What do you think?
Rate this book
Time Will Tell #1
...Before You Leap
Sean Kelly considered himself an average 16-year-old, living in an average neighborhood in a small University town. Nothing too exciting ever happened in Grover's Corners, Missouri; some might even label it boring. His ordinary life was disrupted when a distant relative dropped by at the beginning of his Junior year in high-school. A distant relative from the 23rd Century.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2014
320 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Les Lynam
11 books69 followersLes Lynam (1954- ) was born in Creston, Iowa, into a farming family which also included an older brother and two older sisters. The family farm was near the tiny community of Corning, Iowa, (birthplace of Johnny Carson). After graduating from Corning High School, he attended Central Missouri State University (renamed University of Central Missouri in 2006), graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications. After a short, mostly unsuccessful, attempt at running a print shop, he refocused and returned to a life of studies at the University of Missouri. He received an M.A./M.L.S in 1986 and began a new career as a librarian at Ward Edwards / James C. Kirkpatrick libraries at UCM. He took an early retirement on December 31, 2012 to pursue his lifelong dream of writing Science Fiction. His premier novel, "...Saves Nine", was first published in 2014 with hopes and dreams of many more to come. His favorite sub-genre of Science Fiction is Time-Travel, with Martian Colonies a close second. He has one son and three grandchildren.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 27, 2015
Check out my complete review at ...Before You Leap (Time Will Tell, #1) > Review
Before you leap is the best Sci-Fi novel I have read my whole life. The book has got right elements of Science Fiction, Humor, sarcasm at its best. There are many instances where I just laughed out loud. Amazing concept, amazing humor, amazing characters.
The way Sean Kelly is described is an absolute accurate description of how a teenager would be. Everything from his expressions, his sarcasm to his humor is downright adorable. Alexis and Nicole are just perfect. There is absolutely no flaw in this book. It keeps you hooked till the very end. The suspense which is kept for the next book is also just right. Unlike other series, where an intense suspense is kept for the next book, Les Lynam keeps the suspense to just the right element without creating a horrible vacuum when the book ends but also enough to ensure that the next book is definitely grabbed.
Science Fiction was never exactly my forte but this book definitely changed it all. I pulled an all-nighter for this one, and it was absolutely worth it. Kudos to Les Lynam. So waiting for the next one to come.
Before you leap is the best Sci-Fi novel I have read my whole life. The book has got right elements of Science Fiction, Humor, sarcasm at its best. There are many instances where I just laughed out loud. Amazing concept, amazing humor, amazing characters.
The way Sean Kelly is described is an absolute accurate description of how a teenager would be. Everything from his expressions, his sarcasm to his humor is downright adorable. Alexis and Nicole are just perfect. There is absolutely no flaw in this book. It keeps you hooked till the very end. The suspense which is kept for the next book is also just right. Unlike other series, where an intense suspense is kept for the next book, Les Lynam keeps the suspense to just the right element without creating a horrible vacuum when the book ends but also enough to ensure that the next book is definitely grabbed.
Science Fiction was never exactly my forte but this book definitely changed it all. I pulled an all-nighter for this one, and it was absolutely worth it. Kudos to Les Lynam. So waiting for the next one to come.
August 14, 2016
Gender bending time traveling tale
Before you freak out at the headline and associate Before You Leap with transgender hookers trying to use your child's bathroom (alá the movie Tangerine), don't. Think more along the lines of Benny Hill and Monty Python skits—boys pretending to be girls, occassionally pretending to be boys. It doesn't get more Shakespearean.
Lynam targets his book for YA audiences, and while adults will enjoy it, he never loses his sight of his readers, teenage boys. Teenage boys are, without a doubt, an underserved audience, written off by too many as non-readers (or at least "not book readers"). Before You Leap serves that audience well, although adults might find the thread unravels toward the end.
Following a brief (and possibly unneeded) prologue from two hundred years in the future (in which LX becomes the youngest student at the academy to be awarded a history grant), junior Sean Kelly finds himself attracted to Alex, the new female transfer student. Alex is cute but odd, speaks flawless Spanish.
Unfortunately, Alex's odd behavior, and the interference of the class' mean girls assure the Sean never quite takes to Alex. Which clears the way for Alex's twin sister, Nicole, who transfers a few weeks later. Sean flips for Nicole, which would make for a teen romantic comedy, not a book that would interest teen boys, or me for that matter.
Lynam turns the plot—and readers' expectations—on a surprise reveal: Nicole and Alex, and their Aunt Katherine are the same person, LX, the youngest historian to ever travel from the future. He plans to study his great-great-great grandson Sean, the grandfather of time travel. Sean, it seems, doesn't invent time travel, but his grandaughter creates the equations that make it possible.
Lynam pulls out all the stops, with routines that send up sixties situation comedies, classic guys-in-drag routines, and every Back-to-the-Future scenario imaginable. Sean, thanks to the tricks of time travel, spends half his time aware of the situation and half his time oblivious. His moments of awareness—specifically his awareness that Nanites in his bloodstream create his attraction attraction to Nicole (who is really his make grandson LX)—set up at much of the book's teen male oriented humor.
Alas, I found the joke wearing thin about 150 pages in. Perhaps because (I suspect) Lynam realized he could turn Before You Leap into a series and decided to change the ending, in which the two boys jump to the past, and make it into Book II. Instead Lynam changes the central conflict to a debate between the boys as to whether or not Sean should accompany Alex to the past and risk changing the timeline. This effectively pads the book, but reduces the element of conflict (and fun) by a factor of fifty.
All this being said, a reader of 16 may find the mayhem a lot more engaging than a reader of 62 (like me). Lynam does step up to the plate with a new wrinkle in time travel fiction. His character Sean challenges the time honored time travel dictum, "First, do no harm." When Alex/LX suggests Sean shouldn't time travel because he could damage historical timeline (e.g, create a new Hitler), Sean asks why it isn't possible he that he might make it better (e.g., produce the cure for cancer). This debate becomes central to the story that follows.
Before You Leap will never challenge readers on the level of Neal Stephenson or even Stanislaw Lem. Nonetheless, if you love science fiction and want to spend an afternoon with a fun read that mixes high school hi-jinx and old-school Shakespearean twists, dip your feet. If you enjoy it, you'll want to leap into the rest of the series.
Rating system:
5 = Delicious dialogue, crisp prose, clever characters & compelling plot
4 = Great read, won't want to stop (some reviewers rate this 5 stars)
3 = Worth buying (but…)
2 = I will tell you what audience will like this, but other readers might want to look elsewhere
1 = If I review a book this bad I felt seriously compelled to warn you
Phillip T. Stephens is the author of Cigerets, Guns & Beer, Raising Hell and the new release Seeing Jesus. You can follow him @stephens_pt.
Before you freak out at the headline and associate Before You Leap with transgender hookers trying to use your child's bathroom (alá the movie Tangerine), don't. Think more along the lines of Benny Hill and Monty Python skits—boys pretending to be girls, occassionally pretending to be boys. It doesn't get more Shakespearean.
Lynam targets his book for YA audiences, and while adults will enjoy it, he never loses his sight of his readers, teenage boys. Teenage boys are, without a doubt, an underserved audience, written off by too many as non-readers (or at least "not book readers"). Before You Leap serves that audience well, although adults might find the thread unravels toward the end.
Following a brief (and possibly unneeded) prologue from two hundred years in the future (in which LX becomes the youngest student at the academy to be awarded a history grant), junior Sean Kelly finds himself attracted to Alex, the new female transfer student. Alex is cute but odd, speaks flawless Spanish.
Unfortunately, Alex's odd behavior, and the interference of the class' mean girls assure the Sean never quite takes to Alex. Which clears the way for Alex's twin sister, Nicole, who transfers a few weeks later. Sean flips for Nicole, which would make for a teen romantic comedy, not a book that would interest teen boys, or me for that matter.
Lynam turns the plot—and readers' expectations—on a surprise reveal: Nicole and Alex, and their Aunt Katherine are the same person, LX, the youngest historian to ever travel from the future. He plans to study his great-great-great grandson Sean, the grandfather of time travel. Sean, it seems, doesn't invent time travel, but his grandaughter creates the equations that make it possible.
Lynam pulls out all the stops, with routines that send up sixties situation comedies, classic guys-in-drag routines, and every Back-to-the-Future scenario imaginable. Sean, thanks to the tricks of time travel, spends half his time aware of the situation and half his time oblivious. His moments of awareness—specifically his awareness that Nanites in his bloodstream create his attraction attraction to Nicole (who is really his make grandson LX)—set up at much of the book's teen male oriented humor.
Alas, I found the joke wearing thin about 150 pages in. Perhaps because (I suspect) Lynam realized he could turn Before You Leap into a series and decided to change the ending, in which the two boys jump to the past, and make it into Book II. Instead Lynam changes the central conflict to a debate between the boys as to whether or not Sean should accompany Alex to the past and risk changing the timeline. This effectively pads the book, but reduces the element of conflict (and fun) by a factor of fifty.
All this being said, a reader of 16 may find the mayhem a lot more engaging than a reader of 62 (like me). Lynam does step up to the plate with a new wrinkle in time travel fiction. His character Sean challenges the time honored time travel dictum, "First, do no harm." When Alex/LX suggests Sean shouldn't time travel because he could damage historical timeline (e.g, create a new Hitler), Sean asks why it isn't possible he that he might make it better (e.g., produce the cure for cancer). This debate becomes central to the story that follows.
Before You Leap will never challenge readers on the level of Neal Stephenson or even Stanislaw Lem. Nonetheless, if you love science fiction and want to spend an afternoon with a fun read that mixes high school hi-jinx and old-school Shakespearean twists, dip your feet. If you enjoy it, you'll want to leap into the rest of the series.
Rating system:
5 = Delicious dialogue, crisp prose, clever characters & compelling plot
4 = Great read, won't want to stop (some reviewers rate this 5 stars)
3 = Worth buying (but…)
2 = I will tell you what audience will like this, but other readers might want to look elsewhere
1 = If I review a book this bad I felt seriously compelled to warn you
Phillip T. Stephens is the author of Cigerets, Guns & Beer, Raising Hell and the new release Seeing Jesus. You can follow him @stephens_pt.
October 7, 2019
Les Lynam shows us a heck of a time in …Before You Leap! Sean is just an ordinary kid…until his great great great grandson shows up from the future and sends him on a time-spanning quest. The characters and voice are outstanding in this book and I could tell Lynam had fun crafting them. This one pleasantly reminded me of Back to the Future so check it out if you’re looking for a little light-hearted nostalgia!
August 25, 2015
This was a hilarious fish-out-of-water story with great high school banter and a fun throwback to 1995. I particularly liked the 90's references because, like the main character, Sean, I was also a 16 year old teen in the 90's.
Since Sean's descendant "dumbed" down his explanations of the time travel mechanics for Sean there were a lot of great analogies used to support the sci-fi aspects of this novel.
The book's overall tone is light and wistful, but it also has its philosophical moments centered around what the ramifications of altering the past might be. I had a great time with this one!
Since Sean's descendant "dumbed" down his explanations of the time travel mechanics for Sean there were a lot of great analogies used to support the sci-fi aspects of this novel.
The book's overall tone is light and wistful, but it also has its philosophical moments centered around what the ramifications of altering the past might be. I had a great time with this one!
March 2, 2016
This was a fun and at times very silly time travel adventure. Although LX is our main character, I couldn't help but feel for poor Sean as he has to deal with the girl network, oddball neighbors, and his distant descendant messing around with his brain.
Although I was a couple of years out of high school by 1995, I remember the era well. I found myself both cringing and reminiscing about the decade that is farther into our past than I want to think about. This makes for a great YA read for both current young adults and those of us who never quite got the hang of being not so young adults. I'm curious to see how the time traveling teen deals with his next destination.
Although I was a couple of years out of high school by 1995, I remember the era well. I found myself both cringing and reminiscing about the decade that is farther into our past than I want to think about. This makes for a great YA read for both current young adults and those of us who never quite got the hang of being not so young adults. I'm curious to see how the time traveling teen deals with his next destination.
December 22, 2018
I can’t say much that hasn’t already been said about this book. However, what I found most interesting was the relationship of the readers to the subject matter. As a YA book, most of the target audience are unfamiliar with many of the references (ex. Dial-up modems, Windows 95, etc.) and in that way they are like the time-travelling character LX. On the other hand, older readers like myself, who may not be the target audience, can still appreciate the book because we were alive at the time (1995) and can relate to the Sean character. So, essentially whether you’re a young adult or a *cough* older adult, you can enjoy …Before You Leap.
July 30, 2017
This lands between 3.0 and 3.5 stars for me.
“… Before You Leap” took me through time… and around time… over time (so fun to get away with that as being accurate)… and under time to the point where time is an appreciable character in the story. I came to like time, to hate time, and as we grew to understand more of each other, I realize how much we need time. But I digress…
Let’s start with the basics. Les knows how to write. You don’t have to worry about poorly constructed sentences, unless it’s part of the dialog, which only makes the characters (mostly high-school-aged children) more believable. Starting the story off in First Person present tense had me worried. However, in a book with a time-traveling mainstream, it became more of an artistic styling to me. The moment you step out of the Prologue and into the meat of the matter, you’re into the smooth rolling tide of Third Person Past Tense.
Les Lynam combines a very coming-of-age story, that is very subtle as genre definitions go, with a time-traveling science-fiction dynamic. For the characters I could not get into, I came away feeling that it was deliberate to emphasize one of the costs we pay when we are dispassionate. And then there were the characters that drew me in (two of which I could not get enough of) and I needed them as the story took me back to high school. I found myself looking forward to lunch as I was reading, just so I could see my friends again.
There’s no lacking for dialog or exchanges through the story. Each character had their own voice and I found them to be entertaining.
Where things went awry for me were some of the nuances of the story-telling. I found the inconsistency of the characters to be distracting. In one part of the story, they would demonstrate one level of growth only to revert to another stage at another point. It’s a series of flip-flops that ultimately becomes PART of the story as one the two main characters does a tremendous flip-flop. From what I’ve read, the next book starts with a reverse of that position.
“… Before You Leap” took me through time… and around time… over time (so fun to get away with that as being accurate)… and under time to the point where time is an appreciable character in the story. I came to like time, to hate time, and as we grew to understand more of each other, I realize how much we need time. But I digress…
Let’s start with the basics. Les knows how to write. You don’t have to worry about poorly constructed sentences, unless it’s part of the dialog, which only makes the characters (mostly high-school-aged children) more believable. Starting the story off in First Person present tense had me worried. However, in a book with a time-traveling mainstream, it became more of an artistic styling to me. The moment you step out of the Prologue and into the meat of the matter, you’re into the smooth rolling tide of Third Person Past Tense.
Les Lynam combines a very coming-of-age story, that is very subtle as genre definitions go, with a time-traveling science-fiction dynamic. For the characters I could not get into, I came away feeling that it was deliberate to emphasize one of the costs we pay when we are dispassionate. And then there were the characters that drew me in (two of which I could not get enough of) and I needed them as the story took me back to high school. I found myself looking forward to lunch as I was reading, just so I could see my friends again.
There’s no lacking for dialog or exchanges through the story. Each character had their own voice and I found them to be entertaining.
Where things went awry for me were some of the nuances of the story-telling. I found the inconsistency of the characters to be distracting. In one part of the story, they would demonstrate one level of growth only to revert to another stage at another point. It’s a series of flip-flops that ultimately becomes PART of the story as one the two main characters does a tremendous flip-flop. From what I’ve read, the next book starts with a reverse of that position.
July 27, 2017
Okay, I'm going to recommend something for readers considering this book. You all know the old adage about not judging a book by its cover. That one doesn't apply here. Smashing cover, smashing book. No, I'm going to say don't judge this particular book by the Look Inside feature.
You see, Before You Leap starts off far away from the action of most of the rest of the book. It starts in a distant future, where characters have names like LX and who speak in awkward, stilted dialogue, the kind of speech you might expect from someone like Data in Star Trek. The dialogue isn't awkward because of bad writing - it's how these humans of our future spea, and it sets the scene before we get catapulted back in time, as LX uses a time machine to travel to 1990s America.
From there, we have a charming tale of high school America. There's cliques and outcasts, there's football and friendships - and in the middle of all this we have Sean Kelly, a 16-year-old still in the midst of discovering how the world works. Into his life comes Alexis, a strange girl who speaks in an odd way and who has a weird tic when he asks her something as she seems to be finding the information from... somewhere else. Is this the start of a romance? And why is she so weird? Then her sister Nicole shows up and things begin to get complicated for Sean.
Part comedy, part sci-fi, part coming-of-age tale, this is a genre-busting, gender-bending caper written with real warmth and sincerity. You really feel Sean's confusion as the truth of the situation begins to be revealed, and my only complaint is that perhaps not quite enough happens in this, the first book of the series. But then... leaving the reader wanting more is not necessarily a bad thing when book 2 is already ready to buy.
You see, Before You Leap starts off far away from the action of most of the rest of the book. It starts in a distant future, where characters have names like LX and who speak in awkward, stilted dialogue, the kind of speech you might expect from someone like Data in Star Trek. The dialogue isn't awkward because of bad writing - it's how these humans of our future spea, and it sets the scene before we get catapulted back in time, as LX uses a time machine to travel to 1990s America.
From there, we have a charming tale of high school America. There's cliques and outcasts, there's football and friendships - and in the middle of all this we have Sean Kelly, a 16-year-old still in the midst of discovering how the world works. Into his life comes Alexis, a strange girl who speaks in an odd way and who has a weird tic when he asks her something as she seems to be finding the information from... somewhere else. Is this the start of a romance? And why is she so weird? Then her sister Nicole shows up and things begin to get complicated for Sean.
Part comedy, part sci-fi, part coming-of-age tale, this is a genre-busting, gender-bending caper written with real warmth and sincerity. You really feel Sean's confusion as the truth of the situation begins to be revealed, and my only complaint is that perhaps not quite enough happens in this, the first book of the series. But then... leaving the reader wanting more is not necessarily a bad thing when book 2 is already ready to buy.
September 14, 2015
Funny, Fast and Addivtive
This fast, fun time-travel was marvelous. Lynam's prose is effortless, his world is vivid, characters well-drawn and the plot is enduring. But Lynam's strength is in his subtle, quirky sense of humor, sprinkled liberally throughout the book. He does an amazing job of mixing the science with the fiction, the informative with the fun and the humorous with some hard hitting social commentary.
Sean is seventeen years old growing up in the 1990's. He drives a six year old ford Taurus, enjoys his 486 computer, and his favorite song by R.E.M. is "Everybody Hurts." A normal HS senior, right? Not! He's starry eyed over a phantom jogger, hounded by the beautiful new classmate Alexis--who is frighteningly reminiscent of his abusive ex-girl friend--is harassed by the school "mean girls," and his new flame, Nicole, is Alexis evil twin. Or so his friends try to convince him. Sean, however, doesn't believe them. Not until someone from the future arrives to teach him to LOOK . . . Before You Leap.
The one problem I had with this story was the prologue which is a case of the author telling us what the story is, rather than letting the story unfold as it does so brilliantly from chapter one in a beautiful show, unwrapping its layers in a marvelous mix of tight prose and quick humor.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to lovers of time-travel, science fiction, and just plain fun to readers of ALL ages. 4.5 Stars
This fast, fun time-travel was marvelous. Lynam's prose is effortless, his world is vivid, characters well-drawn and the plot is enduring. But Lynam's strength is in his subtle, quirky sense of humor, sprinkled liberally throughout the book. He does an amazing job of mixing the science with the fiction, the informative with the fun and the humorous with some hard hitting social commentary.
Sean is seventeen years old growing up in the 1990's. He drives a six year old ford Taurus, enjoys his 486 computer, and his favorite song by R.E.M. is "Everybody Hurts." A normal HS senior, right? Not! He's starry eyed over a phantom jogger, hounded by the beautiful new classmate Alexis--who is frighteningly reminiscent of his abusive ex-girl friend--is harassed by the school "mean girls," and his new flame, Nicole, is Alexis evil twin. Or so his friends try to convince him. Sean, however, doesn't believe them. Not until someone from the future arrives to teach him to LOOK . . . Before You Leap.
The one problem I had with this story was the prologue which is a case of the author telling us what the story is, rather than letting the story unfold as it does so brilliantly from chapter one in a beautiful show, unwrapping its layers in a marvelous mix of tight prose and quick humor.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to lovers of time-travel, science fiction, and just plain fun to readers of ALL ages. 4.5 Stars
July 1, 2017
Before You Leap is a witty tale of time travel that will have you smiling every time you pick it up. Lynam has a particular proclivity for humor, and what better set up could one ask for than the interaction between two teenage boys who are separated by 200 years of human culture?
The fun begins when Sean (from the mid-1990s) is exposed to the secret his high school crush has been keeping from him—she’s not a girl at all; she’s his great great great great great grandson, Alex, who is studying him for a history project. Things just get more interesting from there. My only disappointment with this book was the lack of deep conflict, but I tend to be into high-stakes novels, so that is purely a matter of opinion.
If you are a fan of Science Fiction and time travel books, be sure to pick up this well-written offering from Les Lynam.
The fun begins when Sean (from the mid-1990s) is exposed to the secret his high school crush has been keeping from him—she’s not a girl at all; she’s his great great great great great grandson, Alex, who is studying him for a history project. Things just get more interesting from there. My only disappointment with this book was the lack of deep conflict, but I tend to be into high-stakes novels, so that is purely a matter of opinion.
If you are a fan of Science Fiction and time travel books, be sure to pick up this well-written offering from Les Lynam.
November 5, 2015
Great time travel science fiction
Even though I am old enough to be the main characters grandmother I was easily engaged into this unusual time travel story. Sean is a typical teenage boy. Easily recognizable after raising two sons. A good knowledge of the mid-90's reveals the accuracy of the cultural and technological details for time period portrayed. The author does an excellent job of detailing the problems that could arise during time travel including the potential problems associated with changing a time line and human responses to becoming involved with people of a different era. I laughed a lot while reading this book. The characters were realistic and not at all shallow, the plot was excellent and unique. For me a definite five star read!
Even though I am old enough to be the main characters grandmother I was easily engaged into this unusual time travel story. Sean is a typical teenage boy. Easily recognizable after raising two sons. A good knowledge of the mid-90's reveals the accuracy of the cultural and technological details for time period portrayed. The author does an excellent job of detailing the problems that could arise during time travel including the potential problems associated with changing a time line and human responses to becoming involved with people of a different era. I laughed a lot while reading this book. The characters were realistic and not at all shallow, the plot was excellent and unique. For me a definite five star read!
February 4, 2015
An adventure in time travel, and a story about friendships. A fun read and good storytelling!
May 20, 2017
Before You Leap by Les Lynam is a fun filled science fiction adventure for teenagers. It is a time traveling adventure that has LX, a boy from the year 2216, traveling back to the year 1995 to study the era and interact with his ancestor from that time, a teenager named Sean Kelly. I really like the writing in this novel. The scenes and interactions between Sean, Alexis, Nicole and the teenagers of his era are spot on. Trust me when I say it gets complicated…very complicated. Sean is a typical American teenager of 1995 which means he’s a little clueless and very confused about himself, life, and especially girls. On the other side of the equation LX has a wealth of information to draw upon but finds himself frustrated by simple conversations, and the confusing subterfuge that takes place when humans from the twentieth century communicate, particularly when they are of the opposite sex.
I found the scenes between Sean, Alexis, Nicole, and Alex funny and illuminating. The characters grow with every conversation and you watch them become friends and sometimes want them to be more but of course that is where it really gets complicated. Young adults will like Before You Leap and I think it will teach them or at least make them think about the meaning of friendship, relationships, and gender. Les Lynam has written …Before You Leap in such a way as to make a sequel natural and I think teens everywhere will want to read more about Sean, Alex, Alexis, and Nicole.
I found the scenes between Sean, Alexis, Nicole, and Alex funny and illuminating. The characters grow with every conversation and you watch them become friends and sometimes want them to be more but of course that is where it really gets complicated. Young adults will like Before You Leap and I think it will teach them or at least make them think about the meaning of friendship, relationships, and gender. Les Lynam has written …Before You Leap in such a way as to make a sequel natural and I think teens everywhere will want to read more about Sean, Alex, Alexis, and Nicole.
February 7, 2018
Les Lynam's ...Before You Leap (book 1 of Time Will Tell trilogy) is a YA coming of age, time slip story.
In 2216, LX wins a chronostream scholarship to travel back to 1995 to study his 5G-grandfather, Sean Kelly. Sean's life suddenly gets interesting with the arrival of new girl Alexis Townsend, her gorgeous twin sister, Nicole, and their Aunt Katherine to Uni town, Grover's Corner, Missouri. There is something decidedly odd about this family with their 'Data' like mode of speech, mannerisms (the knowledge-twitch), food tastes, and strange combination of knowledge and naivety. As a relationship between Sean and Nicole grows, things get decidedly complicated - and LX struggles to remain an objective observer.
...Before You Leap is readable and entertaining. Sean, his friends, LX and his different aliases are interesting characters in a believable setting. The dialogue and comedy of misunderstandings are often hilarious - especially the interaction between Sean and LX - and kept me engaged in the story. Discussions about time-travel (in this case inter-dimensional), the possible consequences and paradoxes, the nature of 20th versus 23rd century societies mores and customs, and, the morality of using people for social experiments without their knowledge and permission - were all intriguing.
Otherwise, not a great deal happens with most of the book setting up the excursion into the past. At times I found the lengthy explanations or the drawn out descriptions of getting from A to B got a bit tedious. A bonus was the inclusion of the first few chapters of the next book ...Saves Nine where maybe things begin to unravel.
A light-hearted, humorous look at different generational views, time travel and gender.
In 2216, LX wins a chronostream scholarship to travel back to 1995 to study his 5G-grandfather, Sean Kelly. Sean's life suddenly gets interesting with the arrival of new girl Alexis Townsend, her gorgeous twin sister, Nicole, and their Aunt Katherine to Uni town, Grover's Corner, Missouri. There is something decidedly odd about this family with their 'Data' like mode of speech, mannerisms (the knowledge-twitch), food tastes, and strange combination of knowledge and naivety. As a relationship between Sean and Nicole grows, things get decidedly complicated - and LX struggles to remain an objective observer.
...Before You Leap is readable and entertaining. Sean, his friends, LX and his different aliases are interesting characters in a believable setting. The dialogue and comedy of misunderstandings are often hilarious - especially the interaction between Sean and LX - and kept me engaged in the story. Discussions about time-travel (in this case inter-dimensional), the possible consequences and paradoxes, the nature of 20th versus 23rd century societies mores and customs, and, the morality of using people for social experiments without their knowledge and permission - were all intriguing.
Otherwise, not a great deal happens with most of the book setting up the excursion into the past. At times I found the lengthy explanations or the drawn out descriptions of getting from A to B got a bit tedious. A bonus was the inclusion of the first few chapters of the next book ...Saves Nine where maybe things begin to unravel.
A light-hearted, humorous look at different generational views, time travel and gender.
June 11, 2019
Before You Leap
When Sean Kelly met Alexis Townsend in school he thought she was different. She said she was from New York yet didn’t know popular music or movies. When he met her twin sister Nicole that looked nothing like her Sean wanted everything to do with her. Come to find out she was really a he from the future and Sean was his five times great grandfather. Now called Alex and they got along great.
When Sean Kelly met Alexis Townsend in school he thought she was different. She said she was from New York yet didn’t know popular music or movies. When he met her twin sister Nicole that looked nothing like her Sean wanted everything to do with her. Come to find out she was really a he from the future and Sean was his five times great grandfather. Now called Alex and they got along great.
June 20, 2019
Excellent YA Adventure!
Never having been a teen-aged boy, I can’t speak to the verisimilitude of that aspect of the character - or rather the whole group of them! The plot and main characters have been enjoyable and spending time in their company has been delightful.
Some cultural and societal issues raised go beyond YA-category thinking, but look forward to seeing how the author resolves these situations in future tomes.
Never having been a teen-aged boy, I can’t speak to the verisimilitude of that aspect of the character - or rather the whole group of them! The plot and main characters have been enjoyable and spending time in their company has been delightful.
Some cultural and societal issues raised go beyond YA-category thinking, but look forward to seeing how the author resolves these situations in future tomes.
July 23, 2021
A well-thought out time travel yarn set in the midwest with small-town connections. I like the thought put into the time travel prime-directive and the careful handling of the logical interconnections and the slow reveal of things to happen. The primary antogonists are written well and seem authentically reflective of their chrono- and cultural milieus. The plot moves smartly along and just when you think the tale might be getting tedious with exposition, things happen that pay off.
I've settled in to enjoy the entire series now that the crucial characters have been introduced and I've been given opportunity to get familiar with them.
I've settled in to enjoy the entire series now that the crucial characters have been introduced and I've been given opportunity to get familiar with them.
June 25, 2017
Excellent start to a series, unique concept blending time travel with Sci fi. Recommend!
January 25, 2018
Before You Leap is a fun, light-hearted book. Readers will have laughs and enjoy themselves. This is a great story for science fiction lovers.
There are some gender bending twists to the story that challenge the characters and the plot. The book keeps you guessing with future directions. It gives you a lot to think about relating to time travel and our reactions to gender.
I think most readers would enjoy this read, especially if they would like explanations and theorizing about time travel science. I think the level is suitable for middle grade on up. Give it a try.
There are some gender bending twists to the story that challenge the characters and the plot. The book keeps you guessing with future directions. It gives you a lot to think about relating to time travel and our reactions to gender.
I think most readers would enjoy this read, especially if they would like explanations and theorizing about time travel science. I think the level is suitable for middle grade on up. Give it a try.
December 10, 2018
Loved it. Loved the characters. Get it and be entertained.
February 24, 2019
Intriguing book
I have always enjoyed "what if?" Books and this one really fulfilled that. It was quite amusing and philosophical all at the same time.
I have always enjoyed "what if?" Books and this one really fulfilled that. It was quite amusing and philosophical all at the same time.
November 18, 2019
Back to the future 1985. Sean would of seen it. Pop culture reference. Pg. 118
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2019
Such a good story! Very entertaining. Looking forward for book two. YA at its best
September 24, 2015
Between unrequited crushes, friendship drama, insane teachers, the pressure to excel academically and in sports, and wondering if you’re “cool” enough, it’s no wonder the teenage years are so stressful. Most high-schoolers already think their classmates are weird. What if you find that a strange new student has fixated on you? Even worse, that she has an attractive twin sister? Even worse than that, neither one of them are even female? And to top it all off, you, a sixteen-year-old high school student, are this classmate’s five-greats grandfather. And this mystery person has travelled from the distant future and has programmed your brain as part of an experiment. It would be enough for any teen to say “gursk!”
Sean Kelly’s relatively placid teenage existence is turned upside-down when he meets Alexis, a strange classmate who apparently has a crush on him.Then, he meets her gorgeous twin sister Nicole, who also takes a bizarre interest in him. “They” have come to study the history of their family lineage, using technology available in the 23rd century and in the process, take Sean on the ride of his life.
The novel is set in 1995, during the post-grunge era when Windows 95 first came out, Ben Folds Five and REM were music sensations, and teens actually went to school without cell phones. The memories this book brought back…
…Before You Leap is humorous in its narration. Generational differences are highlighted as LX (Alexis/Nicole/Alex), takes literally many of the idiomatic expressions that we take for granted (such as “Knock yourself out!” and “giving the cold shoulder.”). The two also misunderstand each other frequently due to these generational/cultural differences. During LX’s future, it is assumed that many of these idioms will have evolved out of the language. LX also endearingly tries to assimilate into Sean’s era, often with comical results (Sean: “Metallica is a hard-core metal band” LX: “How can anyone have a hard metal core?”). Lynam has clearly researched the theories behind time travel but presents them in such a way that they don’t come across as a quantum physics lecture. Sean’s continuous sarcasm and tendencies to goof off definitely mark him as a modern-day teenager. And on the surface, Sean seems to have an attitude problem, but the reader will see that deep down he is a goodhearted person. The characters are wonderfully developed.
This novel is satisfactory as a standalone, but the ending makes me want to check out the sequel. Check it out today for yourself.
Sean Kelly’s relatively placid teenage existence is turned upside-down when he meets Alexis, a strange classmate who apparently has a crush on him.Then, he meets her gorgeous twin sister Nicole, who also takes a bizarre interest in him. “They” have come to study the history of their family lineage, using technology available in the 23rd century and in the process, take Sean on the ride of his life.
The novel is set in 1995, during the post-grunge era when Windows 95 first came out, Ben Folds Five and REM were music sensations, and teens actually went to school without cell phones. The memories this book brought back…
…Before You Leap is humorous in its narration. Generational differences are highlighted as LX (Alexis/Nicole/Alex), takes literally many of the idiomatic expressions that we take for granted (such as “Knock yourself out!” and “giving the cold shoulder.”). The two also misunderstand each other frequently due to these generational/cultural differences. During LX’s future, it is assumed that many of these idioms will have evolved out of the language. LX also endearingly tries to assimilate into Sean’s era, often with comical results (Sean: “Metallica is a hard-core metal band” LX: “How can anyone have a hard metal core?”). Lynam has clearly researched the theories behind time travel but presents them in such a way that they don’t come across as a quantum physics lecture. Sean’s continuous sarcasm and tendencies to goof off definitely mark him as a modern-day teenager. And on the surface, Sean seems to have an attitude problem, but the reader will see that deep down he is a goodhearted person. The characters are wonderfully developed.
This novel is satisfactory as a standalone, but the ending makes me want to check out the sequel. Check it out today for yourself.
October 6, 2016
Before You Leap is a lighthearted look back at the 1990s from the point of view of a 23rd century teenage historian who has travelled back in time to observe the social history of the late 20th century by interacting with his 5 times great grandfather while the later was a high school student in a small Missouri town.
Armed with a time machine with a cloaking device and 23rd century tech that provides instantaneous computer database access and allows him to change his appearance, LX joins the high school scene to interact with the 16 year old Sean, playing the roles of both of the female Townsend twins as well as their artist Aunt Katherine.
The book takes a nostalgic look back at the pop-culture of the nineties, teenage crushes and the parent-teen dynamic in modern society. I believe it would appeal to a YA audience who could easily identify with the struggles and missteps of Sean and Alexis/Nicole as they struggle with relationship issues in a world where the teenage social awkwardness is further complicated by the need to untangle the nuances of more than 200 years of cultural change. On the other hand, like the best of the “children’s movies” of recent times, there is a whole other level to this story that could only be fully appreciated by those of us “of a certain age” who experienced the social, political and cultural extravaganza of the 1990s and survived to tell the tale.
I loved Before You Leap and the opportunity it provided to travel back to a time just before 9/11 changed the world forever and I look forward to taking the second voyage that is alluded to but not realized where Alex (LX) to visit Sean’s father in his teenage years during another pivotal moment in modern history at the end of the 1960s.
Armed with a time machine with a cloaking device and 23rd century tech that provides instantaneous computer database access and allows him to change his appearance, LX joins the high school scene to interact with the 16 year old Sean, playing the roles of both of the female Townsend twins as well as their artist Aunt Katherine.
The book takes a nostalgic look back at the pop-culture of the nineties, teenage crushes and the parent-teen dynamic in modern society. I believe it would appeal to a YA audience who could easily identify with the struggles and missteps of Sean and Alexis/Nicole as they struggle with relationship issues in a world where the teenage social awkwardness is further complicated by the need to untangle the nuances of more than 200 years of cultural change. On the other hand, like the best of the “children’s movies” of recent times, there is a whole other level to this story that could only be fully appreciated by those of us “of a certain age” who experienced the social, political and cultural extravaganza of the 1990s and survived to tell the tale.
I loved Before You Leap and the opportunity it provided to travel back to a time just before 9/11 changed the world forever and I look forward to taking the second voyage that is alluded to but not realized where Alex (LX) to visit Sean’s father in his teenage years during another pivotal moment in modern history at the end of the 1960s.
December 13, 2017
An interesting read.
Although the book was a bit slow to start, Alexis’ introduction and inherent strangeness was intriguing. By the end of the first chapter, I was wanting to learn how the intricate details of how and why the prologue tied in with the plot. A few chapters in, when the time-travel elements began to get explained, I was curious to see where the story would go. I won’t say much more on this point, as I found certain reveals very interesting, but the story is an enjoyable one, if a little dry at times. It touches on some philosophical topics regarding time travel that I rather enjoyed.
As far as main characters go, Sean is a very believable teen. The story goes into his life as he begins to grow into a man, dealing with some pertinent issues in a well-done way. His experiences are very human and it makes him relatable and likeable. His friends, Raj and Kevin, are also well-written without coming off as stereotypes or unbelievable. I really enjoyed Kevin’s humour, though was a little sad when their involvement in the story dropped off a bit around halfway through.
Sean’s believability as a character assists the juxtaposition of his dialogue with the stranger ‘characters’ - Alexis, Nicole, and Aunt Katherine. Their miscommunications are quite amusing.
My only complaint is that there are some small grammar and tense issues throughout that may turn off picky readers.
Although the book was a bit slow to start, Alexis’ introduction and inherent strangeness was intriguing. By the end of the first chapter, I was wanting to learn how the intricate details of how and why the prologue tied in with the plot. A few chapters in, when the time-travel elements began to get explained, I was curious to see where the story would go. I won’t say much more on this point, as I found certain reveals very interesting, but the story is an enjoyable one, if a little dry at times. It touches on some philosophical topics regarding time travel that I rather enjoyed.
As far as main characters go, Sean is a very believable teen. The story goes into his life as he begins to grow into a man, dealing with some pertinent issues in a well-done way. His experiences are very human and it makes him relatable and likeable. His friends, Raj and Kevin, are also well-written without coming off as stereotypes or unbelievable. I really enjoyed Kevin’s humour, though was a little sad when their involvement in the story dropped off a bit around halfway through.
Sean’s believability as a character assists the juxtaposition of his dialogue with the stranger ‘characters’ - Alexis, Nicole, and Aunt Katherine. Their miscommunications are quite amusing.
My only complaint is that there are some small grammar and tense issues throughout that may turn off picky readers.
April 28, 2016
…Before you Leap by Les Lynam is a Young Adult/Sci-Fi novel, about two boys whose past and future culminate into an intriguing and hilarious friendship. The concept of the story is really creative: a boy named LX time travels back to 1995 to meet Sean. He poses as girls that Sean would have a high school crush on, and as the plot continues, Sean gets caught between the two separate realities that LX has created.
I’m torn between giving it 3.5 and 4 stars. I had a really hard time getting started. This book opens with what is easily the driest part of the book. Although this part is a little bit hard to get through, it essentially is what leads to the basic understanding of the plot. While I enjoyed the imagination that went into this book, there were many times where I felt the author over explained. Some of his concepts were great, some were confusing, but often I felt like he tried too hard to drive his point home. I’d have to say his target audience is high schoolers and men, though I did enjoy reading it as a 20-something female. The end of the book was tied up nicely, there were no plot-holes or unresolved issues.
If I’m being totally honest, I don’t have much of a desire to read the second book. Not that I don’t think I would enjoy it – but because there was no hook at end of book 1 to leave me feeling like I really need to.
Check out the full video review here:
https://youtu.be/byEhD7fkubE
I’m torn between giving it 3.5 and 4 stars. I had a really hard time getting started. This book opens with what is easily the driest part of the book. Although this part is a little bit hard to get through, it essentially is what leads to the basic understanding of the plot. While I enjoyed the imagination that went into this book, there were many times where I felt the author over explained. Some of his concepts were great, some were confusing, but often I felt like he tried too hard to drive his point home. I’d have to say his target audience is high schoolers and men, though I did enjoy reading it as a 20-something female. The end of the book was tied up nicely, there were no plot-holes or unresolved issues.
If I’m being totally honest, I don’t have much of a desire to read the second book. Not that I don’t think I would enjoy it – but because there was no hook at end of book 1 to leave me feeling like I really need to.
Check out the full video review here:
https://youtu.be/byEhD7fkubE
December 6, 2016
This book was a surprise. It seems clearly addressing teenagers, but there is enough to it to interest other readers. To begin with the book is extremely carefully crafted in all respect, including style, documentation and all details of the plot. So much that it looks like it was written by LX, one of its characters. It is almost a clinical description of an experiment. Besides the story itself and the humorous style (well reported by other reviews), the more interesting aspect of the book is the issues it raises. The main one is understanding, or at least questionning, what is personnal identity. Actually there are several aspect of it that are raised by by both main characters of this story. It also raises questions about our future, and some aspects of transhumanism (which may be connected to the previous point). I also liked some remarks about linguistics (and social intercourse), probably trivial for a linguist, but not so often thought about. Strangely, though time travel is an essential and well used ingredient of the story, the telling goes unusually beyond it. Travelling is not all, you have to communicate with people.
March 9, 2016
Before You Leap is most definitely a book I would recommend. I had a great time reading this book. Right of the bat, I could see that it was going to have some very fun moments and I was not disappointed. It is a great story for both young and old alike.
There are some great antics and miscommunication between the main character, Sean Kelly, and his future relative that make this a fun and exciting read. I was actually laughing aloud at some the interactions and found the book had just the right amount of suspense and drama to keep me moving along with anticipation. It also gave me some in-depth reflection on relationships and emotional processes as Sean struggled with the situations he endured throughout.
This book is a fantastic, fun read for readers of all ages, and for readers of all genres, but it is definitely aimed at sci-fi lovers. Even so, the fun and suspense will please most any reader. I highly recommend this book, and I am definitely going to continue reading the series.
There are some great antics and miscommunication between the main character, Sean Kelly, and his future relative that make this a fun and exciting read. I was actually laughing aloud at some the interactions and found the book had just the right amount of suspense and drama to keep me moving along with anticipation. It also gave me some in-depth reflection on relationships and emotional processes as Sean struggled with the situations he endured throughout.
This book is a fantastic, fun read for readers of all ages, and for readers of all genres, but it is definitely aimed at sci-fi lovers. Even so, the fun and suspense will please most any reader. I highly recommend this book, and I am definitely going to continue reading the series.
October 26, 2015
Before You Leap by Les Lynam is a very well-written, creative science fantasy that mixes time travel with history and teenage humor. LX, or Alex, travels back in time to meet his 5-greats grandfather Sean. He has a carefully planned project to objectively, without emotional involvement, research the past. The fun begins when these two boys interact and Alex starts to fully experience life; even his internal nanites can’t adjust his body chemistry to maintain the Spock-like “normal” of his time. Alex has never eaten junk food and has no experience with sarcasm. He creates three additional characters who interact with Sean, all female, to add new psychological dimensions.
These are great characters! The history is spot-on. Time travel and future-world details add intriguing ideas and interesting wrinkles. I recommend this book to anyone who loves science fantasy, time travel, good humor, and a great read!
These are great characters! The history is spot-on. Time travel and future-world details add intriguing ideas and interesting wrinkles. I recommend this book to anyone who loves science fantasy, time travel, good humor, and a great read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews