Repeating History

Time in Yellowstone #1

by M.M. Justus

In 1959, 20-year-old college dropout Chuck McManis strolls the geyser boardwalks in Yellowstone National Park when an earthquake plunges him eighty years back in time, into the middle of an Indian war. Into his personal past, too – his great-grandfather, his boyhood idol, but not a hero after all. Hapless Chuck needs instructions for sheer survival. He will not abandon Eliza Byrne, the woman who teaches him. But nothing matters if they never make it back to civilization. No matter when it could be.REPEATING HISTORY is a novel that spans several genres. Though it features time travel and is quite readable as a romance set in 1870s Wyoming and Montana, it is primarily a historical adventure and could even be considered the beginning of a family saga, which is continued in the sequels, TRUE GOLD, HOMESICK, and FINDING HOME.

346 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

I am fascinated by the possibilities of what if. The memories of place that some people call ghosts, the mobius effect of time travel. You won’t find vampires or werewolves here. Or horror. I am more interested in the potential effects of the fantastic on normal folks, and in inserting it into well-researched historical events, populated mostly by people who really lived.

My favorite period is the not-so-distant past of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and my favorite place, the one that draws me back over and over again, is Yellowstone National Park. Ten years ago, on a three-month cross-country adventure, I spent five days in Yellowstone, wandering the geyser basins waiting for things to go off. Watching my first-ever eruption of Grand Geyser, five lovely bursts 150-200 feet high, I suddenly thought, now wouldn’t that make a terrific time travel device. Other places and events have struck me in similar ways, and this is the basis for the stories I tell. I hope you will enjoy them.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to wait to read Repeating History until I'd gotten a Kindle, but it was definitely worth the wait! If you haven't read this well-written book yet, I highly recommend it. It has history, romance, suspense, and horses. Chuck/Charley McManus, the first-person narrator, is a plucky, likable young man who finds himself in an unbelievable and tough situation, but with humor, grit, and tenacity he not only comes to terms with where he lands, he really finds himself. In a plot where a 20th-century character is catapulted back into the 19th, I had no trouble suspending my disbelief, at all! The plot and dialog flow naturally. The author's use of Yellowstone Park as a setting complemented perfectly a story where plot twists erupt unexpectedly. I loved the historical accuracy and detail, the characters, the wry humor, the writing style, and the locations. I hope we see more of Charley; you want to travel with him for the ride.

[Lee French · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this book is thrilling and brilliant and suspenseful and gripping. Chuck is lost and found, dumb and smart, clever and stupid. I love the character. Eliza and Anna are charming and sassy and delightful. Watching the three of them dance around each other and deal with outside threats from Chuck’s perspective made me race through the book to find out what happens.

Then I hit the second half. At that point, the tale becomes a rather straightforward sweet romance with little of the suspense or excitement of the first half. The characters, which remained well done, keep it from flopping. I wish the tension in the second half lived up to the tension in the first half, yet I still enjoyed reading about Chuck’s dumbassery and the complications of daily life in the 1870s.

The historical aspect was clearly well and thoroughly researched. Minor details struck me as something one would have to delve to discover, and the setting is immersive. I felt like I’d been transported to Yellowstone and Helena and the various other places.

I recommend this book for people who like post-Civil War era historical romance.

[Ceh131973 · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Repeating History] by [M.M. Justus] was an engaging trip through the wilds of Yellowstone. The point of view used gave a unique twist to the story that increased the readers engagement. The knowledge that Justus shows of Yellowstone is apparent throughout the books and allows the reader to feel they are actually there with the characters experiencing the story.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves history, nature, or just a plain well told story. I am looking forward to reading [True Gold]

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun historical fiction set in an era about which I knew little. The time travel portion added an extra element to the portion of the story set in the past. I enjoyed watching the hero cope with the culture shock. Read this one out of sequence, as I read "True Gold", the sequel first. However, the two books are only very loosely linked, and the sequence really didn't make much difference, in my opinion.

[Skeeter Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story about time transfer. Including Yellowstone Park. Very different thread or traveling back in time.