Settlers

by Steve Denison

Anna is an English literature graduate student who wants to live, to Settle, in the Pleistocene, 60,000 years in the past. Scientists discovered time travel while bending gravity waves to control effects of climate change. Bending gravity waves was found to create a way back in time, an arch through time, and Settlers now travel back in time to live on earth thousands and millions of years in the past, before changes to the earth have made it almost uninhabitable. Anna's plans to Settle are accelerated when Qweb, a powerful computer, thinks that Anna has discovered a secret that threatens its existence. Join Anna and her friends as they travel through time to save the earth!

Dinosaurs, William Wordsworth and a sentient quantum computer all in the same book? An English literature student trying to save the world? Yes, if it's Settlers!

Genres: Fiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2024

Reviews

[Jeffrey Romine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things can get complicated quickly with time travel, but this doesn't make it any less perilous when coping with both dinosaurs and AI - all while trying to create a better future by fixing mistakes of the past.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several tropes in Settlers. Time-travel, Action-Adventure, and Post-Apocalypse are likely only three of them. They are the tree that stans out the most to me. In the interest of Full Disclosure, that this book became available on Kindle as a "free book" helped pique my interest. As a long term reader of SF, though, TANSTAAFL applies. Heinlein is correct, there is always a price somehow to be paid. For me, a free book requires a review.

Time-travel may not be a favorite trope for me. Still, I've read more than a few. This one addresses many of the quirks involved in the trope, in a manner which did not disturb my suspension of willing disbelief. Indeed, I much enjoyed one of the plot devices that helped solve one of the protagonists problems rather neatly. No, I won't tell you what that is. Go Read.

As Action-Adventure this one moves the plot along quickly. World building is fairly smooth, introducing characters and using their daily life to set up the environment. The conflicts which arise are believable within context.

Pacing also applies to Post-Apocalyptic. That it is post environmental apocalypse is one of the driving conflicts. The reasons for that apocalypse are given a nice foundation in some current events.

Partly the four stars are related to dialog. While Time tra elling, the two protagonists never introduce themselves with full names, despite being in times and cultures when the use of one' given name, not including family name, would raise concerns in the people with whom they are interacting. Honestly, this may (if I paid money for the book) have resulted in at least a hald-star lower review rating.

Overall I enjoyed this book. The manner some of the potential paradoxes of Time travel are in corporated often brought a chuckle.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book surprised me in the best way. Settlers isn’t just time-travel science fiction—it’s a meditation on climate change, human responsibility, and intelligence itself. The idea that bending gravity waves opens an arch through time is clever, but the introduction of Qweb, a sentient quantum computer that feels threatened by human discovery, adds real tension. The novel asks smart questions without becoming heavy-handed, and the blend of dinosaurs, poetry, and AI somehow works beautifully.

[IngramSpark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title was selected for IngramSpark's Indie Title Discovery Spotlight 2025!

A thrilling blend of time travel, apocalyptic sci-fi, and high-stakes adventure - incredibly unique and captivating story that's great for young adult readers too!

[Johnie C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

I enjoyed reading this book and I recommend this book to anyone who likes LitRPG and progression types of books with lots of action.