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Time’s Ellipse
No solution saves everyone. Only one keeps us human.
The hope of a dying Earth rests on a crew of astronauts. Their find a new home. But when they touch down on a distant planet, a time-bending anomaly traps them in a situation that no one could've predicted, causing them to question the nature of humanity, the snare of destiny, and the shape of time itself.
Time's Ellipse spans generations, orbiting the lives of the scientists and astronauts involved in this historic mission as they discover that escaping the planet is simpler than evading its legacy.
The hope of a dying Earth rests on a crew of astronauts. Their find a new home. But when they touch down on a distant planet, a time-bending anomaly traps them in a situation that no one could've predicted, causing them to question the nature of humanity, the snare of destiny, and the shape of time itself.
Time's Ellipse spans generations, orbiting the lives of the scientists and astronauts involved in this historic mission as they discover that escaping the planet is simpler than evading its legacy.
- GenresScience Fiction
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 12, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 13, 2023
A fast paced, time dilation space thriller with heart.
I hated that to save the world, we had to change its mind.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened up this book but it wasn’t this. And I mean that in a good way. This is an interstellar space travel epic with the urgency of Earth climate disaster, a genre that is well worn and well loved and still very much relevant. The book started out awkward for me because of one of the book’s cosmology mechanics called orbital locking. The orbital locking didn’t make a lot of sense to me and I still don’t think it does, but I stopped caring because I really enjoyed the implications of the time dilation and its bearing on the story and characters. What we get in the end with Time’s Ellipse is a very interesting narration told over thousands of years that still somehow maintains its cohesion.
But there’s no solution that keeps us human. Only one that keeps us alive.
I’ve never read anything with this kind of narrative structure. There isn’t really a main character, but rather chronological vignettes of dozens of characters that the reader pieces together. I found this story-telling both bold and interesting if not a little risky but I think the author pulled it off.
This book was like reading something along the lines of Neal Stephenson’s climate crisis told over many generations in Seveneves with Tchaikovsky’s space settler book Children of Memory all told with the narrative tone of that main character from the movie Snatch. It was quite the combo and I definitely enjoyed it.
I hated that to save the world, we had to change its mind.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I opened up this book but it wasn’t this. And I mean that in a good way. This is an interstellar space travel epic with the urgency of Earth climate disaster, a genre that is well worn and well loved and still very much relevant. The book started out awkward for me because of one of the book’s cosmology mechanics called orbital locking. The orbital locking didn’t make a lot of sense to me and I still don’t think it does, but I stopped caring because I really enjoyed the implications of the time dilation and its bearing on the story and characters. What we get in the end with Time’s Ellipse is a very interesting narration told over thousands of years that still somehow maintains its cohesion.
But there’s no solution that keeps us human. Only one that keeps us alive.
I’ve never read anything with this kind of narrative structure. There isn’t really a main character, but rather chronological vignettes of dozens of characters that the reader pieces together. I found this story-telling both bold and interesting if not a little risky but I think the author pulled it off.
This book was like reading something along the lines of Neal Stephenson’s climate crisis told over many generations in Seveneves with Tchaikovsky’s space settler book Children of Memory all told with the narrative tone of that main character from the movie Snatch. It was quite the combo and I definitely enjoyed it.
August 31, 2024
Pulled me immediately into its orbit and didn't let go. This book really felt like it achieved a one of a kind structure and world, spanning planets and generations, equal parts pacy and thoughtful. Every section was full of interesting characters, and emotional and philosophical questions explored masterfully. Bleak at times, hopeful in other parts, venturing into all elements of the human spirit. Loved this!
July 11, 2025
The science fiction novel Time's Ellipse by Frasier Armitage was released in 2023 and he’s one of those authors I’ve been meaning to read for a long time. I’m glad this book finally rose to the top of my reading pile. This happened to be the first independently published pure sci-fi novel I’ve read, and if Time’s Ellipse is anything to go by the indie sci-fi scene is in rude health. I’m also glad I went into this one without any pre-conceptions as it proved to be full of surprises, making this a memorable read.
When the book begins Doctor Emily Rowlands is facing a difficult decision on a dying Earth as her company, Orbicon, prepares to launch a manned spacecraft into interstellar space for the first time. The central premise for Time’s Ellipse involves a concept called ‘orbital locking’, where the passage of time is affected by the speed of a planet’s orbit around its star. Consequently, with its longer orbit compared to Earth, humans would live about twice as long on Mars with its 687 day orbit. Dr. Rowlands’ dilemma is that on Trappist 1E, the target planet for her spacecraft, Icarus One, it orbits its star every six days. That means for its crew thirty Earth years will pass by in a mere six months. Dr. Rowlands is literally sending her six astronauts to their premature deaths on another world, with no prospect of them returning home.
Now, I must confess that when this was being explained at the start of the story I had some difficulty swallowing this premise. If you’re a reader who enjoys hard sci-fi, with everything grounded in scientific theory, you might find this book a little too fanciful for your tastes. However, before dismissing Time’s Ellipse it’s worth remembering that sci-fi is still speculative fiction and as such it always involves a certain suspension of disbelief. We happily accept ships that can travel faster than light, or nod along when they fold the fabric of the universe with limitless energy to traverse wormholes. And don’t get me started about exciting dogfights involving missiles and lasers, where the loser explodes improbably in the hard vacuum of space.
Why do we accept these things? Because they’re awesome. They’re rooted in the imaginative experience, one which allows us to enjoy an incredible story. The concept of orbital locking is awesome as well, in a more subtle way, because it allows Armitage to explore the profound moral consequences arising from the mission to Trappist 1E and the fate of the human race back on Earth. I can’t really talk about what happens next without spoiling the story, but this is a tale which spans multiple generations and the way it unfolds is only possible because of orbital locking.
Each chapter normally involves a different point of view character. Ceaselessly inventive and surprising, Armitage shows off his storytelling chops with each segment of this novel being completely different to the one before. He uses a variety of storytelling techniques and succeeds in giving each of his characters a distinctive voice. Armitage’s writing is always amusing, engaging and thought provoking. At times I found myself wondering if this was really a short story collection but as the novel unfolds it becomes clear there’s an overarching narrative and the various strands start to come together.
There are times when this story is beautiful and the writing is wonderfully poetic in places. I absolutely loved the wry humour running through the novel as well, which acts as the perfect counterbalance to some of the big concepts and the dire situation Earth finds itself in.
“It’s been said that, in space, no-one can hear you scream. Not true. We’d been in space for a week, and every day, I screamed, and every day, someone told me to pack it in. What would be more accurate is, ‘In space, nobody who screams is very popular.’”
Overall, this novel is hugely ambitious in concept, scale and storytelling. Sometimes it took a faltering step but it always remained compelling reading. It reminded me a lot of the Dark Eden Trilogy by Chris Beckett, which is one of my favourite sci-fi series, so I think fans of those books will thoroughly enjoy this novel. Time’s Ellipse was an emotional and impactful tale, with many moments that genuinely moved me. It’s a great example of how the sci-fi genre allows us to tell stories that couldn’t be told in any other way – providing we suspend disbelief and allow the author to take us on an imaginative journey into the stars.
When the book begins Doctor Emily Rowlands is facing a difficult decision on a dying Earth as her company, Orbicon, prepares to launch a manned spacecraft into interstellar space for the first time. The central premise for Time’s Ellipse involves a concept called ‘orbital locking’, where the passage of time is affected by the speed of a planet’s orbit around its star. Consequently, with its longer orbit compared to Earth, humans would live about twice as long on Mars with its 687 day orbit. Dr. Rowlands’ dilemma is that on Trappist 1E, the target planet for her spacecraft, Icarus One, it orbits its star every six days. That means for its crew thirty Earth years will pass by in a mere six months. Dr. Rowlands is literally sending her six astronauts to their premature deaths on another world, with no prospect of them returning home.
Now, I must confess that when this was being explained at the start of the story I had some difficulty swallowing this premise. If you’re a reader who enjoys hard sci-fi, with everything grounded in scientific theory, you might find this book a little too fanciful for your tastes. However, before dismissing Time’s Ellipse it’s worth remembering that sci-fi is still speculative fiction and as such it always involves a certain suspension of disbelief. We happily accept ships that can travel faster than light, or nod along when they fold the fabric of the universe with limitless energy to traverse wormholes. And don’t get me started about exciting dogfights involving missiles and lasers, where the loser explodes improbably in the hard vacuum of space.
Why do we accept these things? Because they’re awesome. They’re rooted in the imaginative experience, one which allows us to enjoy an incredible story. The concept of orbital locking is awesome as well, in a more subtle way, because it allows Armitage to explore the profound moral consequences arising from the mission to Trappist 1E and the fate of the human race back on Earth. I can’t really talk about what happens next without spoiling the story, but this is a tale which spans multiple generations and the way it unfolds is only possible because of orbital locking.
Each chapter normally involves a different point of view character. Ceaselessly inventive and surprising, Armitage shows off his storytelling chops with each segment of this novel being completely different to the one before. He uses a variety of storytelling techniques and succeeds in giving each of his characters a distinctive voice. Armitage’s writing is always amusing, engaging and thought provoking. At times I found myself wondering if this was really a short story collection but as the novel unfolds it becomes clear there’s an overarching narrative and the various strands start to come together.
There are times when this story is beautiful and the writing is wonderfully poetic in places. I absolutely loved the wry humour running through the novel as well, which acts as the perfect counterbalance to some of the big concepts and the dire situation Earth finds itself in.
“It’s been said that, in space, no-one can hear you scream. Not true. We’d been in space for a week, and every day, I screamed, and every day, someone told me to pack it in. What would be more accurate is, ‘In space, nobody who screams is very popular.’”
Overall, this novel is hugely ambitious in concept, scale and storytelling. Sometimes it took a faltering step but it always remained compelling reading. It reminded me a lot of the Dark Eden Trilogy by Chris Beckett, which is one of my favourite sci-fi series, so I think fans of those books will thoroughly enjoy this novel. Time’s Ellipse was an emotional and impactful tale, with many moments that genuinely moved me. It’s a great example of how the sci-fi genre allows us to tell stories that couldn’t be told in any other way – providing we suspend disbelief and allow the author to take us on an imaginative journey into the stars.
February 4, 2024
Great sci-fi, perhaps more than any other genre, often hinges on the kernel of a mind-bending idea; one that challenges our conceptions of time and space and what it means to be human. The best of these ideas are so wild, so breathtaking, that they propel you through the story, and leave you feeling like you’ve explored the depths of what it means to be human. Well with Time’s Ellipse, indie author Frasier Armitage, already no stranger to sci-fi books featuring wacky, Nolan-esque tricks of time and space, has a real doozy. In the boldly original concept of orbital locking, Armitage has hit on a brilliant way to explore classic sci-fi themes of generational advancement, interstellar grief and isolation and what it means to be human far from home.
The book begins with a pretty generic set-up: six astronauts, experts in their respective fields, are chosen for a special mission: to travel to the nearest habitable planet (that isn’t Mars, Mars has not gone well so far) and use that as a base to observe the skies for proper planets that a dying Earth can colonise. So far so sci-fi. Where the bizarre curveball comes in is thanks to the abovementioned concept of Orbital Locking. I’m not going to pretend to understand it completely (I’m not sure it’s possible to understand it completely) and I’m not going to spoil your pleasure by giving the game away here, but what I will say is that the effects of it are very easy to understand even if the science of it is barmy, and they create an enormously fun and unexpected situation on this new, alien planet.
What spirals from this is a generational story of colonisation, scientific advancement, the joys and otherwise of making a new home far from Earth, and the innate grief that comes when basic concepts of time and space are played around with to a wacky extent. Armitage is astute enough to not just focus on the eccentric effects of his clever little time trick – though those are fascinating and enjoyably related by a grumpy mathematician character who provides a lot of the comedy – but also on the aspects of human grief that come with it. At times in this book you will really feel how it is to be so lonely so far away from home (one section involving a character coping with the death of their loved one destroyed me a little bit) and Armitage here shows his gift in caring for the human as well as the conceptual, something which all great sci-fi authors must learn to get to grips with.
The way the story goes is completely and constantly unexpected, jumping across time and generations, and involving all manner of narrative styles from therapy sessions to the points of view of different characters thousands of years apart. Armitage’s ambition is fully on display here as we end up in one very obvious way going full circle and asking grand questions such as whether scientific advancement is a good thing or are we always doomed to fail; and how science can become myth and legend.
A small critique is that it can be a little discombobulating at times and hard to get a firm grip on the characters who are there one minute and consigned to history the next, and it did leave me feeling at times like I would have liked to have got to know some of these characters and contexts a little more. But if my main critique is that I wish I’d been in this world for three times as long, then you know I was pretty absorbed in this story, and I suspect my wish for more chonkiness in this tale will actually be a massive plus for a lot of readers who will be refreshed by a grand sci-fi space opera that actually zips along as opposed to making you commit to a reading gauntlet that ends around the time you’ve paid off your mortgage.
All in all, Armitage is one of those up-and-coming authors you need to keep an eye on, and with Time’s Ellipse he’s demonstrated not just the ability to devise a concept so original it will fillet your brain if you ponder it for too long (one minute every ten is my advice if you don’t want your grey matter to start leaking from your nose) but the ability to relate that into powerful, deeply human contexts that ask the biggest questions while not forgetting the smallest of people. Sci-fi fans, you know what to do.
The book begins with a pretty generic set-up: six astronauts, experts in their respective fields, are chosen for a special mission: to travel to the nearest habitable planet (that isn’t Mars, Mars has not gone well so far) and use that as a base to observe the skies for proper planets that a dying Earth can colonise. So far so sci-fi. Where the bizarre curveball comes in is thanks to the abovementioned concept of Orbital Locking. I’m not going to pretend to understand it completely (I’m not sure it’s possible to understand it completely) and I’m not going to spoil your pleasure by giving the game away here, but what I will say is that the effects of it are very easy to understand even if the science of it is barmy, and they create an enormously fun and unexpected situation on this new, alien planet.
What spirals from this is a generational story of colonisation, scientific advancement, the joys and otherwise of making a new home far from Earth, and the innate grief that comes when basic concepts of time and space are played around with to a wacky extent. Armitage is astute enough to not just focus on the eccentric effects of his clever little time trick – though those are fascinating and enjoyably related by a grumpy mathematician character who provides a lot of the comedy – but also on the aspects of human grief that come with it. At times in this book you will really feel how it is to be so lonely so far away from home (one section involving a character coping with the death of their loved one destroyed me a little bit) and Armitage here shows his gift in caring for the human as well as the conceptual, something which all great sci-fi authors must learn to get to grips with.
The way the story goes is completely and constantly unexpected, jumping across time and generations, and involving all manner of narrative styles from therapy sessions to the points of view of different characters thousands of years apart. Armitage’s ambition is fully on display here as we end up in one very obvious way going full circle and asking grand questions such as whether scientific advancement is a good thing or are we always doomed to fail; and how science can become myth and legend.
A small critique is that it can be a little discombobulating at times and hard to get a firm grip on the characters who are there one minute and consigned to history the next, and it did leave me feeling at times like I would have liked to have got to know some of these characters and contexts a little more. But if my main critique is that I wish I’d been in this world for three times as long, then you know I was pretty absorbed in this story, and I suspect my wish for more chonkiness in this tale will actually be a massive plus for a lot of readers who will be refreshed by a grand sci-fi space opera that actually zips along as opposed to making you commit to a reading gauntlet that ends around the time you’ve paid off your mortgage.
All in all, Armitage is one of those up-and-coming authors you need to keep an eye on, and with Time’s Ellipse he’s demonstrated not just the ability to devise a concept so original it will fillet your brain if you ponder it for too long (one minute every ten is my advice if you don’t want your grey matter to start leaking from your nose) but the ability to relate that into powerful, deeply human contexts that ask the biggest questions while not forgetting the smallest of people. Sci-fi fans, you know what to do.
December 12, 2024
TIME’S ELLIPSE by Frasier Armitage is one hell of a page-turner. Armitage has crafted a very readable, at times funny and tragic, propulsive tale front-loaded with intrigue. I was drawn in quickly.
With the story being about a crew of astronauts about to embark on a pioneering mission, it starts in a place that students of the genre know and love. We meet the crew, we start to understand their quirks, but we look for clues about what the nature of their mission will be, which part of it will go wrong, and more importantly, what’s at stake for crew and for mankind. To say more here would be a spoiler. But suffice to say I’m not giving away anything that’s not in the title when I say that anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for stories that play around with time. It’s a rich seam for exploring the nature of humanity, and the decisions of individuals, and how those decisions ripple out and affect others. Armitage mines that seam brilliantly here, on a cosmic scale.
When events deviate from the plan, as they inevitably do, we are drip fed clues about the nature of an upended world-view, one which the crew quickly have to adapt to. Kirk, a great character we follow early on, brings some Weir-esque science-based humour to the tale, giving us laymen readers a tour of the world we are entering, allowing us to live it by proxy through him. His initial assessments about just what the hell might be going on sends shivers. You can almost feel the blood draining out of everyone’s faces when he starts to make a mind-melting postulation that basically, as a reader, books you a ticket for the full ride. I remember thinking, wow, I’m in the front seat for this rollercoaster and I’m not getting off till I know how the ride finishes.
What follows is a dizzying cascade that encapsulates this new existence into a complex web of interconnectedness, the detail of which I’ll avoid here, except to say that there is a requirement for the reader to pay attention during this second quarter of the novel, because it sets up the next part beautifully.
The scope and scale expands beyond this into something unexpectedly epic. And it’s in this area that the true speculative elements of this speculative fiction hit home. The book, like all good sci-fi, asks “what if?” but then reaches beyond to ask “what then?”. More than once I found myself asking, just where is this story going to take me? Armitage chooses to take us in fascinating directions with the narrative.
Later, Machiavellian tactics are deployed between characters with agendas to preserve, with one particular chess-move exquisitely wrought, and the results of which add to the richness, and inform the tragic elements of the denouement. Some look forward, others don’t, often to their own detriment, both on Earth and elsewhere.
One of the absolute joys of this book is how Frasier Armitage does his world-building literally in realtime. Every development makes so much sense that when it’s seen once again by a new set of eyes towards the end of novel, we readers are already in on the deal. It’s clever, clever stuff. Then, some smart overlapping of narratives switches us back to things we saw earlier and brings a new perspective (an important staple of time-bending stories), and all the things we’ve been shouting at the page about, waiting for the penny to drop for certain characters, click into place with such satisfaction. I came away moved by this book. Looking back across all that had happened, I must say this is up there with other great sci-fi exploration tales. A stellar book, in every sense.
With the story being about a crew of astronauts about to embark on a pioneering mission, it starts in a place that students of the genre know and love. We meet the crew, we start to understand their quirks, but we look for clues about what the nature of their mission will be, which part of it will go wrong, and more importantly, what’s at stake for crew and for mankind. To say more here would be a spoiler. But suffice to say I’m not giving away anything that’s not in the title when I say that anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for stories that play around with time. It’s a rich seam for exploring the nature of humanity, and the decisions of individuals, and how those decisions ripple out and affect others. Armitage mines that seam brilliantly here, on a cosmic scale.
When events deviate from the plan, as they inevitably do, we are drip fed clues about the nature of an upended world-view, one which the crew quickly have to adapt to. Kirk, a great character we follow early on, brings some Weir-esque science-based humour to the tale, giving us laymen readers a tour of the world we are entering, allowing us to live it by proxy through him. His initial assessments about just what the hell might be going on sends shivers. You can almost feel the blood draining out of everyone’s faces when he starts to make a mind-melting postulation that basically, as a reader, books you a ticket for the full ride. I remember thinking, wow, I’m in the front seat for this rollercoaster and I’m not getting off till I know how the ride finishes.
What follows is a dizzying cascade that encapsulates this new existence into a complex web of interconnectedness, the detail of which I’ll avoid here, except to say that there is a requirement for the reader to pay attention during this second quarter of the novel, because it sets up the next part beautifully.
The scope and scale expands beyond this into something unexpectedly epic. And it’s in this area that the true speculative elements of this speculative fiction hit home. The book, like all good sci-fi, asks “what if?” but then reaches beyond to ask “what then?”. More than once I found myself asking, just where is this story going to take me? Armitage chooses to take us in fascinating directions with the narrative.
Later, Machiavellian tactics are deployed between characters with agendas to preserve, with one particular chess-move exquisitely wrought, and the results of which add to the richness, and inform the tragic elements of the denouement. Some look forward, others don’t, often to their own detriment, both on Earth and elsewhere.
One of the absolute joys of this book is how Frasier Armitage does his world-building literally in realtime. Every development makes so much sense that when it’s seen once again by a new set of eyes towards the end of novel, we readers are already in on the deal. It’s clever, clever stuff. Then, some smart overlapping of narratives switches us back to things we saw earlier and brings a new perspective (an important staple of time-bending stories), and all the things we’ve been shouting at the page about, waiting for the penny to drop for certain characters, click into place with such satisfaction. I came away moved by this book. Looking back across all that had happened, I must say this is up there with other great sci-fi exploration tales. A stellar book, in every sense.
December 6, 2024
“I was going to have a lot of work to do with Oscar if I was going to marry him. I’d got him to the point where always did what I suggested to him, but it was always such a lot of effort. When we were married, he’d have to be a lot quicker about doing what I told him.”
This was a great read. I loved most of the characters and the science. The Earth is in a very bad state because of climate change and six astronauts have to travel light years away to find a solution. Fans of the movie Interstellar will love this.
It has a very unique narrative structure. We cross thousands of years across different POVs and we see so much change and adaptation within the individuals and the collective. So many themes are packed in so well, especially the science of discovery and how human society works from social connections and cultural setting, to language, to social class, to religion and we see why there are patterns repeated in our history. We travel across 10 different characters and 2000 plus years and nowhere was it slow.
My favorite character amongst this large cast was Kirk and I’m so glad we got a lot of time in this character’s POV in the beginning. He is a mathematician with a dark secret and is very quippy. I loved how the author has captured uniquely the varied character voices. I was bursting out laughing at some and felt moved by some and was angry at one.
“Grammar in the space program was so stupid. ‘We are a go for launch’ made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I knew it was tradition, and everything. But how could a linguist ever hold down a job in space? It was bad enough for me, and I was a mathematician.”
The writing was also very, very engaging. At no point did I feel like I had to put the book down unless I had to. Usually I find myself having a small disconnect in multi-pov books and I want to return to my more favorite characters but I didn’t have that in this book. I do have my one most favorite character as proclaimed above but the story and writing were so good that I just constantly wanted to move forward through the different character POVs. It also encompassed more than two millenia- so a lot of time skips. But for most part the time skips do not feel jarring in the least. Special mention to June and Cassandra’s chapters where grief is explored really, really well. I don’t think I can recall it being done so well in the 50 other books I read this year.
I also loved the ending and we left the story at a very satisfying place. My only qualm is that there is a gap between original settlers and new residents of Trappist 1 E and we see the behavior and culture being very different. Technically there is a 400 year gap between those events and it is very plausible that the society changes so much in that much time but I’d have liked it being explored a bit more. I am however very happy I got to read this one and will definitely be picking up more Frasier Armitage in the future.
This was a great read. I loved most of the characters and the science. The Earth is in a very bad state because of climate change and six astronauts have to travel light years away to find a solution. Fans of the movie Interstellar will love this.
It has a very unique narrative structure. We cross thousands of years across different POVs and we see so much change and adaptation within the individuals and the collective. So many themes are packed in so well, especially the science of discovery and how human society works from social connections and cultural setting, to language, to social class, to religion and we see why there are patterns repeated in our history. We travel across 10 different characters and 2000 plus years and nowhere was it slow.
My favorite character amongst this large cast was Kirk and I’m so glad we got a lot of time in this character’s POV in the beginning. He is a mathematician with a dark secret and is very quippy. I loved how the author has captured uniquely the varied character voices. I was bursting out laughing at some and felt moved by some and was angry at one.
“Grammar in the space program was so stupid. ‘We are a go for launch’ made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I knew it was tradition, and everything. But how could a linguist ever hold down a job in space? It was bad enough for me, and I was a mathematician.”
The writing was also very, very engaging. At no point did I feel like I had to put the book down unless I had to. Usually I find myself having a small disconnect in multi-pov books and I want to return to my more favorite characters but I didn’t have that in this book. I do have my one most favorite character as proclaimed above but the story and writing were so good that I just constantly wanted to move forward through the different character POVs. It also encompassed more than two millenia- so a lot of time skips. But for most part the time skips do not feel jarring in the least. Special mention to June and Cassandra’s chapters where grief is explored really, really well. I don’t think I can recall it being done so well in the 50 other books I read this year.
I also loved the ending and we left the story at a very satisfying place. My only qualm is that there is a gap between original settlers and new residents of Trappist 1 E and we see the behavior and culture being very different. Technically there is a 400 year gap between those events and it is very plausible that the society changes so much in that much time but I’d have liked it being explored a bit more. I am however very happy I got to read this one and will definitely be picking up more Frasier Armitage in the future.
December 19, 2023
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m going to start off by saying you really need to read Time’s Ellipse to experience what Frasier has created here. Where this book begins and where it ends both feels completely different but yet it also comes in a full circle. Trust me, that statement will make sense once you read the book.
Frasier has created a slew of characters as Time’s Ellipse spans multiple generations, and it becomes a fascinating exploration of how civilisation evolves, and how myths and religion evolve with it. Time’s Ellipse has multiple time skips but Frasier has cleverly weaved in connections between each skip so you never feel lost, and even when names alter you have enough context to figure out who they were originally.
Coming in at just over 300 pages Frasier has packed so much into each and every page of this book. Nothing is wasted and everything is moving forward, and with such a potentially complicated topic as orbital locking it’s great that the story keeps moving forward constantly.
Orbital Locking is quite the concept. Don’t be worried if you’re not sure what it means when you’re first introduced to it. It won’t take long for the pieces to fall into place and for the real meaning to reveal itself. It’s such a clever idea and I’ve never come across anything like it before.
Pick up Time’s Ellipse when you want an addictive read. I read this late into the night and couldn’t wait to pick it up the next day. Filled with clever concepts and a fascinating look into human civilisation, you’ll be hooked.
I’m going to start off by saying you really need to read Time’s Ellipse to experience what Frasier has created here. Where this book begins and where it ends both feels completely different but yet it also comes in a full circle. Trust me, that statement will make sense once you read the book.
Frasier has created a slew of characters as Time’s Ellipse spans multiple generations, and it becomes a fascinating exploration of how civilisation evolves, and how myths and religion evolve with it. Time’s Ellipse has multiple time skips but Frasier has cleverly weaved in connections between each skip so you never feel lost, and even when names alter you have enough context to figure out who they were originally.
Coming in at just over 300 pages Frasier has packed so much into each and every page of this book. Nothing is wasted and everything is moving forward, and with such a potentially complicated topic as orbital locking it’s great that the story keeps moving forward constantly.
Orbital Locking is quite the concept. Don’t be worried if you’re not sure what it means when you’re first introduced to it. It won’t take long for the pieces to fall into place and for the real meaning to reveal itself. It’s such a clever idea and I’ve never come across anything like it before.
Pick up Time’s Ellipse when you want an addictive read. I read this late into the night and couldn’t wait to pick it up the next day. Filled with clever concepts and a fascinating look into human civilisation, you’ll be hooked.
December 30, 2023
Obviously the suspension of disbelief is important in fiction. Most of the science fiction novels I enjoy are based on a future that hasn't happened or around some technology that is as yet impossible.
The idea of orbital locking as posited in this story took a lot of getting my head over, though, and the fact that none of the characters seem to get how it works until it serves the plot for them to do so is a bit of a mark down, too. You can argue that the work is a bit of a character study or exploration of how a group of people with a minimum viable population degenerates into chaos, which then makes one question the purpose of the story around that whole thing which falls a little flat.
So yes, it was ... OK. Not my favourite book of the year. I'd go for another Armitage , I never give up on an author after one book, but the thrust of the main idea of this one, combined with the execution of that idea being so weird in the first place, takes a bit of adjusting to.
The idea of orbital locking as posited in this story took a lot of getting my head over, though, and the fact that none of the characters seem to get how it works until it serves the plot for them to do so is a bit of a mark down, too. You can argue that the work is a bit of a character study or exploration of how a group of people with a minimum viable population degenerates into chaos, which then makes one question the purpose of the story around that whole thing which falls a little flat.
So yes, it was ... OK. Not my favourite book of the year. I'd go for another Armitage , I never give up on an author after one book, but the thrust of the main idea of this one, combined with the execution of that idea being so weird in the first place, takes a bit of adjusting to.
May 27, 2025
This might be one of the best books I've read in a while. It had everything. Heartbreak, humor, hope. Told through little stories, Time's Ellipse won't be something I forget. Each story was so unique and I had to keep finding out how the next characters were going to deal with the mess ups of the previous characters. This is a book that you'll want to read if you love scifi. It was an insightful look into the human race. I just want everyone to read this book it was so good. This is definitely my favorite book of 2025 so far.
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September 28, 2023TIME’S ELLIPSE is a fast-paced, high-stakes space opera that is sure to entertain. Armitage offers us a tale spanning across not only generations but also evolutions through unique characters. The book explores the concept of time, tackling what the unknown might hold, and how civilizations may repeat and complicate. At its heart is the warning of the responsibility of science and the guilt of creation.
A big thank you to the author for an early ARC!
A big thank you to the author for an early ARC!
July 13, 2024
It’s been a while since the last time I finished reading a book within days. For some reason, I always take my time and many a pause.
The writing is cool and the pacing is fast, only slowing down slightly to delve into what I’d describe as “necessary narrative loops” that inform and give a special flavor to the story. The book introduces us to a large cast of characters, each meant to reveal a piece of a story that spans thousands of years. Like all good sci-fi, this story made me think about life and the future of our species. Climate change and man-caused doom and gloom are thankfully wrapped up in the hopeful bow of salvation. Hermitage’s tale is a rare, precious gem.
It’s an intelligent book which could easily become a TV series. Netflix, are you listening?
The writing is cool and the pacing is fast, only slowing down slightly to delve into what I’d describe as “necessary narrative loops” that inform and give a special flavor to the story. The book introduces us to a large cast of characters, each meant to reveal a piece of a story that spans thousands of years. Like all good sci-fi, this story made me think about life and the future of our species. Climate change and man-caused doom and gloom are thankfully wrapped up in the hopeful bow of salvation. Hermitage’s tale is a rare, precious gem.
It’s an intelligent book which could easily become a TV series. Netflix, are you listening?
September 30, 2023
Full review to come
Frasier Armitage weaves a character heavy sci fi epic thats takes us in unexpected and exciting directions. Reflections on discovery, legacy, humanity, climate change, religious/scientific juxtapositions, hope and the future keep this wholly original story engaging throughout.
Frasier Armitage weaves a character heavy sci fi epic thats takes us in unexpected and exciting directions. Reflections on discovery, legacy, humanity, climate change, religious/scientific juxtapositions, hope and the future keep this wholly original story engaging throughout.
February 18, 2024
Really enjoyed this! Can't wait for more novels from this author.
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