘what if’ substance to be relatively absorbing. This was a good read, and I found it to be strong enough to prompt me to want to read another if given the opportunity.
June 26, 2011
Scooby dooby doo!! Seriously, this book was very cartoon-ish. Scooby Doo to be specific. Not in a bad way though. Felt like the kind of book written very specifically for a certain age group. Doesn't appeal across the board. Wish I'd read it about eight or nine years ago...but it hadn't been written yet!!
April 29, 2010
Another good read.
December 4, 2015
Christian sci-fi.....very suspenseful
January 27, 2016
A little strange; but, a very good read.
June 21, 2009
I had my son read it after I was finished and he also enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews