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Halcyon Gate #1
Time Jump
It is the year 2150. An earth shattering experiment is about to take place. Everything has been properly calculated, calibrated, and triple-checked for accuracy. Nothing can go wrong. Jacob Brown and Mason Smith are ready for their mission - they've trained their whole life for it - and nothing is going to stop them from stepping through the gate into the past. At least, this is what Jacob thought. The night before the mission, he knew that the technology was going to work. He didn't have any jitters or misgivings. He knew he would see his wife again. It was only a matter of time. Time. That thing that separates the past from the present and the present from the future. It is a concept that we finally gained a greater understanding of with Project Halcyon. Project Halcyon. A great undertaking which is going to propel the Human race to new heights. By stepping through the portal into the past, Jacob and Mason are going to embark on a mission that changes everything. Having stepped through the portal. It is obvious. Something went wrong. Something went horribly wrong... Time Jump is the first installment of the Halcyon Gate series and follows Jacob and Mason on their harrowing adventure through time. Just what happens when these two brave men step through the Gate into the past? Last updated 3-14-2016
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 31, 2013
6 people are currently reading
44 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Preiss
2 books6 followersI'm sure that people are curious as to who I am, so I guess I'll do my best to clear the air.
I am a native Texan. I was born in New Braunfels, raised in neighboring Canyon Lake, and moved to the Houston area in 2010.
I graduated from Smithson Valley High School in 2006, and from there I went to Texas State University - San Marcos for Music Education.
That wasn't the thing for me, so I ended up switching to physics. I now find myself finishing up my degree at the University of Houston after I ran into some rough parts in my life.
I write because I love to write. It is as simple as that. I love telling stories, and I am lucky enough to be able to write them down effectively; at least, I think I write them down effectively.
I live on my own with my two parakeets, cat, and tank of fish.
I am currently working on the second book in the Halcyon Gate series, and I have at least one other series planned that will be started after Eugenic Reprisal is released.
Follow me on twitter or find my on facebook (J. M. Preiss) to stay in touch with me! I'll be doing my best to keep folks updated on my progress of my writing.
I am a native Texan. I was born in New Braunfels, raised in neighboring Canyon Lake, and moved to the Houston area in 2010.
I graduated from Smithson Valley High School in 2006, and from there I went to Texas State University - San Marcos for Music Education.
That wasn't the thing for me, so I ended up switching to physics. I now find myself finishing up my degree at the University of Houston after I ran into some rough parts in my life.
I write because I love to write. It is as simple as that. I love telling stories, and I am lucky enough to be able to write them down effectively; at least, I think I write them down effectively.
I live on my own with my two parakeets, cat, and tank of fish.
I am currently working on the second book in the Halcyon Gate series, and I have at least one other series planned that will be started after Eugenic Reprisal is released.
Follow me on twitter or find my on facebook (J. M. Preiss) to stay in touch with me! I'll be doing my best to keep folks updated on my progress of my writing.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 25, 2019
This was a disappointment.
I'm a big fan of time travel novels and this one seemed to have all the ingredients for a damn good romp around the timelines.
But oh dear. Instead of being sent back in time to interact with the imbeciles of the early 21st century our intrepid duo end up going forward in time (or a new dimension, that'd be a good twist, if the author hasn't already thought of that). And our heroes (with heightened senses and capabilities of course) Messrs Smith and Brown end up punking around a slightly different world to that expected.
Hey that sounds great, does it not ?
Well it might I suppose. Unfortunately this book is written in a monotone dismal drone with half fleshed characters that seem to be as original as their names suggest. I mean it's just dull. The descriptions of the 22nd century or whatever it is (it's not made entirely clear) are poor and their
their new abode sounds like the highlands of Scotland, complete with some unconvincing wild animal that sounds like a cross between a wild cat and a bear. I guess where are, at least, spared tedious scientific reasonings and technological jargon concerning the time travel process.
Worst of all there are the mistakes. And there are errors aplenty, found all over the book. Missing words, mispelt words, weird grammar and diabolical punctuation. It's almost as it's an expanded version of a lower 6th form essay. I'd be having a word with your proof reader if I were you Mr Preiss.
I guessed the ending pretty easily. We all knew the inhabitants of Respite and other dull sounding villages were pseudo organic robots well before the half-way point. The interchange between this hapless couple are textbook and the quiet assumption that we all know about pulse-cannons and the like doesn't help.
So, really there's nothing new or even original here for even the most hardcore sci-fi/time travel fans and the likes of Steve White have nothing to fear.
I am aware of two others volumes in this underwhelming tale. I think I'll just dip out now however and wondering what happens next won't keep me awake at nights.
I'm a big fan of time travel novels and this one seemed to have all the ingredients for a damn good romp around the timelines.
But oh dear. Instead of being sent back in time to interact with the imbeciles of the early 21st century our intrepid duo end up going forward in time (or a new dimension, that'd be a good twist, if the author hasn't already thought of that). And our heroes (with heightened senses and capabilities of course) Messrs Smith and Brown end up punking around a slightly different world to that expected.
Hey that sounds great, does it not ?
Well it might I suppose. Unfortunately this book is written in a monotone dismal drone with half fleshed characters that seem to be as original as their names suggest. I mean it's just dull. The descriptions of the 22nd century or whatever it is (it's not made entirely clear) are poor and their
their new abode sounds like the highlands of Scotland, complete with some unconvincing wild animal that sounds like a cross between a wild cat and a bear. I guess where are, at least, spared tedious scientific reasonings and technological jargon concerning the time travel process.
Worst of all there are the mistakes. And there are errors aplenty, found all over the book. Missing words, mispelt words, weird grammar and diabolical punctuation. It's almost as it's an expanded version of a lower 6th form essay. I'd be having a word with your proof reader if I were you Mr Preiss.
I guessed the ending pretty easily. We all knew the inhabitants of Respite and other dull sounding villages were pseudo organic robots well before the half-way point. The interchange between this hapless couple are textbook and the quiet assumption that we all know about pulse-cannons and the like doesn't help.
So, really there's nothing new or even original here for even the most hardcore sci-fi/time travel fans and the likes of Steve White have nothing to fear.
I am aware of two others volumes in this underwhelming tale. I think I'll just dip out now however and wondering what happens next won't keep me awake at nights.
October 8, 2012
Really bad. Only finished it because it was so short. And loads of typos. Hate that.
March 6, 2012
Talk about the necessity of a reader’s hook-look no further. “Time Jump” manages it within the first three sentences-of the Prologue! It captured me and immediately made me start racing through the pages to find out why, how, when (that, after all, is the major question), where, who? The question of time travel: is it possible, is it dangerous, how can the past be altered without completely and complexly changing the future-has been debated, studied, and written about for a more than a century, since H. G. Wells and Jule Verne took it under consideration. Author J. M. Preiss, giving this theory a go, sets in a rather dystopian civilization of 2150, a crowded, cramped, overbearing world pretty much belonging to the wealthy; where almost all citizens are sardine-packed into overpopulated cities, and nanotechnology ought to relieve the burdens of manual labor and manufacturing.
In this venue, the Halcyon Project is all set to enter the final stage of study: no longer content to return inanimate objects into a former era, the Project’s scientists and researchers determine to send humans-two males, Jacob and Mason, back to the year 2000. Of course, there are naysayers who are convinced that the introduction of two humans into an earlier era will erupt causality and effectively destroy the universe as we know it; but who, after all, ever heeds the objectors? What hasn’t been taken into account is that even the best-laid plans can collapse, and then what of the time travelers themselves? Where-and when-have they arrived?
“Time Jump” effectively world-builds, giving us the sociology, history, economy, and geography of the mid-22nd century as a backdrop to explaining why the Halcyon Project was undertaken in the first place (other than sheer scientific hubris). The plot line will keep readers puzzled, guessing, and reading. The conclusions will inspire the intrigued reader to anticipate the second, upcoming, novel in this series.
March 22, 2012
Sometimes novels involving time travel can be risky. For every plotline that's done well there are probably three that aren't.
In Time Jump, J.M. Preiss does a good job of presenting the concept of time travel in a way that manages to keep the story on a track and still makes sense. As a fan of Doctor Who, I could appreciate the storyline-- particularly the strange creatures, suspicious natives and power hungry overlords.
The story is paced well and there was never a point where I was ever confused or lost. It's easy to get drawn into the storyline and Preiss excels at world building and creating a very futuristic society, or how one would imagine the future would look in 2150. Marriages are arranged, prosthesis look identical to the limbs they are meant to replace, the military exists as peacekeepers, and the advancements in renewable energy have made energy free. Preiss even touches on the drawbacks of technology like the nano-replicators and their implications on the economy.
The characters are memorable in their own way. Hector's cluelessness about the situation is both endearing and funny. Mason and Jacob have a good amount of witty banter that make them both fun and interesting characters that you instantly feel connected to and want to see them return home. Even though Jacob seems to have more of a leader mentality, Mason and Hector are not secondary characters in the slightest and have important roles in the story.
Time Jump ends on a massive cliffhanger and I am anxious to see what will happen to our heroes in the next book.
There was one thing that prevented me from giving this novel more than four stars. Unfortunately the verb tense and the point of view changes a lot in the beginning of the novel; however, it doesn't detract from the overall plot of the story too much though.
Nevertheless, fans of time travel or Doctor Who will thoroughly enjoy this novel.
Read this review and others on my blog: http://readinglist-m.blogspot.com
In Time Jump, J.M. Preiss does a good job of presenting the concept of time travel in a way that manages to keep the story on a track and still makes sense. As a fan of Doctor Who, I could appreciate the storyline-- particularly the strange creatures, suspicious natives and power hungry overlords.
The story is paced well and there was never a point where I was ever confused or lost. It's easy to get drawn into the storyline and Preiss excels at world building and creating a very futuristic society, or how one would imagine the future would look in 2150. Marriages are arranged, prosthesis look identical to the limbs they are meant to replace, the military exists as peacekeepers, and the advancements in renewable energy have made energy free. Preiss even touches on the drawbacks of technology like the nano-replicators and their implications on the economy.
The characters are memorable in their own way. Hector's cluelessness about the situation is both endearing and funny. Mason and Jacob have a good amount of witty banter that make them both fun and interesting characters that you instantly feel connected to and want to see them return home. Even though Jacob seems to have more of a leader mentality, Mason and Hector are not secondary characters in the slightest and have important roles in the story.
Time Jump ends on a massive cliffhanger and I am anxious to see what will happen to our heroes in the next book.
There was one thing that prevented me from giving this novel more than four stars. Unfortunately the verb tense and the point of view changes a lot in the beginning of the novel; however, it doesn't detract from the overall plot of the story too much though.
Nevertheless, fans of time travel or Doctor Who will thoroughly enjoy this novel.
Read this review and others on my blog: http://readinglist-m.blogspot.com
April 15, 2012
Let me begin this review by saying that I normally do not like sci fi books. That's not to say that I don't like sci fi at all. Its just, normally I don't enjoy them.
This book was about time travelling. Something in the genre of sci fi that actually interests me. That is the main reason behind my decision to review this book for Preiss. I'm very glad that I chose to do so.
This book grabbed my attention from the first pages. It is set into the future and Preiss does a wonderful job of describing the futures technology and way of life that I was immediately sucked in and visualizing myself in the future.
Basically, two men are chosen to participate in this Halycon project to travel back in time to complete a mission that will help save the fate of man kind. But something goes wrong.
For the most part, these two men don't have a clue where or when they are. They begin their travels and come across Hector of the Forrest Tribe.
Poor Hector. He has no idea what Jacob and Mason are talking about half the time and he waits a long time for them to come clean with him.
All in all, it was a great book. The hook at the end was effective in making me want to read the second book in the series. The author knew what he was describing when it came to technology and all in all, Preiss makes this a believable story.
I would recommend this book to any time travel lovers or fans of Dr. Who. (: Happy Reading!
This book was about time travelling. Something in the genre of sci fi that actually interests me. That is the main reason behind my decision to review this book for Preiss. I'm very glad that I chose to do so.
This book grabbed my attention from the first pages. It is set into the future and Preiss does a wonderful job of describing the futures technology and way of life that I was immediately sucked in and visualizing myself in the future.
Basically, two men are chosen to participate in this Halycon project to travel back in time to complete a mission that will help save the fate of man kind. But something goes wrong.
For the most part, these two men don't have a clue where or when they are. They begin their travels and come across Hector of the Forrest Tribe.
Poor Hector. He has no idea what Jacob and Mason are talking about half the time and he waits a long time for them to come clean with him.
All in all, it was a great book. The hook at the end was effective in making me want to read the second book in the series. The author knew what he was describing when it came to technology and all in all, Preiss makes this a believable story.
I would recommend this book to any time travel lovers or fans of Dr. Who. (: Happy Reading!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews