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Sign Changes
Sign Changes is a novel about ideas and the ways they have changed us. It is about the way you came to understand the very words you are reading now. About the origins of symbol use. Kpol and his tribe struggle to survive an ice age 100,000 years ago and adapt to new ways. In 16th century England, a young boy leaves the countryside to learn to read and print books. In the near-present computer age, a man and woman prepare for the bombs they fear will fall. And in the distant future, a new form of life comes into existence. What connects them all?
- GenresScience Fiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2013
10 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Bart Hopkins Jr.
16 books32 followersBart Hopkins Jr. is an ex-surfer, avid hiker and occasional rock climber, chess enthusiast and motorcyclist. He is interested in brain and mind topics and linguistics. Has 2 wonderful grown children and 3 grandchildren. Lives in Texas with his wife Kat. His latest of 9 novels include the story of an anthropologist's stay in a psych ward, One Came Crashing In, and the FBI thriller, Living By The Gun. Give them a read!
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 19, 2014
Reading this was very entertaining. It was an exceptional novel. The plot line was unique. The story is told from four different perspectives. I definitely enjoyed alternating between the protagonists. I usually read several books at a time, but when I first began reading this, I couldn't put it down, so I ended up reading it straight until the very end. Well done.
October 10, 2013
I stumbled across this book by accident. Ill and stranded at home with nothing to read, I saw it pop up from somewhere or other in my email inbox as a free read. The blurb intrigued me – a novel of ideas illustrating the impact of symbols (written and spoken language) on human development, spanning past, present and future; a mix of historical fiction and science fiction.
Sign Changes was a delight to read. Well written and, what is rare in a self-published book, correctly punctuated ( ok – I’m like the princess and the pea when it comes to this sort of thing). The writing style is fresh and original, and the characters engaging. The ideas are handled with clarity and simplicity and don’t weigh the book down. Some things I felt were perhaps too simplified: for example, the development of language which appeared to take place within one generation whereas in fact it must have taken thousands of years to go from simple labelling of objects to the complex speech we know today. But this is a mere quibble. The principle is the important thing and overall the book uses simple scenarios set at four points in human history to tell a story as effectively as the old morality tales did.
Sign Changes was a delight to read. Well written and, what is rare in a self-published book, correctly punctuated ( ok – I’m like the princess and the pea when it comes to this sort of thing). The writing style is fresh and original, and the characters engaging. The ideas are handled with clarity and simplicity and don’t weigh the book down. Some things I felt were perhaps too simplified: for example, the development of language which appeared to take place within one generation whereas in fact it must have taken thousands of years to go from simple labelling of objects to the complex speech we know today. But this is a mere quibble. The principle is the important thing and overall the book uses simple scenarios set at four points in human history to tell a story as effectively as the old morality tales did.
January 12, 2015
I found SIGN CHANGES to be a very original and enjoyable novel. Four stories separated by millennia and civilization – and yet they are connected. The prose is sparse and intelligent. The stories are thought provoking and at times philosophical. I would highly recommend this book for any reader who likes it when an author challenges the way we view and understand our world.
May 22, 2015
This story is about four different characters separated by eons and shows the struggles and fears and hopes of each generation.
To me, although certain things have changed throughout human development, what makes humans what they are have not. I thought that each story was interesting, demonstrating those very struggles, from early 'Man' hunting, barely surviving to Medieval times, where the written word is a luxury to modern times, where war and annihilation is the new horizon to the future where the idea of intelligence is explored. These four steps in Time, in my opinion, are meant to show 'progress' and yet I wonder exactly what that means and the way the book ends may or may not be a sign of hope.
I am not quite sure of its intention but this book certainly has an experimental feel and will compel readers to think...but, I suppose, it is within our actions that will test the outcome of what our lives will be.
A well written and unusual read.
To me, although certain things have changed throughout human development, what makes humans what they are have not. I thought that each story was interesting, demonstrating those very struggles, from early 'Man' hunting, barely surviving to Medieval times, where the written word is a luxury to modern times, where war and annihilation is the new horizon to the future where the idea of intelligence is explored. These four steps in Time, in my opinion, are meant to show 'progress' and yet I wonder exactly what that means and the way the book ends may or may not be a sign of hope.
I am not quite sure of its intention but this book certainly has an experimental feel and will compel readers to think...but, I suppose, it is within our actions that will test the outcome of what our lives will be.
A well written and unusual read.
May 9, 2014
When my friend Becca gave me this book as a present I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not but after the first few pages I found myself falling more and more in like with the overall idea and Hopkins' writing style.
October 29, 2013
Loved it! The storylines draw you in from the beginning. I couldn't stop reading!
April 16, 2018
The concept of this book was cool, but the characters were kind of flat and uninteresting. Overall there's an attempt at complex story-telling that feels cliched and not really successful.
June 24, 2014
Okay, in full disclosure, this was a free book that I won in a Goodreads give-a-way. The appearance and short description on the back cover do not tell us much. We have a very rough idea what we are about to read. In all honesty, if I saw this book on the shelf, it would probably not be my first choice.
It’s a very short and easy read. Think “Old Man and the Sea” as far as time consumption.
The author does a good job of separating several different time periods that all tie together through overall theme and subject matter. The time ranges go from the nomadic days, medieval times, present day and the future. Each individual time range has its own chapter and easy to keep separate and understand each ones individual role in telling the story. There is something to be gained by each. With that said there are several parts especially in the present day setting that seemed a bit more forced than they really had to be.
So what is the story really about? This may be a spoiler, but trust me, there is not much to spoil. This is a story of how far we have come in the way we communicate with each other, and how that has evolved. It gives you a vision of how each individual concept could have happened, grown, and flourished. How complex this change was. But it’s not just how we communicate. It also covers the effect that is has had on our development and everyday life that we take for granted. This book helps to illuminate but how amazing and beautiful these revelations were and still are today. This is the real takeaway from this book, and the value it brings to the reader.
Why the 4 star rating? Let me honest, this is not a 4 star book. It’s closer to a 3.5. The bump comes from a few things. 1. I got this book for Free-ninety-nine. (My favorite price.) 2. The author is self-published… come-on. That’s pretty bad ass for a book like this. You just don’t find too many self-published authors anymore... Maybe you do, but they probably aren’t this good. So I enjoyed the book. It was a page turner as I was anxious to find out what happens to lives of each character. I’m a sucker for a good strong story around strong characters, even if there are a ton. The Warded Man series does an exemplary job of this. This book left me a bit wanting there. May its supposed to. This is not a story about the lives of character but rather a journey of tale. We only get a short peek into each characters life to see what they have brought to larger picture of humanity and how we have learned to communicate.
It’s a short read… so read it. It’s worth your time and may help you to appreciate the simplest of things that help bring us together.
It’s a very short and easy read. Think “Old Man and the Sea” as far as time consumption.
The author does a good job of separating several different time periods that all tie together through overall theme and subject matter. The time ranges go from the nomadic days, medieval times, present day and the future. Each individual time range has its own chapter and easy to keep separate and understand each ones individual role in telling the story. There is something to be gained by each. With that said there are several parts especially in the present day setting that seemed a bit more forced than they really had to be.
So what is the story really about? This may be a spoiler, but trust me, there is not much to spoil. This is a story of how far we have come in the way we communicate with each other, and how that has evolved. It gives you a vision of how each individual concept could have happened, grown, and flourished. How complex this change was. But it’s not just how we communicate. It also covers the effect that is has had on our development and everyday life that we take for granted. This book helps to illuminate but how amazing and beautiful these revelations were and still are today. This is the real takeaway from this book, and the value it brings to the reader.
Why the 4 star rating? Let me honest, this is not a 4 star book. It’s closer to a 3.5. The bump comes from a few things. 1. I got this book for Free-ninety-nine. (My favorite price.) 2. The author is self-published… come-on. That’s pretty bad ass for a book like this. You just don’t find too many self-published authors anymore... Maybe you do, but they probably aren’t this good. So I enjoyed the book. It was a page turner as I was anxious to find out what happens to lives of each character. I’m a sucker for a good strong story around strong characters, even if there are a ton. The Warded Man series does an exemplary job of this. This book left me a bit wanting there. May its supposed to. This is not a story about the lives of character but rather a journey of tale. We only get a short peek into each characters life to see what they have brought to larger picture of humanity and how we have learned to communicate.
It’s a short read… so read it. It’s worth your time and may help you to appreciate the simplest of things that help bring us together.
December 31, 2013
Sign Changes was an interesting book.
It follows four different story lines that seemingly are all connected despite the fact that they take place at different times sometimes centuries apart.
What I gathered from it was that it was a book about language and communication. It makes you think about how language was made and how it has carried throughout time to keep communication consistent.
The stories by themselves were interesting, but where it lost me was when they were supposed to connect. Maybe it would have been a bit more clear is each story was told in its entirety, then it moved on to the next. But, it jumped around so much that I found myself confused more often than not. I would just start getting into one of the stories, then it would switch to one of the others.
I feel like the idea for this book was right on point as it was really interesting, the execution was just a bit off to me. It was hard to follow at times.
3/5 stars. I liked it, but I was confused.
It follows four different story lines that seemingly are all connected despite the fact that they take place at different times sometimes centuries apart.
What I gathered from it was that it was a book about language and communication. It makes you think about how language was made and how it has carried throughout time to keep communication consistent.
The stories by themselves were interesting, but where it lost me was when they were supposed to connect. Maybe it would have been a bit more clear is each story was told in its entirety, then it moved on to the next. But, it jumped around so much that I found myself confused more often than not. I would just start getting into one of the stories, then it would switch to one of the others.
I feel like the idea for this book was right on point as it was really interesting, the execution was just a bit off to me. It was hard to follow at times.
3/5 stars. I liked it, but I was confused.
May 18, 2015
Interessting
The author does a good job at writing a novel that bounces around timelines and characters in an easy to follow and logical order. I most appreciate that the book can be read by itself but does give you the option and desire of looking for the sequel.
The author does a good job at writing a novel that bounces around timelines and characters in an easy to follow and logical order. I most appreciate that the book can be read by itself but does give you the option and desire of looking for the sequel.
August 31, 2015
Back And Forth In Time
Not really I sure I got a good grip on this book what with all the jumping back and forth in time.
Not really I sure I got a good grip on this book what with all the jumping back and forth in time.
May 26, 2018
Nice tie between threads, was hoping for a third book here
August 4, 2015
4 timelines. A guilty pleasure to read.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews