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The Traveler
Meet an extraordinary father and son in this captivating, heart-wrenching speculative debut.
It’s a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling head-long down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his cell.
7:51am. Monday, April 13th.
A blink of an eye.
7:52am. Tuesday, April 14th.
An entire 24 hours, gone.
This one moment—this first spontaneous slip—marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First one day lost in a blink, then two, then four, until weeks, even years, are passing him by in an instant.
Meanwhile, his wife is left to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together alone, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius seven-year-old son, will surpass him in age.
Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up – graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back.
The Traveler is the story of a reluctant time-traveler and his son, and the bond between them that even millennia cannot break. An adventure full of heartbreak, hope, and futures beyond imagination.
It’s a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling head-long down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his cell.
7:51am. Monday, April 13th.
A blink of an eye.
7:52am. Tuesday, April 14th.
An entire 24 hours, gone.
This one moment—this first spontaneous slip—marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First one day lost in a blink, then two, then four, until weeks, even years, are passing him by in an instant.
Meanwhile, his wife is left to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together alone, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius seven-year-old son, will surpass him in age.
Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up – graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back.
The Traveler is the story of a reluctant time-traveler and his son, and the bond between them that even millennia cannot break. An adventure full of heartbreak, hope, and futures beyond imagination.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published June 9, 2026
About the author
Joseph Eckert
5 books50 followersI am an avid reader and writer, author of The Traveler, published by Tor US and Tor UK in June 2026, with more countries to come!
I love stories in every medium, from novels to comics to movies to video games. I find it incredibly interesting to see how each medium has individual strengths and weaknesses for telling a compelling story.
I love stories in every medium, from novels to comics to movies to video games. I find it incredibly interesting to see how each medium has individual strengths and weaknesses for telling a compelling story.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
June 24, 2026
‘Would your life have had the same fullness of meaning, the same extraordinary potential, if I hadn't pulled you here, brought you forward? Would you ever have had a chance like this one, the chance to guide the hand of fate itself, to influence the lives of trillions that will come?’
It’s been ages since I’ve picked up a sci-fi novel, and now I’m wondering why I ever stopped.
The Traveler completely sucked me in from the first few chapters. The premise is brilliantly simple: every morning at the exact same time, Scott is thrown further into the future. First days, then weeks, then years, then decades. As concepts go, it’s fascinating. As a father/son story? Absolutely devastating.
What I loved most was that despite the time travel element, this never felt bogged down by complicated science. Instead, it focused on the people. The relationships. The moments that make up a life. Watching Scott witness his son’s entire future in fragmented glimpses was both beautiful and heartbreaking.
I flew through this one because I constantly needed to know what happened next. Every jump raised new questions, new challenges, and new emotional punches. Just when I thought I understood where the story was going, it surprised me.
The Traveler is a reminder that great sci-fi isn’t really about the science at all. It’s about exploring what it means to be human. Add in themes of family, hope, loss, and the relentless passage of time, and you’ve got a story that lingers long after the final page.
If you’re like me and haven’t picked up a sci-fi book in a while, this is a fantastic place to start. Just be prepared for an existential crisis or two along the way.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Pan Macmillan for my advanced readers copy.
Available Now!
It’s been ages since I’ve picked up a sci-fi novel, and now I’m wondering why I ever stopped.
The Traveler completely sucked me in from the first few chapters. The premise is brilliantly simple: every morning at the exact same time, Scott is thrown further into the future. First days, then weeks, then years, then decades. As concepts go, it’s fascinating. As a father/son story? Absolutely devastating.
What I loved most was that despite the time travel element, this never felt bogged down by complicated science. Instead, it focused on the people. The relationships. The moments that make up a life. Watching Scott witness his son’s entire future in fragmented glimpses was both beautiful and heartbreaking.
I flew through this one because I constantly needed to know what happened next. Every jump raised new questions, new challenges, and new emotional punches. Just when I thought I understood where the story was going, it surprised me.
The Traveler is a reminder that great sci-fi isn’t really about the science at all. It’s about exploring what it means to be human. Add in themes of family, hope, loss, and the relentless passage of time, and you’ve got a story that lingers long after the final page.
If you’re like me and haven’t picked up a sci-fi book in a while, this is a fantastic place to start. Just be prepared for an existential crisis or two along the way.
I Highly Recommend.
Thank you Pan Macmillan for my advanced readers copy.
Available Now!
June 13, 2026
Wow, this was an excellent time travel premise and it absolutely broke my brain, in the best way possible.
I love time travel books but they have to really wow me for me to be impressed. The Traveler did just that! And with Ray Porter narrating…? It doesn’t get better than that!
In The Traveler, Scott is driving to work in his car when he finds himself landing on the street, no car… He scrambles off the street and based on his phone texts and missed calls sees that 24 hours has passed. His family has frantically been trying to find him. At exactly 7:52 AM the next morning, he “slips” and 48 hours has passed. The next morning at 7:52 he slips again and 4 days have passed. He’s traveling forward in time but each day he experiences, double the time from the day before has passed for everyone else.
This was crazy and mind-blowing. Scott’s son Lyle is 7 when Scott’s time travel starts.
This story is really about father and son and the love they have for each other throughout the entire story.
Ray Porter brings the story to life and I felt every single emotion that Scott experiences because of Ray Porter. I was so completely invested in Scott and Kyle throughout.
The future world/s are something that in my wildest imagination I could never have comprehended but it all made perfect sense.
If you’re a fan of time travel, or Ray Porter, I highly recommend The Traveler!
*Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for the gifted ALC!*
I love time travel books but they have to really wow me for me to be impressed. The Traveler did just that! And with Ray Porter narrating…? It doesn’t get better than that!
In The Traveler, Scott is driving to work in his car when he finds himself landing on the street, no car… He scrambles off the street and based on his phone texts and missed calls sees that 24 hours has passed. His family has frantically been trying to find him. At exactly 7:52 AM the next morning, he “slips” and 48 hours has passed. The next morning at 7:52 he slips again and 4 days have passed. He’s traveling forward in time but each day he experiences, double the time from the day before has passed for everyone else.
This was crazy and mind-blowing. Scott’s son Lyle is 7 when Scott’s time travel starts.
This story is really about father and son and the love they have for each other throughout the entire story.
Ray Porter brings the story to life and I felt every single emotion that Scott experiences because of Ray Porter. I was so completely invested in Scott and Kyle throughout.
The future world/s are something that in my wildest imagination I could never have comprehended but it all made perfect sense.
If you’re a fan of time travel, or Ray Porter, I highly recommend The Traveler!
*Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and to NetGalley for the gifted ALC!*
April 12, 2026
An interesting concept about slipping through time in increasing (doubling) increments.
I like the first half better, where the jumps were less significant timeframes, and Scott was dealing with the real effects of these jumps affecting his life.
The later jumps, of thousands of years, were a bit hard to relate to on a personal level with the character, but the “new” settings were interesting. I did find the conclusion satisfying, however, so the book ended well.
I had a couple of frustrations with the main character, but I suppose they weren’t too serious. I would have like to see him have a little more backbone, though.
Overall, recommended, especially for sci fi fans.
-Desiree Reads
April 12, 2026
I like the first half better, where the jumps were less significant timeframes, and Scott was dealing with the real effects of these jumps affecting his life.
The later jumps, of thousands of years, were a bit hard to relate to on a personal level with the character, but the “new” settings were interesting. I did find the conclusion satisfying, however, so the book ended well.
I had a couple of frustrations with the main character, but I suppose they weren’t too serious. I would have like to see him have a little more backbone, though.
Overall, recommended, especially for sci fi fans.
-Desiree Reads
April 12, 2026
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2026
This was a fun time travel story with questions around identity, the self, and the unconditional love between a son and father. Somewhat heartbreaking, and an ending that felt interesting but not unexpected. Solid speculative fiction of the future and a thought experiment.
May 11, 2026
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
What a fascinating read this was! I was totally captivated by this story. We meet a man who finds himself driving along when suddenly he’s bruised and bumped on the side of the road. His job is angry, his wife is panicking, his son is worried as he had disappeared for a full 24 hours. It happens again, only this time the length of time he’s gone for doubles. He’s concerned, confused as seeks help from scientists. We see the emotional impact on his family. For him, he has no sense of the loss of time, things warp and then he’s back. But his family lose him for longer and longer periods each time, having to deal with his absence and loss of his income.
A core part of this story is family, and the unwavering bond between the man and his son. Though he ultimately becomes younger than his son, his son never gives up hope that he’ll find a way to help his father, dedicating his life and career to finding a way to understand the time jumps. It’s a beautiful bond and the thing that gives the main character Scott hope throughout his discombobulating jumps into the future.
The jumps get bigger and so do the changes, with Scott in peril regularly and having to quickly adjust to the changes of each time. Some of which are poignant or even devastating.
I found this novel so profound, so fascinating. I’d highly recommend it and I would read it again. What a unique and innovative exploration.
What a fascinating read this was! I was totally captivated by this story. We meet a man who finds himself driving along when suddenly he’s bruised and bumped on the side of the road. His job is angry, his wife is panicking, his son is worried as he had disappeared for a full 24 hours. It happens again, only this time the length of time he’s gone for doubles. He’s concerned, confused as seeks help from scientists. We see the emotional impact on his family. For him, he has no sense of the loss of time, things warp and then he’s back. But his family lose him for longer and longer periods each time, having to deal with his absence and loss of his income.
A core part of this story is family, and the unwavering bond between the man and his son. Though he ultimately becomes younger than his son, his son never gives up hope that he’ll find a way to help his father, dedicating his life and career to finding a way to understand the time jumps. It’s a beautiful bond and the thing that gives the main character Scott hope throughout his discombobulating jumps into the future.
The jumps get bigger and so do the changes, with Scott in peril regularly and having to quickly adjust to the changes of each time. Some of which are poignant or even devastating.
I found this novel so profound, so fascinating. I’d highly recommend it and I would read it again. What a unique and innovative exploration.
May 23, 2026
I really thought this book was going to be a great read. The synopsis sounded really interesting and I’m a huge time travel nerd! But unfortunately, that was not the case. I really had to force my way through this one.
The first 25% or so of the book was interesting, but once he traveled past the time when his son died it got so repetitive and boring. Every single jump was the same thing: confusion, meet someone from that time that explains things, be sad about Lyle, get new technology, and jump again.
I also felt like it didn’t know the main character at all even though the entire book is spent with him basically solo and it’s his POV. He felt like just a generic guy.
The world building for each jump was underwhelming. I just felt like the author could have done SO much more to make these time periods feel real and instead just did the bare minimum.
Also, it bothered me that one jump would be a destroyed world, then the next a utopia, then destroyed again… over and over. Was the author just trying to beat us over the head with the fact that humans (and AI/other species) will always have war and everything we do will destroy the planet?
I felt it was a bit of a cop-out that he kept getting technology that made it super easy for him to survive anything he encountered. It made every situation that could have been exciting super boring.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it. It honestly was really depressing and boring. I’m being generous with my 2 star rating because I did like the beginning (it was probably like 3 stars), but the rest of the book was definitely a 1 star read.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.
The first 25% or so of the book was interesting, but once he traveled past the time when his son died it got so repetitive and boring. Every single jump was the same thing: confusion, meet someone from that time that explains things, be sad about Lyle, get new technology, and jump again.
I also felt like it didn’t know the main character at all even though the entire book is spent with him basically solo and it’s his POV. He felt like just a generic guy.
The world building for each jump was underwhelming. I just felt like the author could have done SO much more to make these time periods feel real and instead just did the bare minimum.
Also, it bothered me that one jump would be a destroyed world, then the next a utopia, then destroyed again… over and over. Was the author just trying to beat us over the head with the fact that humans (and AI/other species) will always have war and everything we do will destroy the planet?
I felt it was a bit of a cop-out that he kept getting technology that made it super easy for him to survive anything he encountered. It made every situation that could have been exciting super boring.
Overall, I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it. It honestly was really depressing and boring. I’m being generous with my 2 star rating because I did like the beginning (it was probably like 3 stars), but the rest of the book was definitely a 1 star read.
I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and statements are my own.
May 15, 2026
As soon as I read the premise for this book, I knew that I wanted to read it ASAP. Instead of your stereotypical time traveling where you go forth and end up wherever, this story has our main character blip out of existence and reappear exactly where he left from. If he happens to blip out while he is in say, a car, traveling at a speed greater than zero, when he instantaneously (to him) blips back in, he would be in that same position as if he was in a car, just without the car, further ahead in time. Bouncing, flailing, scraping across the road. The car from before his blip, carries on without him, eventually crashing into some parked cars. The thing that pulls you along through this story is the exponential time that disappears every time he makes a jump. The first time was 24 hours, the second, 48 hours, etc. The time jumps happening at the exact time every day, 7:51am.
The first half of the book was exciting, suspenseful and original. You had the anguish of his family trying to exist without him, questions of the unknown entity that was pulling him along the timeline and unexpected consequences of his time traveling. The author had some interesting visions of what some possible futures might entail and it was an engaging read. Then we got to the back half. It felt both rushed and at the same time, you wanted answers and just wanted to get to the point. Why did our MMC have to go through all this anguish? Why did he have to sacrifice his life? Was there a point to all of it? I was kind of let down at the end. There was this whole build up and at the end, ugh. It's still three stars, for the most part, it was a very good story and a stand alone. No cliffhanger. No sequels. I want to thank NetGalley and the author for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
The first half of the book was exciting, suspenseful and original. You had the anguish of his family trying to exist without him, questions of the unknown entity that was pulling him along the timeline and unexpected consequences of his time traveling. The author had some interesting visions of what some possible futures might entail and it was an engaging read. Then we got to the back half. It felt both rushed and at the same time, you wanted answers and just wanted to get to the point. Why did our MMC have to go through all this anguish? Why did he have to sacrifice his life? Was there a point to all of it? I was kind of let down at the end. There was this whole build up and at the end, ugh. It's still three stars, for the most part, it was a very good story and a stand alone. No cliffhanger. No sequels. I want to thank NetGalley and the author for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
May 31, 2026
Scott is an ordinary person, with an ordinary job, an ordinary family and just an ordinary day. But as he drives into work one day, he is just sitting in his car and then the next thing he knows is he lands on the hard ground. He has lots of missed calls from his wife and his work. He looks at the time and date and it is 24 hours since he was driving to work, but he has no memories of what happened during that time. The next day it happens again, but for twice as long. It soon becomes a pattern and he disappears for twice as long as the time before. Scott looses his family, his job, essentially his life. He continues on to see where this journey is going to take him.
4.5 stars!! I’m not a huge fan of sci fi, but this book was amazing! I absolutely loved it!! Definitely recommend to anyone!!
4.5 stars!! I’m not a huge fan of sci fi, but this book was amazing! I absolutely loved it!! Definitely recommend to anyone!!
May 6, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC for review.
The only thing I knew about this book going in was that it was about time travel, one of my favorite tropes. Scott Treder is driving to work one day when his car disappears out from under him and he rolls to the curb. When he goes home he discovers that one whole day has passed from the time he was ejected from the car. Scott doesn't know what happened and neither does anyone else - everyone thinks he just chose to play hooky for a day. But then the next day at the same time he disappears again. And reappears. This time two days have passed. Scott soon figures out that every time he jumps time it doubles. The slow realization that he will lose weeks, then months, then years of his life and his seven-year-old son Lyle's life, makes him panic. He desperately wants to find a way to stop it and goes to great lengths to try to find a solution.
The Traveler is framed as a father/son journey through time, and the description is not wrong. But what actually happens is much different than what I thought would happen. Lyle grows up and spends his life finding a solution to stop the time jumps, much to Scott's dismay, who wants Lyle to simply live his life and forget about him. But Lyle can't.
This book jumps hundreds and thousands of years into the future and Scott is witness to all of humanity's wars and innovations - the destruction of and reinvention of society. I thought it was interesting to see what Eckert's vision of the future of Earth is, and I liked following Scott's character as everything changes around him yet he stays the same.
What surprised me about the book was that Eckert gets deep near the end, philosophizing about what or who is responsible for pulling Scott through time. I won't give anything away but it was not what I thought, which I truly enjoyed.
Great characters, interesting plot that made you think at the end.
4 stars
The only thing I knew about this book going in was that it was about time travel, one of my favorite tropes. Scott Treder is driving to work one day when his car disappears out from under him and he rolls to the curb. When he goes home he discovers that one whole day has passed from the time he was ejected from the car. Scott doesn't know what happened and neither does anyone else - everyone thinks he just chose to play hooky for a day. But then the next day at the same time he disappears again. And reappears. This time two days have passed. Scott soon figures out that every time he jumps time it doubles. The slow realization that he will lose weeks, then months, then years of his life and his seven-year-old son Lyle's life, makes him panic. He desperately wants to find a way to stop it and goes to great lengths to try to find a solution.
The Traveler is framed as a father/son journey through time, and the description is not wrong. But what actually happens is much different than what I thought would happen. Lyle grows up and spends his life finding a solution to stop the time jumps, much to Scott's dismay, who wants Lyle to simply live his life and forget about him. But Lyle can't.
This book jumps hundreds and thousands of years into the future and Scott is witness to all of humanity's wars and innovations - the destruction of and reinvention of society. I thought it was interesting to see what Eckert's vision of the future of Earth is, and I liked following Scott's character as everything changes around him yet he stays the same.
What surprised me about the book was that Eckert gets deep near the end, philosophizing about what or who is responsible for pulling Scott through time. I won't give anything away but it was not what I thought, which I truly enjoyed.
Great characters, interesting plot that made you think at the end.
4 stars
June 22, 2026
Two things would have made this a five star read… Darrow, Carl, Donut, Ryland and Rocky
June 15, 2026
4.75 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ I couldn’t put this book down! Once I started listening I couldn’t stop. I love time travel, and i love when an ordinary person is having something special and we don’t know what is happening. The first half of the book was a page turner, I felt every emotion I lived every jump. The second half felt more philosophical which was ok and also felt more hard sci-fi which i love 🙏🏻
The ending was satisfying but not explosive that’s why it’s a 4.75 ⭐️ not a 5⭐️. I highly recommend this book for every science fiction fan 🚀
The ending was satisfying but not explosive that’s why it’s a 4.75 ⭐️ not a 5⭐️. I highly recommend this book for every science fiction fan 🚀
June 19, 2026
Thank you to Pan MacMillan for the gifted finished copy of the book.
4.25 stars.
A man hurtles through time at the same time every morning, moving forward in doubling increments every time.
This was a fast-paced and emotional read. I enjoyed the father-soon relationship, and how the book focuses on the psychological effects of time travel. It was also fascinating to imagine the far future and how humanity might evolve.
This was a satisfying read, and although I didn't think the ending lived up to the earlier promise, it was a really fun ride.
4.25 stars.
A man hurtles through time at the same time every morning, moving forward in doubling increments every time.
This was a fast-paced and emotional read. I enjoyed the father-soon relationship, and how the book focuses on the psychological effects of time travel. It was also fascinating to imagine the far future and how humanity might evolve.
This was a satisfying read, and although I didn't think the ending lived up to the earlier promise, it was a really fun ride.
June 9, 2026
A really, really strong start, I got lost a little in the middle, and then a solid landing! I was not ready for such a hard sci-fi turn in the middle which is what threw me off. I don’t know if I’ve ever read time travel where it’s jumping forward through time! Ray Porter is the narrator and absolutely nails it.
May 28, 2026
I need to review this! YESSS! I LOVED IT!
June 16, 2026
4.5 mind blowing stars!! That was quite a wild ride 😳
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Traveler Is Both Epic and Intimate
The following ratings are out of 5:
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎
Character development: 😋😉😎🤓🤯
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration
Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary
Scott Treder is on his way to work one ordinary morning, driving about twenty-five miles per hour, when his car suddenly vanishes around him. He continues moving at the same speed and slams onto the pavement, tumbling the length of a football field. Scraped, shaken, and confused, he calls his wife only to learn that an entire day has passed in the few minutes he thought he had been gone. His car kept traveling without him until it crashed into another vehicle, and no one can explain where he went or how he returned.
Scott is an average man with an extraordinary son. Lyle is seven years old, gifted, and endlessly curious. Their nightly reading sessions are the heart of their relationship, and Lyle devours books far beyond his age level. He is currently reading Jurassic Park and thriving in his school’s gifted program. After Scott’s first disappearance, Lyle becomes terrified that his father will vanish again. Scott promises he will not, even though he has no idea what happened to him.
That promise does not last long. When Scott arrives at work to explain his unexpected absence, the world shifts again. He falls from his desk chair and discovers that two more days have passed. His car has parking tickets, his boss is furious, and his family is frightened. His wife begins to suspect he is lying, and Scott has no way to convince her otherwise.
The next disappearance happens right in front of his wife and son. This time he is gone for four days. Now that she has witnessed it herself, his wife finally believes him. The pattern is unmistakable. Each disappearance lasts twice as long as the one before it.
Desperate for answers, they seek help from Beck, the chairman of the physics department at UW. Beck assumes it is a prank and is more impressed by Lyle reading one of his physics texts than by Scott’s story. He reluctantly agrees to observe, but when Scott disappears again in Beck’s office and returns a week later, Beck refuses to continue. Fortunately, one of his colleagues, Maggie Paulson, a professor of theoretical physics, decides to investigate the phenomenon herself.
Highlights
• Accessible science
The theoretical physics in this story is complex, yet the author makes it understandable without oversimplifying. Even as someone who does not naturally grasp advanced physics, I appreciated how the book guided me through the concepts.
• Emotional depth
At its core, The Traveler is a story about love, fear, and the fragile bond between a father and son. Scott and Lyle’s relationship is tender, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. I cried more during this audiobook than I have for any other story in a very long time.
• A fresh and unsettling time travel premise
Scott’s involuntary jumps, with each interval doubling, create a constant sense of dread. He does not travel to another place or timeline. He simply loses time. Watching him miss years in what feels like moments gives the story a devastating emotional weight. The idea that two weeks for Scott can equal years for his family is profoundly affecting.
• A blend of intimate drama and large-scale speculation
As Scott leaps further into the future, the story widens into questions about humanity, artificial intelligence, and the fate of Earth. The contrast between small family moments and sweeping existential ideas is compelling.
• Vivid future worlds
Joseph Eckert’s writing brings each future era to life with imagination and detail. The different versions of Earth Scott encounters are fascinating and often haunting.
• A powerful sense of acceleration
The doubling mechanic is used brilliantly. Hearing the comparison between Scott’s days and the years he jumps forward makes the scale of his journey feel shocking and tragic.
Limitations
• Reduced emotional intimacy in the second half
Once Scott begins traveling thousands or millions of years ahead, the story becomes more abstract. The personal stakes feel less immediate.
• Slower pacing in later sections
The early chapters are tense and gripping, while some of the far future exploration feels repetitive or overly extended.
• A divisive ending
I found the conclusion satisfying and emotionally fitting. Though I have seen other reviews that said it felt rushed or less impactful than the buildup promised.
• Heavy philosophical themes
The story was less action driven sci fi and had a reflective tone that was a bit heavier than anticipated.
Narration
Ray Porter delivers a strong solo performance. His voice is expressive, engaging, and easy to follow. He brings energy to each scene and gives distinct voices to the characters without ever sounding exaggerated. Even as someone who does not usually prefer solo narration, I found his performance compelling and enjoyable.
Final Opinion
The Traveler is a deeply emotional and imaginative story that blends intimate family drama with sweeping speculative ideas. Its greatest strength lies in the relationship between Scott and Lyle, which grounds the entire narrative in something painfully human. The time travel mechanic is fresh, frightening, and beautifully executed, and the audiobook’s emotional impact is undeniable.
The second half shifts into more abstract territory, and the pacing may not work for every listener, but the journey remains powerful. This is a story that lingers. It asks what it means to lose time, what it means to love someone you may not get to keep, and what remains of a person when the world moves on without them.
Overall, it is a moving, thought provoking, and memorable listen that rewards anyone who enjoys emotional science fiction with heart.
Quotes
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎
Character development: 😋😉😎🤓🤯
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration
Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary
Scott Treder is on his way to work one ordinary morning, driving about twenty-five miles per hour, when his car suddenly vanishes around him. He continues moving at the same speed and slams onto the pavement, tumbling the length of a football field. Scraped, shaken, and confused, he calls his wife only to learn that an entire day has passed in the few minutes he thought he had been gone. His car kept traveling without him until it crashed into another vehicle, and no one can explain where he went or how he returned.
Scott is an average man with an extraordinary son. Lyle is seven years old, gifted, and endlessly curious. Their nightly reading sessions are the heart of their relationship, and Lyle devours books far beyond his age level. He is currently reading Jurassic Park and thriving in his school’s gifted program. After Scott’s first disappearance, Lyle becomes terrified that his father will vanish again. Scott promises he will not, even though he has no idea what happened to him.
That promise does not last long. When Scott arrives at work to explain his unexpected absence, the world shifts again. He falls from his desk chair and discovers that two more days have passed. His car has parking tickets, his boss is furious, and his family is frightened. His wife begins to suspect he is lying, and Scott has no way to convince her otherwise.
The next disappearance happens right in front of his wife and son. This time he is gone for four days. Now that she has witnessed it herself, his wife finally believes him. The pattern is unmistakable. Each disappearance lasts twice as long as the one before it.
Desperate for answers, they seek help from Beck, the chairman of the physics department at UW. Beck assumes it is a prank and is more impressed by Lyle reading one of his physics texts than by Scott’s story. He reluctantly agrees to observe, but when Scott disappears again in Beck’s office and returns a week later, Beck refuses to continue. Fortunately, one of his colleagues, Maggie Paulson, a professor of theoretical physics, decides to investigate the phenomenon herself.
Highlights
• Accessible science
The theoretical physics in this story is complex, yet the author makes it understandable without oversimplifying. Even as someone who does not naturally grasp advanced physics, I appreciated how the book guided me through the concepts.
• Emotional depth
At its core, The Traveler is a story about love, fear, and the fragile bond between a father and son. Scott and Lyle’s relationship is tender, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. I cried more during this audiobook than I have for any other story in a very long time.
• A fresh and unsettling time travel premise
Scott’s involuntary jumps, with each interval doubling, create a constant sense of dread. He does not travel to another place or timeline. He simply loses time. Watching him miss years in what feels like moments gives the story a devastating emotional weight. The idea that two weeks for Scott can equal years for his family is profoundly affecting.
• A blend of intimate drama and large-scale speculation
As Scott leaps further into the future, the story widens into questions about humanity, artificial intelligence, and the fate of Earth. The contrast between small family moments and sweeping existential ideas is compelling.
• Vivid future worlds
Joseph Eckert’s writing brings each future era to life with imagination and detail. The different versions of Earth Scott encounters are fascinating and often haunting.
• A powerful sense of acceleration
The doubling mechanic is used brilliantly. Hearing the comparison between Scott’s days and the years he jumps forward makes the scale of his journey feel shocking and tragic.
Limitations
• Reduced emotional intimacy in the second half
Once Scott begins traveling thousands or millions of years ahead, the story becomes more abstract. The personal stakes feel less immediate.
• Slower pacing in later sections
The early chapters are tense and gripping, while some of the far future exploration feels repetitive or overly extended.
• A divisive ending
I found the conclusion satisfying and emotionally fitting. Though I have seen other reviews that said it felt rushed or less impactful than the buildup promised.
• Heavy philosophical themes
The story was less action driven sci fi and had a reflective tone that was a bit heavier than anticipated.
Narration
Ray Porter delivers a strong solo performance. His voice is expressive, engaging, and easy to follow. He brings energy to each scene and gives distinct voices to the characters without ever sounding exaggerated. Even as someone who does not usually prefer solo narration, I found his performance compelling and enjoyable.
Final Opinion
The Traveler is a deeply emotional and imaginative story that blends intimate family drama with sweeping speculative ideas. Its greatest strength lies in the relationship between Scott and Lyle, which grounds the entire narrative in something painfully human. The time travel mechanic is fresh, frightening, and beautifully executed, and the audiobook’s emotional impact is undeniable.
The second half shifts into more abstract territory, and the pacing may not work for every listener, but the journey remains powerful. This is a story that lingers. It asks what it means to lose time, what it means to love someone you may not get to keep, and what remains of a person when the world moves on without them.
Overall, it is a moving, thought provoking, and memorable listen that rewards anyone who enjoys emotional science fiction with heart.
Quotes
“I wasn’t a messiah or some kind of prophet. I was a middle-class computer programmer from the mid-west. Three weeks ago, I was finding bugs in computer code that would look like cave paintings to the people of this time. I was a nobody; I couldn’t even pretend to be a messiah.”
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Review of advance copy received from Publisher
One of the great things about reading (and reviewing!) books is that every now and then you get a complete surprise – one of those books that you know little about before reading but then it goes above and beyond what you expect.
This was one of those.
To give context, although the book is not out until June 2026, it arrived for review in March 2026 (So, as this review has been held back until now - June 2026 - this makes the review a bit of a time traveller in itself!) . As is usual (please note: not complaining!) the to-be-read pile here is huge, so in March I got ready to add it to the pile, for later reading and for a review nearer the publication date.
As is often the case, I decided to read the first couple of pages, just to get an idea, although I nearly didn't as I was slightly annoyed that the book kept its American spelling of ‘Traveler’ on the cover (as I am in the UK.) Nevertheless, I thought I would look at it - "after all, it is set in America", I reasoned with myself. The result? I read half of it in one go, only stopping because it was 3am and I needed sleep!
I do not do that very often these days.
The teller of the tale here is Scott Treder, who seems like nobody particularly special; a normal kind of guy with a nice wife, young child, lives in a duplex, steady job, all doing well. One morning he finds himself heading to work in his car when something very odd happens. He instantly travels forward exactly 24 hours, for no apparent reason. He is obviously worried, so too his wife and child. Then it happens again, at 7.52 am the next day. This time he disappears for 2 days. This pattern continues, each day at exactly the same time but with the time lapse doubling each time. It becomes weeks apart, then years...
The effect on Scott, his wife, his own family and in-laws is life-changing. Scientists are mystified, despite recording the shifting happening. Each return, to exactly the same place but at a different time, shouldn’t happen, according to physics, and yet it does. And there is always the mystery – why Scott? Why now? Will it stop? Who, if anyone, is causing it?
I’m not quite sure what it was exactly that hooked me in. I liked the main character as a 'Mr. Anybody'. and the key concept was intriguing. The chapters are short, the details sparse yet precise. Although there is always the possibility that Scott is an unreliable narrator, there is no denying that the impact of this on him and in particular upon the relationship between him and his son is emotional. The book is one of those that uses science-fictional elements but is really about people and emotions rather than the SF. (I'm thinking of something like The Time Traveler's Wife, for example.) To emphasise this more, the more I read, the more The Traveler made me think that it was like an update of Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man* (and that's not a bad comparison, in my opinion!)
As we head into the future in the narrative, with time jumps becoming years, then decades and even hundreds of years, things take a bit of a left-turn and it all felt a bit like Iron Man to me. (I'm not going to explain why, but you can probably work it out.) By the time I got to the latter part of the book it all went a bit cosmic, and I was again reminded a little of the ending of Matheson’s novel. This part didn't quite work for me as much as the first, as the conclusion seemed to wrap things up a little too conveniently and left some elements unresolved.
Nevertheless, it should not surprise you that I enjoyed this one. The Traveler felt like one straight out of The Twilight Zone, and that's a good thing. It hooks you in and keeps you reading. It doesn't quite hold together for me at the end, but the journey to that point is quite something.
It’s not often these days that a book keeps me reading into the night, and makes me want to pick it up straight away the next day, although it is wonderful when it does! This is one of those rarities – an unexpected surprise that as you read becomes more than you thought it was going to be, that you will want to know how it is going to end. Recommended,
*It may be a coincidence, but I doubt it - the name of the 'Shrinking Man' in Matheson's book was Scott Carey....
This was one of those.
To give context, although the book is not out until June 2026, it arrived for review in March 2026 (So, as this review has been held back until now - June 2026 - this makes the review a bit of a time traveller in itself!) . As is usual (please note: not complaining!) the to-be-read pile here is huge, so in March I got ready to add it to the pile, for later reading and for a review nearer the publication date.
As is often the case, I decided to read the first couple of pages, just to get an idea, although I nearly didn't as I was slightly annoyed that the book kept its American spelling of ‘Traveler’ on the cover (as I am in the UK.) Nevertheless, I thought I would look at it - "after all, it is set in America", I reasoned with myself. The result? I read half of it in one go, only stopping because it was 3am and I needed sleep!
I do not do that very often these days.
The teller of the tale here is Scott Treder, who seems like nobody particularly special; a normal kind of guy with a nice wife, young child, lives in a duplex, steady job, all doing well. One morning he finds himself heading to work in his car when something very odd happens. He instantly travels forward exactly 24 hours, for no apparent reason. He is obviously worried, so too his wife and child. Then it happens again, at 7.52 am the next day. This time he disappears for 2 days. This pattern continues, each day at exactly the same time but with the time lapse doubling each time. It becomes weeks apart, then years...
The effect on Scott, his wife, his own family and in-laws is life-changing. Scientists are mystified, despite recording the shifting happening. Each return, to exactly the same place but at a different time, shouldn’t happen, according to physics, and yet it does. And there is always the mystery – why Scott? Why now? Will it stop? Who, if anyone, is causing it?
I’m not quite sure what it was exactly that hooked me in. I liked the main character as a 'Mr. Anybody'. and the key concept was intriguing. The chapters are short, the details sparse yet precise. Although there is always the possibility that Scott is an unreliable narrator, there is no denying that the impact of this on him and in particular upon the relationship between him and his son is emotional. The book is one of those that uses science-fictional elements but is really about people and emotions rather than the SF. (I'm thinking of something like The Time Traveler's Wife, for example.) To emphasise this more, the more I read, the more The Traveler made me think that it was like an update of Richard Matheson's The Shrinking Man* (and that's not a bad comparison, in my opinion!)
As we head into the future in the narrative, with time jumps becoming years, then decades and even hundreds of years, things take a bit of a left-turn and it all felt a bit like Iron Man to me. (I'm not going to explain why, but you can probably work it out.) By the time I got to the latter part of the book it all went a bit cosmic, and I was again reminded a little of the ending of Matheson’s novel. This part didn't quite work for me as much as the first, as the conclusion seemed to wrap things up a little too conveniently and left some elements unresolved.
Nevertheless, it should not surprise you that I enjoyed this one. The Traveler felt like one straight out of The Twilight Zone, and that's a good thing. It hooks you in and keeps you reading. It doesn't quite hold together for me at the end, but the journey to that point is quite something.
It’s not often these days that a book keeps me reading into the night, and makes me want to pick it up straight away the next day, although it is wonderful when it does! This is one of those rarities – an unexpected surprise that as you read becomes more than you thought it was going to be, that you will want to know how it is going to end. Recommended,
*It may be a coincidence, but I doubt it - the name of the 'Shrinking Man' in Matheson's book was Scott Carey....
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
**This review can also be found at: https://fanfiaddict.com/review-the-tr...
Early on as I was reading Joseph Eckert’s traditional debut, The Traveler, I was reminded of a few things, namely H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (of course), the SciFi Channel movies and mini-series from the early 2000s, and (perhaps most of all), the classic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, The Visitor. There are significant influences on this time travel epic, but in the end, Eckert paints his own tale and vision of the future. In a way, just like Scott Treder’s journey plays with time, the narrative is tight and constrained when it needs to be, and more flimsy and flexible when it’s called for. For me, the father-son dynamic, showing their love and sacrifice until the end of time, pushed it over the edge, earning an early spot on my Best of 2026 list.
So, the time travel itself is fairly straight forward. As the book begins, Scott is yanked out of his car one day, and appears (sitting and still traveling 25 mph) without his car in the middle of the road 24 hours later. Then, a day later, he jumps 48 hours…then 96 hours…and so on. We see within just a few chapters that doubling time gets ridiculous pretty quick. Between jumps, Scott is able to live a day, but in the span that it takes him to live 7 days, his wife, son and the rest of the world lives over two-thirds of a year.
Due to the nature of Scott’s…predicament…the book’s format essentially becomes a series of interconnected vignettes. A story from one day after he first time travels…then two days…then four…and so on. Some of the stories, particularly early on, are fairly predictable in how Scott and his family react to his random disappearances and subsequent reappearances. The stress that it takes on Scott’s wife is both understandable and tragic.
But the magic of this book is what happens with Scott’s son, Lyle. Just seven-years-old when The Traveler begins, we see that he’s already advanced for his age and interested in sciences like quantum mechanics. As Scott’s disappearances start lasting multiple years, Scott becomes more and more desperate to spend as much time with family as possible, and Lyle becomes more and more desperate to use what he can learn to stop his father’s disappearances.
Just like Jake Sisko in DS9’s The Visitor, we see the love that a son has for his father in the brief moments they’re together. The willingness to devote your life to fixing the errors of the past becomes Lyle’s life’s work even as each day with his father ends in heartbreak.
And along the way -- rocketing though hundreds, then thousands of years in a blink of an eye -- Eckert imagines what happens to humanity, their creations, and the Earth. Scott bears witness to the best of our future -- utopias, space travel, settlements on distant planets -- as well as the worst of humanity -- wars, technology run amok, and apocalyptic conditions.
I loved The Traveler, from the first page to the last. On a personal note -- I lost my father about nine months ago. He was the one who introduced me to Asimov, Heinlein and Tolkien. We read books about the future and of other worlds, later seeing those things play out on the screen, whether it was Star Trek on TV or Star Wars at the theaters. Reading Scott and Lyle’s journey together brought a flood of memories back, making me wish I could go on just one more sci-fi adventure with him.
Now…I have to admit that some of my love for Eckert’s work may come in part to the choice of narrator for the audiobook -- the one and only Ray Porter. After hearing Porter narrate Dennis E. Taylor’s Bobiverse books and then, most famously, Project Hail Mary from Andy Weir. Ray Porter has mastered the “male character who is suddenly thrown into an improbable and unexpected scientific situation,” as shown by the characters of Bob Johansson (and all the other Bobs), Ryland Grace, and now Scott Treder. Porter’s intonation and real emotions as he puts himself into the characters certainly adds to the quality of Joseph Eckert’s book.
I highly recommend Joseph Eckert’s The Traveler and personally recommend checking it out as an audiobook with Ray Porter narrating Scott and Lyle’s journey through time.
The Traveler will be released on June 9.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Early on as I was reading Joseph Eckert’s traditional debut, The Traveler, I was reminded of a few things, namely H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (of course), the SciFi Channel movies and mini-series from the early 2000s, and (perhaps most of all), the classic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, The Visitor. There are significant influences on this time travel epic, but in the end, Eckert paints his own tale and vision of the future. In a way, just like Scott Treder’s journey plays with time, the narrative is tight and constrained when it needs to be, and more flimsy and flexible when it’s called for. For me, the father-son dynamic, showing their love and sacrifice until the end of time, pushed it over the edge, earning an early spot on my Best of 2026 list.
So, the time travel itself is fairly straight forward. As the book begins, Scott is yanked out of his car one day, and appears (sitting and still traveling 25 mph) without his car in the middle of the road 24 hours later. Then, a day later, he jumps 48 hours…then 96 hours…and so on. We see within just a few chapters that doubling time gets ridiculous pretty quick. Between jumps, Scott is able to live a day, but in the span that it takes him to live 7 days, his wife, son and the rest of the world lives over two-thirds of a year.
Due to the nature of Scott’s…predicament…the book’s format essentially becomes a series of interconnected vignettes. A story from one day after he first time travels…then two days…then four…and so on. Some of the stories, particularly early on, are fairly predictable in how Scott and his family react to his random disappearances and subsequent reappearances. The stress that it takes on Scott’s wife is both understandable and tragic.
But the magic of this book is what happens with Scott’s son, Lyle. Just seven-years-old when The Traveler begins, we see that he’s already advanced for his age and interested in sciences like quantum mechanics. As Scott’s disappearances start lasting multiple years, Scott becomes more and more desperate to spend as much time with family as possible, and Lyle becomes more and more desperate to use what he can learn to stop his father’s disappearances.
Just like Jake Sisko in DS9’s The Visitor, we see the love that a son has for his father in the brief moments they’re together. The willingness to devote your life to fixing the errors of the past becomes Lyle’s life’s work even as each day with his father ends in heartbreak.
And along the way -- rocketing though hundreds, then thousands of years in a blink of an eye -- Eckert imagines what happens to humanity, their creations, and the Earth. Scott bears witness to the best of our future -- utopias, space travel, settlements on distant planets -- as well as the worst of humanity -- wars, technology run amok, and apocalyptic conditions.
I loved The Traveler, from the first page to the last. On a personal note -- I lost my father about nine months ago. He was the one who introduced me to Asimov, Heinlein and Tolkien. We read books about the future and of other worlds, later seeing those things play out on the screen, whether it was Star Trek on TV or Star Wars at the theaters. Reading Scott and Lyle’s journey together brought a flood of memories back, making me wish I could go on just one more sci-fi adventure with him.
Now…I have to admit that some of my love for Eckert’s work may come in part to the choice of narrator for the audiobook -- the one and only Ray Porter. After hearing Porter narrate Dennis E. Taylor’s Bobiverse books and then, most famously, Project Hail Mary from Andy Weir. Ray Porter has mastered the “male character who is suddenly thrown into an improbable and unexpected scientific situation,” as shown by the characters of Bob Johansson (and all the other Bobs), Ryland Grace, and now Scott Treder. Porter’s intonation and real emotions as he puts himself into the characters certainly adds to the quality of Joseph Eckert’s book.
I highly recommend Joseph Eckert’s The Traveler and personally recommend checking it out as an audiobook with Ray Porter narrating Scott and Lyle’s journey through time.
The Traveler will be released on June 9.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 17, 2026
3-1/2 stars rounded up.
I don't venture into science fiction all that often, but I do have a soft spot for time travel stories. They always pull me in, even when I'm not entirely sure I understand all the science behind them. This one was an easy choice because it was narrated by Ray Porter, and at this point he's pretty much an automatic listen for me. If Ray Porter narrates it, there's a good chance I'm going to give it a shot.
It also gave me a chance to reconnect, in a small way, with my dad. He passed away in 2020 and absolutely loved science fiction. He was a rocket scientist who worked on missile systems and heads-up display technology, so whenever I pick up a sci-fi novel, it feels like I'm sharing something with him that he would've enjoyed. And honestly, sometimes I even catch myself imagining the conversation we'd have about it afterward.
The Traveler follows Scott Treder, a man who unexpectedly begins slipping through time, leaving behind everyone he loves while trying to figure out what's happening to him. What starts out as a time travel story slowly turns into something much bigger, asking questions about humanity, purpose, and what might exist beyond the lives we know.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. There were definitely a few places where my attention drifted, mostly during some of the battle scenes and the more technical descriptions of the futuristic technology. It wasn't really the time travel that lost me. I actually liked those parts. I think it was just all the fighting that wasn't quite my thing.
What kept pulling me back was Scott's relationship with his son, Lyle. No matter where or when Scott found himself, everything always came back to his son. That was really the heart of the story for me.
I do wish we'd spent a little more time getting to know some of the characters because I'm always going to lean toward character-driven stories. As for Scott's wife...I just didn't like her. I don't think we're supposed to, and I suspect most readers will understand why once they get there. I think the author absolutely intended for readers to have that reaction.
The biggest surprise for me was the religious and philosophical direction the story took. There was a lot of religious subtext woven throughout the book, along with recurring questions about God, destiny, consciousness, humanity's future, and what happens after we die. I kept thinking I had figured out what the author was trying to say, and then a few chapters later I'd think, "Well...maybe not."
I never felt like this was trying to be a religious novel. It felt more like the author was using science fiction to explore some really big questions about life and meaning. There's one idea involving a shared consciousness that I found especially interesting. I kept wondering if he was saying something about God, or humanity, or maybe that we're all connected somehow. But then he'd introduce another idea that made me question that interpretation.
I'm still not completely sure what he was trying to say, and maybe that's exactly the point. Instead of handing you answers, he kind of leaves you sitting with the questions. I actually appreciated that. I've been thinking about those ideas ever since I finished the book.
There was one thing I really hoped would happen by the end that didn't. I understand why the story went the direction it did, but I would've been just a little happier if it had ended the way I was secretly hoping.
Overall, this was a solid read. Ray Porter's narration was fantastic as always, and even when some of the science was a little over my head, I was still invested in where the story was going. I also think this would make a terrific book club pick, especially if your group enjoys books that spark conversations more than they provide answers.
I don't venture into science fiction all that often, but I do have a soft spot for time travel stories. They always pull me in, even when I'm not entirely sure I understand all the science behind them. This one was an easy choice because it was narrated by Ray Porter, and at this point he's pretty much an automatic listen for me. If Ray Porter narrates it, there's a good chance I'm going to give it a shot.
It also gave me a chance to reconnect, in a small way, with my dad. He passed away in 2020 and absolutely loved science fiction. He was a rocket scientist who worked on missile systems and heads-up display technology, so whenever I pick up a sci-fi novel, it feels like I'm sharing something with him that he would've enjoyed. And honestly, sometimes I even catch myself imagining the conversation we'd have about it afterward.
The Traveler follows Scott Treder, a man who unexpectedly begins slipping through time, leaving behind everyone he loves while trying to figure out what's happening to him. What starts out as a time travel story slowly turns into something much bigger, asking questions about humanity, purpose, and what might exist beyond the lives we know.
Overall, I really enjoyed it. There were definitely a few places where my attention drifted, mostly during some of the battle scenes and the more technical descriptions of the futuristic technology. It wasn't really the time travel that lost me. I actually liked those parts. I think it was just all the fighting that wasn't quite my thing.
What kept pulling me back was Scott's relationship with his son, Lyle. No matter where or when Scott found himself, everything always came back to his son. That was really the heart of the story for me.
I do wish we'd spent a little more time getting to know some of the characters because I'm always going to lean toward character-driven stories. As for Scott's wife...I just didn't like her. I don't think we're supposed to, and I suspect most readers will understand why once they get there. I think the author absolutely intended for readers to have that reaction.
The biggest surprise for me was the religious and philosophical direction the story took. There was a lot of religious subtext woven throughout the book, along with recurring questions about God, destiny, consciousness, humanity's future, and what happens after we die. I kept thinking I had figured out what the author was trying to say, and then a few chapters later I'd think, "Well...maybe not."
I never felt like this was trying to be a religious novel. It felt more like the author was using science fiction to explore some really big questions about life and meaning. There's one idea involving a shared consciousness that I found especially interesting. I kept wondering if he was saying something about God, or humanity, or maybe that we're all connected somehow. But then he'd introduce another idea that made me question that interpretation.
I'm still not completely sure what he was trying to say, and maybe that's exactly the point. Instead of handing you answers, he kind of leaves you sitting with the questions. I actually appreciated that. I've been thinking about those ideas ever since I finished the book.
There was one thing I really hoped would happen by the end that didn't. I understand why the story went the direction it did, but I would've been just a little happier if it had ended the way I was secretly hoping.
Overall, this was a solid read. Ray Porter's narration was fantastic as always, and even when some of the science was a little over my head, I was still invested in where the story was going. I also think this would make a terrific book club pick, especially if your group enjoys books that spark conversations more than they provide answers.
December 7, 2025
The premise of this novel immediately drew me in. Scott Treder—an ordinary man, on an ordinary day—suddenly feels the world slip while driving his car and lands on the road, without a car (it kept going without him and hit another parked car), bruised, and with missed phone calls from annoyed boss and alarmed wife. What was a blink of an eye for Scott, was 24 hours for the world. The next day, at the exact same time, Scott disappears again: for 48 hours. Each day, the time doubles: meaning gaps will soon be years. Scott, a narrator who truly embodies an "everyman" archetype, is scared and confused by this. What others (i.e. scientists he asks for help) see as an exciting possibility of time travel, is for him a personal tragedy.
The novel never loses its quick pace and tragic undertone. The reader is equally disoriented as Scott by the rapidly changing timeline, which is a good thing since the pacing works very well and it's hard to stop reading the novel—I finished it in just a few days! Scott's story, however, continues to be tragic and possibilities of redemption or hope are implied but unconvincing. At some point, I felt so bad for the guy that the reading stopped being "fun" anymore. Ultimately, the ending left me feeling a little empty and the best part of the novel was its beginning when Scott was navigating the changing relationship with his family—his personal stakes (family) simply felt more engaging and important than the broader stakes for the world.
The best part of the novel: the caleidoscope of vividly visual landscapes and author's imagination when describing the future (but I can't spoil too much here!)
The most promising part of the novel: Scott's relationship with his son Lyle; but I feel this could have been deepened. There were some profound narrative moments and Scott's thoughts about this, but there were also times when I did not feel that he had many feelings about it (or maybe that was intentional and he was so tired that he dissociated from the unreality of their situation?)
The worst part of the novel: secondary characters who were not Lyle :( Unfortunately, the novel felt very lonely and particularly female characters felt very flat. I understand that Scott's wife is angry and scared and it is well-explained why (both through the events of the novel and her own backstory) but it never feels like she has any personality or history beyond reacting to Scott's tragedy; despite being the love of his life and the most important person in his life. If you've seen movies where the wife is just a memory of a woman on a beach (rather than a person), you know what I mean :) Also, Scott keeps having memories about his friends but we never learn much about them beyond them being important for him: I kept hoping for a narrative resolution or their importance, especially that one of these friends was literally just a name and we found nothing about her.
After reading, I realized the author also wrote a screenplay based on this and it makes a lot of sense: the novel is very visual and presumaly these characters would shine on a movie screen. Unfortunately, they do not shine on the page.
Still, it was a very good read, especially for the fans of science fiction; Some ethical dilemmas that Scott faces are also interesting, as are the questions about the fate of the universe!
Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of The Traveler in exchange for my honest review!
The novel never loses its quick pace and tragic undertone. The reader is equally disoriented as Scott by the rapidly changing timeline, which is a good thing since the pacing works very well and it's hard to stop reading the novel—I finished it in just a few days! Scott's story, however, continues to be tragic and possibilities of redemption or hope are implied but unconvincing. At some point, I felt so bad for the guy that the reading stopped being "fun" anymore. Ultimately, the ending left me feeling a little empty and the best part of the novel was its beginning when Scott was navigating the changing relationship with his family—his personal stakes (family) simply felt more engaging and important than the broader stakes for the world.
The best part of the novel: the caleidoscope of vividly visual landscapes and author's imagination when describing the future (but I can't spoil too much here!)
The most promising part of the novel: Scott's relationship with his son Lyle; but I feel this could have been deepened. There were some profound narrative moments and Scott's thoughts about this, but there were also times when I did not feel that he had many feelings about it (or maybe that was intentional and he was so tired that he dissociated from the unreality of their situation?)
The worst part of the novel: secondary characters who were not Lyle :( Unfortunately, the novel felt very lonely and particularly female characters felt very flat. I understand that Scott's wife is angry and scared and it is well-explained why (both through the events of the novel and her own backstory) but it never feels like she has any personality or history beyond reacting to Scott's tragedy; despite being the love of his life and the most important person in his life. If you've seen movies where the wife is just a memory of a woman on a beach (rather than a person), you know what I mean :) Also, Scott keeps having memories about his friends but we never learn much about them beyond them being important for him: I kept hoping for a narrative resolution or their importance, especially that one of these friends was literally just a name and we found nothing about her.
After reading, I realized the author also wrote a screenplay based on this and it makes a lot of sense: the novel is very visual and presumaly these characters would shine on a movie screen. Unfortunately, they do not shine on the page.
Still, it was a very good read, especially for the fans of science fiction; Some ethical dilemmas that Scott faces are also interesting, as are the questions about the fate of the universe!
Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of The Traveler in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Read Completed 5/15/26 | 4.25 - 4.5 stars | Book #106 of 2026
(May round this up later)
This was such a unique and interesting read. I will always try a time travel story, and I'm always impressed with an author can present me with something new in the way of how the time travel works and what the character does with it.
I've been in a HUGE reading slump, so I was happy that I immediately connected with this book. Right off the bat, it was interesting, wasting no time in sending Scott ahead in time and having the reader wonder why and how. The beginning of the book spends a good amount of time also establishing who he was as a character, his family, his relationships, and the decisions that he makes.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. The writing style + subject matter + audiobook narrator (Ray Porter) gave it a DARK MATTER meets Dark (Netflix) meets Andy Weir feel, and those are all things I really enjoy. Ray Porter, of course, does a fantastic job with the audio and that always helps me get even more into the read.
Part of the time travel aspect (no spoilers, this is something that happens early on in the book, but look away if you want to be 100% going in blind) is that Scott begins to skip forward ahead in time exponentially. He skips forward at the same time every day, but each day it's for a longer period of time. First one day, then 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, etc. Part of the intrigue of the book is not only wondering why this happens, and how this happens, but HOW LONG will this go on? How long will Scott keep moving through time? If it's doubling each time, how long can this last? When does it end? When does the reader stop seeing things? How long can he survive what the future holds?
MILD SPOILERS
The second half of the book really explores the future in all of its vast entirety, and I didn't expect it to be so sci-fi! I wasn't expecting this venture into invented future civilizations, but I really enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would too. I kept wondering where this would end and if there really was a point in time where Scott would get back. It was neat seeing the way the author imagined how the world could evolve, kill itself off, get killed off by outside forces, and what humanity becomes.
Honestly, I expected to be a little on the fence about the ending, just because I wasn't sure if there was any ending that I would like. Would I like it if he made it home? Would I like it if this was all fake? If he died? If he kept traveling into infinity? In the end, I think I was moderately satisfied, and it's honestly really hard for me to be fully satisfied with endings like these because I honestly don't even know what the options are. In a romance, you know you're getting a happily ever after. In a thriller, it ends with the main character winning against a baddie or everything falls wildly apart. With a book like this? Sometimes you just can't even imagine what the endings could be so it's difficult to wrap your head around any ending.
I appreciated that this was unique (for the things I've read). It was different and yet the tone really felt similar in a way that I was comfortable listening to the whole thing -- and it was longer than I expected too! I think this will be one that I remember the whole year and it will be one that I recommend.
(May round this up later)
This was such a unique and interesting read. I will always try a time travel story, and I'm always impressed with an author can present me with something new in the way of how the time travel works and what the character does with it.
I've been in a HUGE reading slump, so I was happy that I immediately connected with this book. Right off the bat, it was interesting, wasting no time in sending Scott ahead in time and having the reader wonder why and how. The beginning of the book spends a good amount of time also establishing who he was as a character, his family, his relationships, and the decisions that he makes.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. The writing style + subject matter + audiobook narrator (Ray Porter) gave it a DARK MATTER meets Dark (Netflix) meets Andy Weir feel, and those are all things I really enjoy. Ray Porter, of course, does a fantastic job with the audio and that always helps me get even more into the read.
Part of the time travel aspect (no spoilers, this is something that happens early on in the book, but look away if you want to be 100% going in blind) is that Scott begins to skip forward ahead in time exponentially. He skips forward at the same time every day, but each day it's for a longer period of time. First one day, then 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, etc. Part of the intrigue of the book is not only wondering why this happens, and how this happens, but HOW LONG will this go on? How long will Scott keep moving through time? If it's doubling each time, how long can this last? When does it end? When does the reader stop seeing things? How long can he survive what the future holds?
MILD SPOILERS
The second half of the book really explores the future in all of its vast entirety, and I didn't expect it to be so sci-fi! I wasn't expecting this venture into invented future civilizations, but I really enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would too. I kept wondering where this would end and if there really was a point in time where Scott would get back. It was neat seeing the way the author imagined how the world could evolve, kill itself off, get killed off by outside forces, and what humanity becomes.
Honestly, I expected to be a little on the fence about the ending, just because I wasn't sure if there was any ending that I would like. Would I like it if he made it home? Would I like it if this was all fake? If he died? If he kept traveling into infinity? In the end, I think I was moderately satisfied, and it's honestly really hard for me to be fully satisfied with endings like these because I honestly don't even know what the options are. In a romance, you know you're getting a happily ever after. In a thriller, it ends with the main character winning against a baddie or everything falls wildly apart. With a book like this? Sometimes you just can't even imagine what the endings could be so it's difficult to wrap your head around any ending.
I appreciated that this was unique (for the things I've read). It was different and yet the tone really felt similar in a way that I was comfortable listening to the whole thing -- and it was longer than I expected too! I think this will be one that I remember the whole year and it will be one that I recommend.
June 8, 2026
Hey, this author got *extremely lucky* - Ray Porter, THE Ray Porter as the narrator of the audiobook for your debut sci-fi novel?! Lucky beyond measure. An easy point in favor of your book becoming at least a cult classic.
Very light spoiler
Somewhat coincidentally very shortly after finishing this audiobook, while I was still thinking about how to write my review, I listened to the 2/22/24 episode of the podcast In Our Time titled “Panpsychism” and it discussed consciousness in a way I had never heard articulated so clearly before, “the idea that some kind of consciousness is present not just in our human brains but throughout the universe, right down to cells or even electrons.” This podcast actually paired really well with The Traveler, and it helped me sit with some of the thoughts I had after the novel ended, when I wasn’t sure how I felt about Scott Treder’s fate in this book.
After listening to the podcast, I started thinking about other ways that the idea of panpsychism or something approaching it has influenced the kinds of fiction I consume – which was really interesting to me! Here is this concept I had never heard of by name, but I knew it by theme anyways. (The Second Citadel story arc in the Penumbra Podcast comes to mind here). I then started looking for a quote I absolutely know I remember from somewhere (probably another podcast, because that is how I am) and I came across Carl Sagan’s famous quote “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” It wasn’t the quote I was looking for, but it is perhaps an on-the nose summary of this book all on its own.
Then, still searching for that quote I know for sure that I know, I found another by Alan Watts “ You, yourself, are the eternal energy which appears as this Universe. You didn't come into this world; you came out of it. Like a wave from the ocean. You are the universe experiencing itself.” And on a similar note, Watts again “Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
And as I search, I become more pleased with this book and less pleased with my own memory. Then I almost found it! The quote I wanted all along. It wasn’t a podcast, it was a poet I know from his podcast work! Jarod K Anderson, on this theme I’ve just been deep-diving “ We are not how the universe knows itself. We are how humans know the universe. Words and thoughts are our way of knowing, not THE way of knowing. Translating a mountain into a word, into a measurement, does not bring new knowledge into the world, it brings new knowledge into us.” Or again on theme, but not what I wanted, “I hope there is life elsewhere in the universe. We borrow our atoms. The universe owns them. The universe borrows our love and wonder. Those belong to us.”
Then I found it, the Poem I wanted when I started looking!
Very light spoiler
Somewhat coincidentally very shortly after finishing this audiobook, while I was still thinking about how to write my review, I listened to the 2/22/24 episode of the podcast In Our Time titled “Panpsychism” and it discussed consciousness in a way I had never heard articulated so clearly before, “the idea that some kind of consciousness is present not just in our human brains but throughout the universe, right down to cells or even electrons.” This podcast actually paired really well with The Traveler, and it helped me sit with some of the thoughts I had after the novel ended, when I wasn’t sure how I felt about Scott Treder’s fate in this book.
After listening to the podcast, I started thinking about other ways that the idea of panpsychism or something approaching it has influenced the kinds of fiction I consume – which was really interesting to me! Here is this concept I had never heard of by name, but I knew it by theme anyways. (The Second Citadel story arc in the Penumbra Podcast comes to mind here). I then started looking for a quote I absolutely know I remember from somewhere (probably another podcast, because that is how I am) and I came across Carl Sagan’s famous quote “The cosmos is within us. We are made of star-stuff. We are a way for the universe to know itself.” It wasn’t the quote I was looking for, but it is perhaps an on-the nose summary of this book all on its own.
Then, still searching for that quote I know for sure that I know, I found another by Alan Watts “ You, yourself, are the eternal energy which appears as this Universe. You didn't come into this world; you came out of it. Like a wave from the ocean. You are the universe experiencing itself.” And on a similar note, Watts again “Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.”
And as I search, I become more pleased with this book and less pleased with my own memory. Then I almost found it! The quote I wanted all along. It wasn’t a podcast, it was a poet I know from his podcast work! Jarod K Anderson, on this theme I’ve just been deep-diving “ We are not how the universe knows itself. We are how humans know the universe. Words and thoughts are our way of knowing, not THE way of knowing. Translating a mountain into a word, into a measurement, does not bring new knowledge into the world, it brings new knowledge into us.” Or again on theme, but not what I wanted, “I hope there is life elsewhere in the universe. We borrow our atoms. The universe owns them. The universe borrows our love and wonder. Those belong to us.”
Then I found it, the Poem I wanted when I started looking!
The universe is an ongoing explosion.
That's where you live.
In an explosion.
We absolutely don't know what living is.
Sometimes atoms just get very haunted.
That's us.
When an explosion explodes hard enough, dust wakes up and thinks about itself.
And writes about it.
(Written by Jarod K. Anderson, from his poetry collection Field Guide to the Haunted Forest.)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this new work of speculative fiction that deals with a fundamental trope, that of time travel, told in a way that shows the pain, the fear, the uncertainty of the unknown future, and what it means for those left behind, not knowing what is happening to the person they love.
I work with a few people who have no sense of time. As the saying goes they will probably be late for their own funeral. Daylight savings time always mess them up pretty badly. No matter how much warning they get, they are either early or late to work the next day. I can see how this can mess someone up for a whole day. One hour lost, or even an hour gained, that can askew everything. Lunch, opening a store, meeting employees, picking up kids. Imagine skipping a few hours. A few days, a few years, a few eons. Moving into the future, alone, and afraid of being forgotten in the past. Something face by the character in this really impressive novel. The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is a story about the present, about family, about being remembered, and of never forgetting, not matter how much time passes, for love like time never runs out.
Scott Treder is driving to work, the same way and the same time he has been doing, when suddenly his car is gone, and he finds himself rolling in the street, in traffic, with no idea how things changed. Not only is his car gone, but his phone has blown up with questions about where he is. For an entire day has passed. The next day, same time Scott moves forward two days in time. This continues to happen with the time doubling and doubling as it goes. Soon he is missing months and years. His wife has no idea what to do, or how to handle this new reality. Lyle, Scott's son, is seven when this starts, soon Lyle is older than Scott. Scott moves forward seeing the future of man in ways that are both good and bad. As Scott moves, Lyle a genius in his own way tries to figure out what is happening to Scott, and why spending his life on bringing his father home, no matter how much Scott would rather Lyle just move on.
This is a really wonderful book, a book that asks big questions while telling a science fiction adventure that seems so familiar, and yet is very unique. Eckert has a real sense of narrative, making the ideas seem plausible, and creating characters that readers really care for, and want to not only know more about, root for even when all seems lost. There is a lot going on, and I am trying not to spoil anything. Again the characters are really good Scott and Lyle especially. One can sense the bond between them, and really gives the book a lot of heart. The science is really well-told makes sense. The futures are really interesting, and also fit what is going on here. Some are bleak, some have hope, and really add to the tale.
A book that was far more than I expected. I just thought it was going to be like a Michael Crichton kind of story, a straight ahead thriller, but the book is far more. Again no spoilers. One of the more thoughtful and emotional science fiction stories I have read in quite a long time.
I work with a few people who have no sense of time. As the saying goes they will probably be late for their own funeral. Daylight savings time always mess them up pretty badly. No matter how much warning they get, they are either early or late to work the next day. I can see how this can mess someone up for a whole day. One hour lost, or even an hour gained, that can askew everything. Lunch, opening a store, meeting employees, picking up kids. Imagine skipping a few hours. A few days, a few years, a few eons. Moving into the future, alone, and afraid of being forgotten in the past. Something face by the character in this really impressive novel. The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is a story about the present, about family, about being remembered, and of never forgetting, not matter how much time passes, for love like time never runs out.
Scott Treder is driving to work, the same way and the same time he has been doing, when suddenly his car is gone, and he finds himself rolling in the street, in traffic, with no idea how things changed. Not only is his car gone, but his phone has blown up with questions about where he is. For an entire day has passed. The next day, same time Scott moves forward two days in time. This continues to happen with the time doubling and doubling as it goes. Soon he is missing months and years. His wife has no idea what to do, or how to handle this new reality. Lyle, Scott's son, is seven when this starts, soon Lyle is older than Scott. Scott moves forward seeing the future of man in ways that are both good and bad. As Scott moves, Lyle a genius in his own way tries to figure out what is happening to Scott, and why spending his life on bringing his father home, no matter how much Scott would rather Lyle just move on.
This is a really wonderful book, a book that asks big questions while telling a science fiction adventure that seems so familiar, and yet is very unique. Eckert has a real sense of narrative, making the ideas seem plausible, and creating characters that readers really care for, and want to not only know more about, root for even when all seems lost. There is a lot going on, and I am trying not to spoil anything. Again the characters are really good Scott and Lyle especially. One can sense the bond between them, and really gives the book a lot of heart. The science is really well-told makes sense. The futures are really interesting, and also fit what is going on here. Some are bleak, some have hope, and really add to the tale.
A book that was far more than I expected. I just thought it was going to be like a Michael Crichton kind of story, a straight ahead thriller, but the book is far more. Again no spoilers. One of the more thoughtful and emotional science fiction stories I have read in quite a long time.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was an extremely bleak and ultimately frustrating read.
I love the idea of time travel, love exploring it's possibilities and implications, but I just couldn't grasp a greater meaning here. I felt like I was being dragged hopelessly through time to no end.
Book description:
One minute Scott is driving himself to work and the next minute he's outside of his car thrown to the side of the road. He can't understand what happened let alone how to explain it to his wife Amy but he realizes right away that he's lost an entire day's time. The next day it happens at the exact same time, at 7:52 am he's thrown into the future, at the exact location he is currently standing in, this time losing double the amount of time. And so each day goes, doubling in on itself each time and as Scott is being propelled into a future unknown, it comes at the greatest cost- losing each day of his present.
Review:
I was very much invested in the beginning, very much intrigued and curious to know the direction the novel would take. The question of how this was happening didn't matter so much to me as the why. Why Scott, why now, and what was the ultimate purpose of having the reader watch him lose everything?
Reading how his wife Amy had to navigate her husband's disappearance was heartbreaking. Reading how Scott was forced to miss all the moments of his son's life was devastating. I as the reader, could handle the losses insofar as there was a reason behind it all, a driving force, an ends to these terrible means. I waited and I waited and I waited.
And then suddenly the story turned into something else entirely. A nonsensical journey through projected futures where nothing necessarily happens. There is no more family no more known world. The time traveling doubling in on itself with each trip means it quickly and all at once becomes a lonely journey of nothingness. His son Lyle dedicates his entire life to helping his father, except it's to no avail other than to sustain Scott's time hop unendingly. BUT WHY?? But why but why but why.
I will spare you hours of your time and unnecessary headaches from the brain bending litany that was this novel.
Why- For no reason other than to ensure an existence after the end of existence.🤯
Why him in particular? No reason.
Why did he have to sacrifice his family and getting to live his life? No discernible reason.
Where did the journey take him? On a one way road to the end of time
He didn't get to live his life at present, he lost days and months and years of time being propelled forward and he didn't even get to live out those future days. All this time traveling to end up surpassing all life forms, only to get to the end of a life not lived. I just can't handle the purposelessness of it all.
The only redeeming factor was getting to read the unconditional love of his son but even that was bittersweet, such a double edged sword and for what???? Nothing.
Frustrating because the story had potential to be something, but in the end it just was what it was.
I love the idea of time travel, love exploring it's possibilities and implications, but I just couldn't grasp a greater meaning here. I felt like I was being dragged hopelessly through time to no end.
Book description:
One minute Scott is driving himself to work and the next minute he's outside of his car thrown to the side of the road. He can't understand what happened let alone how to explain it to his wife Amy but he realizes right away that he's lost an entire day's time. The next day it happens at the exact same time, at 7:52 am he's thrown into the future, at the exact location he is currently standing in, this time losing double the amount of time. And so each day goes, doubling in on itself each time and as Scott is being propelled into a future unknown, it comes at the greatest cost- losing each day of his present.
Review:
I was very much invested in the beginning, very much intrigued and curious to know the direction the novel would take. The question of how this was happening didn't matter so much to me as the why. Why Scott, why now, and what was the ultimate purpose of having the reader watch him lose everything?
Reading how his wife Amy had to navigate her husband's disappearance was heartbreaking. Reading how Scott was forced to miss all the moments of his son's life was devastating. I as the reader, could handle the losses insofar as there was a reason behind it all, a driving force, an ends to these terrible means. I waited and I waited and I waited.
And then suddenly the story turned into something else entirely. A nonsensical journey through projected futures where nothing necessarily happens. There is no more family no more known world. The time traveling doubling in on itself with each trip means it quickly and all at once becomes a lonely journey of nothingness. His son Lyle dedicates his entire life to helping his father, except it's to no avail other than to sustain Scott's time hop unendingly. BUT WHY?? But why but why but why.
I will spare you hours of your time and unnecessary headaches from the brain bending litany that was this novel.
Why- For no reason other than to ensure an existence after the end of existence.🤯
Why him in particular? No reason.
Why did he have to sacrifice his family and getting to live his life? No discernible reason.
Where did the journey take him? On a one way road to the end of time
He didn't get to live his life at present, he lost days and months and years of time being propelled forward and he didn't even get to live out those future days. All this time traveling to end up surpassing all life forms, only to get to the end of a life not lived. I just can't handle the purposelessness of it all.
The only redeeming factor was getting to read the unconditional love of his son but even that was bittersweet, such a double edged sword and for what???? Nothing.
Frustrating because the story had potential to be something, but in the end it just was what it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What an incredible story! What a way to make you really open your eyes AND count your blessings!!
This one reminded me so much of The Time Travelers Wife, where the guy would be bounced around from time to time but always return to the same place… kind of similar, but…
Scott Treder is just your average guy. Married. One child… a boy, Lyle. He’s only 7, but everyone can already see that he’s brilliant! He’s reading Michael Crichton books…at his age!
So, one day, Scott is driving to work. Normal day. Normal week. He’s in his car. And then… he’s not.
He’s FLYING through the air…hitting dirt and gravel…getting injured… pretty badly… It was 7:51am… and then 7:52. I think it was April 13.
But when he lands in the gravel at 7:52 he has a hundred missed calls, voicemails, messages. What Happened????
His wife comes to get him. She Is Distraught! Why didn’t he call her? Why didn’t he call work? His car is wrecked! Did he hit something and eject? What Happened?
And then the shoe DROPS….
It’s April 14th! How did he lose an entire day????🤣😮😳😳😮😮😳😳
His wife is WORRIED. His son is upset. He asks him if he’s going to leave again? Scott promises him he won’t. He goes to see a doc. Maybe he hit his head? He’s not sure.
Next day. 7:52. Boom. Life as he knows it slips away. But he comes back again to the same place. But when he returns he is now missing TWO days!! WHAT????
His son, the brilliant boy, now starts making predictions/deductions… Every time he leaves, the time is going to double!
Think about that for a minute. One day, two, four, eight, sixteen, THIRTY TWO, SIXTY FOUR … and so on.
Is Scott’s life ever going to be the same again? What could possibly be causing this?
And as Lyle grows up, (for DAYS in Scott’s life, but years and decades in Lyle’s) he promises him that he’s going to figure this out. And he becomes one of the TOP guys in the world in his field (Quantum Physics). His name is known and well respected.
This book had me… hook, line and sinker. I laughed. I cried. (Big, ugly, wet tears…more than once!) But the crazy thing is… it really makes you think. Could this ever really happen? Why? How? And, what would YOU do?
You are actually watching YOUR CHILD grow OLD, when you are not changing… at all. It’s crazy!
All the stars for me on this book! This was a wild, crazy, scary, enlightening ride for me! And it hit hard…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫💫💫💫🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟✨✨✨✨✨
#TheTraveler by @JosephEckert and narrated wonderfully by @RayPorter.
*** THIS HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Please look 👀 for it in a few days on 6/9/26! ***
Thanks so much to #NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷
This one reminded me so much of The Time Travelers Wife, where the guy would be bounced around from time to time but always return to the same place… kind of similar, but…
Scott Treder is just your average guy. Married. One child… a boy, Lyle. He’s only 7, but everyone can already see that he’s brilliant! He’s reading Michael Crichton books…at his age!
So, one day, Scott is driving to work. Normal day. Normal week. He’s in his car. And then… he’s not.
He’s FLYING through the air…hitting dirt and gravel…getting injured… pretty badly… It was 7:51am… and then 7:52. I think it was April 13.
But when he lands in the gravel at 7:52 he has a hundred missed calls, voicemails, messages. What Happened????
His wife comes to get him. She Is Distraught! Why didn’t he call her? Why didn’t he call work? His car is wrecked! Did he hit something and eject? What Happened?
And then the shoe DROPS….
It’s April 14th! How did he lose an entire day????🤣😮😳😳😮😮😳😳
His wife is WORRIED. His son is upset. He asks him if he’s going to leave again? Scott promises him he won’t. He goes to see a doc. Maybe he hit his head? He’s not sure.
Next day. 7:52. Boom. Life as he knows it slips away. But he comes back again to the same place. But when he returns he is now missing TWO days!! WHAT????
His son, the brilliant boy, now starts making predictions/deductions… Every time he leaves, the time is going to double!
Think about that for a minute. One day, two, four, eight, sixteen, THIRTY TWO, SIXTY FOUR … and so on.
Is Scott’s life ever going to be the same again? What could possibly be causing this?
And as Lyle grows up, (for DAYS in Scott’s life, but years and decades in Lyle’s) he promises him that he’s going to figure this out. And he becomes one of the TOP guys in the world in his field (Quantum Physics). His name is known and well respected.
This book had me… hook, line and sinker. I laughed. I cried. (Big, ugly, wet tears…more than once!) But the crazy thing is… it really makes you think. Could this ever really happen? Why? How? And, what would YOU do?
You are actually watching YOUR CHILD grow OLD, when you are not changing… at all. It’s crazy!
All the stars for me on this book! This was a wild, crazy, scary, enlightening ride for me! And it hit hard…
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫💫💫💫💫🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟✨✨✨✨✨
#TheTraveler by @JosephEckert and narrated wonderfully by @RayPorter.
*** THIS HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET! Please look 👀 for it in a few days on 6/9/26! ***
Thanks so much to #NetGalley and @MacmillanAudio for an ALC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
You can also find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Instagram: @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine
Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!!
And as always, thanks for reading along with me! 📚⭐️📖🩷
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
8 / 10 ✪
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For every person who believes there will be another who will refuse to believe.
—
The Traveler is a tale with many faces. The first half reads a bit like a sci-fi thriller. The next third like an updated version of Wells’ Time Machine. The last bit encapsulates something entirely different still. The world may change, along with its greater cast and setting, but Scott remains much the same—at least, at first. After all, how much can a man change in a week or two? But eventually the cracks begin to show. In an eye blink, everyone Scott has ever known will be dead, and he’ll not be anywhere near the end of his journey. While, on its surface the Traveler is an sci-fi adventure about a man out of time, in many ways it is a character-driven narrative about how Scott handles the journey. The resulting blend was a compelling, if flawed, masterpiece.
So many times before the world slips, Scott will notice something curious that isn’t explained. I mean, it only makes sense—after all, he’s the only one who will remember any of it. Heck, some of the people he meets will probably be dead a day later. And yet, over the course of the tale, these unanswered questions began to add up.
I mean, there are unanswered questions in any book. An author can only do so much, write so much, and still keep the story entertaining. You can’t answer every question. And yet, some of these seemed pretty important. So much so that many of them followed me through to the end of Scott’s tale—and beyond.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed Scott’s adventure. Some of it read like I’d’ve thought. Some of it didn’t. Some of it got political, or religious. Some didn’t. There was hope and despair. Love and hate. Isolation and companionship. Two sides of every coin, pretty much through to the end.
Unfortunately, as good as the journey was, I found the ending less than compelling. In many ways, it felt abrupt, even unfinished. Not the epic conclusion a tale like Scott’s might’ve called for. And yet, not every ending can be epic. Often it’s the journey, not the destination that’s the point. I have mixed feelings on this, you can see, but overall I would’ve liked to see the conclusion fleshed out a bit more. Less abrupt, at least.
Trigger Note
Understandable or not, I often was put off by Scott’s angst as he become further and further isolated on his journey. In some ways it paralleled my own life, especially of late, and ended up playing on my anxiety and occasional depression, which led to more than one day stuck in bed, unwilling to even read. Something like this won’t trigger everyone. But if you’re single, anxious, occasionally beholden to depression or hopelessness, just be aware that this story may play that up. You might find the journey worthwhile, or you may decide it’s not worth the price. Either is fine; just don’t let those thoughts win. As Scott discovers: there is often darkness in life, but always hope.
Audio Note
Ray Porter turns in an excellent performance as Scott Treder. I can’t begin to understand the frustration, panic, and mental strain that traveling spontaneously into the future would inflict. I really hope no one ever will. Given that, Porter’s narration is pretty much the baseline for how this journey would go. The narrator will occasionally bark or rasp lines (while keeping them clear, of course), depending on the mental state of his character. He also swallows, sighs, or growls—adding further depth to the read, and the character. Excellent performance; greatly recommended.
TL;DR
At times channeling a Blake Crouch-style sci-fi thriller, and at others an updated take on H.G. Wells’ the Time Machine, The Traveler blends the two with something more, before becoming a story all of its own. The tale does a decent job at fitting into many categories—character-driven narrative, sci-fi thriller, time-travel adventure, even a philosophical reflection—yet refusing to be bound to any of them. And yet, despite how epic I found the core of the tale, the conclusion seemed quite abrupt, with too many unanswered questions left lingering in its wake. Ofttimes it’s the journey where the point lies, not the destination. Never is this more true than in the Traveler: arguably a flawed masterpiece, but at the very least an excellent, narrative-driven adventure, and thoroughly recommended.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com...
For every person who believes there will be another who will refuse to believe.
—
The Traveler is a tale with many faces. The first half reads a bit like a sci-fi thriller. The next third like an updated version of Wells’ Time Machine. The last bit encapsulates something entirely different still. The world may change, along with its greater cast and setting, but Scott remains much the same—at least, at first. After all, how much can a man change in a week or two? But eventually the cracks begin to show. In an eye blink, everyone Scott has ever known will be dead, and he’ll not be anywhere near the end of his journey. While, on its surface the Traveler is an sci-fi adventure about a man out of time, in many ways it is a character-driven narrative about how Scott handles the journey. The resulting blend was a compelling, if flawed, masterpiece.
So many times before the world slips, Scott will notice something curious that isn’t explained. I mean, it only makes sense—after all, he’s the only one who will remember any of it. Heck, some of the people he meets will probably be dead a day later. And yet, over the course of the tale, these unanswered questions began to add up.
I mean, there are unanswered questions in any book. An author can only do so much, write so much, and still keep the story entertaining. You can’t answer every question. And yet, some of these seemed pretty important. So much so that many of them followed me through to the end of Scott’s tale—and beyond.
Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed Scott’s adventure. Some of it read like I’d’ve thought. Some of it didn’t. Some of it got political, or religious. Some didn’t. There was hope and despair. Love and hate. Isolation and companionship. Two sides of every coin, pretty much through to the end.
Unfortunately, as good as the journey was, I found the ending less than compelling. In many ways, it felt abrupt, even unfinished. Not the epic conclusion a tale like Scott’s might’ve called for. And yet, not every ending can be epic. Often it’s the journey, not the destination that’s the point. I have mixed feelings on this, you can see, but overall I would’ve liked to see the conclusion fleshed out a bit more. Less abrupt, at least.
Trigger Note
Understandable or not, I often was put off by Scott’s angst as he become further and further isolated on his journey. In some ways it paralleled my own life, especially of late, and ended up playing on my anxiety and occasional depression, which led to more than one day stuck in bed, unwilling to even read. Something like this won’t trigger everyone. But if you’re single, anxious, occasionally beholden to depression or hopelessness, just be aware that this story may play that up. You might find the journey worthwhile, or you may decide it’s not worth the price. Either is fine; just don’t let those thoughts win. As Scott discovers: there is often darkness in life, but always hope.
Audio Note
Ray Porter turns in an excellent performance as Scott Treder. I can’t begin to understand the frustration, panic, and mental strain that traveling spontaneously into the future would inflict. I really hope no one ever will. Given that, Porter’s narration is pretty much the baseline for how this journey would go. The narrator will occasionally bark or rasp lines (while keeping them clear, of course), depending on the mental state of his character. He also swallows, sighs, or growls—adding further depth to the read, and the character. Excellent performance; greatly recommended.
TL;DR
At times channeling a Blake Crouch-style sci-fi thriller, and at others an updated take on H.G. Wells’ the Time Machine, The Traveler blends the two with something more, before becoming a story all of its own. The tale does a decent job at fitting into many categories—character-driven narrative, sci-fi thriller, time-travel adventure, even a philosophical reflection—yet refusing to be bound to any of them. And yet, despite how epic I found the core of the tale, the conclusion seemed quite abrupt, with too many unanswered questions left lingering in its wake. Ofttimes it’s the journey where the point lies, not the destination. Never is this more true than in the Traveler: arguably a flawed masterpiece, but at the very least an excellent, narrative-driven adventure, and thoroughly recommended.
May 25, 2026
#ad much love for my finished copy @torbooks #partner
& @macmillan.audio #partner for the ALC
🆃🅷🅴 🆃🆁🅰🆅🅴🅻🅴🆁
< @
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴊᴜɴᴇ 𝟫, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨
ꜱᴄɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ | ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ
“‘…𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽'𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌. 𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝖾𝗍 𝗂𝗍'𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗆𝖾. 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇, 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀, '𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛.’ 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗉 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗉𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝖾, 𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌, 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖽𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌,’” (p. 170).
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺: 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬,” (p. 175).
If you loved The Time Traveler’s Wife, then The Traveler is a must-read. It’s a time-travel story with a major twist - unique, bingeable, and impossible to stop thinking about.
The Traveler by Joseph Eckert was such a fun yet thought-provoking read that I could not put down. So much praise from me.
You grow up, fall in love, get married, and have a child - only for everything to go horribly wrong one day. Suddenly, nothing will ever be the same, and you’re about to lose everything you hold close.
It all starts on a Monday morning when Scott’s car suddenly disappears while he’s driving to work. After barely surviving the chaos of being thrown around on the road, he’s stunned to realize it’s now Tuesday. What the hell just happened?
For everyone else, it’s Tuesday and Scott has been missing since Monday. His wife only knows that he crashed into a parked car and went missing from the scene. So when he finally calls her, she’s understandably shocked and confused.
Then it happens again. And again. Every twenty-four hours, he jumps ahead, doubling the length of time with each jump. Everyone is looking to Scott for answers, but the truth is that not even Scott understands what’s happening to him - or where all that lost time is going.
Buckle up for this one.
Emotional, gripping, and completely addictive. The story is thought-provoking in so many ways and really explores how people react when faced with something they can’t explain or control.
My only complaint is that I wish the book had stated the years more clearly during the jumps instead of making readers piece it together themselves. I think the year was only directly mentioned a couple of times. Even adding character ages occasionally would have helped with tracking the timeline.
Still, this is def one of my top sci-fi reads of 2026. The plot was incredibly well planned and so well written. 👏🏼👏🏼
& @macmillan.audio #partner for the ALC
🆃🅷🅴 🆃🆁🅰🆅🅴🅻🅴🆁
< @
ʀᴇʟᴇᴀꜱᴇꜱ: ᴊᴜɴᴇ 𝟫, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟨
ꜱᴄɪᴇɴᴄᴇ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ | ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴛʀᴀᴠᴇʟ
“‘…𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗅𝖽'𝗌 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌. 𝖠𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝖾𝗍 𝗂𝗍'𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗆𝖾. 𝖯𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖿𝗂𝗀𝗁𝗍. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗄𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝖾𝖺𝖼𝗁 𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗋𝖾𝗅𝗂𝗀𝗂𝗈𝗇, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝗇𝖾𝗐 𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗀𝖺𝗂𝗇, 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗌𝖺𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀, '𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚏𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛.’ 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖽𝗋𝗈𝗉 𝗇𝖾𝗋𝗏𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗌 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗈 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗋𝗈𝗐𝖽𝖾𝖽 𝖼𝗂𝗍𝗂𝖾𝗌, 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗇 𝗌𝗉𝖾𝗇𝖽 𝖻𝗂𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗌𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝖺𝗌𝗍 𝖽𝗈𝗅𝗉𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝗂𝗇𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝖳𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝖺𝗋𝖾, 𝖺𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗐𝖺𝗒𝗌, 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗍𝗋𝖺𝖽𝗂𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌,’” (p. 170).
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘵𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘺: 𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘴𝘩, 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬,” (p. 175).
If you loved The Time Traveler’s Wife, then The Traveler is a must-read. It’s a time-travel story with a major twist - unique, bingeable, and impossible to stop thinking about.
The Traveler by Joseph Eckert was such a fun yet thought-provoking read that I could not put down. So much praise from me.
You grow up, fall in love, get married, and have a child - only for everything to go horribly wrong one day. Suddenly, nothing will ever be the same, and you’re about to lose everything you hold close.
It all starts on a Monday morning when Scott’s car suddenly disappears while he’s driving to work. After barely surviving the chaos of being thrown around on the road, he’s stunned to realize it’s now Tuesday. What the hell just happened?
For everyone else, it’s Tuesday and Scott has been missing since Monday. His wife only knows that he crashed into a parked car and went missing from the scene. So when he finally calls her, she’s understandably shocked and confused.
Then it happens again. And again. Every twenty-four hours, he jumps ahead, doubling the length of time with each jump. Everyone is looking to Scott for answers, but the truth is that not even Scott understands what’s happening to him - or where all that lost time is going.
Buckle up for this one.
Emotional, gripping, and completely addictive. The story is thought-provoking in so many ways and really explores how people react when faced with something they can’t explain or control.
My only complaint is that I wish the book had stated the years more clearly during the jumps instead of making readers piece it together themselves. I think the year was only directly mentioned a couple of times. Even adding character ages occasionally would have helped with tracking the timeline.
Still, this is def one of my top sci-fi reads of 2026. The plot was incredibly well planned and so well written. 👏🏼👏🏼
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Traveler follows Scott Treder, an ordinary man whose life changes in an instant. One moment he’s driving to work, and the next he’s rolling down the road with his car mysteriously gone and frantic voicemails waiting for him from his wife. 24 hours have passed for everyone else, but for Scott, no time has passed at all. It’s the beginning of something terrifying: every 24 hours, Scott slips forward through time in doubling intervals, leaving his family behind while barely experiencing any time himself.
This was fantastic. At its core, this is such a heartwarming and emotional story about a father and son and the incredible bond they share, even across impossible circumstances. While Scott is helplessly thrown further and further into the future, his young son Lyle grows up determined to understand the phenomenon and find a way to bring him back. Lyle becoming one of the greatest physicists of his time purely because he refuses to give up on his dad was honestly one of the strongest parts of the book for me.
The emotional side of this story really worked. Watching Scott lose everything familiar to him while barely aging himself was heartbreaking. There’s something so tragic about him only experiencing fragments of time while everyone he loves continues living entire lives without him. I also really enjoyed the speculative sci-fi elements and all the strange, fascinating glimpses into humanity’s future. The time-jumping concept was so compelling, and I loved the Michael Crichton references.
This was honestly well on its way to being a 5 star read for me, but the last few time jumps started to lose me a little. Because Scott only spends such a short amount of time in each era, there’s only so much room to explore the increasingly complex sci-fi concepts and future worlds. As the story progresses, the ideas become bigger and more ambitious, but everything moves so quickly that some sections started to feel messy and harder to follow. Part of that feels intentional - Scott himself is overwhelmed, confused, and not scientifically minded - but it did make some of the later sections feel less grounded and a bit chaotic compared to the earlier emotional core of the story.
Still, overall this was such an intriguing and memorable read. The relationship between Scott and Lyle completely carried the story for me, and the emotional weight behind the speculative premise made this stand out from a lot of sci-fi novels I’ve read lately. Definitely recommend this if you enjoy speculative fiction with heart, emotional family dynamics, and thought-provoking time travel concepts.
4.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy.
This was fantastic. At its core, this is such a heartwarming and emotional story about a father and son and the incredible bond they share, even across impossible circumstances. While Scott is helplessly thrown further and further into the future, his young son Lyle grows up determined to understand the phenomenon and find a way to bring him back. Lyle becoming one of the greatest physicists of his time purely because he refuses to give up on his dad was honestly one of the strongest parts of the book for me.
The emotional side of this story really worked. Watching Scott lose everything familiar to him while barely aging himself was heartbreaking. There’s something so tragic about him only experiencing fragments of time while everyone he loves continues living entire lives without him. I also really enjoyed the speculative sci-fi elements and all the strange, fascinating glimpses into humanity’s future. The time-jumping concept was so compelling, and I loved the Michael Crichton references.
This was honestly well on its way to being a 5 star read for me, but the last few time jumps started to lose me a little. Because Scott only spends such a short amount of time in each era, there’s only so much room to explore the increasingly complex sci-fi concepts and future worlds. As the story progresses, the ideas become bigger and more ambitious, but everything moves so quickly that some sections started to feel messy and harder to follow. Part of that feels intentional - Scott himself is overwhelmed, confused, and not scientifically minded - but it did make some of the later sections feel less grounded and a bit chaotic compared to the earlier emotional core of the story.
Still, overall this was such an intriguing and memorable read. The relationship between Scott and Lyle completely carried the story for me, and the emotional weight behind the speculative premise made this stand out from a lot of sci-fi novels I’ve read lately. Definitely recommend this if you enjoy speculative fiction with heart, emotional family dynamics, and thought-provoking time travel concepts.
4.25 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the advance listening copy.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
On 13th April at 752am something very unusual happens to Scott Treder. While driving to work the world slips around him. His car suddenly disappears and he finds himself rolling across the hard surface of the road. Scott is confused about what just happened to him - even more so when he realises twenty-four hours have passed in an instant. Scott cannot account for any of them, and has no way to explain where he has been to his concerned family. The next morning, at exactly7.52am, Scott jumps forward again. This time for two whole days.
Much to Scott's dismay, the pattern continues at 7.52am every day, with the time he is away doubling each episode. Weeks, months and years pass in a matter of days for Scott, while the world changes around him, and a gulf opens up between him and his loved ones. There seems no way to stop this process, but as his clever son Lyle's life passes in Scott's absence Lyle comes up with a plan...
This ambitious debut has an absolutely fascinating premise, following Scott Treder as he leaps forward in ever increasing spans of time. It is difficult to talk about the story in too much detail without giving away spoilers, but as Eckert weaves an epic voyage for his character the novel takes on different forms, evolving from contemporary time-travel thriller, into near future dystopia, and then way beyond into speculative sci-fi mind-blower.
Eckert explores a lot of intriguing themes as the story progresses, mostly around the propensity for humanity to destroy itself over and over again, which means there is a good deal of rising and falling of civilisations as Scott travels in time. However, this is not a novel that is devoid of finer feelings, particularly when it comes to fathers and sons, as the relationship between Scott and Lyle provides an emotional back-bone to the story that is intensely moving.
I very much enjoyed the way Eckert touches on oodles of lovely classic sci-fi standards, and conjures an irony-rich dual role for Treder as both potential messiah and anti-Christ as mysticism runs riot during his lengthy absences. He asks a wealth of philosophical questions about Scott's purpose too, which tie-up in a surprising conclusion.
This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. Although The Traveler's destination point proved to be a little meta-physical for my time-travel tastes, the journey there kept me trans-fixed. Eckert's writing style is both engaging and entertaining, and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.
Much to Scott's dismay, the pattern continues at 7.52am every day, with the time he is away doubling each episode. Weeks, months and years pass in a matter of days for Scott, while the world changes around him, and a gulf opens up between him and his loved ones. There seems no way to stop this process, but as his clever son Lyle's life passes in Scott's absence Lyle comes up with a plan...
This ambitious debut has an absolutely fascinating premise, following Scott Treder as he leaps forward in ever increasing spans of time. It is difficult to talk about the story in too much detail without giving away spoilers, but as Eckert weaves an epic voyage for his character the novel takes on different forms, evolving from contemporary time-travel thriller, into near future dystopia, and then way beyond into speculative sci-fi mind-blower.
Eckert explores a lot of intriguing themes as the story progresses, mostly around the propensity for humanity to destroy itself over and over again, which means there is a good deal of rising and falling of civilisations as Scott travels in time. However, this is not a novel that is devoid of finer feelings, particularly when it comes to fathers and sons, as the relationship between Scott and Lyle provides an emotional back-bone to the story that is intensely moving.
I very much enjoyed the way Eckert touches on oodles of lovely classic sci-fi standards, and conjures an irony-rich dual role for Treder as both potential messiah and anti-Christ as mysticism runs riot during his lengthy absences. He asks a wealth of philosophical questions about Scott's purpose too, which tie-up in a surprising conclusion.
This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. Although The Traveler's destination point proved to be a little meta-physical for my time-travel tastes, the journey there kept me trans-fixed. Eckert's writing style is both engaging and entertaining, and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I want to thank NetGalley, MacMillan Audio, Joseph Eckert, and all involved in providing me with an Advanced Listening Copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. The opinions here are my own and may differ from others.
I went back and forth on whether to give this book a one star or two. I'd say 1.5 is probably the most accurate. I really wanted to like this book, but I barely enjoyed it. I am not a fan of DNFing titles and will avoid it if possible, however, this book was so difficult to get through, and I am surprised I made it to the end. I struggled hard.
The premise of the book had potential, the description promised so much, and I actually thought it was a very unique story. The problem I had was it got too repetitive, too fast. It would have done well as a short novella and nothing near the 400 pages/over 12 hours of listening time. A lot of the plot wasn't necessary and after the first maybe 30% of the book, it all went downhill.
In the beginning, I was shocked, intrigued, and engulfed in the story. The way Scott starts his time hop was fantastic, full of thrill and chaos. I felt so bad for him in the first two jumps, constantly yelling "why?!" in full support of his character and the injustice he was facing. By the time one more jump happened, I was starting to lose interest. It is redundant and exhausting how many times the same thing happens. I felt zero emotions for any of the characters by 60% and there was no connection or true characterization that was memorable or needed.
The only reason I forced myself through was to see where it all went, how it all wrapped up in the end. I was so curious and felt a pull to the climax and resolution...which never came. With such potential in a unique storyline, it just fell flat and disappointed on all marks in the end. It was all for nothing, no reasons, no purpose, no overall theme. I mean, I guess there is a message about technology and time, but it was so pushed that I didn't care. I hope someone tries this whole concept again but takes more time with purpose and plot, especially story elements to keep readers on a good pace and motivation.
I like to devour books, losing myself in a story, and feeling compelled to get through it because it is just so good. This book did not do that for me.
I finished it, would probably not recommend it but I am sure there are people who will enjoy it for their own reasons. For me, I say, skip it.
I went back and forth on whether to give this book a one star or two. I'd say 1.5 is probably the most accurate. I really wanted to like this book, but I barely enjoyed it. I am not a fan of DNFing titles and will avoid it if possible, however, this book was so difficult to get through, and I am surprised I made it to the end. I struggled hard.
The premise of the book had potential, the description promised so much, and I actually thought it was a very unique story. The problem I had was it got too repetitive, too fast. It would have done well as a short novella and nothing near the 400 pages/over 12 hours of listening time. A lot of the plot wasn't necessary and after the first maybe 30% of the book, it all went downhill.
In the beginning, I was shocked, intrigued, and engulfed in the story. The way Scott starts his time hop was fantastic, full of thrill and chaos. I felt so bad for him in the first two jumps, constantly yelling "why?!" in full support of his character and the injustice he was facing. By the time one more jump happened, I was starting to lose interest. It is redundant and exhausting how many times the same thing happens. I felt zero emotions for any of the characters by 60% and there was no connection or true characterization that was memorable or needed.
The only reason I forced myself through was to see where it all went, how it all wrapped up in the end. I was so curious and felt a pull to the climax and resolution...which never came. With such potential in a unique storyline, it just fell flat and disappointed on all marks in the end. It was all for nothing, no reasons, no purpose, no overall theme. I mean, I guess there is a message about technology and time, but it was so pushed that I didn't care. I hope someone tries this whole concept again but takes more time with purpose and plot, especially story elements to keep readers on a good pace and motivation.
I like to devour books, losing myself in a story, and feeling compelled to get through it because it is just so good. This book did not do that for me.
I finished it, would probably not recommend it but I am sure there are people who will enjoy it for their own reasons. For me, I say, skip it.
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