TimeRipper: A Jack the Ripper, SciFi, time travel thriller

by D.E. McCluskey

It is the year 2288.Earth is reeling from the most horrific terrorist attack it has ever endured.The Quest, a pseudo-religious splinter group, have taken up arms against the Earth Alliance's authority.It is down to Youssef Haseem, the highest-ranking official left in the EA, to build a team to face the threat of total inhalation if they don't bow to The Quest's demands.Then the leaders of The Quest disappear, and a legend emerges in the year 1888.Just who is the mysterious stranger stalking and viciously killing women on the streets of Whitechapel, London?A mission is launched! A battle of wits against time itself. A fight to be played out in the present and the past, with the fate of all humanity at stake.Legends can happen anytime...REVIEWS FOR TIMERIPPER 5.0 out of 5 starsGreat story!Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2021I'm unbelievably glad I took the chance on this book.I can't lie, I was a little nervous about reading this book at first. I'm not much of a sciencey/serious person, so I wasn't sure if it would work for me, but I'm a sucker for anything even vaguely historical. I just can't help it. Especially 1888 Whitechapel history.I was worried some of the more futuristic stuff would turn me off or be too confusing for me but I understood 99% of it. And trust me when I say that's a big deal. I've read some of McCluskey's other books, so I knew I generally enjoyed his writing style, and I wasn't disappointed at all.I loved the twist on the old theory of Jack. I was completely caught off guard by what was going on and I really can't give enough praise for this story. McCluskey's creativity and ability to really show you the story really came through. I liked the idea of a religious cult, I mean, who doesn't right? It was just crazy enough to be plausible.Overall, great story, great writing, great creativity and unique enough to stand above the rest. Well done.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------M S loves books rated it 5 out of 5 stars it was amazingA time-travelling SciFi fiction with an attractive and meaningful cover you'll understand once you read?SIGN.ME.UP🤩Ever since I read a SciFi trilogy in 2014,I have loved the genre.What more do you need when you add time-travelling? It's a perfect recipe to attract me,like a moth to a flame🥰💃In the initial few chapters,it was hard to understand what was happening,just like the characters,I was wondering WTH!?!? A purple hue doing strange things that a technologically advanced Earth couldn't understand just like Youssef said 'the events were like nothing he had seen before'.As the story progressed with 3 POVs,I understood what was going on but let me tell you one thing,I couldn't guess what would happen!! I mean,I was on the edge of my seat,flipping through the pages as fast as I could and I couldn't even guess the ending😯So,I would love to say this without spoiling it for anyone out there,if you want a good SciFi+time-travelling+suspense+wonderful narration in a simple enough understandable language...do yourself a favour and grab your copy now! (less)

Genres: Time Travel, Fiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 25, 2021

About the author

I love horror, and I love Christmas. Some would say that the two are not mutually associated, I would tell you different.

I started writing at Christmas, back in the days of yore. I was reading The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore to my daughter who was too excited to sleep. But, I used my secret weapon, my boring voice she was soon catching the right amount of zzzzz's... As I tiptoed out of the room, giving Santa the space he needed to do his bit, I thought to myself, you know what? I could write something like that...

So I did...

The good Behaviour Act was written, the first story in Interesting Tymes, my very first publication.

I live in sunny Liverpool in the UK with my partner and daughters, I used to work in IT but don't anymore, and am the happier person for it. I love football, music and film... I also enjoy long walks, pretty flowers, and gratuitous violence and nudity...

I can be found mostly on Facebook @demccluskey_author
or on Twitter @dammagedpro @demccluskey1

my website is www.dammaged.com

Reviews

[S. Bavey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timeripper is the well-known story of Jack the Ripper and his female victims in Victorian London, given a completely new and original twist. What if the victims were actually female terrorists from the year 2288, escaping through time to 1888 having caused Armageddon on Earth, and what if Jack the Ripper was actually an assassin sent back in time to track them down and give them justice? Hooked yet? You will be…

The story begins on Earth in 2288 and we are introduced to characters in a number of well-known locations around the world. Just as we feel we are getting to know these characters a purple apocalyptic cloud of mist filled with colourful lightning rolls over everything destroying whatever it touches:

“The cloud trundled across the city, leaving nothing in its wake. It was the only phrase he could think of to describe what he was witnessing. Nothing in its wake! Nothing, except dust, sand, and desolation.”

In 2288 scientists have figured out teleportation and certain people are able to escape the destruction by teleporting to a number of Orbital Platforms run by the Earth Alliance (EA) in Earth’s orbit.

Youssef Haseem is a likeable senior employee of the EA and is one of the lucky ones to escape the carnage on the Earth by teleporting to Orbital Platform One:

“Since Earth had put aside its racial differences and religious intolerances, all the countries and cultures had seen that there was more to be done, more to be achieved, by working together rather than against each other. The Earth Alliance Treaty had been formed. This harmony led to fantastical breakthroughs in science and technology. Hunger and poverty had been all but eradicated, and Earth was now very nearly the Utopia many had dreamed about for centuries”

Now wouldn’t that be amazing? Unfortunately Youssef’s ex-colleague Carrie Millwood is not too happy with the way of the world, and forms a splinter group to worship the power of the Higgs Storm like a deity. Carrie and six women left the Earth Alliance to set up The Quest:

“The Quest was a pseudo-religious organisation of like-minded people who derived their doctrine from their quest to investigate and expose what was fake in a world dominated by the Earth Alliance. They worshipped freedom above all else. Freedom to exert their own control over their own people. They knew that was essentially a paradox, but they revelled in it.“

From a small group of anarchists the Quest had grown to be 6 million strong. This group has managed to figure out time travel and having wrought devastation on the Earth of 2288, ten of them decide to flit back to Whitechapel in 1888, the time and location of the famous grisly murder legend of Jack the Ripper. They aim to remain hidden there for one year while the Earth terraforms, such that they can begin again as leaders in a new earthly Utopia:

“Freedom of religion: they wanted religion banned and for science to be revered. They wanted freedom of rule, they wanted one central government, i.e. them, to control all the governments of all the countries on Earth. They thought they had the ‘new way,’ and they wanted to enforce it on everyone.”

This book is an intelligent thriller with a lot of pseudo-scientific explanation surrounding the Hadron Collider, the Higgs Bosun particle and the work the EA has been doing to master teleportation and time travel in the early pages, where the world and story premise are being set up for the reader. I am not a scientist and was able to follow most of these scientific explanations quite easily and they seemed plausible enough to me:

“It was widely regarded that time travel could never be achieved due to the paradox theory. The theory stated that if it was to be invented then we would already know about it; but with this discovery, it seemed that paradox was about to be blown out of the water.”

Flashbacks are used extensively throughout the book. We are taken back 20 years to witness the first successes with teleportation and of course the majority of the book takes place in Victorian Whitechapel with occasional glimpses back to 2288, “the present”.

In 1888 an evil character who likes nothing better than beating his wife and has murderous tendencies, Aaron Kosminski, is witness to the first time traveller’s arrival, without her realizing, and decides he needs to kill all of the ten ‘witches’ he has been watching. He doesn’t realize the paradoxical laws mean that they cannot be killed by someone not of their time.

An assassin from 2288 is sent back to find them and begins picking them off one by one trying to get them to tell him their transponder codes and then ripping their tracking devices out of their bodies using a laser device – thus causing the grisly evisceration famous in the Jack the Ripper cases.

The murder and tracking device extraction scenes should probably come with a warning as they are incredibly gruesome and definitely not for the faint-hearted. I found Timeripper to be a grisly yet compelling read with a few unexpected twists; a whodunnit, as we try and figure out which of the characters from the future the assassin can possibly be – there are clues. I would recommend it to fans of serial killer style horror.

[Dr M S Bhagyalakshmi Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A time-travelling SciFi fiction with an attractive and meaningful cover you'll understand once you read?SIGN.ME.UP🤩

Ever since I read a SciFi trilogy in 2014,I have loved the genre.What more do you need when you add time-travelling? It's a perfect recipe to attract me,like a moth to a flame🥰💃

In the initial few chapters,it was hard to understand what was happening,just like the characters,I was wondering WTH!?!? A purple hue doing strange things that a technologically advanced Earth couldn't understand just like Youssef said 'the events were like nothing he had seen before'.As the story progressed with 3 POVs,I understood what was going on but let me tell you one thing,I couldn't guess what would happen!! I mean,I was on the edge of my seat,flipping through the pages as fast as I could and I couldn't even guess the ending😯

So,I would love to say this without spoiling it for anyone out there,if you want a good SciFi+time-travelling+suspense+wonderful narration in a simple enough understandable language...do yourself a favour and grab your copy now!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

TimeRipper by D.E. McCluskey is an excellent novel with many genres combined. I’m loving the thriller/time travel/historical combo, and I think this book was super well written.

For those that aren’t super comfortable with scifi, TimeRipper is easily understood. I think anyone would enjoy this novel because it has so much of everything we want when we read. I was able to escape into this story.

I love the twists, and the thrills. TimeRipper was so entertaining. I didn’t want it to end. I am looking forward to more by this author! Easy five stars from me!

Thank you to R&R Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to be on this blog tour. I received a free copy of this book to review honestly. All opinions are my own and unbiased.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading many more stories from this author. Kept me intrigued.

[P.J. Blakey-Novis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by D.E. McCluskey and it won’t be the last. TimeRipper is a wonderfully inventive tale involving time travel and Jack the Ripper, with believable characters, great pacing, and plenty of twists and turns. A blend of science fiction and thriller, it’s probably not something I would have picked up, but I’m very glad I did. I look forward to diving into more of the author’s work very soon.

[Robert More · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me, this read as a straight forward thriller. It didn't demand much from the reader. The use of the language is simple and direct without many literary devices to spice it up. This style did make the novel easy to read and fast paced, though not particularly memorable. I tended to read this novel in a series big gulps, reading twenty or maybe thirty pages when I had a spare hour, followed by periods of leaving it be because there wasn't a character or situation I wanted to return to. There are also a few cliches which seemed to be trying to generate a dark irony at times, but didn't fit with the time period and broke immersion for me.

I found the characters to be one dimensional. There are a lot of main players even for this rather long book, so the characteristics can be boiled down to one or two unique pieces per person before the story has to move on. The good guys are good, and the bad guys are bad, and literally every male character from 1888 is sexist to the nth degree. There isn't a lot of moral nuance in this story, which might be the point. Maybe this is for readers who seek catharsis in watching horrible things happen to horrible people.

It should also be noted that this is a time travel story dealing with real historic events, and there are some aspects of the time traveling that didn't make a lot of sense to me. Some of the tension in moments comes about in new rules not previously established but introduced in the moment, which results in the tension feeling artificial. While the rules of the time traveling are being made up as we go along, they do remain consistent. And of course there are a few twists that I did fine pretty surprising.

Overall, the book earns a 3 star rating from me because it wasn't a slog to get through and could at times get me interested, but my interest fluctuated because I didn't have a character I could care about, the language is good but uninteresting, and the time travel aspect of the story probably could have been more thoroughly thought through. I believe there is value here for readers who don't want something challenging but a fun and imaginative take on the most well known killer in history (so far).

I should note that I got an advance review copy for free, and I write this review voluntarily. It's length isn't the result of any sort of requirement. I just have a lot of thoughts. All my opinions are my own.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Youssef Haseem might be in over his head. After a terrorist attack by a group called The Quest wipes out half of the human population on Earth, he finds himself the de facto leader of the Earth Alliance. To make matters worse, The Quest’s leaders have vanished, leaving only an ultimatum. Youssef has precisely one year to either surrender what remains of the Earth Alliance to The Quest or see the rest of the world perish...unless he can stop the leaders from coming back. Meanwhile, a group of mysterious women arrive in Whitechapel, London, 1888, unaware that they are being watched from the shadows.

Part science fiction, part historical thriller, this book was hard to put down once I started! The book cleverly ties together the events unfolding in Youssef’s time (2288) and the brutal Whitechapel murders of 1888 attributed to “Jack the Ripper”. I love how McClusky was able to weave in a lot of the details from the real Ripper murders and investigation in this fictional retelling. Even though the heart of the story is in 1888, the historical sequences are well balanced with the sections featuring Youssef and his team as they try to prevent another disaster. I found both storylines intriguing and couldn’t wait to see how everything would fit together in the end.

Though I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the storytelling focuses almost exclusively on driving the plot forward. Sometimes, this results in sudden jumps in the narrative that were a little confusing and/or made me feel I was missing something. Additionally, a lot of details either feel ignored or substituted by “details of convenience” that prevent deeper exploration and are occasionally immersion breaking. Where many of these details are not central to the plot, their absence results in the characters and settings feeling a little flat.

Overall, I think this is a very enjoyable read for those looking for a casual science fiction book and/or a light thriller. Though the Ripper murders are known for being gruesome, I do not feel that they are described in an overly gory fashion. Both the future world that McClusky creates and the historical setting he reimagines are compelling without getting too technical or detailed. However, if you are looking for a hard science fiction, historical fiction, and/or thriller, this might not be the book for you.

Special thanks to Reedsy Discovery for providing this book for review.

[Rose English · Rating 5 out of 5]

McCluskey has outdone himself with this new Gothic - SciFi masterpiece.

Firstly the cover, simply outstanding. It encompasses all that the book has to offer. It features the shadow of the Ripper in his dark gothic world, with elements of Victorian London shrouded in a mysterious eerie purple mist.

Being honest, I was in two minds about reading this book once I had checked out the blurb. I did not think that a story featuring a group calling themselves 'The Quest' a 'pseudo-religious' group of terrorists sounded very appealing. However, once I dipped between the opening chapters I was hooked. Who wouldn't be with paragraphs like these:

"Containers, filled with death, hidden within plain sight. Each pod scientifically designed to contain the purple mist that resided within them."

" The Higgs Storm was a devastating force, destroying everything in its path, killing all life except for the most basic building blocks. "

The idea 'The Quest' have is to 'Reboot the planet. Adam and Eve style'.

What a great read, I loved how the author brought into play characters from the timeline of the real London Ripper. Even though the story is split between 2288 and Whitechapel 1888 it was not confusing. The Sci-fi elements were very believable and most interesting. I wanted to get out my text books and do some scientific background research.

The mystery of who the Ripper could be was fascinating. I was so entranced by the story following it so closely that I did actually have an inkling of who it was, but there were some great twists and turns to throw you off the scent.

Great characters, great storyline gothic horror, murder mystery time-travel and science- fiction something here for almost everyone. Very highly recommended.

[Korinne Tande · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I really enjoyed this book-though it seemed a bit long for me (hence the 4 stars instead of 5). The historical setting in 1888 was so well written that I was drawn into the stench and filth of London during that time period. I could almost feel the grime of sharing bath water; smell the stench of unwashed clothes, bad teeth, and sweaty bodies; and sense the misery of illness and death. The dual time-line story was creatively written and there were exciting moments for both storylines. When a group of women, calling itself the Quest, want a do-over for 2888 earth, they travel back in time to hide when, as they soon find out, none of them are safe. While they destroy/blow-up parts of the earth as blackmail, they then find themselves in unanticipated danger even while living and hiding in the past. Is it Jack-the-Ripper killing the women or is it someone from 2888 who has discovered their location in time and won't stop until the women either give him what he wants or die? Could the Jack-the-Ripper from our history books been a time traveler? This book is about so much more than just time travel. While the contrasts in the past and future/present are vivid, the book is science fiction and murder mystery rolled into one. Can Youssef Haseem and his space crew save the world from the annihilation threatened by the Quest? Does this book provide a new theory for the Whitechapel murders of the 1800's? I enjoyed the many twists/threats and turns/ultimatums in this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christina Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time Ripper is a fantastic tale that cleverly winds past and present together. If you like science fiction, horror, and alternate history, you have to check this book out!

The setting is the near future. Rival teams work on a machine that will help them transcend time. Team A finds out someone from Team B has succeeded and gone back in time to wreak havoc on unassuming Londoners. Team A decides to send a group back through the rift to bring this person back to pay for their crimes. There’s only one catch, they still aren’t sure they can come back to their present time once they travel the rift.

The team travels to London at the beginning of the Jack the Ripper murders. McCluskey brilliantly finds ways to weave future technologies into historical settings. His cunning storytelling gives us an alternative history of what we think we all know about the Jack the Ripper murders.

I don’t want to give too much away so I will stop there, but I really liked this book! It is a fresh retelling of a turbulent time of world history that I think any reader will enjoy. Yes, there’s some gore peppered in there, but it works within the storyline. D.E. McCluskey has a winner with this one!

[Andrea Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you get when you mix sci-fi, gothic horror and history?

You get Timeripper, that's what you get!

Set in the year 2288 (and 1888) the planet's governing body, Earth Alliance is threatened by a pseudo-religious terrorist group called The Quest. Billions are already dead at their hands. Members of The Quest have time-travelled back to 1888 in the hope of generating enough power to cause a planet-wide reboot of Earth

Without giving too many spoilers away, the rest of the tale cleverly intertwines the aftermath of the attack on Earth in 2288 with the all too well-known history surrounding the infamous Jack the Ripper., with a few lovely twists added in along the way.

It's clear the author has researched and has a lot of love for the subject, demonstrated by the way he has taken characters from the future and made them relevant (and central) to the Ripper history. It is done in such a clever way and yet still gives the reader glorious little plot twists right until the end.

My absolute favourite book from DE McCluskey. If I could give more than 5 stars out of 5, I would

[Catriona Mowat · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are no serial killers better known than Jack the Ripper. Everyone has heard the theories, the suspect list and the chronological events of 1888: so you would definitely not be alone in thinking there are no new takes on the story.

Enter D.E. McCluskey. A man who took the story of Jack the Ripper, punched it in the face and stole its shoes. Somehow he manages to make a sci-fi novel about time travel and terrorism into an historical thriller that has you captivated the whole way through. This is an absolute page turner, with some twists you won’t see coming, and historical accuracies littered throughout. Elements of horror, thriller, spy drama and sci-fi all merge seamlessly together to make one of the most unique stories I’ve ever read, with a whole raft of well-developed characters (some of whom you already know). The story jumps between timelines but never gets confusing, it only helps the pacing of the story and builds up the tension nicely.

There were a couple of sub-plots that I wished had been expanded on a little, and some characters I wanted a little more detail on, but throughout the book I was really impressed.

[Melanie Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm unbelievably glad I took the chance on this book. I can't lie, I was a little nervous about reading this book at first. I'm not much of a sciencey/serious person, so I wasn't sure if it would work for me, but I'm a sucker for anything even vaguely historical. I just can't help it. Especially 1888 Whitechapel history.

I was worried some of the more futuristic stuff would turn me off or be too confusing for me but I understood 99% of it. And trust me when I say that's a big deal. I've read some of McCluskey's other books, so I knew I generally enjoyed his writing style, and I wasn't disappointed at all.

I loved the twist on the old theory of Jack. I was completely caught off guard by what was going on and I really can't give enough praise for this story. McCluskey's creativity and ability to really show you the story really came through. I liked the idea of a religious cult, I mean, who doesn't right? It was just crazy enough to be plausible.

Overall, great story, great writing, great creativity, and unique enough to stand above the rest. Well done.

[Ian Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the best work so far from this talented author. It is a delve into the past and a look into the future. It has so much to capture the imagination dealing in one of the greatest ever mysteries we have known Jack the Ripper.

Whilst the author obviously has an incredible knowledge of this fascinating subject he intertwines his own twist and turns to make this a really captivating read.

The character development is excellent also with so many strong characters that really engross you in this superb book.

Definitely a must read a book that’s hard to put down once you start. Onto my next book from this talented author The Contract

[Kelly Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack the Ripper meets Science Fiction what's not to love.

Set in 2288 the world is ruled by E.A (Earth alliance) but The Quest has come to challenge their rule, killing 3 billion people plus threatening to kill more in a year's time as they terraform the earth to save that it but I'm the meantime they are providing food and shelter to humanity. Afterwards members of The Quest travel back to 1888. Not only do they have to deal with the horrors of 1888 and how women were treated as second classed citizens at best but also dealing with Jack the Ripper stalking the streets in Whitechapel

Part fiction, part sci-fi, part historical novel all blended together with so many twists and turns.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book captivated me from page one. Jack the Ripper, the threat of the annihilation of life on earth and time travel? How could I not want to read this? McCluskey definitely delivered on the intrigue and thrills. The characters had wonderful depth and the plot moved along at the perfect pace. The perfect read for those interested in the legends of Jack the Ripper, time-travel, or the end of the world. Definitely recommend!

[Bryan Moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic combination of a futuristic sci-fi story and an alternate history tale. The science and technology of 2288 was very well conceived. It was believable and populated with well rounded characters. Then the time travelers going back to 1888 and creating the legendary Jack the Ripper. The time period and mystery were researched well to create a great alternate history of the Ripper spree. The two stories together made a complete and compelling read.

[Kathi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read! I love the idea of involving time travel with the origins of Jack the Ripper. I was glued to the pages through the entire book.

This is very different from other books I have read by this author but it was equally enjoyable!

[Michelle, The Book Critic · Rating 4 out of 5]

"TimeRipper" has everything I could ask for. Engaging characters & plot, time travel, science fiction, etc. I liked the alternate versions of the Jack Ripper tales, the author did a fantastic job with that.

This is a heck of a book I would recommend to people.

[Rosario Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I’m having a hard time writing this down, not because I didn’t like the book, but because I loved it! A well crafted tale, you go to amazing places with amazing people. The twists and turns the plot takes keep you riveted to the story. I enjoyed myself so much!

[Sue Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

The time ripper by D.E. McCluskey.
A good read. This was a different read dealing with time travel. I do prefer this authors horror books. 3*.

[Michael Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a gripping read - great plot, interesting characters - difficult book to put down.
Really interesting take on the ripper tales - really hope this isn't a Sci-Fi Premonition on things to come!

[AJRXII · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant take on the murders/murderer of 1888 time travel wise!! Where two factions 400 years on fight for humanity!

[Kamini Mehta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked parts of this book. If you are really into time travel or alternate histories this might be your thing. I prefer more character development and there are some interesting characters, I would love to read more and get to know them.

[Joan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank You D.E. McCluskey

This is a fictional version of the Jack The Ripper Story.

I liked the story idea even tho some parts were drawn out. This was not a fast read for me. It took me 5 days to read this story.

What if the Whitechapel women were actually Time Travelers from the future? What if Jack the Ripper was a Cleaner / closer (like in Terminator) order to take charge of the Whitechapel females to prevent the future events from ever happening?

Time Travel
Science fiction