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Take Back Tomorrow
“Raymond Chandler meets Robert Heinlein in this fun and inventive crossover SF novel from Richard Levesque.”—J. Orr, Amazon Reviews
What if all you had to do to make your dreams come true was violate the laws of the universe?
That’s not just a philosophical question Eddie Royce has to answer. It’s a choice he has to make when the most famous science fiction writer of the 1930s goes missing and his unscrupulous publisher becomes convinced that Eddie knows all of the older writer’s secrets—not just the secret of where he’s gone, but the secret of how he’s traveled in time.
Until now, Eddie’s fooled himself into thinking he’s got the system figured out, “borrowing” plots from Shakespeare and rewriting them as space operas to make a name for himself in the pulps. But when he finds out that Chester Blackwood—his idol and inspiration—has been cheating the system in ways Eddie could never have dreamed of, the hack science fiction writer finds himself in the middle of a plot that his pulp readers would never have imagined.
Now he has to do all he can to save himself—and Blackwood’s beautiful daughter—from the powerful figures who all want Blackwood’s secret. And violating the laws of the universe might just be the least of Eddie’s problems.
“The pace of the story is quick, and the time transitions are handled well. Overall, this is a good novel, one that even readers with little interest in sci-fi might enjoy.” — Publishers Weekly.*
“Hardboiled 30′s crime thriller meets time-traveling pulp science-fiction for an original fast paced, page turner.”—S. Sager, Amazon Reviews
“It has a distinctly ‘noir’ flavor as well as an old school science fiction feel. It is fast paced and clever.”—C. Pellitteri, Amazon Reviews
“Apart from stopping to have something to eat I haven’t been able to tear myself away from this until I had finished it. This is good old time story telling that is well written, and definitely well worth reading.”—M. Bowden, Amazon UK Hall of Fame Reviewer
*This review was of the manuscript version submitted to Amazon’s Breakout Novel Awards competition in 2012.
What if all you had to do to make your dreams come true was violate the laws of the universe?
That’s not just a philosophical question Eddie Royce has to answer. It’s a choice he has to make when the most famous science fiction writer of the 1930s goes missing and his unscrupulous publisher becomes convinced that Eddie knows all of the older writer’s secrets—not just the secret of where he’s gone, but the secret of how he’s traveled in time.
Until now, Eddie’s fooled himself into thinking he’s got the system figured out, “borrowing” plots from Shakespeare and rewriting them as space operas to make a name for himself in the pulps. But when he finds out that Chester Blackwood—his idol and inspiration—has been cheating the system in ways Eddie could never have dreamed of, the hack science fiction writer finds himself in the middle of a plot that his pulp readers would never have imagined.
Now he has to do all he can to save himself—and Blackwood’s beautiful daughter—from the powerful figures who all want Blackwood’s secret. And violating the laws of the universe might just be the least of Eddie’s problems.
“The pace of the story is quick, and the time transitions are handled well. Overall, this is a good novel, one that even readers with little interest in sci-fi might enjoy.” — Publishers Weekly.*
“Hardboiled 30′s crime thriller meets time-traveling pulp science-fiction for an original fast paced, page turner.”—S. Sager, Amazon Reviews
“It has a distinctly ‘noir’ flavor as well as an old school science fiction feel. It is fast paced and clever.”—C. Pellitteri, Amazon Reviews
“Apart from stopping to have something to eat I haven’t been able to tear myself away from this until I had finished it. This is good old time story telling that is well written, and definitely well worth reading.”—M. Bowden, Amazon UK Hall of Fame Reviewer
*This review was of the manuscript version submitted to Amazon’s Breakout Novel Awards competition in 2012.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2012
140 people are currently reading
596 people want to read
About the author
Richard Levesque
45 books46 followersRichard Levesque was born near Montreal,Canada and grew up in Southern California.
He began writing while in college, publishing several pieces in college journals while working on his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona. After finishing his Master's Degree in 1990, he focused more on teaching than writing for a few years, eventually completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside in 2000. His dissertation was on Hollywood novelists of the 1920s and 1930s.
Since 1999, he has been part of the English Department at Fullerton College and turned again to writing a few years ago. He primarily writes science fiction but continues to have a strong interest in early Hollywood and Los Angeles history and culture and often works those themes into his writing.
When not writing or grading papers, he spends time with his wife and daughter, works on his collection of old science fiction pulps and tries to be better than a mediocre guitar player.
He began writing while in college, publishing several pieces in college journals while working on his undergraduate degree at Cal Poly Pomona. After finishing his Master's Degree in 1990, he focused more on teaching than writing for a few years, eventually completing his Ph.D. at UC Riverside in 2000. His dissertation was on Hollywood novelists of the 1920s and 1930s.
Since 1999, he has been part of the English Department at Fullerton College and turned again to writing a few years ago. He primarily writes science fiction but continues to have a strong interest in early Hollywood and Los Angeles history and culture and often works those themes into his writing.
When not writing or grading papers, he spends time with his wife and daughter, works on his collection of old science fiction pulps and tries to be better than a mediocre guitar player.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
December 13, 2012
It's a pleasure to read an indie-published book that is not only well-edited, but also well and intricately plotted.
Time-travel books inevitably get complex, and I enjoyed the author's skill in bringing the whole story together and tucking up all the loose ends. No Chekhov's gun remained unfired.
I liked the protagonists, too. Eddie is a decent guy, and we could do with more of them. Roxanne is a genuinely strong woman, who doesn't feel the need to shout about it or to reject Eddie's help because of it. The supporting characters were well-drawn and distinctive.
I did feel that Eddie and Roxanne's relationship progressed implausibly fast, but the plot more or less required that. I also found the initial setup - that Eddie didn't want his editor to find out that he was plagiarizing Shakespeare - a little weak. I was never convinced that the editor would care that much as long as the stories were selling, it was hardly illegal, and (as Eddie himself pointed out) it's not as if Shakespeare didn't take other people's stories himself. Perhaps the author, as a teaching academic, has stronger-than-average feelings about plagiarism.
The other disappointment to me was the final chapter. I felt that there was a lot of telling rather than showing so that the book could be wrapped up in a bit of a rush. Even in the second-to-last chapter I still felt like there were too many remaining plot threads for the book to be complete without a sequel. Surely, I thought, he can't wrap all that up in one chapter. Well, he could, but only by fast-forwarding.
It's a pity the end wasn't more satisfying (which it could easily have been if it had been stretched out just a little - even another chapter might have done it, and two certainly would have). The rest of the book I thoroughly enjoyed. It had a good sense of place and time, a well-handled plot and relatable characters, and the writing was well above the average.
Time-travel books inevitably get complex, and I enjoyed the author's skill in bringing the whole story together and tucking up all the loose ends. No Chekhov's gun remained unfired.
I liked the protagonists, too. Eddie is a decent guy, and we could do with more of them. Roxanne is a genuinely strong woman, who doesn't feel the need to shout about it or to reject Eddie's help because of it. The supporting characters were well-drawn and distinctive.
I did feel that Eddie and Roxanne's relationship progressed implausibly fast, but the plot more or less required that. I also found the initial setup - that Eddie didn't want his editor to find out that he was plagiarizing Shakespeare - a little weak. I was never convinced that the editor would care that much as long as the stories were selling, it was hardly illegal, and (as Eddie himself pointed out) it's not as if Shakespeare didn't take other people's stories himself. Perhaps the author, as a teaching academic, has stronger-than-average feelings about plagiarism.
The other disappointment to me was the final chapter. I felt that there was a lot of telling rather than showing so that the book could be wrapped up in a bit of a rush. Even in the second-to-last chapter I still felt like there were too many remaining plot threads for the book to be complete without a sequel. Surely, I thought, he can't wrap all that up in one chapter. Well, he could, but only by fast-forwarding.
It's a pity the end wasn't more satisfying (which it could easily have been if it had been stretched out just a little - even another chapter might have done it, and two certainly would have). The rest of the book I thoroughly enjoyed. It had a good sense of place and time, a well-handled plot and relatable characters, and the writing was well above the average.
March 30, 2014
Take Back Tomorrow
Richard Levesque
Format: Kindle Edition
2012
File Size: 3729 KB
Print Length: 318 pages
Science Fiction/Time Travel
Eddie Royce is a wannabe science fiction writer who, by stealing the storyline of such greats as Shakespeare, is on the brink of making it. Then a bizarre visit from his favourite author, Chester Blackwood, gives him the power to live his stories rather than writing them. It's 1939, Asimov and Heinlein have barely begun their careers, Hollywood is run by gangsters and Eddie Royce can now travel in time. He can actually steal stories before they've ever been written, rather than copying those of the past. He can become a player.
Except there's this girl and these bad guys and he's limited to just a few visits to the future (or the past). Does he help her or does he help himself?
Take Back Tomorrow is one of those stories that lifts you up and transports you to another place and time. It's science fiction the way it was written in the 1950's when that kind of writing was hitting mainstream. Yet the tale takes us back even further—to a time when the art form could be found in just a handful of pulp fiction magazines.
And let me tell you this guy Levesque can write. There is non-stop action, the plot is a beautiful thing to see, as it sweeps in and about the characters until it comes full circle and leaves us satisfied but melancholy. Satisfied because this is a very good read; melancholy because one knows he will not read another book like this. That age of science fiction is gone. Some say this is a good thing. I, who cut my teeth on space operas and the grand speculations of the 50's, say not.
I give this one 5 stars and a personal recommendation.
Copyright © 2014 Clayton Clifford Bye
Richard Levesque
Format: Kindle Edition
2012
File Size: 3729 KB
Print Length: 318 pages
Science Fiction/Time Travel
Eddie Royce is a wannabe science fiction writer who, by stealing the storyline of such greats as Shakespeare, is on the brink of making it. Then a bizarre visit from his favourite author, Chester Blackwood, gives him the power to live his stories rather than writing them. It's 1939, Asimov and Heinlein have barely begun their careers, Hollywood is run by gangsters and Eddie Royce can now travel in time. He can actually steal stories before they've ever been written, rather than copying those of the past. He can become a player.
Except there's this girl and these bad guys and he's limited to just a few visits to the future (or the past). Does he help her or does he help himself?
Take Back Tomorrow is one of those stories that lifts you up and transports you to another place and time. It's science fiction the way it was written in the 1950's when that kind of writing was hitting mainstream. Yet the tale takes us back even further—to a time when the art form could be found in just a handful of pulp fiction magazines.
And let me tell you this guy Levesque can write. There is non-stop action, the plot is a beautiful thing to see, as it sweeps in and about the characters until it comes full circle and leaves us satisfied but melancholy. Satisfied because this is a very good read; melancholy because one knows he will not read another book like this. That age of science fiction is gone. Some say this is a good thing. I, who cut my teeth on space operas and the grand speculations of the 50's, say not.
I give this one 5 stars and a personal recommendation.
Copyright © 2014 Clayton Clifford Bye
September 25, 2013
I liked this book for several reasons. First, it's a nicely done noir detective/mystery set in the 1940s. Second, it's got time travel, and I find that irresistible. Third, it shows a fine knowledge of the Golden Age of SF writers.
There were a couple of places where I wrote a note on my Kindle with a BIG question on the logic of certain things, but overall, I didn't find those so egregious as to warrant even a slight mark downward.
Richard Levesque has a dandy story here. Yeah, you can argue the methods of time travel, but until we discover real time travel, every writer has a right to their own view on how it is accomplished.
I liked the 1940s vibe and the errata was at a very low level, so I can't complain about a few typos. Note to every writer: Peak and peek are different words. Do not confuse the two.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anybody who likes SF, time travel, and even a bit of noir mystery. Good job. Very readable.
There were a couple of places where I wrote a note on my Kindle with a BIG question on the logic of certain things, but overall, I didn't find those so egregious as to warrant even a slight mark downward.
Richard Levesque has a dandy story here. Yeah, you can argue the methods of time travel, but until we discover real time travel, every writer has a right to their own view on how it is accomplished.
I liked the 1940s vibe and the errata was at a very low level, so I can't complain about a few typos. Note to every writer: Peak and peek are different words. Do not confuse the two.
Overall, I'd recommend this book to anybody who likes SF, time travel, and even a bit of noir mystery. Good job. Very readable.
October 24, 2012
I read this after it was nominated as the 'non-Fantasy book of the month' in the Goodreads Indie Book Club Group. It's an unusual take on a time-travel story, with a well-executed storyline. I've hesitated to label it as science-fiction as there was no real examination of how the 'time tunnels' were possible, so the story read more like an old-fashioned detective thriller. Having a writer as a lead character was interesting, particularly the bits that examined the creative process. I liked the character of Roxanne most of all and wish the story had been told from her point of view all the way through.
December 9, 2012
I was hooked by the description of this book in which the protagonist is a struggling science fiction author who can't seem to get his work published, so he turns to plagiarizing Shakespearean plays (reset in space) in order to get his best-sellers. Set in the 1940's, this book has a little bit of everything, detective/crime drama, romance, and of course, science fiction. An enjoyable pulp fiction-y read!
December 1, 2012
This book presents an interesting twist bringing a science fiction story to an older era. Creative and well thought out,the novel was a fast read.
It seemed like believable science fiction and a read to cross genres.
It seemed like believable science fiction and a read to cross genres.
November 16, 2019
Review originally published at: https://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookr...
Most of Levesque’s book production is cyberpunk, but he is also into pulp, noir, and time-travel, and this is the second audiobook I listen to about these subjects (the other one was Foundlings). Set in the late 30s, this story deals with time travel and the consequences of altering the history, changing train tracks, as Levesque has described it. Eddie Royce is a science-fiction writer without much talent to create new stories, but he gets to make a living at adapting old classics to science-fiction. Feeling guilty about plagiarism, his sin becomes smaller when he meets one of the greatest science-fiction writers of his time, who tells Eddie about his traves in time to steal great science-fiction masterpieces and getting them published under his name ahead of time.
I found this story entertaining and deliciously complex. Time travel stories are like a jigsaw puzzle in which the pieces end up falling into place. The fact of several realities or timelines is explored in this book, even though there is nothing new in it that we had not seen before. The descriptions in the book are rich and detailed, and it is almost possible to feel the noir atmosphere. This book is about science-fiction stories and the love for them, but the book itself could be classified more under Fantasy and Time Travel, as there is not much science nor pseudo-science it in.
Richard Levesque tells great stories, but something I see in most of his books is little character development. The main characters are in general likable people, with some flaws in an attempt to make them more real, but they just feel flat to me. There are several changes of point of view in this book, being most events told from Eddie’s point of view, but also some from Roxanne. The first switch felt a bit strange to me, but we got them more often in the second half of the book, and at some point, it stopped feeling weird. I think it more or less worked because neither Eddie nor Roxanne were very developed as characters. Sadly, I could not relate to them, and I think this is part of why I did not fully connect to the story.
The first half of the book dragged a bit, and there is actually not time travel until more or less halfway into the story. It is where we got information and character background but this did not help to bring the characters to life enough for me to care for them.
All in all, I enjoyed this audiobook, being the setting and the time travel aspect, the main top points for me.
Steven Jay Cohen did a fantastic job narrating this story, and voicing not only Eddie and Roxanne, but also the rest of characters, with expressive interpretations and subtle changes in voice and style for every character. It definitely added something to the story. I see that this book was published four years ago, and Cohen’s last audiobook productions feel a bit more polished and professional. The only thing that bothered me a bit was some slight mouth noises at a couple of points in the audiobook.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Most of Levesque’s book production is cyberpunk, but he is also into pulp, noir, and time-travel, and this is the second audiobook I listen to about these subjects (the other one was Foundlings). Set in the late 30s, this story deals with time travel and the consequences of altering the history, changing train tracks, as Levesque has described it. Eddie Royce is a science-fiction writer without much talent to create new stories, but he gets to make a living at adapting old classics to science-fiction. Feeling guilty about plagiarism, his sin becomes smaller when he meets one of the greatest science-fiction writers of his time, who tells Eddie about his traves in time to steal great science-fiction masterpieces and getting them published under his name ahead of time.
I found this story entertaining and deliciously complex. Time travel stories are like a jigsaw puzzle in which the pieces end up falling into place. The fact of several realities or timelines is explored in this book, even though there is nothing new in it that we had not seen before. The descriptions in the book are rich and detailed, and it is almost possible to feel the noir atmosphere. This book is about science-fiction stories and the love for them, but the book itself could be classified more under Fantasy and Time Travel, as there is not much science nor pseudo-science it in.
Richard Levesque tells great stories, but something I see in most of his books is little character development. The main characters are in general likable people, with some flaws in an attempt to make them more real, but they just feel flat to me. There are several changes of point of view in this book, being most events told from Eddie’s point of view, but also some from Roxanne. The first switch felt a bit strange to me, but we got them more often in the second half of the book, and at some point, it stopped feeling weird. I think it more or less worked because neither Eddie nor Roxanne were very developed as characters. Sadly, I could not relate to them, and I think this is part of why I did not fully connect to the story.
The first half of the book dragged a bit, and there is actually not time travel until more or less halfway into the story. It is where we got information and character background but this did not help to bring the characters to life enough for me to care for them.
All in all, I enjoyed this audiobook, being the setting and the time travel aspect, the main top points for me.
Steven Jay Cohen did a fantastic job narrating this story, and voicing not only Eddie and Roxanne, but also the rest of characters, with expressive interpretations and subtle changes in voice and style for every character. It definitely added something to the story. I see that this book was published four years ago, and Cohen’s last audiobook productions feel a bit more polished and professional. The only thing that bothered me a bit was some slight mouth noises at a couple of points in the audiobook.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
February 2, 2020
Thrilling noir sci-fi!
Imagine a mash-up of DC Fontana and Dashiell Hammet...I wasn’t sure what to expect but this story was definitely worth the ride. Levesque did a great job setting up the time travel premise, and picked a unique milieu in which to do it. It was also fun and interesting that it wasn’t the fate of nations or the planet that drove the story, just good, old-fashioned greed and power-mongering around the world of sci fi publishing. It doesn’t sound sexy when you write it out like that, but it was actually quite gripping. I also liked the fact that the female protagonist had a critical role to play throughout. I highly recommend this!
Imagine a mash-up of DC Fontana and Dashiell Hammet...I wasn’t sure what to expect but this story was definitely worth the ride. Levesque did a great job setting up the time travel premise, and picked a unique milieu in which to do it. It was also fun and interesting that it wasn’t the fate of nations or the planet that drove the story, just good, old-fashioned greed and power-mongering around the world of sci fi publishing. It doesn’t sound sexy when you write it out like that, but it was actually quite gripping. I also liked the fact that the female protagonist had a critical role to play throughout. I highly recommend this!
June 15, 2022
A wild ride
In the 1950s, there was a short story called "Who's Cribbing?" wherein a science fiction writer's entire output was plagerized by another person who was getting the stories by a form of time travel.
This is the McGuffin for this novel. But this novel's timeline bears more of a resemblance to Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" — really twisty.
And the story is also a detective novel.
If you're a fan of the Golden Age of SF stories, you're going to love this book. If you never heard of C. L. Moore or A. E. VanVogt, you're still going to love it.
A great story, well written.
In the 1950s, there was a short story called "Who's Cribbing?" wherein a science fiction writer's entire output was plagerized by another person who was getting the stories by a form of time travel.
This is the McGuffin for this novel. But this novel's timeline bears more of a resemblance to Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps" — really twisty.
And the story is also a detective novel.
If you're a fan of the Golden Age of SF stories, you're going to love this book. If you never heard of C. L. Moore or A. E. VanVogt, you're still going to love it.
A great story, well written.
October 5, 2018
A good blend of genres
This is my first book from this author. I have been reading sci-fi for over 50 years by hundreds of authors. While this book won't have an impact like "Childhoods End" it presented a novel method of time travel and was written like a mixture of noir mystery stories and sci-fi novels. The characters were interesting and the book held my attention to the end. I now have other works of his to look forward to and best of all it's not "volume 1 of a series....". In summary it was a good read and I want more.
This is my first book from this author. I have been reading sci-fi for over 50 years by hundreds of authors. While this book won't have an impact like "Childhoods End" it presented a novel method of time travel and was written like a mixture of noir mystery stories and sci-fi novels. The characters were interesting and the book held my attention to the end. I now have other works of his to look forward to and best of all it's not "volume 1 of a series....". In summary it was a good read and I want more.
December 20, 2018
This is a time travel book with a nice twist. There are no scientific explanations for time travel, just a nice little potion. It seems to work. The book is all about science fiction, and science fiction writers, and the setting during the early days of classic sci-fi was great. I was afraid there would be a hokey twist near the end, but fortunately that didn't happen. As other reviewers have mentioned, the writing and editing were strong, especially given that it is self-published. Good job, Mr. Levesque.
August 12, 2021
Nice entry into the time travel gendre
As a lover of science fiction and time travel tales I enjoyed this book. As with several others of live like minded authors the concepts of multiple deminsions or track or lanes does make a lot of sense. Having grown up in Southern California it was very easy to follow along geographically and culturally. Well done
As a lover of science fiction and time travel tales I enjoyed this book. As with several others of live like minded authors the concepts of multiple deminsions or track or lanes does make a lot of sense. Having grown up in Southern California it was very easy to follow along geographically and culturally. Well done
April 5, 2019
'40's SciFi
Enjoyable read. I liked the 40's setting and the introduction of well known SF authors and their early work. Clever use of time travel to illustrate changes that could occur.
Enjoyable read. I liked the 40's setting and the introduction of well known SF authors and their early work. Clever use of time travel to illustrate changes that could occur.
July 15, 2019
Enjoyable read
Have to admit the book was better than expected from the description. Tried it because I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them . The characters are multi dimensional and the plot imaginative. The book is well worth the read
Have to admit the book was better than expected from the description. Tried it because I have read other books by the author and enjoyed them . The characters are multi dimensional and the plot imaginative. The book is well worth the read
June 17, 2020
The concept is well executed and the author clearly took his time to make sure all the loose end tied up neatly by the end of the book. That being said there was portions of the story which dragged on horribly and were a labor to get through.
Overall a decent read.
Overall a decent read.
June 29, 2020
This story caught me from the beginning, but it took. Lot for me to grow interested. You know from beginning it is a time travel book but not much of that until well past the middle. Ended up interesting but sometimes boring.
August 23, 2020
Campy
I’m not sure why this book has such high reviews. The plot and characters are very campy and standard. It feels exactly like the writing it describes in its first couple of chapters.
I’m not sure why this book has such high reviews. The plot and characters are very campy and standard. It feels exactly like the writing it describes in its first couple of chapters.
December 28, 2020
Creative adaption of the concept of time travel
A great mystery caper which makes use of jumps across time and back. Linear theory of travel through time likened to train tracks and stations.
A great mystery caper which makes use of jumps across time and back. Linear theory of travel through time likened to train tracks and stations.
February 25, 2019
What a fun read!
I did not expect to find a story about a struggling sci-fi writer who gets entangled in a time traveling mystery but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Recommended!
I did not expect to find a story about a struggling sci-fi writer who gets entangled in a time traveling mystery but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Recommended!
March 15, 2019
Loved this book!
Great characters,great story.Different from anything I've read in a long time.Wish I could go back in time and read it for the first time again!
Great characters,great story.Different from anything I've read in a long time.Wish I could go back in time and read it for the first time again!
June 5, 2019
Really fun read. Original and keeps your interest until the end.
December 12, 2019
Great book
This book is so good. I got hooked quickly and want let down. The way everything came together was perfect. Seriously loved it!
This book is so good. I got hooked quickly and want let down. The way everything came together was perfect. Seriously loved it!
January 23, 2020
Clever story. I love time travel stories. Richard nailed this one.
June 17, 2020
A witty time-travel novel that will delight anyone who is a fan of golden age science fiction or Raymond Chandler type thrillers. W
July 5, 2020
A fun time travel spin on a Philip Marlowe-esque story. A very entertaining read.
March 11, 2022
Great time travel story
I liked this book a lot. Does the time travel well and the characters are compelling. Would definitely recommend for fans of Golden Age sci-fi.
I liked this book a lot. Does the time travel well and the characters are compelling. Would definitely recommend for fans of Golden Age sci-fi.
May 27, 2025
excellent well written
A raving review. Please rad this flowed well and was a great story from the start I love the way he placed the time travel and its consequences.
A raving review. Please rad this flowed well and was a great story from the start I love the way he placed the time travel and its consequences.
March 23, 2017
Great story of traveling through time and stealing from the future! A bit of a live story too in the end. Excellent story and narration. This is my first book from this author and narrator. Definitely won't be my last. The story was great and the narrator kept me on the edge of my seat!
December 3, 2019
Take Back Tomorrow written by Richard Levesque is the story of Eddie Royce, a science fiction writer that still hasn’t made any significant impact in the world. He encounters a much more famous science fiction writer, who bestows upon Eddie a secret that will turn his life upside down. Unfortunately, there’s more to it that Eddie could ever imagine, and we get to experience how he unravels all the questions that keeps building up.
The writing was quite nice, and as the blurp describes, is very Heinlein’ish in both prose and story integrity. As Heinlein is one of my all time favorite writers, I very much enjoyed the story. The characters are well described with their personal individualities coming out quite nicely. The story flowed nicely, and the plot was quite coherent in my opinion.
The first part of the book was a bit slow to develop, but as soon as it picked up, it kept me captivated throughout, and I will definitely go through it again at least once, since I enjoyed it so much. The plot got increasingly more complex, but it never went overboard. As with most of Heinleins stuff, this is very much a very down to earth story, despite having both developing mysteries, and time travel. It is character driven a large part of the book, but the excellent and likeable characters, of which there weren’t too many, carries the story very well. I loved the ending, that had a nice science fiction twist to it.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Jay Cohen, who did an excellent job, with good individual voices, and clear and exciting speech throughout the book. It was a joy to listen to.
Overall, if you enjoy a good science fiction book with time travel, mysteries, or have a big affection for old school science fiction stories (I won’t tell why!), then this is for you. Very much recommended.
I received this audiobook for free in return for a review. I have no affiliation with the author, the narrator, the publisher, or their pets (Although I am sure the latter are quite nice!).
The writing was quite nice, and as the blurp describes, is very Heinlein’ish in both prose and story integrity. As Heinlein is one of my all time favorite writers, I very much enjoyed the story. The characters are well described with their personal individualities coming out quite nicely. The story flowed nicely, and the plot was quite coherent in my opinion.
The first part of the book was a bit slow to develop, but as soon as it picked up, it kept me captivated throughout, and I will definitely go through it again at least once, since I enjoyed it so much. The plot got increasingly more complex, but it never went overboard. As with most of Heinleins stuff, this is very much a very down to earth story, despite having both developing mysteries, and time travel. It is character driven a large part of the book, but the excellent and likeable characters, of which there weren’t too many, carries the story very well. I loved the ending, that had a nice science fiction twist to it.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Steven Jay Cohen, who did an excellent job, with good individual voices, and clear and exciting speech throughout the book. It was a joy to listen to.
Overall, if you enjoy a good science fiction book with time travel, mysteries, or have a big affection for old school science fiction stories (I won’t tell why!), then this is for you. Very much recommended.
I received this audiobook for free in return for a review. I have no affiliation with the author, the narrator, the publisher, or their pets (Although I am sure the latter are quite nice!).
November 21, 2016
A Sci-Fi Book About Sci-Fi Books, With Gangsters
In a way, many noir classics involve a sort of time travel. My favorite noir film is Robert Mitchum's "Out of the Past", in which characters out of the hero's past show up to complicate his present and ruin his future. Well, the author of "Take Back Tomorrow" has just turned that figurative haunting of the noir hero's life by his dubious past and uncertain future into a literal tale of time travel. Here, we have a half dozen characters zipping around various decades of L.A. pulling all of the usual noir tricks - scamming, strong-arming, blackmailing, drug running, and so on. The plotting for standard noir usually gets pretty complicated; this book just adds a new literal time travel component.
What makes this more fun, though, is that science fiction stories are the macguffin at the heart of the plot. SPOILER. Here, we aren't selling drugs, or fencing goods, or robbing banks. Rather, the characters are going into the future to steal science fiction stories and books and to bring them back into the past to republish as their own. So, get this, the book is really a science fiction book about science fiction books. Once you buy into the idea that traveling to the future just to steal future books is what you would do if you could time travel, (as opposed to, say, get stock tips or info to get rich gambling), then the rest of the story is easy to take.
This is especially so for sci-fi fans. The author knows the genre, especially from the 30's on, so there is a lot of name dropping about obscure, but real, magazines, serials, publishers and authors. For example, when a future thief mentions in passing a plot that he's brought back, you''ll recognize it as Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall", a story that Isaac can't write in 1941 because it's now already been written. That adds a lot of fun to the read, assuming you're a fan.
Now, the writing itself is serviceable. The main characters are appealing enough to hold your interest. There are some very nicely staged scenes and some sharp set pieces, but there is also a fair amount of more clunky narrative bridging those scenes. There is a fair amount of monologuing and a lot of scenes in which one character explains what's going on to another character. I don't mind that because it is very helpful, in both noir and time travel fiction, to have characters help the reader keep track of what's going on. I guess my point is that this isn't a "literary" or "great writing" read. It's a clever, fun, slightly goofy, time travelling Valentine to sci-fi wearing a noir costume. If that sounds at all interesting to you, by all means hop aboard.
Please note that I found this book while browsing kindleunlimited freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
In a way, many noir classics involve a sort of time travel. My favorite noir film is Robert Mitchum's "Out of the Past", in which characters out of the hero's past show up to complicate his present and ruin his future. Well, the author of "Take Back Tomorrow" has just turned that figurative haunting of the noir hero's life by his dubious past and uncertain future into a literal tale of time travel. Here, we have a half dozen characters zipping around various decades of L.A. pulling all of the usual noir tricks - scamming, strong-arming, blackmailing, drug running, and so on. The plotting for standard noir usually gets pretty complicated; this book just adds a new literal time travel component.
What makes this more fun, though, is that science fiction stories are the macguffin at the heart of the plot. SPOILER. Here, we aren't selling drugs, or fencing goods, or robbing banks. Rather, the characters are going into the future to steal science fiction stories and books and to bring them back into the past to republish as their own. So, get this, the book is really a science fiction book about science fiction books. Once you buy into the idea that traveling to the future just to steal future books is what you would do if you could time travel, (as opposed to, say, get stock tips or info to get rich gambling), then the rest of the story is easy to take.
This is especially so for sci-fi fans. The author knows the genre, especially from the 30's on, so there is a lot of name dropping about obscure, but real, magazines, serials, publishers and authors. For example, when a future thief mentions in passing a plot that he's brought back, you''ll recognize it as Isaac Asimov's "Nightfall", a story that Isaac can't write in 1941 because it's now already been written. That adds a lot of fun to the read, assuming you're a fan.
Now, the writing itself is serviceable. The main characters are appealing enough to hold your interest. There are some very nicely staged scenes and some sharp set pieces, but there is also a fair amount of more clunky narrative bridging those scenes. There is a fair amount of monologuing and a lot of scenes in which one character explains what's going on to another character. I don't mind that because it is very helpful, in both noir and time travel fiction, to have characters help the reader keep track of what's going on. I guess my point is that this isn't a "literary" or "great writing" read. It's a clever, fun, slightly goofy, time travelling Valentine to sci-fi wearing a noir costume. If that sounds at all interesting to you, by all means hop aboard.
Please note that I found this book while browsing kindleunlimited freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.
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