Here and Now and Then: 03/01/19-04/30/19

[Nancy]

Here and Now and Then

To save his daughter, he'll go anywhere—and any-when…

Kin Stewart is an everyday family man: working in I.T., trying to keep the spark in his marriage, and struggling to connect with his teenage daughter, Miranda. But his current life is a far cry from his previous career as a time-traveling secret agent from 2142.

Stranded in suburban San Francisco since the 1990s after a botched mission, Kin has kept his past hidden from everyone around him, despite the increasing blackouts and memory loss affecting his time-traveler's brain. Until one afternoon, his “rescue” team arrives—eighteen years too late.

Their mission: return Kin to 2142 where he's only been gone weeks, not years, and where another family is waiting for him. A family he can’t remember.

Torn between two lives, Kin is desperate for a way to stay connected to both. But when his best efforts threaten to destroy the agency and even history itself, his daughter’s very existence is at risk. It'll take one final trip across time to save Miranda—even if it means breaking all the rules of time travel in the process.

A uniquely emotional genre-bending debut, Here and Now and Then captures the perfect balance of heart, playfulness, and imagination, offering an intimate glimpse into the crevices of a father’s heart, and its capacity to stretch across both space and time to protect the people that mean the most.

Discussion open March 1st. Please use spoiler tags since not everyone will be starting at the same time.

[Cheryl]

Wow, brand new... I'll be lucky if any of my libraries has it.

[Nancy]

I checked and my library system has quite a few copies (21). I was surprised. All but three are checked out though so I might need to put it on hold sooner than later.

[Cheryl]

My local library doesn't have it, and the queues for ebooks at my family's libraries are estimated to be 8 weeks long. I'm in queue at two of them so we'll see....

[Nancy]

Cheryl wrote: "My local library doesn't have it, and the queues for ebooks at my family's libraries are estimated to be 8 weeks long. I'm in queue at two of them so we'll see...."

Can you make a purchase request at your library?

I did that recently with a book and they didn’t buy it but they got it from another library in a different state for me.

[Nancy]

I saw the audiobook an Hoopla but I don’t “do” audiobooks.

[Cheryl]

(... sorry for hijacking the thread.... I don't know if it's going to be worth my library's limited funds. But I guess that's up to them to decide. Still, it would likely take a while.

Anyway, I guess my point is that maybe this group should have a discussion about availability of books. The book I nominated is actually one I bought myself, but it was a cheap ebook. But some of us still prefer paper books. Anyway, maybe something to consider.)

[Samantha]

I'm excited about this one! My library has it in paperback, e-book, and audiobook, luckily and as a mom I am definitely partial to the audiobook format.

[Nancy]

Cheryl wrote: "(... sorry for hijacking the thread.... I don't know if it's going to be worth my library's limited funds. But I guess that's up to them to decide. Still, it would likely take a while.

Anyway, I g..."

That’s always a problem though. It difficult to know if a book is going to be available in everyone’s favorite format, at everyone’s library etc. Not everyone will purchase an ebook if it is cheap enough and not all books are available in all countries in any format.

I would still check if they would do an inter-library loan. That’s not a purchase but a loan from a library not in their system. You might be surprised and they can do it.

[Cheryl]

ILL is not for new books in any system I've ever used, including, I do know, this one. It's ok; I can solve my own problem.... I'm just thinking about the bigger picture & the broader implications.... brand new books are almost always hardest to get for just about everyone. My two cents.

[Dean]

I wish I even had a library I could join..

[Nancy]

Dean wrote: "I wish I even had a library I could join.."

You don’t have a library in the city you live?

[Dean]

I live in a little village where they closed the library down. There is a small library in a village nearby but I think I have more books at home than they have! I don't think they do this thing where they order books in, at least I have never been aware of it, but I shall have to pop in and ask one day.

[Nancy]

Dean wrote: "I live in a little village where they closed the library down. There is a small library in a village nearby but I think I have more books at home than they have! I don't think they do this thing wh..."

Oh man, that is too bad they had to close the library.

[Sarah Peachey]

I can’t seem to get this as a Kindle download. Shame I won’t read it with you as it looked really interesting. I’ll add it to my list to read

[Nancy]

Sarah Green wrote: "I can’t seem to get this as a Kindle download. Shame I won’t read it with you as it looked really interesting. I’ll add it to my list to read"

Is this typical when a book is released in the U.K. (for US books) that there might not be a kindle version or is it released at a different date?

I know a lot of U.K. books sometimes don’t get released in the US until 6+ more months later. I have ordered books from The Book Depository before to get around that because I want the book sooner rather than later.

[Nancy]

Enabler alert: this book is 50% off at Barnes and Noble (the hardcover). They are having a big sale in store and online of a lot of titles and varieties (new releases, paperbacks, kids books etc). Book haul sale ends Monday night.

[M.J.]

I don't know if I got a different edition of this book than what everyone else who gave it 4 & 5 stars got, but holy cow, I did not like anything about this book! IMO, the writing is bad, and often just plain confusing (someone really needs to induce Chen to the paragraph return) and the inconsistencies were too numerous to list. It was a chore for me to finish and I only managed because I skimmed over the last 60%.

And **SPOILER ALERT** Chen never did give any kind of explanation or theory as to why Kin was in the past for 18 yrs and only 2 wks went by in the future. That didn't make sense since he said the standard stay for an agent was 2 wks and no else had ever had that issue! ***

So when I read a book like this that has so many good reviews and I dislike it as much as I did this one, I start questioning myself....what's wrong with me? Anyway, thank goodness I got this from the library and didn't buy it or I'd really be upset!

[Samantha]

I've been listening to the audiobook in the car and I'm liking it so far. (I'm on chapter 11.) It is a throw-away time travel book, nothing new or especially outstanding about it, but it is entertaining for sure.

[Steven]

I'm 1/5 finished with this book, which started slowly, but has picked up after the first few chapters!

I am enjoying reading about the dilemma that the father has when he has to juggle two families in two time periods.

The book is moving and suspenseful so far, in my opinion.

[Nancy]

I am glad you both are enjoying it so far. I am behind getting started. Probably near the end of March or beginning of April.

[Steven]

I've posted my 5-star review—trying hard not to give too much of the story away. A terrific novel!!

[Nancy]

Steven wrote: "I've posted my 5-star review—trying hard not to give too much of the story away. A terrific novel!!"

Feel free to tell use what you liked etc. You can post your comments with spoiler tags.

I am glad it was a 5 star book. I’ll wait to read your review. I’m excited to read this!

[Samantha]

I'm on disk 6 of 8 now. There are definitely a lot of logic gaps.

(view spoiler)[Why, in the beginning, did Kin dig out his tracker but then keep it if he didn't want to be found? And why didn't he want to be found if he hadn't yet met Heather and started a family? And later, when the TCB decides to eliminate Miranda, why do they jump to a time when she was an adult and about to make a video game divulging information about the TCB? Couldn't they have gone to a time before she was born and keep Kin from ever having her? Or better yet, gone back and taken the notebook from her? (hide spoiler)]

I am enjoying the book but I don't think it is terribly well-written. The shifts in Kin's thinking happens much too quickly and I don't always feel his emotional ties to his present.

[Steven]

I finished the novel and thought it was terrific! It was suspenseful, emotional, and moving—an effective thriller about a father who has loved ones a century apart.

Kin Stewart is an agent for the Temporal Corruption Bureau (TCB) in 2142, who goes on missions to stop time criminals who go into the past. On one mission, he gets stranded in 1996 San Francisco (where he's from in the future), forgets much about his life during the next 18 years, and winds up married and has a daughter in the early 21st century.

This novel has lots of twists and turns, and we go on an emotional rollercoaster with Kin, who misses his past family while he attempts to reconnect with his future, prospective one.

I enjoyed the comparisons between the two eras, with "metabolizers" extending life and youthfulness, skycars, Mars colonies, doors being opened by facial scanning, cancer cured, and everyone being of mixed race and babies being named after foods (like "Quinoa") in the future, but tastier fast food in the past.

The book starts a bit slowly, but after the first few chapters, it is a page-turning delight, with a very good ending.

[(view spoiler)[ When he's "retrieved" by the TCB and is back in the 22nd century, he becomes frantic about his daughter and communicates with her via email. He also tries to reestablish his relationship with his fiancé in 2142. The really suspenseful part is when he and his fiancé go back in time to stop the TCB from murdering his daughter, who has inadvertently endangered the agency's agents. The reunion between father and daughter is quite moving! (hide spoiler)]]

[Steven]

[(view spoiler)[I think that Kin kept the damaged beacon because he forgot details from the future. It later was found by his wife, Heather, who set it off by accident. Kin didn't really want to be retrieved. (hide spoiler)]]

[(view spoiler)[The author attempted to explain why some things couldn't be corrected earlier in time by bringing up the "grandfather paradox" repeatedly. I admit that I didn't always follow the explanations, but I didn't care that much, since I liked the story a lot! I really liked how Kin grew as a person, parent, and mate over time in the past and future, after he returned to it. (hide spoiler)]]

[Steven]

Nancy wrote: "Steven wrote: "I've posted my 5-star review—trying hard not to give too much of the story away. A terrific novel!!"

Feel free to tell use what you liked etc. You can post your comments with spoil..."

Hi Nancy! Done! I hope I used spoilers correctly! If not, please let me know. Thanks!

[Samantha]

Steven, you should enclose all the stuff you consider a spoiler inside the brackets. As it is now everyone can read it.

All done! This is a throwaway novel for me, fun while it lasts but leaving nothing meaningful behind. There were flaws but it was entertaining enough. There were things that really irritated me about Kin and his internal dialogues, (view spoiler)[like when he imagined Heather and Penny chatting and bonding over all the things that irritated them about Kin. Why do people say things like that? Do they think it is cute? I think it is demeaning and mean-spirited. (hide spoiler)] I also want to know (view spoiler)[if Kin's great-grandson went to that clearing every night for years or if Miranda somehow knew the exact date her father jumped back. (hide spoiler)]

I listened to the audiobook and the reader's voice reminded me of Jeffrey Wright's, but he wasn't all that great at doing accents. (view spoiler)[I also found it odd that he completely changed Miranda's voice for when she spoke as an old woman. (hide spoiler)]

[Cheryl]

I agree with Samantha, except that I really have trouble not only with consistency and coherence and Kin's self-centeredness, but also very much with the writing style. It totally reads like a self-published novel, all good intentions but no professionalism to make a graceful or engaging read.

It took me much to long to read, too, as I kept falling asleep. It reads like the masculine version of chick-lit imo... I prefer actual SF. I'm only giving it two stars.

[Andy]

I listened to it on Audible when it first came out last month and didn’t think I was going to like it but rather enjoyed it by the end. I didn’t find the lapse in logic
Some of the others were talking about.

[Nancy]

It seems you either like it or don’t. I will be getting to it soon.

[Steven]

Nancy wrote: "It seems you either like it or don’t. I will be getting to it soon."

I am interested in your take, Nancy!

[Nancy]

I am behind! I am getting to this soon. I promise!

[Michael]

I just started this one today, will come back when i finish!

[Nancy]

Michael wrote: "I just started this one today, will come back when i finish!"

Yay!

[Nancy]

M.J. wrote: “ And **SPOILER ALERT** Chen never did give any kind of explanation or theory as to why Kin was in the past for 18 yrs and only 2 wks went by in the future. That didn't make sense since he said the standard stay for an agent was 2 wks and no else had ever had that issue! ***

Somehow I forgot to read this when it was a club read and I am just reading it now.

Yes, he does give an explanation. (view spoiler)[The tracking device that was implanted had been damaged but when he was looking at it 18 yrs later he passed out and dropped it and the car tire (when his wife came home) ran over it and somehow made two parts make a connection just long enough for the signal to get picked up in the future. They were doing there “it’s been two weeks” protocol of looking for the signal of a missing agent when they got the ping. The ping was 18 yrs from when they left him so that is where and when they went looking for him. (hide spoiler)]

[Nancy]

Samantha wrote: "And later, when the TCB decides to eliminate Miranda, why do they jump to a time when she was an adult and about to make a video game divulging information about the TCB? Couldn't they have gone to a time before she was born and keep Kin from ever having her? Or better yet, gone back and taken the notebook from her?..."

This was explained...if they eliminate her or the notebook at a timeframe before they knew about her, then how can they go back and eliminate her or the notebook.

They have to eliminate something or someone at the point of detection otherwise the person or event never happened so how could you go back and eliminate something that never happened. Just your standard grandfather paradox.

[Nancy]

I am almost done and I am enjoying it. His friend and employer do not seem to understand that if your brain can’t handle the memories of two different eras and he forgets his 2142 life then how could he have remembered the rules like don’t get a family and own property.

I do not think it reads like a self published novel. I’ve read enough bad ones to know and avoid them now because of the bad experiences with them.

[Nancy]

Samantha wrote: "Steven, you should enclose all the stuff you consider a spoiler inside the brackets. As it is now everyone can read it.

All done! This is a throwaway novel for me, fun while it lasts but leaving ..."

Penny told Miranda the date they would be arriving back in the future.

[Nancy]

I finished and I liked it. Two years late! Sorry about that.

I liked the idea the brain not being able to handle two sets of memories from different eras. A nice little twist to the person stranded in a different time.

[Steven]

Nancy wrote: "Samantha wrote: "Steven, you should enclose all the stuff you consider a spoiler inside the brackets. As it is now everyone can read it.

Done, I hope!