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A Footstep Echo: The Complete Collection
Who is the Mystery Girl?
Bernard Abbey's lonely, monotonous existence was forever turned upside down the day a mysterious young woman saved his life by taking him to another time. Soon Bernard realizes his new friend cannot speak or remember. Confronted with conflicting origins of her past, Bernard comes to believe his Mystery Girl is somehow linked to humanity's idyllic future.
No matter when in time, someone is hunting the Mystery Girl, with government scientists, future eco-terrorists, and a host of others all in pursuit. It's a race against time for Bernard and his new friend to discover the truth about the future – and themselves.
"This collection will have you jumping through time and space, without missing a single thing. J.D. Sanderson has a talent for creating entire universes with believable characters that make you feel deeply for their wellbeing. The emotional entanglement I felt, being pulled by a force beyond the realms of this reality, was truly something that I have only found in Indie science fiction. Bravo, Sanderson. Bravo." – Saffron Asteria, host of BOOKED and owner of Indiosyncrasy.
Bernard Abbey's lonely, monotonous existence was forever turned upside down the day a mysterious young woman saved his life by taking him to another time. Soon Bernard realizes his new friend cannot speak or remember. Confronted with conflicting origins of her past, Bernard comes to believe his Mystery Girl is somehow linked to humanity's idyllic future.
No matter when in time, someone is hunting the Mystery Girl, with government scientists, future eco-terrorists, and a host of others all in pursuit. It's a race against time for Bernard and his new friend to discover the truth about the future – and themselves.
"This collection will have you jumping through time and space, without missing a single thing. J.D. Sanderson has a talent for creating entire universes with believable characters that make you feel deeply for their wellbeing. The emotional entanglement I felt, being pulled by a force beyond the realms of this reality, was truly something that I have only found in Indie science fiction. Bravo, Sanderson. Bravo." – Saffron Asteria, host of BOOKED and owner of Indiosyncrasy.
489 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 15, 2025
A Footstep Echo: The Complete Collection
Author: J.D. Sanderson
Bernard has been living according to the same routine for years. He works part-time at a local library and occasionally chats with his neighbor Ruth.
His wife passed away a few years ago, and he misses her terribly.
One day, he bumps into a mysterious woman outside, who later appears again and saves his life.
What's remarkable is that she seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Communicating with her is difficult because she can't speak or remember her name.
Bernard quickly realizes that she is on the run from someone. He decides to help her and take her in.
Suddenly, he's experiencing all sorts of adventures in his old age. His new roommate can travel through time.
Several times the duo is startled by other time travelers who claim to know her...
Will Bernard succeed in unraveling her past without endangering himself?
Considering the length of the storyline, I'm truly impressed by the many elements the author has managed to incorporate into his book.
The timelines in which the story takes place are meticulously detailed. For the cities of the future, there are even dishes and drinks perfectly suited to that era.
In the later chapters, a large cast of characters deliver all sorts of nerve-wracking twists that left me unable to stop reading.
I found the combat scenes and mutual dialogues very spectacular. This really brought the characters' emotions to life.
Sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy this book!
Trigger warnings:
Death, grief, violence, problematic family ties
Author: J.D. Sanderson
Bernard has been living according to the same routine for years. He works part-time at a local library and occasionally chats with his neighbor Ruth.
His wife passed away a few years ago, and he misses her terribly.
One day, he bumps into a mysterious woman outside, who later appears again and saves his life.
What's remarkable is that she seems to have appeared out of nowhere. Communicating with her is difficult because she can't speak or remember her name.
Bernard quickly realizes that she is on the run from someone. He decides to help her and take her in.
Suddenly, he's experiencing all sorts of adventures in his old age. His new roommate can travel through time.
Several times the duo is startled by other time travelers who claim to know her...
Will Bernard succeed in unraveling her past without endangering himself?
Considering the length of the storyline, I'm truly impressed by the many elements the author has managed to incorporate into his book.
The timelines in which the story takes place are meticulously detailed. For the cities of the future, there are even dishes and drinks perfectly suited to that era.
In the later chapters, a large cast of characters deliver all sorts of nerve-wracking twists that left me unable to stop reading.
I found the combat scenes and mutual dialogues very spectacular. This really brought the characters' emotions to life.
Sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy this book!
Trigger warnings:
Death, grief, violence, problematic family ties
August 16, 2025
I was given a free advanced reader's copy of A Footstep Echo: The Complete Collection in exchange for a review. This in no way sways what I rate this book.
This book was exactly what I needed to scratch my scifi itch. It had time travel, mystery, epic fights, robots, and a futuristic society. I was constantly impressed with how easily the premise hooks and captivates you. How "Who is the mystery girl?" turns into this epic scifi duology. I really, really didn't want it to end.
I really liked the concept of Bernard. How the main character was this old man. Very unusual for a scifi story. It's something I would like to see more of. He was a kind yet sometimes grumpy old man with a good heart. His reactions to this crazy scifi adventure felt very genuine of an old man.
My only minor gripe was there were a lot of characters and different plotlines going on at once.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this, especially it being a whole collection with two books and a bonus story.
This book was exactly what I needed to scratch my scifi itch. It had time travel, mystery, epic fights, robots, and a futuristic society. I was constantly impressed with how easily the premise hooks and captivates you. How "Who is the mystery girl?" turns into this epic scifi duology. I really, really didn't want it to end.
I really liked the concept of Bernard. How the main character was this old man. Very unusual for a scifi story. It's something I would like to see more of. He was a kind yet sometimes grumpy old man with a good heart. His reactions to this crazy scifi adventure felt very genuine of an old man.
My only minor gripe was there were a lot of characters and different plotlines going on at once.
Regardless, I really enjoyed this, especially it being a whole collection with two books and a bonus story.
September 14, 2025
This timey-wimey sci-fi epic will keep you wanting to know what happens next!
This is such a glorious story that covers all of my favorite little sci-fi tropes. Between time travel, future governments, eco-terrorists, and synthetic humans, it really stood out to me as an epic story that has the characters at the center.
There's a lot of story in this- two novels and a short story worth. Throughout this, though, the plot is never lost. J.D. is able to keep the story tight, and the action is always just another page away. There was one point in this book that had me so gripped that I couldn't bring myself to put it down. There's such a suspenseful feeling throughout the entire book that you constantly want to know what's next.
What stood out to me the most were the characters. They really felt like my friends. Between Bernard, Ruth, Tal, and the brilliantly written mystery girl, I felt like these characters were real people. As the story progressed and I got to know them more, the emotional punches of the ending of the story really paid off. The world in which these characters were written is so interesting and I was very invested in how it functioned.
It's a great book for anyone who loves Doctor Who and suspenseful political thrillers, like The Bourne Identity.
This is such a glorious story that covers all of my favorite little sci-fi tropes. Between time travel, future governments, eco-terrorists, and synthetic humans, it really stood out to me as an epic story that has the characters at the center.
There's a lot of story in this- two novels and a short story worth. Throughout this, though, the plot is never lost. J.D. is able to keep the story tight, and the action is always just another page away. There was one point in this book that had me so gripped that I couldn't bring myself to put it down. There's such a suspenseful feeling throughout the entire book that you constantly want to know what's next.
What stood out to me the most were the characters. They really felt like my friends. Between Bernard, Ruth, Tal, and the brilliantly written mystery girl, I felt like these characters were real people. As the story progressed and I got to know them more, the emotional punches of the ending of the story really paid off. The world in which these characters were written is so interesting and I was very invested in how it functioned.
It's a great book for anyone who loves Doctor Who and suspenseful political thrillers, like The Bourne Identity.
August 11, 2025
I will offer the highest praise I can offer a book: when I reached the end, I thought "that's it? I want more!"
You will lose yourself in the story as it unfolds and come to care for the characters as they live in this world crafted by J.D. Sanderson. As all great Science Fiction is, A Footstep Echo is about the people first. They simply have access to technology that does not (yet?) exist in the real world.
You will ask yourself questions about whether love can transcend behavior, and what it means to be human.
You will, more than once, need a moment to process what you have just read.
This is great Science Fiction. This is worth your time. Enjoy the ride.
You will lose yourself in the story as it unfolds and come to care for the characters as they live in this world crafted by J.D. Sanderson. As all great Science Fiction is, A Footstep Echo is about the people first. They simply have access to technology that does not (yet?) exist in the real world.
You will ask yourself questions about whether love can transcend behavior, and what it means to be human.
You will, more than once, need a moment to process what you have just read.
This is great Science Fiction. This is worth your time. Enjoy the ride.
August 22, 2025
I had the pleasure of receiving an advanced copy of this collection, and I must say that this is yet another indie science fiction book that has further confirmed of my newfound love for the genre in written form. I'm already a big sci-fi fan when it comes to movies and TV shows, and I'm learning to love it in a totally different way.
This was a big fat read for me. I prefer a novella length of book usually, but due to this being a collection of two books and a short story - I was able to read it in more manageable chunks.
Now, I've been quoted on the back of the book (this is such an honour and I'm still not sure what I did to deserve something so awesome in my life) so I won't re-hash what I've already said there. I just wanted to share that I truly enjoyed every moment of this collection, which weaves you through an unbelievable journey with believable characters. It doesn't shy away from divisive subjects, and they're handled beautifully. The story is crafted in such a way that I instantly loved the characters I met along the way (well. Some, I hated. But that's the point sometimes).
I guess what I'm trying to get across is that you don't have to be a die hard fan of science fiction to enjoy this story. Get ready to yell at the pages to "be careful with lovely Bernard" and prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime.
This was a big fat read for me. I prefer a novella length of book usually, but due to this being a collection of two books and a short story - I was able to read it in more manageable chunks.
Now, I've been quoted on the back of the book (this is such an honour and I'm still not sure what I did to deserve something so awesome in my life) so I won't re-hash what I've already said there. I just wanted to share that I truly enjoyed every moment of this collection, which weaves you through an unbelievable journey with believable characters. It doesn't shy away from divisive subjects, and they're handled beautifully. The story is crafted in such a way that I instantly loved the characters I met along the way (well. Some, I hated. But that's the point sometimes).
I guess what I'm trying to get across is that you don't have to be a die hard fan of science fiction to enjoy this story. Get ready to yell at the pages to "be careful with lovely Bernard" and prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews