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Remember Me
While mowing his lawn, a strange storm creates a black hole and pulls Andrew back through time to 1985, leaving behind his new wife and the life he always dreamed of. With no way back he tries to create a life in the past. The technology in his cell phone promises to make him rich beyond his wildest dreams, but a brief encounter with his ex wife causes a ripple effect that erases his daughter from existence. Now Andrew must try and survive the next 25 years in the hopes the black hole will reappear so he can travel back once more and save his daughter, and himself. But making it twenty-five years is starting to seem less likely as he is plagued by bad luck. It's that all it is, or is "time" out to get him for meddling in the past? "5 Stars" - Remember Me has romance, suspense, intrigue, science, God and characters that become our friends and enemies. Brian has a best seller with Remember Me, It should top the lists for a very long time. I highly recommend this book. " --Readers Favorite
- GenresTime Travel
442 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
586 people want to read
About the author
Brian MacLearn
5 books31 followersBrian L. MacLearn is lifelong resident of Iowa, currently living in Waverly. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Business. During his life, he has had poetry published and written song lyrics that have been recorded in Nashville. His first novel Our Heart was a 2011 Readers Favorite finalist. His second novel Remember Me was a 2012 Readers Favorite Bronze medalist. His newest novel, "Against the Current," is nearing publicattion and was a silver medalist at Reader's Favorite in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 8, 2012
The idea of time traveling is not new, but it is so well worked in an original way in this book that it will turn it into a classic in sci-fi, at the level of "Time Machine" by H.G.Wells. If you liked the movie "Timeline", you will also love this book.
The plot is simple. A man is sent 25 years into the past in a strange black hole, while he is mowing his lawn and because of his interference in facts in the past, his younger daughter no longer exists in the reality he came from. He also uses his knowledge of the future and an object he brings with him to the past to become extremelly rich. Also some moral dilemmas need to be addressed on if he should interfere in major disasters or not, and the consequences of his acts meddling in the past will have interesting consequences for the future.
This book is both a science-fiction adventure and a tale of love that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a very well written science-fiction.
This book was written by Brian MacLearn and it was published by Outskirts Press in August of 2012. I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
The plot is simple. A man is sent 25 years into the past in a strange black hole, while he is mowing his lawn and because of his interference in facts in the past, his younger daughter no longer exists in the reality he came from. He also uses his knowledge of the future and an object he brings with him to the past to become extremelly rich. Also some moral dilemmas need to be addressed on if he should interfere in major disasters or not, and the consequences of his acts meddling in the past will have interesting consequences for the future.
This book is both a science-fiction adventure and a tale of love that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.
I recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader who loves a very well written science-fiction.
This book was written by Brian MacLearn and it was published by Outskirts Press in August of 2012. I received a complimentary copy of this book for reviewing and I was not requested to provide a positive review. Opinions expressed here are my own.
October 9, 2012
This review was originally posted on Passion for Pages
3.5 stars
I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi—if you glance at my review policy you will even read that I don’t accept sci-fi books. There are only a handful that I’ve read and liked. However, when I received an email about Remember Me and read the summary I was instantly intrigued.
On the eve of Andrew’s fiftieth birthday, an everyday chore of mowing the lawn suddenly turns into anything but normal. Andrew finds himself sucked into a wormhole through his “junk pile” and landing in 1985. The whole thing has a “Back to the Future” feel to it, but if you read the story you’ll learn that it’s so much more than a Marty McFly rip off.
Be prepared, this story is looong. Like 446 pages long. But it definitely has its moments when all those pages are worth it. I think what I loved most about it was the love story buried deep within the pages. It wasn’t a romance novel, in my opinion, but the love that Andrew has for his wife Amy seeps into every page that’s written—especially when future Andrew meets past Amy.
There were things that bugged me, though. Andrew was a tad too quick to accept what happened to him. He landed in 1985, came to and was all like, “Okay, well obviously I’ve just time travelled which is totally not normal but I’m going to go with it and not question a thing.” Seriously, the guy didn’t even blink at being shot back 25 years.
I also didn’t like that he basically gave up hope of ever going back. He didn’t even try to find a way to get back to the present. He just accept that 1985 was where he was supposed to be and lived his life—all the while missing what he left behind. I found it to be more about a man starting over in the easiest way possible (making bets on sports that were already played in his normal time to make money) than it was about a man trying to find a way home—which is what I thought it was going to be about from reading the summary.
The author was clever of linking people together—although giving a creep like Tom the opportunity to make millions just to say close to Amy should have been a big no-no. And my interest started to fade about a quarter of the way though—mainly because all the author had Andrew doing was betting—but it was the last 100 pages that really caught my attention. I felt that was where the story really shone, and the ending surprised me.
All in all it was an okay read for me. I expected a different kind of story, but there were still bits and pieces that I thought were entertaining. I definitely recommend it for the true sci-fi fans!
3.5 stars
I’m not usually a fan of sci-fi—if you glance at my review policy you will even read that I don’t accept sci-fi books. There are only a handful that I’ve read and liked. However, when I received an email about Remember Me and read the summary I was instantly intrigued.
On the eve of Andrew’s fiftieth birthday, an everyday chore of mowing the lawn suddenly turns into anything but normal. Andrew finds himself sucked into a wormhole through his “junk pile” and landing in 1985. The whole thing has a “Back to the Future” feel to it, but if you read the story you’ll learn that it’s so much more than a Marty McFly rip off.
Be prepared, this story is looong. Like 446 pages long. But it definitely has its moments when all those pages are worth it. I think what I loved most about it was the love story buried deep within the pages. It wasn’t a romance novel, in my opinion, but the love that Andrew has for his wife Amy seeps into every page that’s written—especially when future Andrew meets past Amy.
There were things that bugged me, though. Andrew was a tad too quick to accept what happened to him. He landed in 1985, came to and was all like, “Okay, well obviously I’ve just time travelled which is totally not normal but I’m going to go with it and not question a thing.” Seriously, the guy didn’t even blink at being shot back 25 years.
I also didn’t like that he basically gave up hope of ever going back. He didn’t even try to find a way to get back to the present. He just accept that 1985 was where he was supposed to be and lived his life—all the while missing what he left behind. I found it to be more about a man starting over in the easiest way possible (making bets on sports that were already played in his normal time to make money) than it was about a man trying to find a way home—which is what I thought it was going to be about from reading the summary.
The author was clever of linking people together—although giving a creep like Tom the opportunity to make millions just to say close to Amy should have been a big no-no. And my interest started to fade about a quarter of the way though—mainly because all the author had Andrew doing was betting—but it was the last 100 pages that really caught my attention. I felt that was where the story really shone, and the ending surprised me.
All in all it was an okay read for me. I expected a different kind of story, but there were still bits and pieces that I thought were entertaining. I definitely recommend it for the true sci-fi fans!
October 7, 2012
"Remember Me" is much more than a story about time travel. When asked, I describe it as my "morality story." We are shaped by the events in our lives. We also spend a fair share of time wondering "What if." The story is wrought with intrigue and sub-plots, but at its core is love and commitment. I wanted to explore the emotional aspects of what reliving a time in the past might feel like. Andrew doesn't magically revert in age; he is still fifty and a total outsider. He can live a new life of wealth, abandoning all those cherished people in his life, or he can test time by trying to help them.
"Remember Me" has villains and heroes. It also builds in intensity as the story progresses, right through to the last page. I debated about including the events of 9/11. I wanted the story to feel real and not improbable. My character did what I believe most of us would want to do. Being a "good man" is not easy when you know what is going to happen. I will leave you with this last thought: We all dream about changing our past, but our past is who we are now. We want things to turn out better, but what cost are we willing to pay? Who would you be willing to sacrifice?
"Remember Me" has villains and heroes. It also builds in intensity as the story progresses, right through to the last page. I debated about including the events of 9/11. I wanted the story to feel real and not improbable. My character did what I believe most of us would want to do. Being a "good man" is not easy when you know what is going to happen. I will leave you with this last thought: We all dream about changing our past, but our past is who we are now. We want things to turn out better, but what cost are we willing to pay? Who would you be willing to sacrifice?
May 19, 2013
I fell in love from the very beginning. I found that I could disappear from life and get lost in this book. The characters are interesting and the story was fascinating. Andrew at age 50 is pulled back through time during a strange storm. I found myself daydreaming about what I would do if I was transported back to 1985! You know it is a good book when you think about it even when you are not reading it! Oh, and the love story is wonderful. Andrew "lost" his wife Amy when he went back in time. Knowing I have never experienced love like this before, made my heart flutter and also hurt imagining it all. "Remember Me" has touched my spirit and is truly one of the best books I have ever read.
February 28, 2013
Great great great novel :)
Time travelling without being voer the top or super unrealistic. It was a very enjoyable read.
Only a few small criticisma - there are a few grammatical errors, and some of the dialogue between Andrew and his parents seemed a bit strained. Also, some parts towards the middle tended to drag for a bit, but they quickly pulled me back. Great novel!!!! Unexpected ending, which is always a winner.
Time travelling without being voer the top or super unrealistic. It was a very enjoyable read.
Only a few small criticisma - there are a few grammatical errors, and some of the dialogue between Andrew and his parents seemed a bit strained. Also, some parts towards the middle tended to drag for a bit, but they quickly pulled me back. Great novel!!!! Unexpected ending, which is always a winner.
September 10, 2013
This was quite an enjoyable science fiction and romantic read about a man thrown back in time 25 years into a parallel universe resulting in a change of his family history and the heartache that causes. I liked it because it was not predictable what would happen. I won a copy of this book from the author in the Goodreads First Reads program. Thanks you!
November 9, 2012
I really enjoyed this book..it was way different than I thought it would be. Also different than anything I've read....
October 9, 2012
My review for thereadiacs.com :
The subject of time travel has always been an interesting one to me, so the premise of this book hooked me right away. Andrew Johnson is just an ‘average Joe’, who on the eve of his fiftieth birthday gets sucked back through time to 1985 by a mysterious storm that blows up while he is mowing his lawn. Of course, his cell phone is in his pocket and miraculously makes the journey with him. There’s no internet access, since the internet hasn’t been invented yet, but it still contains all of his games, photos and music. But more on this later.
Andrew decides that he is ‘stuck’ in 1985 after spending just one night in an old farmhouse that stands on the property where his home is located in the future. I felt that he came to this conclusion rather quickly, and was a bit surprised that he didn’t hang around the site for a few more days to see if perhaps another storm would blow up and take him back to the present day. He already seems to be somewhat conscious of the fact that his actions in 1985 could have a ripple effect on the future, yet the first thing he decides to do is make contact with his parents. Baffling. While Andrew takes great pains to avoid his ‘past-self’ throughout the book, he eventually decides to also ‘out’ his future self to his sister, and even has a chance encounter with his ex-wife in a supermarket, which somehow leads to one of his future daughters not being born. The ‘loss’ of his daughter is part of what drives Andrew for the rest of the book, as he attempts to make it through the next 25 years to presumably undo the damage he has done. The other thing that drives him is his love for his second wife, Amy, who he ‘left behind’ in 2010. Or did he?
In order to make a living in the 80s, Andrew initially starts placing bets on sporting events that he already knows the outcome of. This, of course, puts him on the radar of some particularly unsavory characters in the world of sports gambling. So much for keeping a low profile. I also found it a little implausible that Andrew could remember all of those 80s sports statistics with such accuracy, but maybe that’s just me. In any case, Andrew takes all of his newfound wealth and forms an electronics and gaming company based on the technology he possesses in his 2010 cell phone. So much for not wanting to cause a ‘ripple effect’ in the future. Andrew has the foresight to turn off his phone when he first arrives in 1985 to conserve the battery life, but it takes literally YEARS for him to form the company, hire the employees, and create the technology that can recharge his phone. Somehow, though, his phone miraculously remains charged all that time. That’s some battery life.
In a not-so-coincidental twist of fate, Andrew also hires on Tom, the first husband of his second wife, Amy, as a partner in his new company. This allows him to ‘keep tabs’ on Amy, while pining for her from not-exactly-afar. Tom is, to not put too fine a point on it, a real slimebag. Why Andrew thinks it’s worth the risk to trust him is beyond me. He also makes Tom, and by extension, Amy, incredibly wealthy. Again, there’s this disconnect between Andrew claiming that he doesn’t want to alter history, yet he almost seems to go out of his way to alter it at every turn. He even finally winds up confiding in Amy who he really is, although, to her credit, she is skeptical at first.
The rest of what happens is really too spoilery to go into at great length, but I have to say that the tie-in to the events on 9/11 seemed a bit far-fetched to me. Also, the final forty pages of the book really had me scratching my head, and I had to go back and re-read passages several times to make sure that I wasn’t missing something.
Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book, and found Andrew’s love and dedication to Amy and his family very touching. This was far from a quick read, though. At over 400 pages long, it could definitely have benefited from some ‘tightening up’ to make the story move faster. There was also a lot of ‘telling’ versus ‘showing’ in this book, and in that respect it could have used more dialogue as opposed to Andrew explaining ‘first I did this, and then I did that’. Most distracting of all, however, were the numerous spelling and grammatical errors throughout. It should be noted that I was NOT reading an ARC, but was instead provided with a final published copy. Errors like that should definitely have been caught during the editing process. Also, and this may just be a pet peeve of mine, there were far too many exclamation points used for my liking. Again, this may have been distracting only to me. All that being said, however, if you’re a fan of time-travel stories, you may enjoy this one.
The subject of time travel has always been an interesting one to me, so the premise of this book hooked me right away. Andrew Johnson is just an ‘average Joe’, who on the eve of his fiftieth birthday gets sucked back through time to 1985 by a mysterious storm that blows up while he is mowing his lawn. Of course, his cell phone is in his pocket and miraculously makes the journey with him. There’s no internet access, since the internet hasn’t been invented yet, but it still contains all of his games, photos and music. But more on this later.
Andrew decides that he is ‘stuck’ in 1985 after spending just one night in an old farmhouse that stands on the property where his home is located in the future. I felt that he came to this conclusion rather quickly, and was a bit surprised that he didn’t hang around the site for a few more days to see if perhaps another storm would blow up and take him back to the present day. He already seems to be somewhat conscious of the fact that his actions in 1985 could have a ripple effect on the future, yet the first thing he decides to do is make contact with his parents. Baffling. While Andrew takes great pains to avoid his ‘past-self’ throughout the book, he eventually decides to also ‘out’ his future self to his sister, and even has a chance encounter with his ex-wife in a supermarket, which somehow leads to one of his future daughters not being born. The ‘loss’ of his daughter is part of what drives Andrew for the rest of the book, as he attempts to make it through the next 25 years to presumably undo the damage he has done. The other thing that drives him is his love for his second wife, Amy, who he ‘left behind’ in 2010. Or did he?
In order to make a living in the 80s, Andrew initially starts placing bets on sporting events that he already knows the outcome of. This, of course, puts him on the radar of some particularly unsavory characters in the world of sports gambling. So much for keeping a low profile. I also found it a little implausible that Andrew could remember all of those 80s sports statistics with such accuracy, but maybe that’s just me. In any case, Andrew takes all of his newfound wealth and forms an electronics and gaming company based on the technology he possesses in his 2010 cell phone. So much for not wanting to cause a ‘ripple effect’ in the future. Andrew has the foresight to turn off his phone when he first arrives in 1985 to conserve the battery life, but it takes literally YEARS for him to form the company, hire the employees, and create the technology that can recharge his phone. Somehow, though, his phone miraculously remains charged all that time. That’s some battery life.
In a not-so-coincidental twist of fate, Andrew also hires on Tom, the first husband of his second wife, Amy, as a partner in his new company. This allows him to ‘keep tabs’ on Amy, while pining for her from not-exactly-afar. Tom is, to not put too fine a point on it, a real slimebag. Why Andrew thinks it’s worth the risk to trust him is beyond me. He also makes Tom, and by extension, Amy, incredibly wealthy. Again, there’s this disconnect between Andrew claiming that he doesn’t want to alter history, yet he almost seems to go out of his way to alter it at every turn. He even finally winds up confiding in Amy who he really is, although, to her credit, she is skeptical at first.
The rest of what happens is really too spoilery to go into at great length, but I have to say that the tie-in to the events on 9/11 seemed a bit far-fetched to me. Also, the final forty pages of the book really had me scratching my head, and I had to go back and re-read passages several times to make sure that I wasn’t missing something.
Overall, I would say that I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book, and found Andrew’s love and dedication to Amy and his family very touching. This was far from a quick read, though. At over 400 pages long, it could definitely have benefited from some ‘tightening up’ to make the story move faster. There was also a lot of ‘telling’ versus ‘showing’ in this book, and in that respect it could have used more dialogue as opposed to Andrew explaining ‘first I did this, and then I did that’. Most distracting of all, however, were the numerous spelling and grammatical errors throughout. It should be noted that I was NOT reading an ARC, but was instead provided with a final published copy. Errors like that should definitely have been caught during the editing process. Also, and this may just be a pet peeve of mine, there were far too many exclamation points used for my liking. Again, this may have been distracting only to me. All that being said, however, if you’re a fan of time-travel stories, you may enjoy this one.
October 7, 2012
Rating: 5.0 stars
Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers Favorite
Did you ever wonder what if . . . I could live my life over again and know what I know now? Andrew gets his chance in “Remember Me” by Brian MacLearn. The date is May 22, 2010, the place is Amy and Andrew Johnson’s backyard with a thunderstorm very near, the time is the day before the big party for Andrew’s 50th birthday. Andrew doesn’t finish mowing the backyard, when the storm hits and the ground shakes and nothing will ever be the same again. Andrew has been swept into a worm hole and now finds himself in 1985. He is alone, confused and very scared. He changes his name to Peter Warren and spends the next 25 years trying to make the world a better place than it was the first time, for his country, his beloved Amy and his family. His goal is to survive until 2010 and find the same worm and return to those he left behind.
Brian MacLearn has taken us to a place we all imagine ‘reliving our lives’. As I read this book I could easily put myself in Peter’s shoes and travel with him back to the past. It is a time to remember and reflect on September 11th, Black Monday and life in the 80s but even more than that it is a time to look into a man’s heart and soul. “Remember Me” has romance, suspense, intrigue, science, God and characters that become our friends and enemies. Brian has a best seller with “Remember Me” It should top the lists for a very long time. I highly recommend this book.
Reviewed by Trudi LoPreto for Readers Favorite
Did you ever wonder what if . . . I could live my life over again and know what I know now? Andrew gets his chance in “Remember Me” by Brian MacLearn. The date is May 22, 2010, the place is Amy and Andrew Johnson’s backyard with a thunderstorm very near, the time is the day before the big party for Andrew’s 50th birthday. Andrew doesn’t finish mowing the backyard, when the storm hits and the ground shakes and nothing will ever be the same again. Andrew has been swept into a worm hole and now finds himself in 1985. He is alone, confused and very scared. He changes his name to Peter Warren and spends the next 25 years trying to make the world a better place than it was the first time, for his country, his beloved Amy and his family. His goal is to survive until 2010 and find the same worm and return to those he left behind.
Brian MacLearn has taken us to a place we all imagine ‘reliving our lives’. As I read this book I could easily put myself in Peter’s shoes and travel with him back to the past. It is a time to remember and reflect on September 11th, Black Monday and life in the 80s but even more than that it is a time to look into a man’s heart and soul. “Remember Me” has romance, suspense, intrigue, science, God and characters that become our friends and enemies. Brian has a best seller with “Remember Me” It should top the lists for a very long time. I highly recommend this book.
January 15, 2013
Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you could live your life over again, with all your current knowledge intact? Brian MacLearn has taken us to such a place.
50-year-old Andrew Johnson is swept into a wormhole in 2010 and finds himself alone, confused and scared in 1985. Knowing no way to get back to his own time, he sets out to make the world a better place than the one he knew.
At times, we all may dream of changing our past, but it is always a truth that it's our past that makes us who we are. REMEMBER ME explores what we might have to pay in our efforts to make things better; whether our actions really improve anything or merely misplace events in ways unexpected. It also asks an even more serious question: who are we willing to sacrifice to our dream of a better world?
Even with a few parts of the relived history Andrew Johnson experiences that it might have been fun to see MacLearn expand upon, this book kept my interest and I really enjoyed it.
50-year-old Andrew Johnson is swept into a wormhole in 2010 and finds himself alone, confused and scared in 1985. Knowing no way to get back to his own time, he sets out to make the world a better place than the one he knew.
At times, we all may dream of changing our past, but it is always a truth that it's our past that makes us who we are. REMEMBER ME explores what we might have to pay in our efforts to make things better; whether our actions really improve anything or merely misplace events in ways unexpected. It also asks an even more serious question: who are we willing to sacrifice to our dream of a better world?
Even with a few parts of the relived history Andrew Johnson experiences that it might have been fun to see MacLearn expand upon, this book kept my interest and I really enjoyed it.
April 11, 2016
I won this book on Goodreads.
Time travel intrigues me but this book made it seem like a poor idea. It was fascinating how the author wove the stories together. It also was confusing at times recalling who was who. It was sad, funny, romantic and mysterious. It was one of those books where I sat up till 2am reading because I needed to know what happened in the next chapter. I loved going back to 1985 and recalling some of my life then compared to 2010. The writing was straightforward but did tend to ramble a bit at times. A lot of the book is the main characters thoughts about things. I'm not sure how I would have handled the situation if it had happened to me. I think he did the best he could. Hey, is this a true story???
Time travel intrigues me but this book made it seem like a poor idea. It was fascinating how the author wove the stories together. It also was confusing at times recalling who was who. It was sad, funny, romantic and mysterious. It was one of those books where I sat up till 2am reading because I needed to know what happened in the next chapter. I loved going back to 1985 and recalling some of my life then compared to 2010. The writing was straightforward but did tend to ramble a bit at times. A lot of the book is the main characters thoughts about things. I'm not sure how I would have handled the situation if it had happened to me. I think he did the best he could. Hey, is this a true story???
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews