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Time Crawlers
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Alien Invasion, Dark Artificial Intelligence, Time-Travel, High-Tech Mythology, Djinn Folklore, Telekinetics, and life-consuming Cosmic Entities are some major themes in this book which has six tightly-knit, fast-paced Sci-Fi stories.
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon
The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancien ...more
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon
The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancien ...more
Kindle Edition, 100 pages
Published
June 15th 2018
by Kindle Direct Publishing
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Unexpectedly Delightful!![]()
Sayal writes six short stories centered around alternate universes. The range from funny to thought-provoking to outright ludicrous (in a good way!). Without further ado:
Eclipse
'They' arrived very slowly and blended in very smoothly.Our narrator is among the elite 'Knowers' - the only ones able to track down and eliminate 4D aliens (The Fordans). The Fordans completely blend in with the general population thus making the Knowers' jobs extremely difficult. O ...more

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have no connection to Varun Sayal.
This is an excellent collection of 6 short stories. There are a mix of darkness, humour, belief, science fiction/fact, religious mythology, and conspiracy theories. Each story is different and shows a different side of Varun's imagination.
The Hell weapon. A loan warrior walks out to face an army of thousands, carrying a bow and arrows. Despite the old school sounding weaponry this future te ...more
This is an excellent collection of 6 short stories. There are a mix of darkness, humour, belief, science fiction/fact, religious mythology, and conspiracy theories. Each story is different and shows a different side of Varun's imagination.
The Hell weapon. A loan warrior walks out to face an army of thousands, carrying a bow and arrows. Despite the old school sounding weaponry this future te ...more

This is a book kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
A collection of 6 interesting short stories. I like the originality and the author tallent, but I'm a big book kind of girl. I like my books bigger then 400 pages. All in all the author has potential.
Thank you Varun for trusting me! ...more
A collection of 6 interesting short stories. I like the originality and the author tallent, but I'm a big book kind of girl. I like my books bigger then 400 pages. All in all the author has potential.
Thank you Varun for trusting me! ...more

Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal is a sci-fi book. There are six stories of parallel universe. This book is full of infinite possibilities. All the stories were different, but the core was the same. Something happening in the parallel universe, but their realities are different from our world in so many ways.
Let's talk about the six stories -
1. Eclipse - "Tomorrow is a luxury no-one has."
We have seen in movies that aliens attack our planet and the government tries to hide the presence of those cre ...more
Let's talk about the six stories -
1. Eclipse - "Tomorrow is a luxury no-one has."
We have seen in movies that aliens attack our planet and the government tries to hide the presence of those cre ...more

Multiverse
Time Crawlers is a highly unique book of 6 stories that take us on a morally challenging and spellbinding ride through high-tech worlds and encounters that shock, terrify and enthral us. Varun hasn’t written stories with subtle moral messages, the moral core of the stories are explicit and dominate the context. Each has a theme of advanced science and technology in multiple universes and we wonder, are we are being exposed to the scenario that the more advanced we become with technolog ...more
Time Crawlers is a highly unique book of 6 stories that take us on a morally challenging and spellbinding ride through high-tech worlds and encounters that shock, terrify and enthral us. Varun hasn’t written stories with subtle moral messages, the moral core of the stories are explicit and dominate the context. Each has a theme of advanced science and technology in multiple universes and we wonder, are we are being exposed to the scenario that the more advanced we become with technolog ...more

Hang on, this will be a slightly bumpy ride.
I love reading speculative fiction. When it comes to this specific genre, there are a few prerequisites that I take into consideration, whether be it a sci-fi anthology or a novel: (1) an immersive storytelling with enthralling prose and (2) a mind-bending experience that keeps me craving and thinking for more. Having read Ted Chiang's Arrival as well as Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, I didn't find this anthology quite as riveting as the former and t ...more

I love reading speculative fiction. When it comes to this specific genre, there are a few prerequisites that I take into consideration, whether be it a sci-fi anthology or a novel: (1) an immersive storytelling with enthralling prose and (2) a mind-bending experience that keeps me craving and thinking for more. Having read Ted Chiang's Arrival as well as Jeff Vandermeer's Annihilation, I didn't find this anthology quite as riveting as the former and t ...more

I have read Scifi novels either as whole books or box set. This genre needs space to get developed, because you need to explain age/time for which the story was conceptualized, technologies of the age, geographical/astrological information, science (only a few of the authors try it, others just assume it fantasy genre and leave it) So when I saw this book was collection of 6 short stories, I was confused about how an author is gonna do all these things in a few pages. Well, I added the book to m
...more

Book Reviewed by Julie on www.whisperingstories.com
‘Time Crawlers’ is the first offering from Varun Sayal. It consists of six diverse sci-fi stories, concentrating on parallel universes and artificial intelligence.
The short story format is I believe the most difficult discipline to write and indeed to review. There is little time for descriptions, scene setting, misdirection or character development, so the author is relying on immediate impact to engage the reader.
I enjoyed the mix of emotions ...more
‘Time Crawlers’ is the first offering from Varun Sayal. It consists of six diverse sci-fi stories, concentrating on parallel universes and artificial intelligence.
The short story format is I believe the most difficult discipline to write and indeed to review. There is little time for descriptions, scene setting, misdirection or character development, so the author is relying on immediate impact to engage the reader.
I enjoyed the mix of emotions ...more

“There is no such thing as magic. It’s all science. The part of science that you don’t understand will always look like magic to you.” - great quote.
Book has a lot of interesting scientific theories grouped in six short stories. One was very funny, one was dark and gruesome. One was about some moral choices, one about time readers, one about alien and one about spaceship. I enjoyed all six of them :)
Author obviously has his own point of view on universe and parallel worlds which actually I seem ...more
Book has a lot of interesting scientific theories grouped in six short stories. One was very funny, one was dark and gruesome. One was about some moral choices, one about time readers, one about alien and one about spaceship. I enjoyed all six of them :)
Author obviously has his own point of view on universe and parallel worlds which actually I seem ...more

Read this book
Are you looking for a good science fiction short stories? I would recommend the book Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal. The science fiction is outstanding with the creativity. It gets really deep.
The stories are more than just about aliens and robots, etc. These stories come alive in these six short stories. It like this book gives you a chance to see these things in a new enlightenment. I like how the stories make you not want to put it down.
I am only giving it four stars for some pa ...more
Are you looking for a good science fiction short stories? I would recommend the book Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal. The science fiction is outstanding with the creativity. It gets really deep.
The stories are more than just about aliens and robots, etc. These stories come alive in these six short stories. It like this book gives you a chance to see these things in a new enlightenment. I like how the stories make you not want to put it down.
I am only giving it four stars for some pa ...more

This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars
“The part of science that you don’t understand will always look like magic to you.”
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon ★★★★
2. Death by Crowd1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon ★★★★
3. Genie ★★★
4. Time Crawlers ★★★
5. Eclipse ★★
6. The Cave ★★★
🌟 I don’t read much short stories as I found I prefer longer ones with more developed worlds and characters. The author approached me to review this book in a ve ...more
Actual rating: 3.5 Stars
“The part of science that you don’t understand will always look like magic to you.”
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon ★★★★
2. Death by Crowd1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon ★★★★
3. Genie ★★★
4. Time Crawlers ★★★
5. Eclipse ★★
6. The Cave ★★★
🌟 I don’t read much short stories as I found I prefer longer ones with more developed worlds and characters. The author approached me to review this book in a ve ...more

⭐️4 stars⭐️
I really enjoyed this!
A great collection of short stories, with Genie probably being my favorite of the six, and I really liked the interview/dialogue thing going on in most of them. The science parts were kinda tricky to follow at times but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.
★Big thanks to Varun Sayal for a copy of his book.★
...more
M: Okay, for my third wish I want you to grant me one thousand wishes.
G: Invalid request.
M: Seriously now?
I really enjoyed this!
A great collection of short stories, with Genie probably being my favorite of the six, and I really liked the interview/dialogue thing going on in most of them. The science parts were kinda tricky to follow at times but it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.
★Big thanks to Varun Sayal for a copy of his book.★


A collection of six short science fiction stories. The stories concern parallel universes, aliens, and technology.
The stories:
1. “Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon” – Apocalyptic revenge using high-tech weapons.
2. “Death by Crowd” – A disturbing darknet world and artificial intelligence.
3. “Genie” – A guy meets a genie, and gets a quick intro to parallel universes and technology.
4. “Time Crawlers” – Time travel and those who know about it.
5. “Eclipse” – Aliens amongst us.
6. “The Cave” – An apocalyptic ...more
The stories:
1. “Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon” – Apocalyptic revenge using high-tech weapons.
2. “Death by Crowd” – A disturbing darknet world and artificial intelligence.
3. “Genie” – A guy meets a genie, and gets a quick intro to parallel universes and technology.
4. “Time Crawlers” – Time travel and those who know about it.
5. “Eclipse” – Aliens amongst us.
6. “The Cave” – An apocalyptic ...more

Time Crawlers by Bar in Sayal is a book I requested and the review is voluntary. The book is a handful of short science fiction and fantasy stories. There was one 4 star story and the rest I felt were all 5 stars. They were very unique stories. I think Death By Crowd was my favorite although it was very dark. It was a story that wouldn't surprise me in this day and age! I also liked the humorous story Genie!
...more

Science fiction, the one frontier where there are no limits to the “what ifs” and where a tiny seed can plant a bumper crop of creative thinking by a reader even after the story has ended.
TIME CRAWLERS by Varun Sayal is a fascinating and varied collection of short stories that are like those seeds, because: WHAT IF?
Parallel universes, human-like beings on other worlds, aliens among us, wish granting genies, why not? Who can say there aren’t universes running alongside the one we exist in? It isn ...more
TIME CRAWLERS by Varun Sayal is a fascinating and varied collection of short stories that are like those seeds, because: WHAT IF?
Parallel universes, human-like beings on other worlds, aliens among us, wish granting genies, why not? Who can say there aren’t universes running alongside the one we exist in? It isn ...more

Reading these stories reminds me of the tv series 'Twilight zone', I was watching as a child. I liked some of the stories more then others. It's a mix of horror, science-fiction and comedy. Great reading!
...more

Okay i don’t know how to review this book.......
~
I’d like to say kudos to the author for writing such a creative 6-story book. Your creativity and imagination is beyond me.
I think Nark Astra is the most interesting story for me because i’ve seen the concept of the story in some tv series that i’ve watched and it’s also like Resident Evil-ish. Not entirely the same, but its got the gist. I’m talking about the bio chemical weapon that sounds like a smart bullet that was created for the military s ...more
~
I’d like to say kudos to the author for writing such a creative 6-story book. Your creativity and imagination is beyond me.
I think Nark Astra is the most interesting story for me because i’ve seen the concept of the story in some tv series that i’ve watched and it’s also like Resident Evil-ish. Not entirely the same, but its got the gist. I’m talking about the bio chemical weapon that sounds like a smart bullet that was created for the military s ...more

Pretty solid, I really liked the meaning of the stories, but the writing was sometimes a little bit off or a little bit hard because

No really, sometimes it was a little bit hard to follow the plot because of all the information dump, but I mean... that's a pretty common thing in scifi. Hard to find a way to work around this.
Thanks to the author for giving me a free arc in exchange for a honest review! ...more

No really, sometimes it was a little bit hard to follow the plot because of all the information dump, but I mean... that's a pretty common thing in scifi. Hard to find a way to work around this.
Thanks to the author for giving me a free arc in exchange for a honest review! ...more

I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affects my opinion of the book in general.
First off, I owe an apology to the author for taking a while to review this collection. Your patience has been greatly appreciated. Now off to discuss the short stories that are in this collection. There were 6 short stories that covered different science fiction or fantasy themes in some way. I’ve read similar themes at different points, but the writing style ...more
First off, I owe an apology to the author for taking a while to review this collection. Your patience has been greatly appreciated. Now off to discuss the short stories that are in this collection. There were 6 short stories that covered different science fiction or fantasy themes in some way. I’ve read similar themes at different points, but the writing style ...more

Nark-Astra, The Hell Weapon:
One cannot deny how Varun Sayal had woven mythology and science fiction in such a short story. The vividness of the imagery is a joy to read. It tells a story of revenge and forgiveness to let go into a bigger and better future ahead.
trigger warning and content: rape, genocide, murder, and war themes.
Death by Crowd was very likely to play out as a Black Mirror episode. It made me think of Fifteen Million Merits. Though, this one is the opposite. People here are volunt ...more
One cannot deny how Varun Sayal had woven mythology and science fiction in such a short story. The vividness of the imagery is a joy to read. It tells a story of revenge and forgiveness to let go into a bigger and better future ahead.
trigger warning and content: rape, genocide, murder, and war themes.
Death by Crowd was very likely to play out as a Black Mirror episode. It made me think of Fifteen Million Merits. Though, this one is the opposite. People here are volunt ...more

3.41/5
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Thank You so much to Varun Sayal for the opportunity!
This was a good alternate universe short stories collection. I liked some more than others but in general they were all pretty unique and some even very scary if you think about them.
It’s a super fast read that I was able to squeeze during this weekend and it was very helpful considering I’m a couple of books behind my reading challenge.
Nark-Astra // ★★★/5
___
Death By C ...more
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
Thank You so much to Varun Sayal for the opportunity!
This was a good alternate universe short stories collection. I liked some more than others but in general they were all pretty unique and some even very scary if you think about them.
It’s a super fast read that I was able to squeeze during this weekend and it was very helpful considering I’m a couple of books behind my reading challenge.
Nark-Astra // ★★★/5
___
Death By C ...more

Time careless is my first sci-fic read and I really loved it. This is the Book kindly provide by the author in exchange of honest review. This book is a quick read with a collection of six interesting short stories. Its all about Time traveling, Aliens and many more. If you’re looking for a good sci-fic book I would recommend this book.

I received this e-book from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
It is a collection of 6 short stories, It is so difficult to say a sci-fi story in a few pages but the author did it. It was interesting and easy to read, Though I had problems with the narrative style, the writing itself was interesting enough to not let me go. I finished it in a couple hours, I like the way the author justify the myths.
All the stories had potential, but unfortunately, all of these couldn’t utilize it. Mos ...more
It is a collection of 6 short stories, It is so difficult to say a sci-fi story in a few pages but the author did it. It was interesting and easy to read, Though I had problems with the narrative style, the writing itself was interesting enough to not let me go. I finished it in a couple hours, I like the way the author justify the myths.
All the stories had potential, but unfortunately, all of these couldn’t utilize it. Mos ...more

What is the best thing about a short story? It’s short!
Short stories allow the reader to think and choose their own conclusion and that’s what I like best about them. They keep the readers guessing and everyone is free to choose their own ending. There isn’t a concrete end to the story and that leads to myriad possibilities.
Although I am a Science enthusiast, I don’t read Science Fiction as much as I probably should. One of the major reasons I stay away from Sci-fi is the fact that I get super c ...more
Short stories allow the reader to think and choose their own conclusion and that’s what I like best about them. They keep the readers guessing and everyone is free to choose their own ending. There isn’t a concrete end to the story and that leads to myriad possibilities.
Although I am a Science enthusiast, I don’t read Science Fiction as much as I probably should. One of the major reasons I stay away from Sci-fi is the fact that I get super c ...more

Time Crawler is a science fiction based short story collection.
✔ It has 6 stories which are based on Artificial Intelligence ,Wars in Parallel Universe , Mythology , etc. .
.
✔ I am not a fan of Science Fiction books. But in contrast to that I love sci- fic Movies which actually involve Extraterrestrial life forms.But when I came to know about this book written by an Indian Author Varun Sayal ( @varunsayal ) so, I looked forward to read. .
.
✔The cover looks so very interesting.Also I like short sto ...more
✔ It has 6 stories which are based on Artificial Intelligence ,Wars in Parallel Universe , Mythology , etc. .
.
✔ I am not a fan of Science Fiction books. But in contrast to that I love sci- fic Movies which actually involve Extraterrestrial life forms.But when I came to know about this book written by an Indian Author Varun Sayal ( @varunsayal ) so, I looked forward to read. .
.
✔The cover looks so very interesting.Also I like short sto ...more

I received this book from the author in return for an honest review.
First of all I wanna say I'm not a big fan of collections with short stories.
Anyway, the aspect that I liked most about this book was the unpredictability of his stories, as each has its own story that starts and ends in a matter of few pages, leaving the reader with many questions to look for.
This thing reminded me Black Mirror.
Genies, parallel universes and aliens, who we are to give the right answer? ...more
First of all I wanna say I'm not a big fan of collections with short stories.
Anyway, the aspect that I liked most about this book was the unpredictability of his stories, as each has its own story that starts and ends in a matter of few pages, leaving the reader with many questions to look for.
This thing reminded me Black Mirror.
Genies, parallel universes and aliens, who we are to give the right answer? ...more

I received an e-copy in exchange for a honest review.
When Varun messaged me on Instagram if I wanted to try his short stories collection, I said yes.
I want to read more sci-fi, so I thought this was a great start.
This short stories collection has 6 different stories in it.
Nark-Astra
I gave this story 2 stars, it was okay, but all those difficult names made it hard to follow and made me forget which character was who.
Death by crowd
Normally I don't shy away from horrific stories, but this one w ...more
When Varun messaged me on Instagram if I wanted to try his short stories collection, I said yes.
I want to read more sci-fi, so I thought this was a great start.
This short stories collection has 6 different stories in it.
Nark-Astra
I gave this story 2 stars, it was okay, but all those difficult names made it hard to follow and made me forget which character was who.
Death by crowd
Normally I don't shy away from horrific stories, but this one w ...more

Got a free Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.
This one is a different from the ones I usually go for but I'm glad I got it. I might've missed it but it's great that I was lucky enough to read it.
"Time Crawlers" is a set of 5 short stories revolving around sci-fi, alien invasion, AI, human mind, it's complexities and such themes.
The style of writing is a breath of fresh air and the book as whole consists of all those thoughts a person usually ponder over while free. But what sets it ...more
This one is a different from the ones I usually go for but I'm glad I got it. I might've missed it but it's great that I was lucky enough to read it.
"Time Crawlers" is a set of 5 short stories revolving around sci-fi, alien invasion, AI, human mind, it's complexities and such themes.
The style of writing is a breath of fresh air and the book as whole consists of all those thoughts a person usually ponder over while free. But what sets it ...more

Sep 21, 2018
Shalini
added it
Stories
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon: The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancient Indian mythology.
My views – I like books which amalgamate Hindu mythology with sci-fi. I sincerely believe that all the new space stories discovered have been foretold in our old lost tales. I loved the way author Varun Sayal has brought technology to mythology, and that uplifted an old tale of vengeance and penance. This story to me felt complet ...more
1. Nark-astra, The Hell Weapon: The weapons he possesses make him the destroyer of worlds, and he burns for revenge. A high-tech take on ancient Indian mythology.
My views – I like books which amalgamate Hindu mythology with sci-fi. I sincerely believe that all the new space stories discovered have been foretold in our old lost tales. I loved the way author Varun Sayal has brought technology to mythology, and that uplifted an old tale of vengeance and penance. This story to me felt complet ...more

I'm torn between 2.5 and 3.
RTC
UPDATE
This book was offered to be by the author to read and review honestly, all of my thoughts and opinions are purely my own.
Okay so my life’s kind of a mess right now so excuse the late review.
I read this a while ago and I remember vividly how I felt about it.
Reading it was an enjoyable experience, I didn’t dislike or hate any of the stories, but they didn’t really captivate me, I had to push through them all.
I found some notes I wrote down while I was reading i ...more
RTC
UPDATE
This book was offered to be by the author to read and review honestly, all of my thoughts and opinions are purely my own.
Okay so my life’s kind of a mess right now so excuse the late review.
I read this a while ago and I remember vividly how I felt about it.
Reading it was an enjoyable experience, I didn’t dislike or hate any of the stories, but they didn’t really captivate me, I had to push through them all.
I found some notes I wrote down while I was reading i ...more
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Goodreads Librari...: Small correction in Description | 3 | 223 | Jan 08, 2019 08:30PM | |
Shut Up & Read: {Read It & Reap 955} Time Crawlers by Varun Sayal | 8 | 127 | Dec 13, 2018 07:50AM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Please change Book Description | 3 | 16 | Sep 08, 2018 01:18AM | |
Making Connections: 5349. - TIME CRAWLERS BY Varun Sayal | 1 | 8 | Jul 31, 2018 03:17PM | |
Space Opera Fans : Time Crawlers: Science Fiction, FREE only for 24 Hours | 1 | 8 | Jul 30, 2018 11:20PM | |
BOOK REVIEW OF IN...: Requesting Review for my new book - Time Crawlers | 9 | 43 | Jul 30, 2018 07:52PM | |
Free Books, .99, ...: Time Crawlers: Sci-Fi Book at 99c || Limited Time, Heavily Discounted Offer | 1 | 5 | Jul 27, 2018 01:39AM |
Varun Sayal is a Data Science manager living in Redmond, Washington. He grew up in India on a steady dose of fantastical tales from ancient Indian scriptures. His genre of writing is science fiction and fantasy, blended with Indian legends and mythology. In his own words:
I live by the quote, 'a true art calms a disturbed mind and disturbs a calm mind.'
...more
I live by the quote, 'a true art calms a disturbed mind and disturbs a calm mind.'





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“The part of science that you don’t understand will always look like magic to you.”
—
12 likes
“Genie: Okay, fine. So what are your three wishes?
Marco: Only three? In the stories I heard, the genies granted unlimited wishes.
Genie: Ah, not again. Well, let me clarify this for you. I only provide the “Limited to three wishes” plan, also called the “Classic package”. There were certain gold and platinum plans offered in the past, which granted infinite wishes and where the genie practically stayed with the lamp-finder all their life. But those plans were discontinued around 2,300 years back.”
—
4 likes
More quotes…
Marco: Only three? In the stories I heard, the genies granted unlimited wishes.
Genie: Ah, not again. Well, let me clarify this for you. I only provide the “Limited to three wishes” plan, also called the “Classic package”. There were certain gold and platinum plans offered in the past, which granted infinite wishes and where the genie practically stayed with the lamp-finder all their life. But those plans were discontinued around 2,300 years back.”