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What If? #1-2
London 2012: "What If...?"
This book was written for the commuter, for anyone who sits for hours every day travelling back and forward to work, and wondering...'is this the life I should be living? Have I made the right choices? ' ...and then wished for something else...
The new alternative to The Time Traveler's Wife, this is a must read for everyone, regardless of what city you work in, or in which country you live. People the world over will identify with the story told within these pages. As the story progresses, some will feel guilty, some will cry, some will laugh, ...but all will follow the plight of James Quinn, a man who is not unlike so many of us all.
The Story :
Contemplating having an affair, bored with work, and convinced there must be something more to it all, James Quinn is a man just about to enter a mid-life crisis. At the pinnacle of his career, James leads a successful life. But is it the right life? Instead of a Product Manager in a Telecommunications company, should he have been a plumber, an Olympic athlete, or a stockbroker, or an artist? Life, as they say, isn't a practice run. This is it.
Convinced the 'grass is greener' everywhere else, and worried that he may be missing out, James Quinn is a man full of doubts.
It's not that he hates his own life. Far from it. His 'life', as others may call it, is good. It's just that, nowadays he can't stop looking at other people and wondering if, out of the thousands of different lives that he could be living, is he living the right one? What if James has got it wrong?
And then there's Jane, the first girl he kissed at school, and the one that got away. What would life have been like if he had married her instead of his wife? Unable to control his curiosity he tracks her down through Facebook and discovers that she is now a beautiful woman, living in London, and unhappy in her marriage: like a moth drawn to a flame James finds himself heading for infidelity and feels powerless to stop.
Then one day, during the normal underground commute to work in London, he looks up from his book and doesn't recognise the station name on the Jubilee Line, …and in a split-second, everything changes.
Emerging onto a platform at "New Cross Gate North", a station that shouldn't exist, James finds that Canary Wharf has vanished. Gone. And so have Selfridges and mobile phones.
Instead, James finds himself in an alternate and different London, where the city he lived in has subtly changed, and every moment is now a voyage of discovery into a new life: a new career in advertising, a new house, and a new wife: Jane-the object of all his fantasies.
In this new world, James discovers that he is a flamboyant, intelligent, charismatic, successful businessman. Yet, even though he now has everything he has always dreamt of, he finds that he longs for everything else that he used to have but has now lost: his two children, Keira and Nicole, and his wife Sarah. Sarah, the woman he loved but took for granted.
Convinced that both the past and present are somehow real, he realises that somewhere Sarah must be as real in this world as she was in the last. Longing to hold her in his arms again, and with no apparent way back to his old world, he sets out to find Sarah in his new world. Wherever she is.
Using knowledge of her gained from their previous life together, he manages to track her down. But James realises that before he can truly be together with Sarah once again, he must first understand what went wrong between them in the other world to avoid it happening again.
What is the secret that his subconscious has hidden from his conscious mind, and which made him want to turn away from Sarah and into the arms of another woman? Will it be possible for Sarah to fall in love with him again in this new world? And is it too late to find a way back to the old world, the old life, and the London he used to know?
Or will he be stuck forever in this other world, yearning for the green, green grass of home…
The new alternative to The Time Traveler's Wife, this is a must read for everyone, regardless of what city you work in, or in which country you live. People the world over will identify with the story told within these pages. As the story progresses, some will feel guilty, some will cry, some will laugh, ...but all will follow the plight of James Quinn, a man who is not unlike so many of us all.
The Story :
Contemplating having an affair, bored with work, and convinced there must be something more to it all, James Quinn is a man just about to enter a mid-life crisis. At the pinnacle of his career, James leads a successful life. But is it the right life? Instead of a Product Manager in a Telecommunications company, should he have been a plumber, an Olympic athlete, or a stockbroker, or an artist? Life, as they say, isn't a practice run. This is it.
Convinced the 'grass is greener' everywhere else, and worried that he may be missing out, James Quinn is a man full of doubts.
It's not that he hates his own life. Far from it. His 'life', as others may call it, is good. It's just that, nowadays he can't stop looking at other people and wondering if, out of the thousands of different lives that he could be living, is he living the right one? What if James has got it wrong?
And then there's Jane, the first girl he kissed at school, and the one that got away. What would life have been like if he had married her instead of his wife? Unable to control his curiosity he tracks her down through Facebook and discovers that she is now a beautiful woman, living in London, and unhappy in her marriage: like a moth drawn to a flame James finds himself heading for infidelity and feels powerless to stop.
Then one day, during the normal underground commute to work in London, he looks up from his book and doesn't recognise the station name on the Jubilee Line, …and in a split-second, everything changes.
Emerging onto a platform at "New Cross Gate North", a station that shouldn't exist, James finds that Canary Wharf has vanished. Gone. And so have Selfridges and mobile phones.
Instead, James finds himself in an alternate and different London, where the city he lived in has subtly changed, and every moment is now a voyage of discovery into a new life: a new career in advertising, a new house, and a new wife: Jane-the object of all his fantasies.
In this new world, James discovers that he is a flamboyant, intelligent, charismatic, successful businessman. Yet, even though he now has everything he has always dreamt of, he finds that he longs for everything else that he used to have but has now lost: his two children, Keira and Nicole, and his wife Sarah. Sarah, the woman he loved but took for granted.
Convinced that both the past and present are somehow real, he realises that somewhere Sarah must be as real in this world as she was in the last. Longing to hold her in his arms again, and with no apparent way back to his old world, he sets out to find Sarah in his new world. Wherever she is.
Using knowledge of her gained from their previous life together, he manages to track her down. But James realises that before he can truly be together with Sarah once again, he must first understand what went wrong between them in the other world to avoid it happening again.
What is the secret that his subconscious has hidden from his conscious mind, and which made him want to turn away from Sarah and into the arms of another woman? Will it be possible for Sarah to fall in love with him again in this new world? And is it too late to find a way back to the old world, the old life, and the London he used to know?
Or will he be stuck forever in this other world, yearning for the green, green grass of home…
463 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2012
64 people are currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Ian C.P. Irvine
64 books144 followersIan Irvine was brought up in Scotland, and studied Physics for far too many years, before travelling the world working for high-technology companies. Ian has spent a career helping build the internet and delivering its benefits to users throughout the world,...as well as helping to bring up a family. Ian enjoys writing, painting and composing in his spare time. His particular joy is found in taking scientific fact and creating a thrilling story around it in such a way that readers learn science whilst enjoying the thrill of the ride. It is Ian's hope that everyone who reads an I.C.P.Irvine novel will come away learning something interesting that they would never otherwise have found an interest in. Never Science fiction. Always science fact. With a twist.
The first of Ian's novels is a Genetic Conspiracy Thriller which explores the world of Stem Cell Research and encourages us all to ask some very searching questions about the advances that science is making, and how much we, or others, should let it affect society. A contemporary adventure, "The Orlando File" takes the reader around the world and back, and creates a unique moral dilemma that the reader cannot help but get embroiled in: at the end, the reader must ask themself, what would they do in that situation?
His second novel "The Crown of Thorns" explores the power of genetics, explores the questions that the potential to clone humans will raise, and asks the ultimate question...what would happen if a scientist found a way to clone Jesus Christ?
Ian's third novel "London 2012 : What If?" departs from the world of genetics and explores an interesting possibility that Quantum Physics raises:the possibility for parallel worlds to exist alongside each other...and what would happen if a man who wondered what other types of lives he could be living had he made other choices, where unexpectedly to step from one world into another parallel world. "What If" is also an interesting voyage through human emotions, and many readers will find themselves asking themselves similar questions that the lead character does as they read the book. As with both "The Crown of Thorns" and "The Orlando File", at the end of the book the reader is left thinking...and different readers may take away different views on how the novels did, or should have ended... It is hoped that in this way, the novels will make themselves ideal subjects for reading clubs or book clubs.
Ian hopes that if you honour him by spending the time reading one his novels, that you will find it a positive experience, and enjoy it. He also invites you to email him and let him know if you did or did not enjoy the novel. And if you did, what were your favourite parts?
Happy Reading!
The first of Ian's novels is a Genetic Conspiracy Thriller which explores the world of Stem Cell Research and encourages us all to ask some very searching questions about the advances that science is making, and how much we, or others, should let it affect society. A contemporary adventure, "The Orlando File" takes the reader around the world and back, and creates a unique moral dilemma that the reader cannot help but get embroiled in: at the end, the reader must ask themself, what would they do in that situation?
His second novel "The Crown of Thorns" explores the power of genetics, explores the questions that the potential to clone humans will raise, and asks the ultimate question...what would happen if a scientist found a way to clone Jesus Christ?
Ian's third novel "London 2012 : What If?" departs from the world of genetics and explores an interesting possibility that Quantum Physics raises:the possibility for parallel worlds to exist alongside each other...and what would happen if a man who wondered what other types of lives he could be living had he made other choices, where unexpectedly to step from one world into another parallel world. "What If" is also an interesting voyage through human emotions, and many readers will find themselves asking themselves similar questions that the lead character does as they read the book. As with both "The Crown of Thorns" and "The Orlando File", at the end of the book the reader is left thinking...and different readers may take away different views on how the novels did, or should have ended... It is hoped that in this way, the novels will make themselves ideal subjects for reading clubs or book clubs.
Ian hopes that if you honour him by spending the time reading one his novels, that you will find it a positive experience, and enjoy it. He also invites you to email him and let him know if you did or did not enjoy the novel. And if you did, what were your favourite parts?
Happy Reading!
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
May 20, 2013
An enjoyable read, I found it absorbing and have hastened to buy the sequel. When I've read it I,ll return with fresh comments. In my experience this sort of tale is not easy to finish off, but we'll see...
September 7, 2012
I bought this as part of the Kindle Reading Marathon promotion and have no regrets. I have a fascination about 2012 and this story seemed very topical but it ended up being so much more.
The main character James Quinn irritated me, to the point of wanting to slap him, in the early stages. Throughout the book the author peeled away the layers, which really had me unable to put my Kindle down.
The main character James Quinn irritated me, to the point of wanting to slap him, in the early stages. Throughout the book the author peeled away the layers, which really had me unable to put my Kindle down.
July 7, 2015
Because I don't pay attention when I'm downloading books I didn't notice that this book came in two parts (!)
I downloaded the first part, couldn't put it down and then borrowed the second one via Amazon's lending library
I really enjoyed the story, but I found the end frustratingly abrupt and I really don't like 'open to interpretation' endings.
I downloaded the first part, couldn't put it down and then borrowed the second one via Amazon's lending library
I really enjoyed the story, but I found the end frustratingly abrupt and I really don't like 'open to interpretation' endings.
March 29, 2014
Southern cross
January 4, 2014
Marvellous story about parallel worlds. It has an eerie feel to it too and characters you can relate to. I have read other books by Mr Irvine and haven't been disappointed.
January 4, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a thought that must have struck us all at one time, ‘What if…?’ or something we have idly contemplated but for James Quinn it became more than that.
Think ‘Life on Mars’ meets ‘Sliding Doors’ with a touch of Dan Brown thrown in for good measure. Loved the idea of what might have happened to James had things been different and how he dealt with his new life. The whole concept made me really wonder whether his new life was better than his old life – which one should he choose? I found myself sympathising with his dilemma, especially as the longer he spent in his new life, the higher the stakes became. The scenes between James and his father, I found very poignant and touching.
I thought the old professor from university was a great character. I can’t say physics was ever my subject, but there was enough in here to make the theory plausible and understandable, without it going right over my head.
There are some fun differences in James’ new life – one which brought a wry smile was the trains running on time, always with somewhere to sit and commuters enjoying their journey. Anyone having experienced the rush hour commute into London would understand. Other little things were threaded throughout the novel which, again, had me wondering ‘what if?’
I can’t comment too much on the ending, as this would be a terrible spoiler, suffice to say, I have spent all day thinking about it.
There are some great questions at the end to ponder and would make excellent talking points for book clubs.
So, all in all, a really thought provoking read that invokes compassion, understanding, me almost shouting at James at times and a fair bit of day dreaming on my part. Am now off to ride the Jubilee Line, after all, I know how to get back!
Think ‘Life on Mars’ meets ‘Sliding Doors’ with a touch of Dan Brown thrown in for good measure. Loved the idea of what might have happened to James had things been different and how he dealt with his new life. The whole concept made me really wonder whether his new life was better than his old life – which one should he choose? I found myself sympathising with his dilemma, especially as the longer he spent in his new life, the higher the stakes became. The scenes between James and his father, I found very poignant and touching.
I thought the old professor from university was a great character. I can’t say physics was ever my subject, but there was enough in here to make the theory plausible and understandable, without it going right over my head.
There are some fun differences in James’ new life – one which brought a wry smile was the trains running on time, always with somewhere to sit and commuters enjoying their journey. Anyone having experienced the rush hour commute into London would understand. Other little things were threaded throughout the novel which, again, had me wondering ‘what if?’
I can’t comment too much on the ending, as this would be a terrible spoiler, suffice to say, I have spent all day thinking about it.
There are some great questions at the end to ponder and would make excellent talking points for book clubs.
So, all in all, a really thought provoking read that invokes compassion, understanding, me almost shouting at James at times and a fair bit of day dreaming on my part. Am now off to ride the Jubilee Line, after all, I know how to get back!
May 7, 2015
I love time travel tales or alternate reality reads in this case. I was delighted to discover these two set in London. After reading book 1 I was hooked. I quickly downloaded and started book 2 to continue the story. The characters were believable as were the emotions that went with them. Numerous chapters had cliff hanger endings which made for some very late nights. I read the second book swiftly, keen to see if Quinn would find his way back after his near misses.... I was gutted with the abrupt end, an end that leaves you wondering what actually happened, which way did he go? After the emotional work Irvine put in throughout the book, I would have liked to have seen a family reunion or realisation whichever way he went. The book was left as though there should be a third instalment; or at least another chapter. To summarise then. Two amazing books that were sadly spoiled a little by the end. I would have given them 5 stars right up until the last chapter.
March 25, 2013
This book got really high marks on Amazon and I needed something to read while on a recent trip, so give it a try. It was a really interesting idea (won't give it away) and I was immediately hooked. And I stayed hooked until near the end, when sort of ridiculous things started to happen; things that didn't feel believable any more (of course, the premise isn't really believable either, so I shouldn't be so picky!). And then the end... (which I can't give away either)- I wasn't sure if I was angry, or pleased... but after all that, I sort of got to decide what happened to the main character, which was weird. Overall- great beginning and it will keep you hooked... but didn't really like the last several chapters- they started feeling "pushy". Curious to see what others think!
September 3, 2015
It was an interesting concept; a man riding a London subway to work, steps off and finds himself in a different London than he knows, not so much time travel as alternate universe. He has a different wife and different kids, different job, and his father is now alive instead of dead. Sounds good, right? Well not so much, at least not for me. The main character I just couldn't connect with, I didn't like him at all. 3 stars for the concept.
November 16, 2013
Really good, I read book one and two whilst on holiday and lived the sorry between the two parallel worlds. A great read
July 3, 2017
Another good read
We have all ran the 'What If' scenario through our heads and this book certainly gives you pause for thought.
We have all ran the 'What If' scenario through our heads and this book certainly gives you pause for thought.
June 24, 2021
A Soothing If!
James is going about his life as usual. He's excited to have reconnected with his schoolmates mate Jane and happily married to Sarah. On his way to work, he gets down at the usual station to catch tube to his workplace. However, it seems James has entered into another world and that is 2012. In this world, James is an advertising genius. He's married to Jane and has two daughters. James is in the quest of finding himself so that he needs to choose between the world he's in and the world he was in.
Will James get back to his earlier world?
Read this loving novel.
James is going about his life as usual. He's excited to have reconnected with his schoolmates mate Jane and happily married to Sarah. On his way to work, he gets down at the usual station to catch tube to his workplace. However, it seems James has entered into another world and that is 2012. In this world, James is an advertising genius. He's married to Jane and has two daughters. James is in the quest of finding himself so that he needs to choose between the world he's in and the world he was in.
Will James get back to his earlier world?
Read this loving novel.
December 29, 2018
London 2012 What if??????
I'm so disappointed with this book as so far I've read a few of Mr Levine's books such as orlando files haunted within say sorry etc which I haven't been able to put down and I've really enjoyed
This however was farfetched and drawn out to the point I couldn't care what choice the main character made.
I'm so disappointed with this book as so far I've read a few of Mr Levine's books such as orlando files haunted within say sorry etc which I haven't been able to put down and I've really enjoyed
This however was farfetched and drawn out to the point I couldn't care what choice the main character made.
February 23, 2021
What if?
This was a great book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending is a bit hard to figure out in that you don’t know if the character stays in the new life or returns to the old. It would be nice to get this answered perhaps through another book that explores the outcome of the life he chooses.
This was a great book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ending is a bit hard to figure out in that you don’t know if the character stays in the new life or returns to the old. It would be nice to get this answered perhaps through another book that explores the outcome of the life he chooses.
November 6, 2020
Self narrative
I made a mistake in buying this book as none of Ian c p Levine's books I have read have been self narrative so I automatically bought this book without reading a sample,I never buy books that are self narrative inclined as I do not seem to enjoy them
I made a mistake in buying this book as none of Ian c p Levine's books I have read have been self narrative so I automatically bought this book without reading a sample,I never buy books that are self narrative inclined as I do not seem to enjoy them
March 16, 2018
Great Imaginative story..wish this happens in reality
September 13, 2019
Weak ending
Weak ending, made less reliable by being drawn out and over played, Could have been a little more risque, shame
Weak ending, made less reliable by being drawn out and over played, Could have been a little more risque, shame
October 3, 2020
Time
Another ian cp Irvine I couldn't put down, just one small error, it doesn't take an hour and a half to get from Edinburgh to north Berwick, think you meant Berwick upon tweed.
Another ian cp Irvine I couldn't put down, just one small error, it doesn't take an hour and a half to get from Edinburgh to north Berwick, think you meant Berwick upon tweed.
March 14, 2021
So creative. Time travel or alternate universe fans will love it. The what ifs are so well thought out. I want a sequel.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews