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A Time and a Place

Joe Mahoney (Goodreads Author)

4.39 · Rating details · 49 ratings · 27 reviews

Barnabus’s nephew is behaving oddly. Calling upon Doctor Humphrey for assistance has not been particularly helpful, because the good doctor’s diagnosis of demonic possession is clearly preposterous. Even the demon currently ensconced on the front room couch agrees it’s preposterous. But then, how else to explain the portal to another world through which his nephew and Hump ...more

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Published October 1st 2017 by Five Rivers Publishing

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· 49 ratings · 27 reviews

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Sep 19, 2019 Erika Sarutobi rated it liked it

This was an interesting read and it's the first for me to read time paradox and time travel since I mostly read YA. I would have given it a higher rating if it wasn't for the characters.

The plot was interesting and I enjoyed reading how Wildebear's actions with trying to fix everything just created a paradox instead. His powers to control the gate and taking him to other places and other living thing's consciousness was enjoyable too. The whole deal with the T'Klee and the Necronians is what set ...more

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May 14, 2018 Joe Mahoney rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author) · review of another edition

Shelves: by-me, five-rivers

Apparently, according to Goodreads, it's okay to review your own book. So here goes... a completely impartial, unbiased book review for my science fiction/fantasy time travel adventure A Time and a Place.

Let's start with what this book is about. And I'd say it's about two or three pounds. This is a book with some serious heft. You put this book on something it's not going anywhere. There are a lot of pages, four hundred and three of them. If you like your book with pages, you're gonna like this ...more

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Jun 23, 2017 Grond rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, science-fiction

So. I must confess that I am fairly conflicted about Joe Mahoney's 'A Time and a Place'. On the one hand Mahoney relates a pretty rollicking Fantasy-Science Fiction adventure story with a lively, imaginative degree of world building while on the other he saddles that world with one of the least likeable protagonists I've read around in some time. Barnabus J. Wildebear is a strange character, at times willfully ignorant of the world around him, ill suited to the task at hand, yet still trying to ...more

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Jan 23, 2018 A.B. Funkhauser rated it it was amazing

QUANTUM MIND TRIPPER

I’m not even going to try and say it better than the writer because that would be impossible. So, to quote author Joe Mahoney from the novel A TIME AND A PLACE:

“Two planets, two civilizations. Profoundly different in appearance and temperament. One clean and fastidious, the other filthy and squalid. One rash and impetuous, the other thoughtful and contemplative. Both intrigued to learn of the other’s existence.”

A Sci-Fi Fantasy with Literary notes, there is so much to love a ...more

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Feb 02, 2019 Christine rated it really liked it

Shelves: canadian-authors, fantasy, science-fiction

Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review
What's got races of sentient cats and psychic blobs, space ships, portals to other worlds, wearable AI, and demons? Joe Mahoney's A Time and a Place. We first meet Barnabus J Wildebear picking up his longtime friend Dr Humphrey at the airport. Wildebear has asked the good doctor to pay him a visit because he's worried about the state of mind of his nephew, whom he has been looking after since the death of his sister orp Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review
What's got races of sentient cats and psychic blobs, space ships, portals to other worlds, wearable AI, and demons? Joe Mahoney's A Time and a Place. We first meet Barnabus J Wildebear picking up his longtime friend Dr Humphrey at the airport. Wildebear has asked the good doctor to pay him a visit because he's worried about the state of mind of his nephew, whom he has been looking after since the death of his sister orphaned the teenaged boy a couple of years ago. Ridley has undergone a dramatic personality change in the past week: cleaning his bedroom, taking more care with his personal hygiene, and other horrifying changes. The two men inspect Ridley's room for clues and it is then that they meet Iugurtha. A demon. The entity responsible for the changes to Ridley's personality. She granted Ridley a wish. He's a teenaged boy, so he wished his crush liked him back. Iugurtha achieves this by tweaking Ridley as described above, which is what Barnabus picked up on, and not by brain-washing the aforementioned crush. I'd like to segue way here to commend Mahoney on the handling of the moral condunrums in this plot. Standard fantasy fare like brain-washing and mind-reading are treated with a refreshing respect for bodily integrity. It was a delightful surprise. In return for granting his wish, Iugurtha recruited Ridley in a battle against the Necronians. This race of sentient goo plops has invaded and razed world after world. Iugurtha has recruited various military-esque humans, a race of sentient cats called the T'Klee, Ridley, and most recently Barnabus in her quest to stop the Necronians. All Barnabus wants to do is save Ridley, and Iugurtha promises that if he helps her she will return Ridley to him. Barnabus joins. Iugurtha gives him power over the portals she uses to travel between worlds and he does his level best to not hopelessly fumble a war that could seal the fate of the universe. With questionable allies hiding in every closet, layered characters and a plot that kept the pages turning, you won't regret adding A Time and a Place to your shelf. ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 Nancy Clark rated it really liked it

Picked this book up at the launch party last month in Toronto. Great and fun adventure. The sci-fi lingo not too intrusive or overpowering. The protagonist is an endearing sad sack — I greatly enjoyed the chapters in which our time- and dimension-travelling hero finds himself in the body of an alien, purple-furred cat with opposable thumbs and then a seagull. I like how he learns that time marches inevitably on, and we must learn to live with our failures and forgive ourselves and those around u ...more

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Oct 02, 2017 Leesa Tea rated it it was amazing

A brilliant, often hilarious, thoughtful and amazing read. Loved it. Surprised me in a few places that made me put the book down for a bit to savour it as I was getting close to the end. I really enjoyed this novel, and recommend it for those who like their science fiction stories to be quirky, human and compelling. A genuinely imaginative storyline. Five stars.

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Nov 22, 2018 Cheryl Whitty rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-edition, adventure, best, emotional, fantasy, interesting, mystical, murder, sci-fi, thought-provoking

Reviewed on http://bookaddict.live,
After being immersed in this audiobook and the plethora of worlds and adventures that Barnabas J. Wildebeast a school teacher on his summer break gets embroiled in an adventure so fantastic it can’t help but carry you along for the ride. What a ride this audio was when Barnabas comes home to find out that nephew who he has looked after for the last couple of years due to his sister’s death. Ridley has been recruited by a jinn to fight in a war on another world ...more

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Nov 30, 2018 Susan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4review, action-adventure, aliens, audiobook, contemporary, fantasy, sf, time-travel

It was the demon Ugertha that drew me in. S/he is a complex character with murky motives. Barnabus must save his nephew, Ridley. He has no idea how he will do it nor what it will cost him. For the first half of the book, my attention was firmly held. There’s these sentient cat-like aliens, the T’Klee, and the evil & dangerous Necronians, who have many tentacles. Barnabus will find allies and enemies around every corner.

The second half of the book got a bit muddled for me. I felt I needed a diagr It was the demon Ugertha that drew me in. S/he is a complex character with murky motives. Barnabus must save his nephew, Ridley. He has no idea how he will do it nor what it will cost him. For the first half of the book, my attention was firmly held. There’s these sentient cat-like aliens, the T’Klee, and the evil & dangerous Necronians, who have many tentacles. Barnabus will find allies and enemies around every corner.

The second half of the book got a bit muddled for me. I felt I needed a diagram to keep track of it all. There’s some mind-muddling going on so I was never sure how much of what was simply in Barnabus’s head and how much was happening real time. Plus, there’s the time travel bit. So we have multiple copies of some characters interacting with all of it.

The T’Klee were my favorite bit. I love the idea of large cats with opposable thumbs, their own language & culture, and having to fight the technologically advanced Necronians. Also Swipe was a clever young T’Klee caught up in a bad situation. I was rooting for her the entire time even though I knew things would never be all rainbows and butterflies for her again.

There were few female characters. Besides Swipe, there’s Barnabus’s dead sister (who provides emotional fuel for him and Ridley to get stuff done), and then the scientist Sara (who is always described by her awesome looks first and second and her mental abilities third). Perhaps we can count Ugertha as a female character, but she’s really a mix of all the people she’s absorbed over the years. It would have been nice to have a bit more from the ladies.

The ending rallies a bit. I was still confused about Ugertha who I think becomes known as Jacques… but then there’s also Jack, right? These seem to be all the same ‘demon’ (or alien) at different points in time. But I’m not sure, which is it what bothered me. I want to be sure about such things by the end of a book. Speaking of that ending, it gets rather sentimental and strives for deep thoughts. I found it a little sappy. I wanted a more definitive ending, perhaps following a rousing action scene. All together, it has some fun ideas, a few great scenes, and the T’Klee are most memorable. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Joe Mahoney has narrated his own story. He does a decent job but needs a little polishing all around. He had distinct character voices for all the characters (yay!). There were a few mouth noises here and there. The pacing was just a touch slow but the narration was also clear. The female voices were pretty good though sometimes they could have used a little more femininity. 3.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Joe Mahoney. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. ...more

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Oct 10, 2017 Robert Runte rated it it was amazing

Shelves: canadian-sf-f, edited-by-robert-runte

I was the editor on this one. Back cover blurb (which I wrote):

Calling upon Doctor Humphrey for assistance has not been particularly helpful, because the good doctor’s diagnosis of demonic possession is clearly preposterous. Even the demon currently ensconced on the front room couch agrees it’s preposterous. But then, how else to explain the portal to another world through which his nephew and Humphrey have just now disappeared? Barnabus knows their only chance of rescue is for Barnabus J. Wilde ...more

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Jun 06, 2018 Dale rated it liked it

My stepson is totally enamoured of Terry Pratchett. He thinks the Discworld books are the funniest things since Monty Python. At least he and I agree on Monty Python. Which gives you a warning up front – here’s a review of a humorous book by a guy who never understood why so many people love the work of Terry Pratchett. I don't even watch sitcoms.

A Time and a Place strikes me as quintessentially Canadian – oddly polite and mannered and stubbornly domestic, even while an absurd parade of characte ...more

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Sep 21, 2017 Jenn rated it it was amazing

“A Time and a Place” sucked me in from the moment Barnabus Wildebear finds a certain book in his nephew Ridley's bedroom, and I stayed glued to it until late into the night. A fast-paced sci-fi novel, it follows Wildebear through a series of strange and deadly episodes, all in an effort to save his nephew Ridley. Faced with new worlds and menacing enemies, and confronted by the worst moments from their pasts, they are both forced to adapt and change—but not necessarily for the best. Through its ...more

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Jun 29, 2017 Brian added it

What a great book - couldn't put it down! I found Wildebeer to be a fascinating character study; In some ways a typical man of his generation so easy for us to identify with him, but unlike most of us he finds great strength from within and many will admire that. Joe Mahoney places this quirky character into a strange and fascinating set of fantasy worlds creating a wild, wild ride! An intricate plot laced with Mahoney humour and excellent writing makes this a must read for all lovers of good bo ...more

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May 06, 2019 Marcia Savidant Hinks rated it it was amazing

I chose to listen the audio version of this book. It is recorded by the author himself, which I felt was a terrific way to enjoy his personal perspective of this creative and entertaining story. Science fiction is not my usual choice of story, however the vivid descriptions and wit kept me hooked from beginning to end. I enjoyed this book very much

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Oct 02, 2017 Alison rated it it was amazing

How great to read a book set in Prince Edward Island, that doesn't involve precocious redheads! In A Time and a Place, the humour sneaks up on you and results in under-your-breath chuckles. I don't usually gravitate to this genre - but I've very glad I did. It was fun, not heavy, not gory - a whimsical Canada-grown read.

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Dec 11, 2018 Deedra rated it it was amazing

Audible:What a story! A mans nephew/ward has sudden changes in his behaviour.Upon investigation,we find a books influence might be to blame.This was so well written and intriguing,I did not want to put it down! Joe Mahoney was also a fine narrator.Looking forward to more from him. I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

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Sep 22, 2017 Horus rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

This book is well written and fun to read, despite the fact that the main character is more of an anti-hero. Wildebear is well visualized by the author, making him incredibly frustrating to watch bumbling through his bizarre experiences in a misguided attempt to save his nephew. The story itself is imaginative and not wholly predictable. This is a great first novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

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Nov 01, 2018 Robert-Jan De Waal rated it liked it · review of another edition

I think this is an impressive debut. The style of writing is funny, the themes are ambitious, and the plot has surprising twists.
To list some points of criticism, which are meant to be constructive, I think that the author was a bit too ambitious. Normally, this would take 3 books or more to cover. Compressing it into 1 book meant that it comes across rushed, and there is not enough time for sufficient character development, or exploration of the themes. Which is a pity, because there are quite ...more

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Feb 26, 2020 Pat Eroh rated it it was amazing

"Son of comfort" (the meaning of Barnabas) is a great character. This story has lots of action and plenty of weird directions it takes, considering the time-traveling encountered. This is a very good book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

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Jul 31, 2019 Jason Shannon rated it it was amazing

A Time and a Place is the debut novel of Joe Mahoney, a local Ontario author. I first met Joe some time ago at a local book fest in Whitby, and his book has been on the back burner ever since. Finally he’s come out with the audiobook – he’s done all the voice acting and editing himself – so I got myself a copy. It’s a science fiction, quasi-fantasy story.

A time and a place follows our hero and narrator Barnabus Wildebear – which is an awesome name. He’s essentially a John Everyman type character A Time and a Place is the debut novel of Joe Mahoney, a local Ontario author. I first met Joe some time ago at a local book fest in Whitby, and his book has been on the back burner ever since. Finally he’s come out with the audiobook – he’s done all the voice acting and editing himself – so I got myself a copy. It’s a science fiction, quasi-fantasy story.

A time and a place follows our hero and narrator Barnabus Wildebear – which is an awesome name. He’s essentially a John Everyman type character. He’s living on Prince Edward Island, he teaches high school English, and he’s the guardian of his teenage nephew, Ridley. We very much get the sense that Wildebear is coasting through life. He’s somewhat lacklustre as a guardian, he’s passive and non-confrontational, and he, we learn during a truth serum session, has never been in a relationship. He does like a good scotch, though.

The book opens with him greeting his friend Dr Humphrey, who’s agreed to come in and speak to Ridley, who’s been acting quite strange lately. The two men discover a somewhat New Agey, occult type book in Ridley’s room, and, when Wildebear speaks the name of the book, he sets in motion the events of the novel.

The book itself is a portal and transportation device, controlled by a demon, a genie, or an alien, or something else, and Ridley, it seems, has been seduced by this creature. Now Barnabus must involve himself in affairs from other worlds so he can get his nephew back.

One thing about Joe's style - he writes with this sort of absurdist acceptance of the fantastical reality he's created. Wildebear is your average John Everyman character, not living, as far as he was aware, in a sci-fi universe of jinns and interstellar war. Then he gets sucked into this, with Men in Black invading his home and Helena Blavatsky’s book coming to life, and inhabiting the body of a seagull, and at no point does he break down in shock and awe, cradling himself in the fetal position. In other words, there's no realist commentary on the surreal. Instead, a blind acceptance - which was mildly jarring at first. It almost took me out of it. Until that absurdist acceptance came through - everything is just absurd and there's no point in dwelling on it. There's a comedy here too, slightly muted but there. I actually laughed out loud when Wildebear was arguing with Jack Poirier. This all interweaves into Joe's style, which is actually quite pronounced for a first novel.

There’s some good philosophical stuff in here too. He muses on issues of predestination and free will, good and evil as it relates to intentionality – some deep stuff for a first novel, especially one with squid-like supervillains and anthropomorphic cats.

As for the audio performance, Mahoney’s done all the voice acting and editing himself. The editing is completely seamless, and he does a pretty good job of portraying different voices – better than I’d expect from a production performed by the author.

I enjoyed this novel, more than I thought I would. Mahoney writes with a practised wit. Parts of the novel seemed a little rushed, and there’s questions left unanswered, but overall I enjoyed it. ...more

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Jul 05, 2018 Andrew Weston rated it it was amazing

Barnabus J. Wildebear isn’t having a good day. Or is that a week? Perhaps year . . . or decade or two? It’s hard to tell when you’re jumping backward and forward through time and the cosmos in an effort to save your nephew – and the human race, I might add – from a fate worse than mass extinction.
The thing is, that fate might be set in stone. As Barnabus learns to his cost, you can’t change the past. As for the future? Well, that’s just the present waiting to happen . . . for the umpteenth time ...more

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Nov 25, 2017 Timothy Neesam rated it really liked it

How often does one get to read a book involving time travel and aliens, set in Prince Edward Island? While trying to find out why his nephew is acting oddly, Barnabus Jehosophys Wildebear discovers he is able to create gates to other dimensions and times, gates that his nephew Ridley and friend Dr. Humphrey have both gone through. Wildebear travels through time, to other planets and into the minds of other people and animals both alien and domestic, and discovers his nephew has joined a war agai ...more

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Dec 03, 2017 David Donaldson rated it really liked it

Out of the gates, Mahoney's A Time and a Place feels like Lovecraft if Lovecraft had a sense of humor. The plot takes you along quite a journey, complete with time travel and other alien worlds. If Mahoney had maintained the dry humor of Wildebear throughout the whole story he likely could have pulled off a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy vibe. But the humor gets lost at times and the protagonist's point of view comes across more naive than anything else through the middle chunk of the book.

Nev ...more

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Jul 22, 2017 Bonnie Dale Keck rated it really liked it

Not kindle unlimited, pretty sure got it as one of my here's a free book, no strings, but really hope you find the time to read and review it things.

No idea of the genre, very odd space opera, maybe; .Doctor Who on acid? {Thus begins an existential romp across space and time, trampling on Barnabus' assumptions.}

Too much going on in the book to pick any one thing or event, and don't like risking spoilers anyway. Liked it but didn't luv it, BUT NOT saying it was bad, just not totally my type or ma ...more

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Mar 26, 2018 Jim Donahue rated it really liked it · review of another edition

An unusual, witty SF/time travel romp that also takes a turn toward the serious at times, and capably pulls it off.

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Jul 30, 2019 Melanie rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I liked A Time and a Place and there’s a lot to like in Mahoney’s novel. I loved the T’Klee, the race of alien cats (distantly related to felis catus) with opposable thumbs. At one point in his journey, Barnabus inhabits other animals (including a T’Klee) as part of his education and it reminded me of Merlin teaching Wart about the responsibilities of power in T.H. White’s The Sword in the Stone.
At another point, Barbabus uses his new ability to time travel in an attempt to save his wife before ...more

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About Joe Mahoney

Joe Mahoney

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Joe Mahoney is a writer and a broadcaster.

As a broadcaster, he has produced multiple radio documentaries on science fiction. He produced Six Impossible Things, an audio compilation of short fantastical fiction, curated by Nalo Hopkinson, and wrote and produced the science fiction radio show Faster Than Light, hosted by Robert J. Sawyer.

He engineered and story-edited Steve the First, a post-apoca ...more