The Boy Who Cried Tomorrow

by Ilia Epifanov

How far would you go to get a redo in life?

Everyone knows making a deal with a demon is a bad idea. Everyone but Mark Dillinger, whose life is crumbling to pieces at He’s trapped in a dead-end job and about to pull the plug on his relationship. Worst of all, his mom is dying of a long illness, while his father is remarrying Jess—the twenty-three-year-old little sister of Mark's childhood buddy.

Desperate, he decides to go to his high school reunion, if only to do something different for once. And different he finds. His old guidance counselor, Helga Chapman, offers him the weirdest he can restart his life at any point, keeping all his knowledge—a chance to make better decisions.

Of course, Mark laughs her off and leaves, convinced she’s pranking him. But later that night, he gets a call from his mom’s hospital with disturbing she's taken a turn for the worse. When Mark meets Helga Chapman again, he must choose between his terrible present and the promise of rebuilding his past.

The catch? To save his life, he must take another’s.

Genres: Horror

176 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2025

About the author

Ilia Epifanov is an American science fiction and supernatural thriller author. He has written over thirty short stories, books, and comics, and his works take readers to curious and uncanny worlds to grapple with intimacy and loss.

Crescent Earth, the first book of Ilia’s latest sci-fi series, kicks off his most ambitious mystery yet. Through a time traveling spaceship, readers are transported across a rich interstellar landscape to solve the murder of Frankie Mason.

In his spare time, Ilia is a developmental editor who reads crime fiction and comic books while taking his two Pomeranians to the park. He gets his inspiration from long walks with his family and through his travels. He was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[MGJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I REALLY wanted to like this more than I did. I did think it was okay overall but I had a some issues.

The fact that we get to the redo early was great, no time wasted. The rest of it is spoilers.

So he gets sent back 15 years, at his own request, to his teen years. So after seeing his mom on life support from a terminal illness, he sees her healthy and bright again and no hug, no exclamation of how much he loves her, no 'not taking these things for granted'? He just goes through the motions of being at teenager again like he ISN'T back in the past with his knowledge? Okay, he invests in Bitcoin, which I will admit is funny and probably what everyone would do.

He does make some slight changes that alter the timeline he's already in, but for what? At this point, he doesn't even know how to get back, even he wanted to. You're telling me he's going to relive the next 15 years with the knowledge of his future self? Well, the MC never ponders this so we don't know. Also before he requests to get sent further back, he shoots and kills his father?? So he says, 'fuck it, send me further back because I need to find out what happened to my brother and I'm pretty much screwed in this timeline anyways.'. Uhhh, while I understand why he did what he did since his father liked kids too much,when did we get any inclination that he felt such strong hate and vitriol for his father that he would murder him? We spend a lot of time with the MC as a teenager, with him constantly going back and forth between locations and people with hardly any establishing dialogue. A lot of, 'So we drove...I opened the door.'.

The part where he bonds more with his, now revealed, sister and finds out what happens is more of what I was expecting from the story. Someone going back and trying to make better decisions as this books repeats a lot. Sort of a Butterfly Effect type story.

There are the ghosts of his past that "haunt" him as he jumps around timelines, but they don't really do anything but stare, so there isn't any looming threat. Unless you count the last line, then I guess there is? But this is never established so it's hard to assume.

Overall, it ends with nothing really accomplished... Only the MC having, what I assume, is a better understanding to let the past be the past. Maybe another read would clear up some issues I had or cement more of the decisions the MC made for me. I suppose a life lesson is all the MC really needed at the end of the day.

[Ayee C.]

Get ready for a paranormal, out-of-the-ordinary, time-traveling journey where ghosts will be much real, both in the protagonist’s mind and house!

Mark’s life is crumbling: he’s at a dead-end job and relationship, his mom’s dying, and his father’s remarrying a 23-year-old girl who’s the little sister of his childhood buddy Leo. Things couldn’t go worse, could they?

Well, one shouldn’t tempt fate with one’s words... Or a demon could appear with a very tempting and fatal deal, that’ll take our protagonist back in time and into revealing truths about how his family started crumbling, mirroring the horrors inside the house and those out of the world in a fascinating and horrific balance.

This is a tale about getting lost and searching for answers, even if those aren’t what you expected. And then, what is it to do?
I’d recommend reading this if you like the genre or books that’ll shake you and leave you deep in thought!

[Marilu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks so much to Ilia Epifanov for the free copy of The Boy Who Cried Tomorrow.

I really enjoyed this book and would give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars. The main character is unhappy with his life and gets a unique chance to revisit his past choices. The core question becomes: if given a do-over, will he make different decisions, and will his life improve? The story had a few twists that really kept me wanting to keep reading to see what happened next. This story definitely makes you think about making the most of today instead of waiting for tomorrow.

[M. J. Cristea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I loved this more than I expected. I had a hard time getting into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down! Glad it went a different route than the usual time travelling fiction, it made for a smart and interesting read.

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

ok this book is just written so smoothly that i blinked and reached the end already. it really made you view timetravelling differently because yk, most timetravel stories end with the MC overpowered because they knew what's gonna happen, they make all the better decisions and prevented all the things they wish to never happen in the future. well, not here.

tysm to the author for letting me read this book so early on <3

[John Ryan]

Like most part-time readers, I'm always looking for something new, enthralling, and maybe, if I'm lucky, something that'll grip my spine, scratch at my heart, and keep me entertained enough to turn those pages. This book, 'The Boy who Cried Tomorrow,' did all that and more.
The story begins on an aggressive bus ride where we're introduced to Mark. He's a lonely, cowardly sort on his way to see his ailing mother in the hospital. Tensions soon arise upon arrival as we're introduced to Mark's standoffish, gruff father. Speaking from experience, a mother's ailing health puts a tremendous strain on family relationships. So, I wasn't surprised to hear about a father and son failing to properly communicate with one another. Nor was I shocked to find out about Mark's frustrations with his dead-end job or stressed love life. But that is where all the usual tropes and the relatable circumstances ended.
Through a series of unintentional, accidental happenstances, an emotionally intrusive doctor, and an unexpected invitation, we come to find out this family is full of some monstrous bastards. Tragic revelations slowly unfold as figurative and literal ghosts rise, haunt, and plague our protagonist to the brink of madness.
This isn't a lighthearted mystery. There's no gleaming sunset to ride off into at the end. Just an ocean of murky water filled with regret and the skeletons of the past. Just as in life, there are consequences for every choice we make, every piece of knowledge we seek, and even the actions we fail to take. Let this story remind you of these bitter truths.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great gift for fans of the genre. Easy to read, but makes you think.

[Vadim Korostiev · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I did have a lucky opportunity of reading pre-release)

While my opinion is surely biased, I'm still insisting you give this a read for those who fancy a light style with a hefty meaning.

Too early to discuss my opinion on spoilers from this one :) But I'm sure there'll be polarised reviews. But hey, it's human nature to disagree, so relish the process!

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review

I got an opportunity to read the book early. I knew it was a horror but I wasn’t prepared how sad it would end up being! It made me feel things I don’t want to feel again. Scary in the best way

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love good horror stories that keep you on the edge of your seat! I bought it because of the beautiful cover and I didn't regret it!

[Ilia Epifanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't like this book, but I think it's pretty good.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

a well written and concise tale with the madness of hindsight. look forward to more from this author

[Erin Ellison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this. The concept was good. Then it just didn't grab my attention. it was more like just going through the motions. I'm glad I read it but it was just ok for me.

[Hooterbby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the saddest and drastically different take on time travel I've read. It had me thinking so hard. Pondering if I'm spending my time wisely in my real life. Maybe I should pay attention more to my surroundings and really put effort into time with my family. Be thankful for what I do have. This story was deep, deeper than I expected it to go at moments. We also probably shouldn't try to change the past, huh?