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The Archer's Thread
A "gripping, intense and romantic" thriller about seeing the future, escaping the past, and finding redemption.
Simon Lyons has it all: good looks, intelligence, a steady job. He can also see ten seconds into the future. His employers think his skill is quite useful. Only he knows it drives him insane. Desperate for a cure, he walks away from everything and disappears to Boston, the last place he called home. He spends his days drinking to forget, taking his anger out on petty criminals, and failing to kill himself. A book from his past leads him to a young college professor who unexpectedly mutes his condition-the first person in ten years to make him normal. Determined to find a cure, Simon enters Doctor Kelly Austin's life, manipulating everyone around her in search of sanity and peace.
That's when his former life finds him, stopping at nothing to keep the origins of his skill hidden. When someone threatens the woman who mutes his condition, Simon must choose: a familiar and violent past, or the terror and sacrifice of redemption.
The Archer's Thread blends action, scientific intrigue, romantic suspense, and psychological tension in a genre-defying thrill ride. Readers who wonder how Lee Child would've written Anthony Doerr's About Grace will love this gripping debut.
Even if you can see the future, you can never escape your past.
Simon Lyons has it all: good looks, intelligence, a steady job. He can also see ten seconds into the future. His employers think his skill is quite useful. Only he knows it drives him insane. Desperate for a cure, he walks away from everything and disappears to Boston, the last place he called home. He spends his days drinking to forget, taking his anger out on petty criminals, and failing to kill himself. A book from his past leads him to a young college professor who unexpectedly mutes his condition-the first person in ten years to make him normal. Determined to find a cure, Simon enters Doctor Kelly Austin's life, manipulating everyone around her in search of sanity and peace.
That's when his former life finds him, stopping at nothing to keep the origins of his skill hidden. When someone threatens the woman who mutes his condition, Simon must choose: a familiar and violent past, or the terror and sacrifice of redemption.
The Archer's Thread blends action, scientific intrigue, romantic suspense, and psychological tension in a genre-defying thrill ride. Readers who wonder how Lee Child would've written Anthony Doerr's About Grace will love this gripping debut.
Even if you can see the future, you can never escape your past.
- GenresBook Club
476 pages, Paperback
Published August 10, 2021
About the author
Noel Zamot
6 books50 followersNoel Zamot is the award-winning author of the THE ARCHER’S THREAD, the Amazon and Barnes and Noble Bestseller; as well as THE FEATHER’S PUSH (coming in 2023). He won a Gold Medal for Popular Fiction at the 2021 Florida Book Awards, a Silver Medal at the 2022 Florida Author’s and Publisher’s Association President’s Awards, and was a finalist at the ScreenCraft 2022 Cinematic Book Competition. His personal experiences—flying in combat, testifying (twice) before Congress, and evading arrest after exposing corruption—are woven into his speculative fiction novels. Noel is represented by John Beach and Kevin Cleary at Gravity Squared Entertainment (www.gravity-squared.com), who are working to adapt THE ARCHER’S THREAD for the screen
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 28, 2022
This review was written by Jade for Whispering Stories Book Blog.
I was really looking forward to reading The Archer’s Thread after the enticing blurb. It sounded like a unique book and although partly a thriller it was going to take me out of my usual genre comfort zone.
The story follows our main character Simon as he falls in love with Kelly, a maths professor, at Tufts University. However, this is not your usual simple romance novel, as Simon is not your normal human being and his relationship with Kelly is not just based on love. As their story develops we find out more and more secrets about Simon until the big reveal at the end which I did not see coming.
For me, the story started quite slowly and it took me a fairly long time to become gripped by it. I found the bits with lots of acronyms and government-specific wording quite hard to follow at times and this took away some of my enjoyment. However, the further I got into the novel, the more I got used to this and became invested in getting to the plot’s conclusion.
I really liked the characters, Paula and Harriet, they brought a bit of humour to what is mostly a very serious book. They kept me engaged and helped me to warm to Simon who I wasn’t sure about at the beginning.
I wasn’t sure what to award this book because it took me such a long time to warm to it, but once I was about 3/4 of the way through I realised I was enjoying it. In the end, I feel like it was is a 3/5 for me, as it just needed a bit more of a gripping start.
I was really looking forward to reading The Archer’s Thread after the enticing blurb. It sounded like a unique book and although partly a thriller it was going to take me out of my usual genre comfort zone.
The story follows our main character Simon as he falls in love with Kelly, a maths professor, at Tufts University. However, this is not your usual simple romance novel, as Simon is not your normal human being and his relationship with Kelly is not just based on love. As their story develops we find out more and more secrets about Simon until the big reveal at the end which I did not see coming.
For me, the story started quite slowly and it took me a fairly long time to become gripped by it. I found the bits with lots of acronyms and government-specific wording quite hard to follow at times and this took away some of my enjoyment. However, the further I got into the novel, the more I got used to this and became invested in getting to the plot’s conclusion.
I really liked the characters, Paula and Harriet, they brought a bit of humour to what is mostly a very serious book. They kept me engaged and helped me to warm to Simon who I wasn’t sure about at the beginning.
I wasn’t sure what to award this book because it took me such a long time to warm to it, but once I was about 3/4 of the way through I realised I was enjoying it. In the end, I feel like it was is a 3/5 for me, as it just needed a bit more of a gripping start.
January 19, 2026
Definitely up my street this one. Near futire drama.
April 27, 2025
An enjoyable, mostly fast-paced read that combines military/espionage intrigue, elements of sci-fi, academia, and an unconventional love story in a tight package that pushes the boundaries of realism. I look forward to experiencing the next installment of this truly unique read.
August 19, 2023
Fantastic Read!!!
Who would have thought a ex TPS Commandant could write this story. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended. 5+ Stars!!!
Illegitima NonCarborundum!
Who would have thought a ex TPS Commandant could write this story. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended. 5+ Stars!!!
Illegitima NonCarborundum!
October 14, 2023
Simon Lyons is a very unusual human being. He has the ability to see 10 seconds into the future. It may not seem like much, but for a government agent, this ability is a game changer. And it's a little more sophisticated than it sounds. It's not just the ability to see one scenario, he can see multiple "threads" of activity in real time. Essentially, he can see the consequences of any action he or others take and can adjust his actions to follow the most fortuitus future thread.
What this means practically is that he can never lose a fight (he'll see every punch or even every bullet coming in advance), can never be captured, can choose the right words to talk himself out of dangerous situations and can sneak past any human security without being detected. It makes him not only an extraordinary spy, but an unstoppable negotiator. But the government has a problem. Lyons is tortured by this ability and is on the run from the government who needs his ability.
Enter Dr. Kelly Austin-Lake, professor of mathematics and data analytics. Although a brilliant mathematician, there is nothing unusual about Professor Austin-Lake except that she is the only person in the world for whom Simon cannot see the future. Finding her by accident, Lyons realizes that she may be the cure for the "condition" that tortures him. But every moment he is in her presence, Lyons is in jeopardy because he cannot use his powers and, of course, both the government and the "bad guys" use this against him.
The combination of science fiction and spy thriller (with a romance sub-plot) makes for an interesting story. I love time-related stories and this one reminds me a great deal of the Nicholas Cage, Jessica Biel movie Next from 2007. (It wasn't a huge hit in the theaters, but I highly recommend it).
The Archer's Thread is a bit long, a little slow at points, and the love interest sub-plot feels a bit clunky, but overall, it was a fun and readable sci-fi spy thriller.
What this means practically is that he can never lose a fight (he'll see every punch or even every bullet coming in advance), can never be captured, can choose the right words to talk himself out of dangerous situations and can sneak past any human security without being detected. It makes him not only an extraordinary spy, but an unstoppable negotiator. But the government has a problem. Lyons is tortured by this ability and is on the run from the government who needs his ability.
Enter Dr. Kelly Austin-Lake, professor of mathematics and data analytics. Although a brilliant mathematician, there is nothing unusual about Professor Austin-Lake except that she is the only person in the world for whom Simon cannot see the future. Finding her by accident, Lyons realizes that she may be the cure for the "condition" that tortures him. But every moment he is in her presence, Lyons is in jeopardy because he cannot use his powers and, of course, both the government and the "bad guys" use this against him.
The combination of science fiction and spy thriller (with a romance sub-plot) makes for an interesting story. I love time-related stories and this one reminds me a great deal of the Nicholas Cage, Jessica Biel movie Next from 2007. (It wasn't a huge hit in the theaters, but I highly recommend it).
The Archer's Thread is a bit long, a little slow at points, and the love interest sub-plot feels a bit clunky, but overall, it was a fun and readable sci-fi spy thriller.
August 4, 2024
This was an interesting plot idea, I just found the style in which it was delivered confusing. It seemed to flit between characters way too much, flitting often after only a paragraph so sometimes I would be confused as to who's point if view it was/what was actually happening. Also occasionally felt like a bit had been cut out, story had moved along as if something had happened/someone had revealed something but they hadn't, even checked if I'd skipped a page (I hadn't).
Not sure if I feel absorbed in the story enough to read the next in the series. It will be interesting to see what other members of my book club think about this, as it was the selection for the theme of "speculative thriller".
Not sure if I feel absorbed in the story enough to read the next in the series. It will be interesting to see what other members of my book club think about this, as it was the selection for the theme of "speculative thriller".
November 1, 2023
A fast-paced thriller with engaging characters. The main character, Simon, struggles with a dark side that is intensified by an ability to foresee possible paths, or threads, of up to ten seconds into the future. I liked that the author developed a potential mathematical explanation for Simon's ability, so it's not paranormal or magic, it's more of a cyber-punk ability, and the mix of romance, artificial intelligence, military involvement, ambiguity around who the good vs. bad actors are kept me turning the pages.
September 23, 2024
I’m generally a mystery thriller sort of reader and this book definitely had the thrills, intrigue and very likable characters. Throw in a blossoming romance, and I can't wait to read the next one in the series! Highly recommend!
April 30, 2026
I love the premise of the book and really wanted to like it, but this novel needed a professional editor to make corrections and smooth out the writing. I also agree with other reviews that it's great to have multiple smart female characters, but the dialogue didn't match the characters.
July 28, 2022
Reviewed for Whispering Stories.
I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading the blurb. It sounded like a really unique book and although partly a thriller was going to take me out of my usual genre comfort zone.
The story follows the main character Simon as he falls in love with Kelly a maths professor at Tufts university. However, this is not your usual simple romance novel, as Simon is not your normal human being and his relationship with Kelly is not just based on love. As the story develops we find out more and more secrets about Simon until the big reveal at the end which I totally did not see coming.
For me, the story started off quite slowly and it took me a fairly long time to really become gripped by it. I found that the bits with a lot of acronyms and government specific wording quite hard to follow at times and this did take away from my enjoyment. However, the further I got into the novel, the more I got used to this and became invested in getting to the stories conclusion.
I really liked the characters Paula & Harriet, they brought a bit of humour to what is mostly a very serious book. They kept me engaged and helped me to warm to Simon who I wasn’t sure about at the beginning.
I wasn’t sure what to give this book out of 5 because it did take me such a long time to warm up to it but once I was about 3/4 of the way in I was loving it. In the end I feel like it was a 3/5 as it just needed a bit more of a gripping start.
I was really looking forward to reading this book after reading the blurb. It sounded like a really unique book and although partly a thriller was going to take me out of my usual genre comfort zone.
The story follows the main character Simon as he falls in love with Kelly a maths professor at Tufts university. However, this is not your usual simple romance novel, as Simon is not your normal human being and his relationship with Kelly is not just based on love. As the story develops we find out more and more secrets about Simon until the big reveal at the end which I totally did not see coming.
For me, the story started off quite slowly and it took me a fairly long time to really become gripped by it. I found that the bits with a lot of acronyms and government specific wording quite hard to follow at times and this did take away from my enjoyment. However, the further I got into the novel, the more I got used to this and became invested in getting to the stories conclusion.
I really liked the characters Paula & Harriet, they brought a bit of humour to what is mostly a very serious book. They kept me engaged and helped me to warm to Simon who I wasn’t sure about at the beginning.
I wasn’t sure what to give this book out of 5 because it did take me such a long time to warm up to it but once I was about 3/4 of the way in I was loving it. In the end I feel like it was a 3/5 as it just needed a bit more of a gripping start.
November 1, 2023
A fast-paced thriller with engaging characters. The main character, Simon, struggles with a dark side that is intensified by an ability to foresee possible paths, or threads, of up to ten seconds into the future. I liked that the author developed a potential mathematical explanation for Simon's ability, so it's not paranormal or magic, it's more of a cyber-punk ability, and the mix of romance, artificial intelligence, military involvement, ambiguity around who the good vs. bad actors are kept me turning the pages.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews