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In Times Like These #1
In Times Like These
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"We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" Benjamin Travers has been electrocuted. What's worse, he and his friends have woken up in the past. As the friends search for a way home, they realize they're not alone. There are other time travelers, and some of them are turning up dead. When Ben meets an enigmatic scientist and his charming, time-traveling daughter, salvation seems at hand, but escaping the dangers of the past may lead to a deadly future. If he hopes to save his friends, Ben must learn to master space and time, and survive a journey where past and future violently collide.
"We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?" Benjamin Travers has been electrocuted. What's worse, he and his friends have woken up in the past. As the friends search for a way home, they realize they're not alone. There are other time travelers, and some of them are turning up dead. When Ben meets an enigmatic scientist and his charming, time-traveling daughter, salvation seems at hand, but escaping the dangers of the past may lead to a deadly future. If he hopes to save his friends, Ben must learn to master space and time, and survive a journey where past and future violently collide.
358 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 22, 2013
2279 people are currently reading
6369 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Van Coops
28 books505 followersNathan Van Coops lives in St. Petersburg, Florida on a diet comprised mainly of tacos. When not tinkering on old airplanes, he writes heroic adventure stories that explore imaginative new worlds. He is the author of the time travel adventure series In Times Like These, the time travel detective series Paradox PI, and The Skylighter Adventures. His recent series, Kingdom of Engines explores a swashbuckling alternate history where the modern and medieval collide. He also writes aviation mystery thrillers under the name Nate Van Coops. Learn more at www.nathanvancoops.com or www.natevancoops.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 630 reviews
July 10, 2023
What a fun audiobook! Truth be told, I have a serious love-hate relationship with time travel books. They tend to irritate me, because they become so outlandish and contradictory that they make the show Supernatural seem plausible.
But this one didn't completely butcher current science. It explained away a lot of the complexities in a satisfying (though vague) way. And the characters, while not as developed as I would have liked, were worth cheering on toward their goals. It was engaging, enjoyable, not at all flashy or hyped, and easy to read -- exactly the kind of brain candy for when work gets crazy and my mind needs an effortless and fanciful distraction.
I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series, The Chronothon. I want to find out what time has in store next for Ben/Benjamin/Benji and his friends.
But this one didn't completely butcher current science. It explained away a lot of the complexities in a satisfying (though vague) way. And the characters, while not as developed as I would have liked, were worth cheering on toward their goals. It was engaging, enjoyable, not at all flashy or hyped, and easy to read -- exactly the kind of brain candy for when work gets crazy and my mind needs an effortless and fanciful distraction.
I'll definitely pick up the next book in the series, The Chronothon. I want to find out what time has in store next for Ben/Benjamin/Benji and his friends.
August 24, 2014
Totally Awesome! Perhaps the best time travel book I've ever read. And it is Van Coops' first!
Realistically developed plot and characters. The tale draws us in by both its mundane nature and the true-to-life way the characters react to their impossible situation. Van Coop builds his plot in stages, often teetering on the brink of techno-babble or boredom only to shove his characters--and the reader--off in some unforeseen direction. A flawed and very human protagonist. Tension builds as every attempt at resolving the characters' dilemma seems to make matters worse.
Very well done.
A great read.
Realistically developed plot and characters. The tale draws us in by both its mundane nature and the true-to-life way the characters react to their impossible situation. Van Coop builds his plot in stages, often teetering on the brink of techno-babble or boredom only to shove his characters--and the reader--off in some unforeseen direction. A flawed and very human protagonist. Tension builds as every attempt at resolving the characters' dilemma seems to make matters worse.
Very well done.
A great read.
September 23, 2014
Imagine that you and a few friends get electrocuted in a lightning storm and suddenly find yourselves in 1985. Where would you sleep for the night? What would you do to try to get back to your home time? “It’s an odd feeling to be thinking of a specific time as being home, but [Benjamin realizes] more and more how much it matters to [him] to be in the same flow of time as [all his] friends.” Just when it seems that Benjamin and his friends are hopelessly stuck in a year of big hair and leg warmers, they meet Dr. Quickly who is full of sage time travel advice and who sets out to train the friends in the art and sport of time travel. Wax on, wax off, and mind getting your light sabre caught in your flip flops … or mind getting caught with your flip flops in a snow storm.
I read quite a lot of time travel novels, but it’s a rare for one to invade my mind even when the book is closed. This one does because, as the characters are being trained in the skills necessary for avoiding time travel disaster, I found myself considering how to apply these skills if I were faced with an imminent time travel need. Time travel isn’t something to be jumped into lightly. You should train and practice to hone your skills lest you find yourself merging with something that occupies the same space in another time. Today’s open field is tomorrow’s housing development. The empty chair of today was occupied with your cat yesterday, and now its tail is firmly and uncomfortably lodged in your behind because you didn’t take this into consideration when jumping to yesterday. Time travel is a little more complicated than pressing a button lest you land in outer space with Earth not quite where you expected in orbit. And how do you get back to your own timeline rather than one that’s fractured off from the changes that you made when you traveled back to the past? I was impressed that the author took so many of the what-ifs of time travel and actually created plausible answers and learnable skills for them.
The adventures in this book are interesting and the characters are fun. There are a few characters that are a bit cardboard (until they want to kill their time travel doppelgangers and such), but the plethora of well-fleshed interesting ones largely made up for that. I loved the journal entries from Dr. Quickly that open each chapter. Here’s a favorite: “Cheating on a woman is always a bad idea. If your girl happens to be a time traveler, that’s worse. And if her father is a time traveler, too . . . well, now you’ve really messed up.” And, yes, there’s a love interest in the book, but its low-key such that the romantic subplot doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the book. Friendships, desert jedi time travel training sessions, a time traveling serial killer, time travel balloon rides, the fractal theory of time travel… there’s a lot here that lends itself to an interesting world I look forward to traveling through as the series progresses.
I read quite a lot of time travel novels, but it’s a rare for one to invade my mind even when the book is closed. This one does because, as the characters are being trained in the skills necessary for avoiding time travel disaster, I found myself considering how to apply these skills if I were faced with an imminent time travel need. Time travel isn’t something to be jumped into lightly. You should train and practice to hone your skills lest you find yourself merging with something that occupies the same space in another time. Today’s open field is tomorrow’s housing development. The empty chair of today was occupied with your cat yesterday, and now its tail is firmly and uncomfortably lodged in your behind because you didn’t take this into consideration when jumping to yesterday. Time travel is a little more complicated than pressing a button lest you land in outer space with Earth not quite where you expected in orbit. And how do you get back to your own timeline rather than one that’s fractured off from the changes that you made when you traveled back to the past? I was impressed that the author took so many of the what-ifs of time travel and actually created plausible answers and learnable skills for them.
The adventures in this book are interesting and the characters are fun. There are a few characters that are a bit cardboard (until they want to kill their time travel doppelgangers and such), but the plethora of well-fleshed interesting ones largely made up for that. I loved the journal entries from Dr. Quickly that open each chapter. Here’s a favorite: “Cheating on a woman is always a bad idea. If your girl happens to be a time traveler, that’s worse. And if her father is a time traveler, too . . . well, now you’ve really messed up.” And, yes, there’s a love interest in the book, but its low-key such that the romantic subplot doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the book. Friendships, desert jedi time travel training sessions, a time traveling serial killer, time travel balloon rides, the fractal theory of time travel… there’s a lot here that lends itself to an interesting world I look forward to traveling through as the series progresses.
November 4, 2014
Other reviewers have said that although the book is slow during the first half to two-thirds, it picks up from there. I will never know. I sometimes read books that start slow, but only when the writing is pitch-perfect and the characters are truly interesting to me. This was not the case here.
The time traveling characters in this book are oddly immature. They speak and behave as if they are much younger than their given ages of 24-26. In fact, a commentator on Goodreads referred to the book in a group post as a ‘teenager lost in time’ story, and another called them teens and then parenthetically questioned her memory wondering if they could be in their early twenties.
Some parts were either too far-fetched or just weak setups. Grandpa was either a foolishly over-accommodating fellow, or an experienced time-traveler pretending to be uninitiated. It went something like this:
Knock, knock.
Grandpa, I’m your four-year-old grandson, here from the future where I’m now twenty-four. Can we come in?
Oh, okay, you do look like my son. You and your four scuffed and scorched friends just come on in. You can sleep in the spare bedrooms. Let me give you a tour of the house before I fix dinner.
It seems to me that the author should consider marketing the book as YA where it might be a real hit.
The time traveling characters in this book are oddly immature. They speak and behave as if they are much younger than their given ages of 24-26. In fact, a commentator on Goodreads referred to the book in a group post as a ‘teenager lost in time’ story, and another called them teens and then parenthetically questioned her memory wondering if they could be in their early twenties.
Some parts were either too far-fetched or just weak setups. Grandpa was either a foolishly over-accommodating fellow, or an experienced time-traveler pretending to be uninitiated. It went something like this:
Knock, knock.
Grandpa, I’m your four-year-old grandson, here from the future where I’m now twenty-four. Can we come in?
Oh, okay, you do look like my son. You and your four scuffed and scorched friends just come on in. You can sleep in the spare bedrooms. Let me give you a tour of the house before I fix dinner.
It seems to me that the author should consider marketing the book as YA where it might be a real hit.
June 3, 2018
5 wonderful mind bogging time travel stars once again! one of the best time travel adventures! Cannot wait to start book 2!!
This has been such an amazing ride. As a big time travel fan, i have to say, this has become one of my favorite time travel novels. It kept me on the edge of my seat most of the story; fast paced action pack mind boggling time travel adventure! If a time travel story does not give you a bit of a headache then you know it's not a "time travel" one. The character development was done perfectly and the main theme of the story "friendship" is what made the novel stand out. There was only a little bit of romance in it which was refreshing. Overall i loved it! Felt like i was watching my favorite time travel movie. It all came together perfectly. So keen to continue on with book 2. Time travelers go pick up this book now!
This has been such an amazing ride. As a big time travel fan, i have to say, this has become one of my favorite time travel novels. It kept me on the edge of my seat most of the story; fast paced action pack mind boggling time travel adventure! If a time travel story does not give you a bit of a headache then you know it's not a "time travel" one. The character development was done perfectly and the main theme of the story "friendship" is what made the novel stand out. There was only a little bit of romance in it which was refreshing. Overall i loved it! Felt like i was watching my favorite time travel movie. It all came together perfectly. So keen to continue on with book 2. Time travelers go pick up this book now!
September 24, 2014
If I'm dead tired, but I want to read another chapter to find out what happens, I know I'm reading a good book. If I find myself thinking about the storyline while I'm at work, it's a good book (or a slow day at work). If I finish the book and yearn for more, it's a good book.
The structure, character development and plot were all well thought out, but it must have been a nightmare to make all the elements gel, but, such is the nature of time travel. What I liked most was that this is a complete story; beginning, middle and end, all in one book! None of this "publishing in three (four or five) installments" business.
I think this is a fine effort for the author's first novel. Well done Nathan.
The structure, character development and plot were all well thought out, but it must have been a nightmare to make all the elements gel, but, such is the nature of time travel. What I liked most was that this is a complete story; beginning, middle and end, all in one book! None of this "publishing in three (four or five) installments" business.
I think this is a fine effort for the author's first novel. Well done Nathan.
September 22, 2014
I very much enjoyed this novel. The opening premise is a winner: accidental time travel. The author does a good job of introducing five distinct characters, and isn't at all afraid to torture them or let them off the hook. He's also done a considerable amount of very hard thinking to explain a plausible means of time travel - one which doesn't make it easy for the protagonists. This is a good page-turner and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, as he's clearly someone who works very hard at his craft, for the enjoyment of the reader. Here's an example of what I mean:
"The basic chairs in the hospital waiting area are torture. I can feel the circulation being cut off in my legs after a few minutes in any one of them."
That's great writing. Without a lengthy description, the reader has a mental image of the narrator going from chair to chair, massaging the feeling back into his thighs. We also feel the pain and discomfort, and get the impression of a long and agonising wait.
"The basic chairs in the hospital waiting area are torture. I can feel the circulation being cut off in my legs after a few minutes in any one of them."
That's great writing. Without a lengthy description, the reader has a mental image of the narrator going from chair to chair, massaging the feeling back into his thighs. We also feel the pain and discomfort, and get the impression of a long and agonising wait.
August 5, 2025
4.5 stars ...
Super fun!
Highly recommended,
if you're into this genre.👍👍
Super fun!
Highly recommended,
if you're into this genre.👍👍
April 23, 2015
This is a fun Time travel romp, that I could relate to easily. Being a 30 something myself and a child of the 80's it was fun to go back to 1985, however this book does not reference enough pop culture like unto Ready Player One. This book focuses on the action and also the science of the time travel. Some hard core techies may eat up the science behind it all, and I agree some explanation as to how is time travel possible is warranted, but as a reader there were times when the science and explanation bogged down the story. Anchors being left because he forgets to degravitize them or gravatize them...Personally I don't care....Further the protagonist seems to fumble his way through everything and that in a way makes it relate-able and forces me to be empathetic to the peril going on.
I liked the story its fun. As long as you don't think on it to much. A serial killer from the present goes back along with are protagonists and finds himself completely at odds and the villain of the story....just not sure why? I am a convicted serial killer going to prison or on death row and magically you find yourself free and unknown...Guess I will go kill me some time travelers!! It just doesn't track. Like an episode of scooby-doo the bad guy is bad and everything would be fine except for these meddling Kids!
I love the looping time streams and paradoxes. Some very heart wrenching moments as they struggle so fiercely to get home.
I liked the story its fun. As long as you don't think on it to much. A serial killer from the present goes back along with are protagonists and finds himself completely at odds and the villain of the story....just not sure why? I am a convicted serial killer going to prison or on death row and magically you find yourself free and unknown...Guess I will go kill me some time travelers!! It just doesn't track. Like an episode of scooby-doo the bad guy is bad and everything would be fine except for these meddling Kids!
I love the looping time streams and paradoxes. Some very heart wrenching moments as they struggle so fiercely to get home.
December 1, 2015
I finally finished this book last night! The author did a great job wrapping everything up. But I admit, that even as a Time Travel (TT) enthusiast, I found myself quite befuddled while trying to keep the story straight amongst all the TT "rules". Don't get me wrong, some of the most important factors in a TT novel are the means of travel (eg. time machine, magic gem, meditation) and the rules!
Can one travel to a time where he or she already exists? Do you need an object from the time you are traveling to? Can you control the time you travel to? Can you warn yourself of upcoming dangers? Can you change anything? Kill Hitler? Save JFK? Is there a force preventing important moments in history from being tampered with? Lots more.
You get it.
Anyway, I absolutely, positively love TT novels because these variables are completely up for imaginative discretion by the author.
This brings me to back to talking about this novel and maybe the reason it didn't warrant the full 5 stars from me. I felt that there was far too much explanation of small technical details of the method of TT.
I put this book down several times and was reluctant to pick it up again because there is a chunk in the middle where our protagonist and his friends are learning lessons of how to TT. Classroom style and hands on. It was all very technical and detailed regarding a completely made up science! It just got somewhat boring, here and there. I didn't care about all those details, I wanted to move on with the story.
Another thing about the book that distracted-then eventually began to irk me a was how each characters actions are explained in painstaking detail. Not sure how to explain, so here is a fictional example:
We all filed into the room and I made myself comfortable in the blue rocker. Bill fell into the red chair next to Sandy who sat on the floor beside him with her knees folded underneath her. Chris stood at the far end of the fireplace to my left with his elbow propped up on the mantel, his left hand on his hips and his knee slightly bent. On the other side of the mantel stood Joe who turned his head a bit to the left and squared his shoulders to the north while his legs were slightly apart....
Now, that we know where everyone is, we can get on with the story! So, my example is totally an exaggeration. It's just the author's writing style.
Another thing I noticed about the author's style, that I thought was completely unique, was the way he played out the 1st person narrative. I generally prefer 3rd person for various reasons, but I think I liked this. Ben, our protagonist, has very little to say about his feelings. There are occasional asides that the reader knows are Ben's thoughts because they are separate and italicized. We don't spend a lot of time in Ben's head, we are simply made privy to the action.
So, to the action! The action was great! There is a scene in the end where there is a fight on the top of a semi tractor trailer as it flies down the highway at top speed! It was described well and I always knew what was going on. Seems like I shouldn't have to point this out. However, if you have ever read any of my reviews, you know how often I am flabbergasted by an author's poor description of action happening in a scene. (See Splintered and Something Wicked This Way Comes et al.)
Anyway, the TT was fantastic! The methods, the dangers and the potential Matrix-like way a guy can use it to fight achieving absolute coolness! There is a sequel and I will read it with high hopes that Ben uses his TT abilities and knowledge for more super hero type situations!
Can one travel to a time where he or she already exists? Do you need an object from the time you are traveling to? Can you control the time you travel to? Can you warn yourself of upcoming dangers? Can you change anything? Kill Hitler? Save JFK? Is there a force preventing important moments in history from being tampered with? Lots more.
You get it.
Anyway, I absolutely, positively love TT novels because these variables are completely up for imaginative discretion by the author.
This brings me to back to talking about this novel and maybe the reason it didn't warrant the full 5 stars from me. I felt that there was far too much explanation of small technical details of the method of TT.
I put this book down several times and was reluctant to pick it up again because there is a chunk in the middle where our protagonist and his friends are learning lessons of how to TT. Classroom style and hands on. It was all very technical and detailed regarding a completely made up science! It just got somewhat boring, here and there. I didn't care about all those details, I wanted to move on with the story.
Another thing about the book that distracted-then eventually began to irk me a was how each characters actions are explained in painstaking detail. Not sure how to explain, so here is a fictional example:
We all filed into the room and I made myself comfortable in the blue rocker. Bill fell into the red chair next to Sandy who sat on the floor beside him with her knees folded underneath her. Chris stood at the far end of the fireplace to my left with his elbow propped up on the mantel, his left hand on his hips and his knee slightly bent. On the other side of the mantel stood Joe who turned his head a bit to the left and squared his shoulders to the north while his legs were slightly apart....
Now, that we know where everyone is, we can get on with the story! So, my example is totally an exaggeration. It's just the author's writing style.
Another thing I noticed about the author's style, that I thought was completely unique, was the way he played out the 1st person narrative. I generally prefer 3rd person for various reasons, but I think I liked this. Ben, our protagonist, has very little to say about his feelings. There are occasional asides that the reader knows are Ben's thoughts because they are separate and italicized. We don't spend a lot of time in Ben's head, we are simply made privy to the action.
So, to the action! The action was great! There is a scene in the end where there is a fight on the top of a semi tractor trailer as it flies down the highway at top speed! It was described well and I always knew what was going on. Seems like I shouldn't have to point this out. However, if you have ever read any of my reviews, you know how often I am flabbergasted by an author's poor description of action happening in a scene. (See Splintered and Something Wicked This Way Comes et al.)
Anyway, the TT was fantastic! The methods, the dangers and the potential Matrix-like way a guy can use it to fight achieving absolute coolness! There is a sequel and I will read it with high hopes that Ben uses his TT abilities and knowledge for more super hero type situations!
May 3, 2014
At first glance, "In Times Like These" is just another time-travel caper.
Look a little deeper, and you might concede that it's a time-travel caper with a slightly new slant: think "Back To The Future" meets "The Famous Five".
However, once the story gets going, it's clear that Nathan Van Coops has come up with an entirely new and engaging take on time travel. In even the very best stories on time travel, the act itself usually involves merely pushing a button or pulling a lever. Pick your date, flip the switch, and you're done. But what if time travel were complicated? What if, like flying a plane, running a marathon or performing surgery, time travel needed years of training, a practised technique and a deep underlying understanding of associated technical issues? That's what Nathan Van Coops offers here. I had a lot of fun following the story and thinking through the consequences - this is something genuinely new and fresh and different.
Look a little deeper, and you might concede that it's a time-travel caper with a slightly new slant: think "Back To The Future" meets "The Famous Five".
However, once the story gets going, it's clear that Nathan Van Coops has come up with an entirely new and engaging take on time travel. In even the very best stories on time travel, the act itself usually involves merely pushing a button or pulling a lever. Pick your date, flip the switch, and you're done. But what if time travel were complicated? What if, like flying a plane, running a marathon or performing surgery, time travel needed years of training, a practised technique and a deep underlying understanding of associated technical issues? That's what Nathan Van Coops offers here. I had a lot of fun following the story and thinking through the consequences - this is something genuinely new and fresh and different.
January 25, 2017
Its hard to write a good time travel book.
This one starts off well enough. The premise of the accidental event, that somehow shifts people through time, and the struggles and triumphs they face, is a good basis and one of my favourites.
However it quickly degenerates into drivel, replete with the seemingly mandatory "Doc Brown" character, and people tootling backwards and forwards through time like its a freeway.
There's an inherent problem when you waste so much time belabouring psuedo-science to explain your own personal theories on time-travel. Because unfortunately most of it is nonsensical twaddle, and either your readers see through the twaddle, or otherwise you needn't have bothered in the first place.
Ultimately reading this book just becomes a chore.
This one starts off well enough. The premise of the accidental event, that somehow shifts people through time, and the struggles and triumphs they face, is a good basis and one of my favourites.
However it quickly degenerates into drivel, replete with the seemingly mandatory "Doc Brown" character, and people tootling backwards and forwards through time like its a freeway.
There's an inherent problem when you waste so much time belabouring psuedo-science to explain your own personal theories on time-travel. Because unfortunately most of it is nonsensical twaddle, and either your readers see through the twaddle, or otherwise you needn't have bothered in the first place.
Ultimately reading this book just becomes a chore.
December 31, 2019
Mini-Review:
3.5 Stars for Narration by Neil Hellegers (He has an odd cadence to his narration that speeds up & down.)
4 Stars for Concepts
3.5 Stars for Characters
3 Stars for Plot & Uneven Pacing
Rambling Thoughts:
- If you ever watched Sliders, you would probably enjoy this book. It's kind of like Sliders but the main character/s are normal people who get sucked into a crazy event.
- Is the story realistic? Naaaaaaaaaah! But the author did a good job of portraying what may happen if a group of friends were caught up in a strange phenomenon. Lots of fun "what if" scenarios are tossed into the pot and tried out.
- A lot of blatant foreshadowing happens in the story and that makes it easy to guess where the story will go. I was right for about 95% and thought it was fun when I was wrong. =D
- Overall, an interesting time travel story.
3.5 Stars for Narration by Neil Hellegers (He has an odd cadence to his narration that speeds up & down.)
4 Stars for Concepts
3.5 Stars for Characters
3 Stars for Plot & Uneven Pacing
Rambling Thoughts:
- If you ever watched Sliders, you would probably enjoy this book. It's kind of like Sliders but the main character/s are normal people who get sucked into a crazy event.
- Is the story realistic? Naaaaaaaaaah! But the author did a good job of portraying what may happen if a group of friends were caught up in a strange phenomenon. Lots of fun "what if" scenarios are tossed into the pot and tried out.
- A lot of blatant foreshadowing happens in the story and that makes it easy to guess where the story will go. I was right for about 95% and thought it was fun when I was wrong. =D
- Overall, an interesting time travel story.
July 28, 2014
I've not read a Time Travel adventure quite like this one before. It covers a timespan of no more than 25 recent years, and occurs for the most part (with notable exceptions) in the state of Florida, the home of the five accidental travelers. Their mentor, Dr. Harold Quickly, has apparently taken Time Travel far beyond the theoretical to develop the science and mechanics for practical application. The author did well in combining this imaginative science within a story of reachable scope. We get to know these likeable characters and might picture ourselves in the same circumstances. Hopefully, we'd do as well. The dialogue is smart, fun, and realistic, and their reactions -- ranging from bewildered to analytical to damned determined -- develop credibly in taxing circumstances. The writing is smooth and enjoyable, and the first person narrator's occasional asides and quiet thoughts can be humorous and insightful.
But who would have imagined that Time Travel could be so complicated and dangerous? Dr. Quickly advises in one of his many choice bits of wisdom, that spacing is almost as important as timing. "It's no use showing up right on time if you fuse your leg through the coffee table." Good point, and if that's not enough to capture a neophyte's attention, this surely will be: "There are thousands of ways to get yourself killed time traveling. Being in a hurry is the fastest way to find a new one."
I will warn that readers need to pay close attention. Sometimes I found myself having to go back to sort out the science and fast action. Why do they need what? How did they wind up here? But not to worry. With a little effort you'll find that the details are there and add up nicely.
I understand this novel is the first in a series, though I found it to be complete and satisfying in itself with a great ending. I look forward to the next volume from Nathan Van Coops.
But who would have imagined that Time Travel could be so complicated and dangerous? Dr. Quickly advises in one of his many choice bits of wisdom, that spacing is almost as important as timing. "It's no use showing up right on time if you fuse your leg through the coffee table." Good point, and if that's not enough to capture a neophyte's attention, this surely will be: "There are thousands of ways to get yourself killed time traveling. Being in a hurry is the fastest way to find a new one."
I will warn that readers need to pay close attention. Sometimes I found myself having to go back to sort out the science and fast action. Why do they need what? How did they wind up here? But not to worry. With a little effort you'll find that the details are there and add up nicely.
I understand this novel is the first in a series, though I found it to be complete and satisfying in itself with a great ending. I look forward to the next volume from Nathan Van Coops.
May 7, 2017
A Great Example of Why Authors Need a Good Editor
Not entirely without merit but I couldn't really bring myself to give it 3 stars. In some ways appropriately although it took me just a few days of dogged determination to reach the end of this book it felt like a lot more time had passed! Not being a quitter I did resist the frequent temptation to give up on Van Coops plus and saw it through to the end, but if I was the author I'd want to go back in time and rewrite/republish this book at no more than two-thirds the length. This convoluted story not only rambles on ad nauseam in places, lacking pace and becoming turgid with unnecessary minutiae, it also confuses with the imaginary technology and the complexity the of timeline theory. If the story was handed to a good literary editor who brought it down to a snappy 200-or-so pages, reworking the amateurish he said she said I said dialogue elements, and getting rid of the many non-contributory, and frankly irritating, descriptive elements, then the overall result would be a much more potentially satisfying read. For now I will be leaving it up to other versions of me living in parallel timelines to read Van Coops' other works... in this 'universe', for me, in times like these life is to short to read another!
Not entirely without merit but I couldn't really bring myself to give it 3 stars. In some ways appropriately although it took me just a few days of dogged determination to reach the end of this book it felt like a lot more time had passed! Not being a quitter I did resist the frequent temptation to give up on Van Coops plus and saw it through to the end, but if I was the author I'd want to go back in time and rewrite/republish this book at no more than two-thirds the length. This convoluted story not only rambles on ad nauseam in places, lacking pace and becoming turgid with unnecessary minutiae, it also confuses with the imaginary technology and the complexity the of timeline theory. If the story was handed to a good literary editor who brought it down to a snappy 200-or-so pages, reworking the amateurish he said she said I said dialogue elements, and getting rid of the many non-contributory, and frankly irritating, descriptive elements, then the overall result would be a much more potentially satisfying read. For now I will be leaving it up to other versions of me living in parallel timelines to read Van Coops' other works... in this 'universe', for me, in times like these life is to short to read another!
October 11, 2024
Update October 2024 2nd read.
Went for the audio narrated by Neil Helligers! Who does a brilliant job. The audio brings whole new life to a series I absolutely loved. Still absolutely love.
'We wouldn’t really have much to tell them. ‘Hello officer, we left our cars parked in 2009. Can you help us?’
Benjamin and his friends get accidentally shot back to 1986 along with a Serial killer.
As they try to find their way home they meet the eccentric Dr Quickly and his daughter Mym. Who train them in using Cronothons, which are time traveling devices.
As they learn to jump their way to the future they realise they may have changed too much. Can they find a way to fix everything and restore their timeline.
'We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?'
I thoroughly enjoyed this! A great mix of time travelling, bonkers science and serial killer.
Full of a Brilliant cast of characters and an absolute joy to read, I would highly recommend.
'What happened, happened. You can never change the past. Not really. You can just choose to live in a time where things are different.'
Went for the audio narrated by Neil Helligers! Who does a brilliant job. The audio brings whole new life to a series I absolutely loved. Still absolutely love.
'We wouldn’t really have much to tell them. ‘Hello officer, we left our cars parked in 2009. Can you help us?’
Benjamin and his friends get accidentally shot back to 1986 along with a Serial killer.
As they try to find their way home they meet the eccentric Dr Quickly and his daughter Mym. Who train them in using Cronothons, which are time traveling devices.
As they learn to jump their way to the future they realise they may have changed too much. Can they find a way to fix everything and restore their timeline.
'We broke something. How do you break time? Can something so bad happen that you fracture the world?'
I thoroughly enjoyed this! A great mix of time travelling, bonkers science and serial killer.
Full of a Brilliant cast of characters and an absolute joy to read, I would highly recommend.
'What happened, happened. You can never change the past. Not really. You can just choose to live in a time where things are different.'
to-read-own
February 26, 2018Ugh. This is first person, present POV. Not my fav.
July 1, 2016
This novel was interesting to read, good characters and story, but it was too convoluted as well. Too many details about gravitates and gadgets, lots of back and forth trips in time, which made it hard to follow. I did enjoy the personalities of Robbie, Francesca, Carson, Blake, and Ben, as well as Robbie's grandfather, Dr. Quickly and Mym.
The book was too long as well, to finally resolve things in the last two chapters, and end off lightly. Also, it wasn't believable that so many people they met took all they said at face value and helped them without question.
Lastly, Blake was really the only one that had a reason to return to 2009, while Francesca's relationships with the boys was never clear. At times, she seems unattached, at times with Carson, at times with Robbie.
I almost abandoned the book altogether, but about halfway through it got better. Still, a toil to get to the end, which is quite simplistic and vague.
I won't be reading any more if this series.
The book was too long as well, to finally resolve things in the last two chapters, and end off lightly. Also, it wasn't believable that so many people they met took all they said at face value and helped them without question.
Lastly, Blake was really the only one that had a reason to return to 2009, while Francesca's relationships with the boys was never clear. At times, she seems unattached, at times with Carson, at times with Robbie.
I almost abandoned the book altogether, but about halfway through it got better. Still, a toil to get to the end, which is quite simplistic and vague.
I won't be reading any more if this series.
August 12, 2019
Who knew that time travel could be so unexciting? This story is about 5 or 6 guys and a girl who go back in time, and then proceed to walk a dog and mow a yard. I say 5 or 6 guys, because you can’t really tell how many there are. They all travel together wherever they go, and all their personalities and dialogue are exactly the same, so for all practical purposes they are just one person. Why the author felt the need to break them up into a giant group of main characters that no one will ever remember, I don’t know. The whole story could have easily been done with just two characters, maybe even one.
The story is mildly interesting. I keep waiting for it to transition into actively interesting. But I’ve been reading for a long time and that doesn’t appear to be happening, so forget it. I’m deleting this one. Just not for me, I guess!
The story is mildly interesting. I keep waiting for it to transition into actively interesting. But I’ve been reading for a long time and that doesn’t appear to be happening, so forget it. I’m deleting this one. Just not for me, I guess!
July 14, 2015
Ever since I saw Back To The Future, as a kid, I have loved pretty much anything to do with time travel, so when I read the synopsis for this book and also heard all of the positive feedback it was getting, I just had to buy it.
IN TIMES LIKE THESE is the first book in a planned trilogy (the second book was recently released) and it tells the story of 5 friends in the year 2009 who are caught in the perfect storm of chance circumstances as they are struck by lightning simultaneously and are sent back to 1985.
A book that often references Back To The Future is sure to be one that wins me over and IN TIMES LIKE THESE does just that. This story has a heart to it, much like that classic trilogy, but the particulars are thankfully not a copycat at all, but rather quite original. There is a lot of talk in this book about the science behind the time traveling, some of which admittedly went over my head and as the story moves along, it can get a little confusing as to all the time threads that are going on at once. I wouldn't call it a convoluted story necessarily, but it is definitely borderline.
At its core, this is an awesome and fun novel! To consider also that this is author Nathan Van Coops first novel, is quite an achievement! As of right now, this book is FREE in the Kindle store and I HIGHLY recommend it for those of you who enjoy a good time travel story. I really look forward to checking out the second book very soon. I give this one a 4/5!
IN TIMES LIKE THESE is the first book in a planned trilogy (the second book was recently released) and it tells the story of 5 friends in the year 2009 who are caught in the perfect storm of chance circumstances as they are struck by lightning simultaneously and are sent back to 1985.
A book that often references Back To The Future is sure to be one that wins me over and IN TIMES LIKE THESE does just that. This story has a heart to it, much like that classic trilogy, but the particulars are thankfully not a copycat at all, but rather quite original. There is a lot of talk in this book about the science behind the time traveling, some of which admittedly went over my head and as the story moves along, it can get a little confusing as to all the time threads that are going on at once. I wouldn't call it a convoluted story necessarily, but it is definitely borderline.
At its core, this is an awesome and fun novel! To consider also that this is author Nathan Van Coops first novel, is quite an achievement! As of right now, this book is FREE in the Kindle store and I HIGHLY recommend it for those of you who enjoy a good time travel story. I really look forward to checking out the second book very soon. I give this one a 4/5!
October 19, 2016
Time travel fiction is a very difficult to do right. There's a reason the Back to the Future is a standard comparison for these things. It gave just the right amount of information to make sense, but not so much that it was bogged down by the science of things. I really, really wanted to enjoy this book, but there was just too much information. The first 30-40% of this book is basically just explaining how time travel works and all the things that can go wrong. That's just too much. I don't really need to know how it works, and we all know the consequences and pitfalls of time travel well enough. There was so much of a focus on making sure time travel was done right that it ruined the fun of the idea. What really irked me was how much time was spent on teaching these characters how to "jump" properly and then all the sudden they were thrust into a situation and it was all basically thrown to the wind. Really the only reason this got more than 1 star from me is because there were some great pop culture references in there, and if you know me, you know that's always a plus. There's better time travel fiction out there.
July 10, 2021
This might legitimately be my favorite book series. It’s hard for me to just review this one book, because you really need to read them all. Each book is basically a different genre of storytelling, which is fascinating.
A group of friends is sucked back in time, and all they want to do is get back home. They make it back, but of course everything is different, and now they need to fix it.
You’ve got a time travel novel with an added search for a serial killer from the future. The science is very enjoyable, though you might have to read it twice to completely grasp the rules. Completely worth the reread though.
Benjamin Travers currently sits at the top of my list of favorite characters in literature. Intelligent and quick witted, he slides right into the time travel world.
I have recommended this to anyone that asks for new books to read. Every time they tell me that they’ve never heard of it. My response? “Read it, and then you’ll never forget it.”
A group of friends is sucked back in time, and all they want to do is get back home. They make it back, but of course everything is different, and now they need to fix it.
You’ve got a time travel novel with an added search for a serial killer from the future. The science is very enjoyable, though you might have to read it twice to completely grasp the rules. Completely worth the reread though.
Benjamin Travers currently sits at the top of my list of favorite characters in literature. Intelligent and quick witted, he slides right into the time travel world.
I have recommended this to anyone that asks for new books to read. Every time they tell me that they’ve never heard of it. My response? “Read it, and then you’ll never forget it.”
October 4, 2014
Three stars mean this is a good read, but it will be the plot that I remember and not the characters. The accidental movement through time when a storm hits during an experiment/baseball game was viable and how it played out with the arrival of additional characters was good. There were some editing issues. I also experienced times when I felt there was a lot the author knew about a character which would have given me more reason to connect and care, but the development just wasn't there. I actually like the grandfather more than any other character because he had deeper emotional and physical qualities that effected the plot and ensuing events, almost as if he was modeled after a real person and the others were just models.
This is a great first book with a sure hook, strong plot and some nice twists. It just needed more character development and general cleanup.
This is a great first book with a sure hook, strong plot and some nice twists. It just needed more character development and general cleanup.
July 15, 2014
As a real Time Travel fan I must say that this was quite different and satisfying to read.
Benjamin Travers and his young friends get eloctrocuted and thrown back into the 1980's, where they meet a Time travel scientist and his daughter, all of whom are trying to escape a murderer who similarly got beamed back.
The interaction between the characters is good and you care about what happens to them.
The time travel is fairly hectic and whizzes back and forth, with incidents occurring left,right and center.
It's not the best Time travel story ever but it's certainly a must for supporters of the genre.
Benjamin Travers and his young friends get eloctrocuted and thrown back into the 1980's, where they meet a Time travel scientist and his daughter, all of whom are trying to escape a murderer who similarly got beamed back.
The interaction between the characters is good and you care about what happens to them.
The time travel is fairly hectic and whizzes back and forth, with incidents occurring left,right and center.
It's not the best Time travel story ever but it's certainly a must for supporters of the genre.
September 15, 2014
WoW!
I loved this time-travel story so much and it is so unexpected! Honestly if I had known this book was so good I would have read it much earlier.
I loved the plot, the characters and the scientific aspect and dynamics of time travel are very coherent and actually make perfect sense.
Now that I am done reading this book I am left with a desire for more of it.
Congratulations to the author for this great book!
I loved this time-travel story so much and it is so unexpected! Honestly if I had known this book was so good I would have read it much earlier.
I loved the plot, the characters and the scientific aspect and dynamics of time travel are very coherent and actually make perfect sense.
Now that I am done reading this book I am left with a desire for more of it.
Congratulations to the author for this great book!
March 13, 2016
I'm so used to free books being clunkers that this totally surprised me. Cleverest of time travel tales, no typos to irk me, and if there were continuity issues, who could tell with such a mess of parallel time streams going on? Really a fun adventure and obviously, a ton of thought went into it. Big thumbs up.
October 4, 2017
Poorly written, I felt like I was reading the half-baked fantasies of a 13 year-old boy. The dialogues were especially ludicrous, as if written for the screenplay of a second-grade action/Sci-fi teen movie.
I would say this might be suitable for young adults, but I actually think they should be exposed to better writing than this
I would say this might be suitable for young adults, but I actually think they should be exposed to better writing than this
June 7, 2020
I only got about 30% finished with this book before I finally stopped reading it. It seems like a YA book because of the way it was written....how to describe it...simple? juvenile? Kind of like renowned author Dan Brown but with a less exciting story. I kept waiting for it to get interesting and I almost read a little more to find out about Robbie's Grandpa, but it wasn't worth it.
February 25, 2018
THIS is how your write authentic time travel mystery/adventure. The tiniest science detail checks out and yet nowhere did I get the feeling that I was drowning under an info dump. I was rooting for every single character (that I was supposed to care about, *points at villains* you know who you are!) and everything was super awesome! The back and forth and the pulling out of the rug from under me and the tears and the laughs and UGH! You sir, have done well! I think this is easily one of the best time travel stories I’ve read. Now go! Read it and be swarmed by the awesome fictional science that actually makes sense!
August 15, 2022
I really liked this time travel story!!! Kudos to the author on his first!
I loved the characters, a bunch of 20 somethings who were are a baseball field when a lightning storm hit and tranported them from 2009 to 1985.
It was cute, not complex with science crap that is too hard to understand. It does get confusing a bit when they talk about being in the future and past, and I am thinking how they got there if they weren't there already? (because you need a 'thing' that is grounded in that time that will still be there). Anyway....
The characters are cute. Benjamin meets his older self, Francesca is a tough cookie that was willing to do whatever it took to get back, Conrad (always an annoying self centered person in a story), Blake who just wants to get back to his girlfriend and propose, and Robert who, when he goes back to the 80s, actually gets to meet his grandfather who had died when he was young. (this was such a great part of the story).
Of course, they are not the only ones who time travel back. A serial killer gets stuck in the lightning strike and, yes causes havoc even back then.
I am really for Book #2. I hope it was as much fun as #1. BTW I listened via Audible and the narrator was GREAT.
I loved the characters, a bunch of 20 somethings who were are a baseball field when a lightning storm hit and tranported them from 2009 to 1985.
It was cute, not complex with science crap that is too hard to understand. It does get confusing a bit when they talk about being in the future and past, and I am thinking how they got there if they weren't there already? (because you need a 'thing' that is grounded in that time that will still be there). Anyway....
The characters are cute. Benjamin meets his older self, Francesca is a tough cookie that was willing to do whatever it took to get back, Conrad (always an annoying self centered person in a story), Blake who just wants to get back to his girlfriend and propose, and Robert who, when he goes back to the 80s, actually gets to meet his grandfather who had died when he was young. (this was such a great part of the story).
Of course, they are not the only ones who time travel back. A serial killer gets stuck in the lightning strike and, yes causes havoc even back then.
I am really for Book #2. I hope it was as much fun as #1. BTW I listened via Audible and the narrator was GREAT.
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