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The Incident Series #1
The Far Time Incident
When a professor's time-travel lab is the scene of a deadly accident, the academic world and the future of St. Sunniva University get thrown into upheaval. As assistant to the dean of science, Julia Olsen is assigned to help Campus Security Chief Nate Kirkland examine this rare mishap...then make it quietly go away!
But when the investigation points toward murder, Julia and Chief Kirkland find themselves caught in a deadly cover-up, one that strands them in ancient Pompeii on the eve of the eruption of the world's most infamous volcano. With the help of their companions--a Shakespearean scholar and two grad students--Julia and the chief must outwit history itself and expose the school's saboteur before it's too late.
The Far Time Incident is a smart, richly inventive novel that skillfully weaves together mystery, history, and science to create a mesmerizing and addictive read.
But when the investigation points toward murder, Julia and Chief Kirkland find themselves caught in a deadly cover-up, one that strands them in ancient Pompeii on the eve of the eruption of the world's most infamous volcano. With the help of their companions--a Shakespearean scholar and two grad students--Julia and the chief must outwit history itself and expose the school's saboteur before it's too late.
The Far Time Incident is a smart, richly inventive novel that skillfully weaves together mystery, history, and science to create a mesmerizing and addictive read.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 9, 2013
87 people are currently reading
1787 people want to read
About the author
Neve Maslakovic
8 books100 followersNeve Maslakovic writes stories set in the corner where mystery meets science fiction. She is the author of five novels, including Regarding Ducks and Universes (“Inventive… a delight.” — Booklist). Her life journey took her from Belgrade, Serbia to a PhD at Stanford University’s STAR Lab to her dream job as a writer. She lives with her husband, son, and very energetic goldendoodle in the Twin Cities.
Find out more at www.nevemaslakovic.com
Find out more at www.nevemaslakovic.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
May 30, 2013
Your reaction to the opening line will likely reflect how well you'll like the overall work.
June 8, 2015
As an administrative assistant, Julia Olsen is used to handling student crises and hysterics with equanimity. However, when a graduate student rushes into her room and tells her that one of the professors has been scattered across time, Julia knows that this isn’t a situation that can be solved with a jar of cookies and a little diplomacy. Two professors at Julia’s university have invented the first time-travel machine, bringing fame and possible fortune to the Time Travel Engineering department of St. Sunniva. But now one of the inventors has gone missing, apparently vanished into one of the deadly “ghost zones” of the past. And Julia is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
I really loved Julia as a character. She’s level-headed, practical, and has an amusing tendency to think in lists. I love her descriptions of the school. When the story starts, it’s winter at the school, and Julia has a lot to say about character-building cold. As she tells a visitor to the school:
One of the reasons I picked up The Far Time Incident was that the author had a PhD in the Stanford STAR lab, and I was interested to see what someone with a background in physics and electrical engineering would do with time travel. A little disappointingly, the time travel concept is a little on the wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey side. In Maslakovic’s version, travellers in history can only go into the past, only into times before their birth, and only where History allows. They can’t influence important figures; in fact, whenever they try to get near them, History brings up invisible walls that freeze the time travellers in their steps. The idea of a sentient and self-guarding History certainly solves a lot of problems, but I admit I find it a bit disappointing. And even with this rather heavy-handed worldbuilding, the book still suffers from internal contradictions. All the same, the idea of History protecting itself by casting time travellers into “ghost zones” is an interesting idea, as is the concept of murder via unintended time travel.
Although the lack of technical detail in the time travel aspect may have been a little disappointing, my expectations were fully satisfied by the book’s portrayal of academic life. Maslakovic does a wonderful job capturing the petty politics and bizarre little details of academia. As Julia puts it,
If you have any background in academia, you’re sure to find The Far Time Incident’s portrayal of college life both accurate and amusing. The rules of time travel left me a bit sceptical, but they are definitely original. If you’re looking for a cozy near-time scifi story with a lot of historical novel thrown in, then The Far TIme Incident is definitely worth a look.
~~I received this an advanced reader copy of this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, 47North, in exchange for my honest review.~~
I really loved Julia as a character. She’s level-headed, practical, and has an amusing tendency to think in lists. I love her descriptions of the school. When the story starts, it’s winter at the school, and Julia has a lot to say about character-building cold. As she tells a visitor to the school:
“We encourage walking and biking at St. Sunniva,” I explained, sitting down across from her.
“I’ve always thought of walking and biking as summer activities.”
“In the winter we encourage bundled-up walking and biking.”
“Of course you do.”
One of the reasons I picked up The Far Time Incident was that the author had a PhD in the Stanford STAR lab, and I was interested to see what someone with a background in physics and electrical engineering would do with time travel. A little disappointingly, the time travel concept is a little on the wibbly-wobbly-timey-wimey side. In Maslakovic’s version, travellers in history can only go into the past, only into times before their birth, and only where History allows. They can’t influence important figures; in fact, whenever they try to get near them, History brings up invisible walls that freeze the time travellers in their steps. The idea of a sentient and self-guarding History certainly solves a lot of problems, but I admit I find it a bit disappointing. And even with this rather heavy-handed worldbuilding, the book still suffers from internal contradictions. All the same, the idea of History protecting itself by casting time travellers into “ghost zones” is an interesting idea, as is the concept of murder via unintended time travel.
Although the lack of technical detail in the time travel aspect may have been a little disappointing, my expectations were fully satisfied by the book’s portrayal of academic life. Maslakovic does a wonderful job capturing the petty politics and bizarre little details of academia. As Julia puts it,
“Think of academia as a fleet of fishing boats bobbing on Sunniva Lake, each boat captained by a professor, manned by graduate students, and producing a steady catch of scientific finds and journal papers. Most of the catch is little fish but the fishermen bump into each other’s boats as they compete for the big fish--funds, grants, lab space, publicity, Nobel Prizes. It’s a rare person who can keep a level head and not get pulled into the fray.”With all the possible uses of time travel, the major interest is solving the Big Important Questions: for example, did Cleopatra really have a big nose? Even the time machine, which is dubbed "STEWie" (for “Space TimE Warper”) got a laugh out of me. There’s a grand tradition of performing alphabetic acrobatics to come up with cute names for academic inventions. In my field, we call it “backronymning.”
If you have any background in academia, you’re sure to find The Far Time Incident’s portrayal of college life both accurate and amusing. The rules of time travel left me a bit sceptical, but they are definitely original. If you’re looking for a cozy near-time scifi story with a lot of historical novel thrown in, then The Far TIme Incident is definitely worth a look.
~~I received this an advanced reader copy of this ebook through Netgalley from the publisher, 47North, in exchange for my honest review.~~
April 17, 2013
When Dr. Xavier Mooney disappears from the Time Travel Engineering (TTE) laboratory at St. Sunniva University, the only conclusion that the faculty and staff can reach is that he is dead, spread across time in a tragic malfunction of the STEWie (Space Time Warper) generator. With the future of the University’s time travel research and its corresponding funding uncertain, Julia Olsen, the assistant to the Dean of Science, is order to closely monitor the investigation conducted by campus security Chief Nate Kirkland. When the evidence begins to suggest foul play, they find themselves trapped in the past, in a dangerous “ghost zone” where History is likely to erase any trace that they were ever there. Now they must find a way to return to their own time and uncover the identity of the person who tried to send them to their deaths.
On one level, this story operates as a pretty conventional mystery/investigation story, with clues and hints as to the identity of the guilty party, as well as lots of speculation about possible motives, and manages to keep the reader guessing until very near the end. But the real star of this story is the time travel element. As envisioned here, travel to the past is dangerous, since the past cannot be altered in any way, imposing severe constraints on the actions of a time traveler, who physically cannot do anything that would alter the path of History. Because of this, random travel through time is most likely to land the time traveler in a ghost zone, often the scene of some form of devastation, either natural or man-made, where all traces of the existence of the traveler is likely to be obliterated. This view of time travel avoids the conventional issues involving time travel paradoxes, and creates narrative tension, as those trapped in the past try to find a way home before they are destroyed by the ghost zone they have found themselves in. An excellent story, that should satisfy both science-fiction fans and fans of mystery novels.
On one level, this story operates as a pretty conventional mystery/investigation story, with clues and hints as to the identity of the guilty party, as well as lots of speculation about possible motives, and manages to keep the reader guessing until very near the end. But the real star of this story is the time travel element. As envisioned here, travel to the past is dangerous, since the past cannot be altered in any way, imposing severe constraints on the actions of a time traveler, who physically cannot do anything that would alter the path of History. Because of this, random travel through time is most likely to land the time traveler in a ghost zone, often the scene of some form of devastation, either natural or man-made, where all traces of the existence of the traveler is likely to be obliterated. This view of time travel avoids the conventional issues involving time travel paradoxes, and creates narrative tension, as those trapped in the past try to find a way home before they are destroyed by the ghost zone they have found themselves in. An excellent story, that should satisfy both science-fiction fans and fans of mystery novels.
June 3, 2013
When a time travel mishap threatens big donor contributions and a possible Nobel Prize for two professors at a small college in Minnesota, diligent, list-loving Julia Olsen, the assistant to the dean, is told by her boss to assist in the investigation. Though time travel is possible there are some interesting limitations because History is like some kind of law of physics or force of nature, circumscribing the movements and actions of time travelers so no significant changes can be made to the past.
There is a lot to enjoy in The Far Time Incident, including its pervasive but subtle humor, which enhances but doesn't dominate or overwhelm the story, and its academic setting, which peoples the book with idiosyncratic grad students and professors. This is the first in what promises to be a fun series of of time travel mysteries.
There is a lot to enjoy in The Far Time Incident, including its pervasive but subtle humor, which enhances but doesn't dominate or overwhelm the story, and its academic setting, which peoples the book with idiosyncratic grad students and professors. This is the first in what promises to be a fun series of of time travel mysteries.
January 11, 2014
I decided to read this book as I had won an advanced copy for the second book in the series, The Runestone Incident.
When I first started reading the book, I was thrown off by the first point of view speech. The majority of the books I tend to read have some type of narration with multiple main characters and points of view. It took me a while to adjust to just hearing one person's account of what was happening but I ended up liking it. It would have been difficult to develop multiple characters in such a short book. (Granted it wasn't that short just used to The Wheel of Time Series, and those books are massive.)
I liked a lot of the aspects of the book but as some others mentioned in their reviews I did feel a lack of urgency while they were in Pompeii. I for one would not be chatting with the locals and trying to solve crimes while there, instead opting to flee ASAP. The author did tie the solving of the Pompeii crime into the ending which made it feel more cohesive, I just expected there to be more emphasis on getting home to a safe location.
All in all, the book was able to capture my attention and I was very eager to see the resolution of the book. I look forward to reading the second book of the series to see what is in store next
When I first started reading the book, I was thrown off by the first point of view speech. The majority of the books I tend to read have some type of narration with multiple main characters and points of view. It took me a while to adjust to just hearing one person's account of what was happening but I ended up liking it. It would have been difficult to develop multiple characters in such a short book. (Granted it wasn't that short just used to The Wheel of Time Series, and those books are massive.)
I liked a lot of the aspects of the book but as some others mentioned in their reviews I did feel a lack of urgency while they were in Pompeii. I for one would not be chatting with the locals and trying to solve crimes while there, instead opting to flee ASAP. The author did tie the solving of the Pompeii crime into the ending which made it feel more cohesive, I just expected there to be more emphasis on getting home to a safe location.
All in all, the book was able to capture my attention and I was very eager to see the resolution of the book. I look forward to reading the second book of the series to see what is in store next
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2013
I actually really liked this one - combines TIME TRAVEL with science something akin to Connie Willis (though of course not all that alike) and MYSTERY, so it's ideal for my sensibilities. I've got to say, though, the very last paragraph was bizarre! After everything else that happened, I did not expect it to end so bizarrely and abruptly - this is not to say any *major* and truly important plot lines are left hanging, but surely there is another book forthcoming to address that?!
I will definitely be picking up her other book.
I will definitely be picking up her other book.
December 21, 2013
This is a time-travel novel and it swept me up from the beginning. Likable characters, great historical plot, and tension throughout the entire book that kept me turning the pages (figuratively, since I read it on my kindle) until the very end. Looking forward to reading book 2 in this series when it comes out. And it's clean! Great mix of science, mystery, and history.
July 4, 2013
Excellent mix of science, history, time travel, murder mystery. This is on the Kindle Lending Library to boot.
dnf
October 29, 2020Got off on the wrong foot with this book because I didn’t like the narrator, but even after switching to reading it visually it just isn’t holding my interest.
July 7, 2014
You know how Amazon advertises their Kindle Owners Lending Library as one of the benefits of having a Prime account? Well, I forgot to cancel my free trial in time ("30 Day" is apparently not the same thing as "1 Month") and so I'm stuck with a $100 membership for the year. Wouldn't hurt the pocketbook so much if it wasn't a lump sum....anyway, I figured I should try and get my money's worth out of it, so I pulled up my truly massive TBR list and started searching Amazon's KOLL. It took me fifteen minutes of searching before I found one on my list that was available to borrow, but I have to say that I truly enjoyed this book. I first heard of this book when I entered a giveaway over on Goodreads. I didn't win, but a year or so later I've finally got around to reading it anyway.
Julia Olsen's week just got harder. The tiny campus of St. Sunniva University is thrown into an uproar when the Time Travel Engineering department's senior scientist, Xavier Mooney, is seemingly lost to one of History's ghost zones, and as assistant to the Dean of Science, it falls to Julia to deal with a good deal of the fallout. It seems Mooney stepped into the department's time machine, STEWie, for an unauthorized late-night run, and never returned. His modern clothes and effects were left behind, everything in order and as normal, he simply failed to return with STEWie's "basket." When the subsequent investigation points to foul play, the security chief insists on taking a short trip himself to see how a "normal" run goes. Julia, a Shakespearean scholar, and a couple grad students all tag along. Their intended destination is JFK airport, to see the Beatles arrive on US soil. Instead, they find themselves on the slopes of Vesuvius the day it's traditionally expected to erupt....
Like I said, I thought this was incredibly fun. The early parts of the book are chock-full of academic politics as Julia tries to keep things running in the wake of the tragedy, and it was fun to revisit that world for a while even if I was never a part of that side of it. Once in the past, I also really enjoyed the depth of research into Pompeian culture. I've never been there myself, but everything my wife told me about her visit jived with what I read here--right down to the overabundance of phallic symbolism. Like I said, I enjoyed these elements. Other readers/reviewers have found the book a bit slow. Another minor issue: most of the mysteries here were decently easy to figure out. The central mystery remains mysterious until the reveal, but I called that they were in Pompeii way before they figured it out,* and also figured out who trashed Secundus' garum shop way in advance. This didn't really detract from my enjoyment, but I know some people are finicky about that stuff. I look forward to reading the sequel soon, as it is also available via the KOLL.
CONTENT: I don't recall any R-rated language, but there may have been a little. Mild profanity otherwise. Mild violence. Some sexual innuendo, but nothing explicit. No occult content aside from Romans praying to their gods, as you would expect in 79 A.D. Pompeii.
*This may have been residual knowledge from having read the book's blurb last year, though, or the fact that I watched the movie Pompeii last week. This is so easy to figure out (and revealed in the book's synopsis to boot) that I don't feel bad spoiling that particular non-surprise.
Julia Olsen's week just got harder. The tiny campus of St. Sunniva University is thrown into an uproar when the Time Travel Engineering department's senior scientist, Xavier Mooney, is seemingly lost to one of History's ghost zones, and as assistant to the Dean of Science, it falls to Julia to deal with a good deal of the fallout. It seems Mooney stepped into the department's time machine, STEWie, for an unauthorized late-night run, and never returned. His modern clothes and effects were left behind, everything in order and as normal, he simply failed to return with STEWie's "basket." When the subsequent investigation points to foul play, the security chief insists on taking a short trip himself to see how a "normal" run goes. Julia, a Shakespearean scholar, and a couple grad students all tag along. Their intended destination is JFK airport, to see the Beatles arrive on US soil. Instead, they find themselves on the slopes of Vesuvius the day it's traditionally expected to erupt....
Like I said, I thought this was incredibly fun. The early parts of the book are chock-full of academic politics as Julia tries to keep things running in the wake of the tragedy, and it was fun to revisit that world for a while even if I was never a part of that side of it. Once in the past, I also really enjoyed the depth of research into Pompeian culture. I've never been there myself, but everything my wife told me about her visit jived with what I read here--right down to the overabundance of phallic symbolism. Like I said, I enjoyed these elements. Other readers/reviewers have found the book a bit slow. Another minor issue: most of the mysteries here were decently easy to figure out. The central mystery remains mysterious until the reveal, but I called that they were in Pompeii way before they figured it out,* and also figured out who trashed Secundus' garum shop way in advance. This didn't really detract from my enjoyment, but I know some people are finicky about that stuff. I look forward to reading the sequel soon, as it is also available via the KOLL.
CONTENT: I don't recall any R-rated language, but there may have been a little. Mild profanity otherwise. Mild violence. Some sexual innuendo, but nothing explicit. No occult content aside from Romans praying to their gods, as you would expect in 79 A.D. Pompeii.
*This may have been residual knowledge from having read the book's blurb last year, though, or the fact that I watched the movie Pompeii last week. This is so easy to figure out (and revealed in the book's synopsis to boot) that I don't feel bad spoiling that particular non-surprise.
December 8, 2015
'The Far Time Incident' by Neve Masla is a run romp through time combined with a clever whodunnit.
A time-travel lab on a campus is the scene of an accident and Julia Olsen is assigned to the case. She's got an interest as assistant to the dean of science. Campus Security Chief Nate Kirkland is also sent along. Together they want this to quietly go away. As part of their investigation, they take what they think will be a short jaunt back in time with a few students, but someone has something else in mind and the machine is set to send them to ancient Pompeii. They have to save themselves, not get involved in the past and solve the mystery, all before the volcano erupts.
I like it because the story is told from an academic perspective. I could see a university quietly funding a project like this and the rivalries between departments are sharply defined. I like the collection of characters along on the journey and if you believe that this is a time when time travel is possible, it makes for a fun read. I look forward to reading more in this series.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Amazon Publishing, 47North, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
A time-travel lab on a campus is the scene of an accident and Julia Olsen is assigned to the case. She's got an interest as assistant to the dean of science. Campus Security Chief Nate Kirkland is also sent along. Together they want this to quietly go away. As part of their investigation, they take what they think will be a short jaunt back in time with a few students, but someone has something else in mind and the machine is set to send them to ancient Pompeii. They have to save themselves, not get involved in the past and solve the mystery, all before the volcano erupts.
I like it because the story is told from an academic perspective. I could see a university quietly funding a project like this and the rivalries between departments are sharply defined. I like the collection of characters along on the journey and if you believe that this is a time when time travel is possible, it makes for a fun read. I look forward to reading more in this series.
I received a review copy of this ebook from Amazon Publishing, 47North, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2013
What should a time-travel book be? History with a bit of science? Or science fiction with a bit of the past? Your mileage may vary, but I think Neve Maslakovic got it right with this book.
The Far Time Incident takes place in a present where time travel is a reality, and focuses on a mystery that takes our group of heroes into an unexpected past. I especially liked the way the author worked around the dilemma of "change the past, lose your future" that so many time-travel books struggle with. Her approach is one I've not seen before, and I found it both interesting and believable.
I recommend The Far Time Incident for those who enjoy a trip through time, and I look forward to the sequel (there is one coming, right??).
The Far Time Incident takes place in a present where time travel is a reality, and focuses on a mystery that takes our group of heroes into an unexpected past. I especially liked the way the author worked around the dilemma of "change the past, lose your future" that so many time-travel books struggle with. Her approach is one I've not seen before, and I found it both interesting and believable.
I recommend The Far Time Incident for those who enjoy a trip through time, and I look forward to the sequel (there is one coming, right??).
June 27, 2014
This book is a genre-bender, albeit in a very conservative way. The basic plot is that of an academic murder mystery ("The Professor did it!" No, "The secretary did it!" No, "The Dean did it!," etc.). The twist is that the University in question operates the world's first time travel lab. Otherwise, it's set in the eigenpresent, at a fictitious Minnesota university, even if much of the action takes place about two millennia ago. The book offers similarly well-mannered prose, with equally well-mannered characters. The story line stays on track and interesting and the historical references are detailed enough to be intriguing.
June 30, 2013
Reads like a Doctor Who episode, and not a particularly good one. The characters spend over half the book thinking that one main character has been murdered - when there's no evidence or logical reason to think so. And although much of the book takes place in historical settings just before a catastrophe is about to happen (such as the eruption of Vesuvius at Pompeii), I felt no sense of impending doom or suspense.
February 6, 2014
I liked the concept of being able to travel back in time to check out the facts in an academic world. It was explained pretty well, interesting setting in Minnesota in the winter. It would be hard to believe people would not do it for their own gain but these professors seemed to only want to verify what they thought they knew. Certainly is one way to remove rivals from the field, send them off to another time. Interesting mystery to solve who sent who where and why.
September 20, 2014
Very much enjoyed this rather quick read. I suspect that if you want a scientifically sound, realistic time travel story this book may not be for you. I know nothing about physics and was more attracted by the murder mystery element with a hint of romance thrown in so the likelihood of any of it really happening didn't really matter to me. I enjoyed it in much the same way I would enjoy a SyFy channel disaster movie.
September 27, 2013
Personally, I thought this was an excellent time travel story. the characters were interesting, plus the author has some interesting ideas on time travel. The plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, and there was a mystery element to the story that kept you guessing, a who done it plot, which has an interesting twist.
November 23, 2013
This time travel story has a strong female protagonist and a brilliant plot. I was gripped to the end. I particularly liked the authentic depiction of academic rivalries, which underpins the story. And I was also impressed by the author’s attention to historical detail when the murder mystery plummets through time to Pompeii.
December 27, 2015
3.5 stars.
A blend of sci fi, historical fiction and whodunnit, I found this book to be a quick and highly enjoyable read. Written in first person, short lists were dropped into the prose which I felt reflected the protagonist's character nicely. The descriptions of the past location made it really easy to imagine what was going on, and I really liked the awesome ladies in this story.
A blend of sci fi, historical fiction and whodunnit, I found this book to be a quick and highly enjoyable read. Written in first person, short lists were dropped into the prose which I felt reflected the protagonist's character nicely. The descriptions of the past location made it really easy to imagine what was going on, and I really liked the awesome ladies in this story.
May 8, 2013
This was a fun mystery (more so than a sci-fi novel). Time travel helps give some interesting locations and great snapshots of historical fiction, but this is a who-done-it. I liked the characters, and the situations, and a premise that keeps time paradoxes from happening. Worth a read.
June 7, 2013
Great time travel book. Enjoyed the combination of history and sci-fi/tech. This is one of the better time travel books I've read. Recommended.
June 20, 2013
Could use a little pruning, but otherwise an engaging mystery/sci-fi/historical fiction novel.
June 12, 2014
Great mystery and history combination. I really liked the way that time travel was handled and the force with which History protected itself. Cleverly done.
October 1, 2013
An enjoyable romp with well rounded main characters. Flitting through time trying to solve a murder.
August 25, 2015
Pretty lightweight, but fun.
December 5, 2019
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.25 of 5
St. Sunniva University in Minnesota is is home to a deadly accident in the time-travel lab of one of the university's esteemed professors. The university is eager to keep this information under wraps and university security officer Nate Kirkland and Julia Olson, assistant to the dean of science, are assigned to investigate. The investigation is going to require that they take advantage of the time travel machine to go backward in time to find out what lead to the events in the present. But the evidence is pointing to a murder and a cover-up and when Kirkland, Olson, and a pair of grad students enter the time machine, they find themselves whisked back to ancient Pompeii just a day before the devastating eruption. Now they must overcome history in order to save themselves and find the answers they're looking for.
I found this book to be a great deal of fun at times, and tremendously dull at other times. When the characters were left to explore and experience events, this was entertaining. When we were provided with information about the characters or the school or the time-machine (or even moments in history) it felt like a dull info-dump session.
You do need to buy into the basic premise that the school is trying to protect itself against academic espionage (not the most exciting of themes for me) which is why it won't report a murder. Once you've given in to that, you are ready for the rest.
The moments I enjoyed, typically the exploring of the past, I enjoyed a lot. But when the book didn't hold my interest I struggled to want to read any more.
Looking for a good book? The Far Time Incident by Neve Maslakovic is a time travel romp mystery story that has moments of real enjoyment but lacks novel-length consistency.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
St. Sunniva University in Minnesota is is home to a deadly accident in the time-travel lab of one of the university's esteemed professors. The university is eager to keep this information under wraps and university security officer Nate Kirkland and Julia Olson, assistant to the dean of science, are assigned to investigate. The investigation is going to require that they take advantage of the time travel machine to go backward in time to find out what lead to the events in the present. But the evidence is pointing to a murder and a cover-up and when Kirkland, Olson, and a pair of grad students enter the time machine, they find themselves whisked back to ancient Pompeii just a day before the devastating eruption. Now they must overcome history in order to save themselves and find the answers they're looking for.
I found this book to be a great deal of fun at times, and tremendously dull at other times. When the characters were left to explore and experience events, this was entertaining. When we were provided with information about the characters or the school or the time-machine (or even moments in history) it felt like a dull info-dump session.
You do need to buy into the basic premise that the school is trying to protect itself against academic espionage (not the most exciting of themes for me) which is why it won't report a murder. Once you've given in to that, you are ready for the rest.
The moments I enjoyed, typically the exploring of the past, I enjoyed a lot. But when the book didn't hold my interest I struggled to want to read any more.
Looking for a good book? The Far Time Incident by Neve Maslakovic is a time travel romp mystery story that has moments of real enjoyment but lacks novel-length consistency.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
July 23, 2019
Well, I am a sucker for most things involving time travel. Especially if it is done well.
And while this book has a few interesting ideas about time travel (time being immutable, travellers being prevented from impacting history by the force of "History" itself), it did not make that good a narrative, in my book.
Sure, the characters are believable and quite nice (in fact, they are all far too likeable, in my book), and then there is the budding romance between the protagonist and another character (well, not so much budding as being a "possibility" foreshadowed, at least somewhat), and the person being removed from their time (which makes for interesting options left to explore in the sequels). However, the incident (or the "mystery") itself is...
...quite the lackluster affair. It starts out as a murder mystery (with a time travel device as the "weapon"), then enhances that aspect with a whole posse of people being in danger of dying, aswell. And then, suspense is wholeheartedly killed off by the mid-narrative turn-around twist. After that, the small historical bits and the interactions of the characters become the only interesting parts of a story that simply trudges onward towards its conclusion. Even the villain in the end is not only boring, but the whole affair of confronting him and bringing him to justice is not much more than a side note.
Yes, time travel is interesting - if the story around it is interesting. This one - well, not so much. If you want to read about a female character that has an adventure, with "mild" danger, a little romance in the margins, and a minor mystery, then this might be a book for you.
And while this book has a few interesting ideas about time travel (time being immutable, travellers being prevented from impacting history by the force of "History" itself), it did not make that good a narrative, in my book.
Sure, the characters are believable and quite nice (in fact, they are all far too likeable, in my book), and then there is the budding romance between the protagonist and another character (well, not so much budding as being a "possibility" foreshadowed, at least somewhat), and the person being removed from their time (which makes for interesting options left to explore in the sequels). However, the incident (or the "mystery") itself is...
...quite the lackluster affair. It starts out as a murder mystery (with a time travel device as the "weapon"), then enhances that aspect with a whole posse of people being in danger of dying, aswell. And then, suspense is wholeheartedly killed off by the mid-narrative turn-around twist. After that, the small historical bits and the interactions of the characters become the only interesting parts of a story that simply trudges onward towards its conclusion. Even the villain in the end is not only boring, but the whole affair of confronting him and bringing him to justice is not much more than a side note.
Yes, time travel is interesting - if the story around it is interesting. This one - well, not so much. If you want to read about a female character that has an adventure, with "mild" danger, a little romance in the margins, and a minor mystery, then this might be a book for you.
February 11, 2018
This is a hybrid of a cozy campus mystery and a time travel adventure, two of my favorite subgenres. It’s set at a fictional university in snowy Minnesota and in doomed but sunny Pompeii. The time travel “rules” here are rather absurd, but they are explained in an earnest academic way that quite sells them and are woven into the story effectively. Probably because it is not possible to change the past, commerce and government show little interest, so the time travel is mostly used for academic pursuits – determining whether Shakespeare really wrote those plays and photographing lost philosophical manuscripts, for example.
I liked the main characters being not a quirky professor or a brilliant student but an efficient administrator and a competent security guard. I also especially appreciated the lack of gratuitous romance. The mystery is good and well-discussed, with a couple of surprising twists – no doubt the clues were there, but I didn’t go back to hunt for them. The nuisance of tweeting and bloggers and the never-ending quest for funding as well as the variety of types on a modern campus are nicely depicted. I can’t say it was brilliant, but I enjoyed it and will probably read more in the series.
I liked the main characters being not a quirky professor or a brilliant student but an efficient administrator and a competent security guard. I also especially appreciated the lack of gratuitous romance. The mystery is good and well-discussed, with a couple of surprising twists – no doubt the clues were there, but I didn’t go back to hunt for them. The nuisance of tweeting and bloggers and the never-ending quest for funding as well as the variety of types on a modern campus are nicely depicted. I can’t say it was brilliant, but I enjoyed it and will probably read more in the series.
October 8, 2020
SPOILERS!
Great premise, and certainly has some amazing scenes. A little too much into the minutia of academic life at a University. A third of the way through and the plot has not advanced to where the characters time travel! Tense moments often underscored with unnecessary discussion of dissertation and thesis materials when the world is literally crashing on them. Finally, the book sets up what should have been a dramatic return of the characters to the modern day...and it just falls flat. Like the author wasn't sure how to write a dramatic scene. Five months being presumed dead and it's "oh, you're back, okay." Last paragraph left me not wanting to read more as the jerk of an ex husband is clearly going to be a fixture in the next series.
Still, overall a good read. Love the attention to detail about the time period and the science.
Great premise, and certainly has some amazing scenes. A little too much into the minutia of academic life at a University. A third of the way through and the plot has not advanced to where the characters time travel! Tense moments often underscored with unnecessary discussion of dissertation and thesis materials when the world is literally crashing on them. Finally, the book sets up what should have been a dramatic return of the characters to the modern day...and it just falls flat. Like the author wasn't sure how to write a dramatic scene. Five months being presumed dead and it's "oh, you're back, okay." Last paragraph left me not wanting to read more as the jerk of an ex husband is clearly going to be a fixture in the next series.
Still, overall a good read. Love the attention to detail about the time period and the science.
July 15, 2022
I selected “The Far Time Incident” for my next audiobook listen because I needed something light and easy to follow. I was not disappointed.
This is a time-travel book in the vein of Connie Willis, with elements of the characterization and humor also found in the books of Kate Atkinson. It had a good story – a murder mystery – and solid characters. It was not, however, emotionally moving in any way. It lacked the poignancy of “Doomsday Book”, where a fictional 14th century parish priest was endeared to me forever.
The book is obviously teed up for a sequel, however (and there already is one, I see). So, I will have the opportunity to see these characters again and appreciate them further – when I’m in the mood for a fun listen once more.
This is a time-travel book in the vein of Connie Willis, with elements of the characterization and humor also found in the books of Kate Atkinson. It had a good story – a murder mystery – and solid characters. It was not, however, emotionally moving in any way. It lacked the poignancy of “Doomsday Book”, where a fictional 14th century parish priest was endeared to me forever.
The book is obviously teed up for a sequel, however (and there already is one, I see). So, I will have the opportunity to see these characters again and appreciate them further – when I’m in the mood for a fun listen once more.
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