Paralysis Paradox

Time Travel Through Past Lives Adventure #1

by Stewart Sanders

Awaken in 1168 as a prince who must live by his wits to save his own life. In 1911 as a youth, striving to keep hold of his sanity while those he loves turn away. In 1996 as a teenage girl surrounded by conspiracy. And, in an unspecified future, as a consciousness trapped inside a weaponised machine.

FOUR LIVES LIVED IN PARALLEL

Four lives to choose who to love and who to fear.
Four lives to choose who to trust and who to kill.
Four lives to lose and die in obscurity.
…Or four lives to use to change the course of history.

And therein lies the paradox. This is my story.


** All New Revised Edition Includes 5 new chapters and an extensive professional edit **

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Amazon

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 9, 2015

About the author

As a child, I, like many thousand others, wanted to be an astronaut. I would write to NASA every week to ‘help’ them with ideas and I would be so excited, as they would write back. It was in one of those letters that they suggested I should write science fiction. I took the hint and stopped pestering them! Sadly, I never realised my dream to become an astronaut, but I do enjoy both flying and writing. Not at the same time, of course, for that would be dangerous and I’m sure the Civil Aviation Authority would soon withdraw my licence!

Thanks to the help and encouragement of some amazing friends and a loving family, I’ve decided to take NASA’s advice.

Now writing a brand new thriller.

Reviews

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely sure how I feel on this one

This book is such an unusual subject, that it really draws the reader in. But in saying this I did get lost. I got so drawn in that I got halfway through a chapter thinking it was one of the other lives when it had actually changed. This goes to show how much it draws the reader in

[Ian Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

For imagination and originality this book gets to the top. For difficulty in reviewing without providing spoilers, it just about gets to the top too, because part of what it is about seems to be to set the reader a puzzle as to what is going on. Basically, without spoiling (I hope) it seems to be about reincarnation. What we have is three characters that live in different times, but they seem to be living their lives simultaneously. There is also an artificial intelligence from somewhere else in the galaxy. It is also an alternative history, thus when one character looks up Eleanor of Aquitaine in a history book, she has no child called Richard, and he has been replaced by King John the Just.

For me, however, the book had a basic problem. It is not that long, and with at least four stories running in parallel, it reads like an introduction to a series, in which all four stories end in cliffhangers, and each with no answers to a huge number of questions. It is obviously the beginning of a series, and you may well need to read it to make sense of the others. My view is the author should have resolved something in this book. On the other hand, Sanders writes reasonably well, and maintains interest despite the problem he has set himself. This could end up as a classic epic, or perhaps it will not. I think it is worth giving the author a chance, but for me, the next one in the series must resolve something.

[Chole · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the book left me a little confused. I am not sure what the story line/plot is and where it is going. Am I intrigued enough to read book 2? Perhaps. I did download the limited time offer of a free version of book 2.
I didn't hate it but I just didn't get enough of where Saunders is heading with this to immediately decide to invest more time in the series. I didn't reach out and "grab" me although I found the four different lives lived in parallel an interesting concept.

[Pedro A. Ribeiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although the idea behind is good, the book just didn't grab me.
Found myself quite disconnected with the plot and the characters.

[Ivan Hecimovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Living in different timelines is a topic that is a bit difficult to write. This gets even more difficult especially if someone wants to write a novel in which its main character is involved in several different timelines and every timeline and every experience described through his own eyes. This is actually the main premise of “Paralysis Paradox’’- a novel written by –Stewart Sander. We have a protagonist (his identity is unknown) who suddenly wakes up in several different timelines. We have Middle Age, the end of twentieth century, 1911 and an unknown timeline in which our protagonist is trapped in some sort of weapon-like structure (or machine of some such). This means that either we read a novel about four different protagonists or we read about one single protagonist who is jumping from one timeline to another. Nevertheless, what we later find out is that the character (or the characters) have the opportunity to somehow changer their respective timelines and thus change their lives and the lives of others.
I think that Paralysis Paradox is amazing novel. It is not too long (which would suggest that the author is postponing the main part of the story), nor too short and the idea of having one or four characters- trapped in different timelines, which are somehow connected with one another (or not) is a winner. It is not an easy task to write a novel like this one and the author really did a great job here. I like it!

[Jimmy Jefferson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have another life? Maybe be able to change your life to something more mysterious or exciting? Paralysis Paradox takes you on a ride through time and space as you explore the numerous lives of the adventure. The writer takes us on a journey jumping through time as we live four different lives. We explore life from the view of an insider who lives in 4 different times. Try desperately to keep the early 1100's separate from the 1990's as your brain is sucked through time revealing each life's problems and benefits. Good luck, stay focused and keep guessing what will happen next and which life you will end up in.

[Rallie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got it for free, not worth the effort to get through the first two "chapters". The prose was boring, a shame because the plot has potential.

[Priscilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is totally great.

[JACQULINE DENISE JACKSON · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confused

Two many timelines. I was not very interested. I was bored and this very quickly. The next one may be better.

[Julie Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a science fiction fan and the subject of time travel has always interested me. Stewart Sanders has crafted a very unusual book that is partly sci-fi time travel, partly historical fiction, and quite unique. What I really like is the way Sanders is able to write so descriptively. As I read the book I could often visualize scenes that he was writing about, and came to empathize with the main character. Well, main characters, as the same being has lives in four different time periods. But all of the main characters of them are intriguing.

The chapters are short, and sometimes I found the events a little hard to follow, such as at the beginning of Gunshot, 1911. There is more violence in the book than I care for, especially as it sometimes is gratuitous violence, such as killing off Alpha in the prelude, and the murder of the child in Gunshot, 1911. Yet the main characters all seem to have a strong sense of wanting to prevent harm to other people. The way that the main character has four different lives is interesting, especially as memories from one life sometimes pop into a current life.

Although this is a self-published ebook, I think Sanders could be a professional writer if he had some guidance. If his action scenes were sometimes a little clearer, and if he could develop his stories with less violence, I think he could become a mainstream author. It will be interesting to see if his writing changes with future books.

[Pegboard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stewart Sanders brings a challenging scenario to those who believe in evolution and/or reincarnation. Gamma’s observation of the creatures evolving on earth initiates Alpha’s determination to explain the insignificant qualities they possess. Alpha’s cruel behavior towards the lions first and then the monkeys instigate Gamma to take steps that would annihilate him.
As evolution takes form we find one young person who envisions life as it were in four different personages. But what they learn in one life they take to another life, which can be confusing at times.
Charlie, in 1911, wakes up at Swanshurst Farm midst a fire and fight with soldiers. He realizes when it is too late that his friends will turn on him when it is convenient for them.
Prince Richard, in 1168, thinks he and his eldest brother are running away from the castle. Prince Henry may have planned to meet up with unsavory men, but it appears his abduction was arranged by his tutor, Robert.
Vicky, in 1996, goes to a boarding school, and misses her father terribly while she is gone from home. Her mother died when she was young, and she resents her stepmother.
Ending with Gamma watching over the treasured monkeys while she waits for her calculations to finish running.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a very interesting plotline. Some form of intelligence is living 4 different lives, at 4 different periods in history, all at the same time. Every time he falls asleep, he wakes up in a different lifeline. The story is told from the perspective of the person the intelligence is occupying in each timeline. This book is first in a series and will leave you with some unanswered questions. I haven’t yet read the subsequent book but I assume there will be answers coming.

My favorite character in the story is the young teenage girl Vicky. I found her to be the easiest to relate too, in part I’m sure because her timeline is the most like the 21st century. I think the author did a really good job of developing all of the characters. At a certain point in the story, the four lives start to bleed into one another which added another layer of depth to the overall plot line. Overall, I found the story to be an enjoyable read and great beginning to what I hope will be an intriguing series.

[Sdan12 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complex and intriguing read
This is a very original story about four different lives lived in parallel by the same person. That is the paradox of the title. The author cleverly switches without notice between each life and it is up to the reader to keep up! I did just about manage to and found that it was worth the effort. A relaxing read this certainly is not. I did become immersed in the various identities and cared about each one. They did bleed into each other, which gave the idea a more troubling facet. For instance, a near fatal stab wound suffered by Prince Richard in 1198 causes real physical pain for Charlie in 1911. I enjoyed the portrayal of a Great Britain that had obviously lost a major war – the ruling elite in 1996 are members of the KGB. They live in some style whilst ordinary people do not – very much communism in action.

[LyndaVee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about the various identities of one entity. These range from being Prince Richard of Anjou in the 12th century to a young girl living in England in 1996. This England is a very different place though, it is run by the KGB! The most interesting and troubling identity seems to be that of the consciousness of a war weapon. I found this idea very unsettling, although the feeling of being remotely controlled to swoop at targets and attack without mercy was very well-described. The whole story was troubling for me – I felt as disconcerted by each abrupt change of identity as the protagonist. However, this is a thought-provoking read and the historical settings are well observed

[Chanda Shae Curry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mind blowing

Anyone who has ever thought of living multiple lives or time travel would love this book. How he kept his wits about him, while jumping to all 4 of his lives so quickly is still beyond me. Richard is my favorite, as I am a medieval lover. Do read this in one sitting and pick up next one, as the ending will leave you wondering.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would. Even though I was a bit confused by what was exactly going on I was still drawn into the story. Now I have to read the next one to find out what is going on.

[Swan Bender · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character (or characters) stays confused as his (her) life changes from one parallel to another and so did this reader. There didn't seem to be a point as to why the parallel lives were occurring. Hello

[Velvetink]

kindle

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

Good read, some times hard to follow. Fast paced story, engaging and imaginative.

Would recommend to anyone who likes Sci-first with a twist.

[John Craig · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmmmm?

I finished the book, but it just never grabbed me like I was hoping it would! I guess I just never got it?

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I found this story both interesting and intriguing and I would like to read more by this author in the future.

[Charleeann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story had no conclusion and did not feel complete it was as if the story just stopped halfway through with no story finished.

[Helen Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's complex, but good

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, more alternate lives in different times than time travel.