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Time Double
A psychic little boy is stalked by something monstrous.
- GenresHorror
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 28, 1989
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 5, 2023
For every lost gem found in 80s horror, you encounter a lot of dross, and Time Double definitely fits into the dross category. This does have an interesting premise, however. The novel starts in 1985 with a dweeby high school history teacher flying his small plane in Ohio; he runs out of gas and ends up crashing and dying. Flash backwards to 1950 where he is somehow reincarnated as an newborn infant. What? Stay with me a bit.
The real story starts in 1958 with our main protagonist Sean Jefferies as an 8 year old. After a lot of filler/build up, the memories of the dweeby teacher explode in Sean's mind; not taking him over, but merging with his. He also now has the power to sense people's auras and moods. So, little Sean tells his folks about his 'new' memories and powers. While all of this is going on, we are introduced to a rather nasty, racist bastard of a man who apparently is the local serial killer and also a janitor in the public school system where little Sean goes to school. You know Sean and the racist bastard are going to clash sometime, but Barrett really draws this out.
Again, neat premise, but the execution is a bit of a fail. Erratic pacing; this either goes too fast or too slow. I liked some of the characters but the denouement left me shaking my head. Buy this one for the awesome cover, but only read it if you are really bored.
The real story starts in 1958 with our main protagonist Sean Jefferies as an 8 year old. After a lot of filler/build up, the memories of the dweeby teacher explode in Sean's mind; not taking him over, but merging with his. He also now has the power to sense people's auras and moods. So, little Sean tells his folks about his 'new' memories and powers. While all of this is going on, we are introduced to a rather nasty, racist bastard of a man who apparently is the local serial killer and also a janitor in the public school system where little Sean goes to school. You know Sean and the racist bastard are going to clash sometime, but Barrett really draws this out.
Again, neat premise, but the execution is a bit of a fail. Erratic pacing; this either goes too fast or too slow. I liked some of the characters but the denouement left me shaking my head. Buy this one for the awesome cover, but only read it if you are really bored.
March 1, 2020
For a book with a cool premise (man dies in the present and sort of possess the body of a child in the past), it's incredibly dull for most of the time spent reading it. The cover's great, other than that, don't spend more than 25-50 cents for it, and that's only if you really want it.
October 24, 2021
Content warning:
This book makes frequent use of the n-word, and other racialized and queerphobic language.
A rather boring story based on a flimsy premise. Not much makes sense throughout this tale, and the author doesn't seem bothered enough to remedy that confusion. This is more of a serial-killer drama than horror-fiction, and even in that genre, it fails to make any serious impression.
The author seems to love using the n-word, f-word, and whatever else is rattling around inside of his psyche. He should have spent less time writing and more time with a therapist. There's nothing redeemable in this book.
This book makes frequent use of the n-word, and other racialized and queerphobic language.
A rather boring story based on a flimsy premise. Not much makes sense throughout this tale, and the author doesn't seem bothered enough to remedy that confusion. This is more of a serial-killer drama than horror-fiction, and even in that genre, it fails to make any serious impression.
The author seems to love using the n-word, f-word, and whatever else is rattling around inside of his psyche. He should have spent less time writing and more time with a therapist. There's nothing redeemable in this book.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews