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The Trauma Machine: A Time Travel Thriller of Family Trauma and Twisted Fates
Scott Smith’s classic thriller A Simple Plan meets H.G. Wells’ Science-Fiction classic The Time Machine
When Nate discovers his dead aunt's journal, he uncovers more than family secrets. He finds a blueprint for rewriting the past itself.
Drowning in grief after the accident that left his sister comatose, Nate is desperate for redemption. His aunt's cryptic notes reveal an impossible device that manipulates memory and time. Now he'll risk everything to undo the tragedies that destroyed his family, one intervention at a time.
But each attempt to fix the past spawns darker consequences. Split realities multiply, and a scarred future self arrives with a dire some wounds can't be healed without creating worse ones. Perfect for fans of dark psychological thrillers and mind-bending time travel, this story explores whether we're condemned or redeemed by our choices.
Can Nate escape the cycles of trauma before he destroys everyone he loves? Don't miss this devastating twist ending,
When Nate discovers his dead aunt's journal, he uncovers more than family secrets. He finds a blueprint for rewriting the past itself.
Drowning in grief after the accident that left his sister comatose, Nate is desperate for redemption. His aunt's cryptic notes reveal an impossible device that manipulates memory and time. Now he'll risk everything to undo the tragedies that destroyed his family, one intervention at a time.
But each attempt to fix the past spawns darker consequences. Split realities multiply, and a scarred future self arrives with a dire some wounds can't be healed without creating worse ones. Perfect for fans of dark psychological thrillers and mind-bending time travel, this story explores whether we're condemned or redeemed by our choices.
Can Nate escape the cycles of trauma before he destroys everyone he loves? Don't miss this devastating twist ending,
- GenresFictionTime Travel
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 13, 2026
8 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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January 13, 2026
A Frustrating Read (An ARC copy in exchange for an honest review).
_The Trauma Machine_ by Brent G. Spaulding is a new novel published by Story Grid Publishing, a house born out of the Story Grid writing method/writing community created by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl. They bill their novels as “category-of-1 stories that will touch the reader and change their lives.” But after reading this, I was pretty disappointed that it didn’t live up to the hype. It definitely isn’t a “category-of-1” book. And the only way it touched me was to make me feel frustrated and cheated.
I must begin with the unfortunate admission that I would have DNF’d this novel right after I read the Prologue. To say that this prologue was unnecessary is an understatement. It does nothing for the story that follows it, except establish what the title of the novel does well: inform the reader that there is something called a “trauma machine,” and that it will be a complication during the story. That’s all. It does introduce a “character” who is named, but is more of a plot convention than a character, who holds a minuscule and unnecessary part in the story. And in no way are the events in the Prologue ever revisited in the rest of the novel. I was so irritated that I almost put the book down for good before I even got to Chapter One. My advice: skip this prologue entirely.
Chapter One begins the true plot, which falls into the genre of Garden-Variety Time Travel. If you’ve read or seen any stories that feature time travel, you probably know how convoluted and impossible/improbable they can become. In that regard, _The Trauma Machine_ does not disappoint. It adds nothing to the genre except yet another story about yet another bumbling time traveler who finds solving his problems in the past isn’t as easy as fixing a single event (like Back to the Future but without any of the charm). But on this level, the author doesn’t explore the time paradox paradigm in an effective way. He chooses to focus mainly on the main character without exploring the concept behind the jabberwock (his time travel machine), or the “ripple effect” his decisions have on the broader world. Sadly, for big fans of Time Travel Science-Fiction, this novel completely misses the mark by treating the actual time travel as an afterthought, a plot convention. Yet most of us want some *science* in our Science-Fiction.
In addition, this novel has such a sparse cast of characters that I felt it would have made a much better short story or novella than a full novel. While the main character (who is both the protagonist and the antagonist, one of the few interesting developments here) feels kinetic and fleshed-out (albeit with some stereotypes), the rest of the characters are two-dimensional and fully stereotypical (the younger sister who is more mature, the overprotective aunt, the alcoholic father, the best friend who’s a bad influence, etc.), And no character, including the MC, really has a satisfying internal arc. There is no growth, no catharsis, no emotional impact. They just play their parts in the global plot. No one except the MC displays any real humanity or convincing emotion. And he just calls himself “stupid” throughout the story and obliterates any attachment the reader may have for him with his actions as his own antagonist.
It’s clear that the novel is mired in the “Story Grid method,” which emphasizes theme over story to the point that the plot becomes insignificant. The truly interesting aspects of the story, the technology of the jabberwock and the time paradox paradigm, suffer and take a back seat to the five commandments of storytelling, double-factor complication, just-in-time and least-viable exposition (which means you don’t get to flesh-out story concepts) and so on. What’s more, the plot loses itself, establishing the novel as a cautionary tale yet miraculously pulling out a happy ending. It got to be incredibly frustrating during the middle build when the plot conventions began to be openly predictable. By the ending payoff, it became blatantly obvious what the MC was going to do, given that he was his own antagonist and basically had to defeat himself. Yet there was no catharsis because, due to his characterization as the antagonist, I didn’t care what happened to him anymore. “Just kill the fucking kid” became wholly ironic in the end.
The last detail that bothered me about the way this book was written is how the author never explored the concept of the “trauma machine” at all throughout the novel. Aside from the confusing, unnecessary Prologue, it is never mentioned within the actual story. The reader is left to assume, then just finds out at the very end—literally the last couple of pages—what the trauma machine is in relation to the events of the plot. When I read the prologue (not to mention the title), I expected the trauma machine to have an integral, and hopefully thought-provoking, connection to the global story. When it was simply defined at the end, the revelation was so unsatisfying that I actually felt cheated. It will keep me from reading another work from this author.
A few words about the editing: Story Grid Publishers felt it important enough to credit their CEO, Tim Grahl, as the editor, with a featured byline on the cover (immediate red flag to me if this hadn’t been an ARC). Yet the book is peppered with typos and syntax errors that are more than just simple mistakes that break immersion. Take this example sentence from Chapter One: “He imagined his sister’s glare, reminding him again how, with him at twenty-six and four years her senior, she had still ended up the more mature sibling, the big sister to her older brother.” Notwithstanding that this is a run-on sentence that takes five whole phrases to establish the sister’s stereotype, it creates a confusing ambiguity with the description, “with him at twenty-six and four years her senior.”
This actually tells the reader, grammatically, that the MC is 30 years older than his sister! It probably should have been expressed as, “with him at twenty-six years of age, four years her senior,” because later in the very same beat, the author tells us that the MCs best friend, whom he went to school with (what I thought was) thirty years prior, *dated* his little sister (YIKES!). It’s only chapter one and I’m now wondering what kind of creeps the MC and his best friend are. It isn’t until page 145 that this ambiguity is cleared up, after I spent dozens of pages wondering how this young woman could even have the same mother as her middle-aged brother to begin with, given the chronology of the events involved. To me, this isn’t the type of confusion an author wants in his *time travel* novel. And this is by far not the only mistake that leads to confusion.
All in all, _The Trauma Machine_ was a frustrating read, full of long, drawn-out passages that contributed very little to the progression of the plot, with cardboard supporting characters that didn’t add any real humanity or emotion, and a predictable second half that trainwrecked into an unsatisfying ending. The Story Grid method does have some rudimentary concepts for beginning authors struggling to construct a workable plot. But as a strict formula for writing a novel, as is displayed here, it leaves the true story behind and allows some compelling science-fiction concepts to fall flat in the service of trying to be a “category-of-1 book” and change the reader’s outlook of the world.
_The Trauma Machine_ by Brent G. Spaulding is a new novel published by Story Grid Publishing, a house born out of the Story Grid writing method/writing community created by Shawn Coyne and Tim Grahl. They bill their novels as “category-of-1 stories that will touch the reader and change their lives.” But after reading this, I was pretty disappointed that it didn’t live up to the hype. It definitely isn’t a “category-of-1” book. And the only way it touched me was to make me feel frustrated and cheated.
I must begin with the unfortunate admission that I would have DNF’d this novel right after I read the Prologue. To say that this prologue was unnecessary is an understatement. It does nothing for the story that follows it, except establish what the title of the novel does well: inform the reader that there is something called a “trauma machine,” and that it will be a complication during the story. That’s all. It does introduce a “character” who is named, but is more of a plot convention than a character, who holds a minuscule and unnecessary part in the story. And in no way are the events in the Prologue ever revisited in the rest of the novel. I was so irritated that I almost put the book down for good before I even got to Chapter One. My advice: skip this prologue entirely.
Chapter One begins the true plot, which falls into the genre of Garden-Variety Time Travel. If you’ve read or seen any stories that feature time travel, you probably know how convoluted and impossible/improbable they can become. In that regard, _The Trauma Machine_ does not disappoint. It adds nothing to the genre except yet another story about yet another bumbling time traveler who finds solving his problems in the past isn’t as easy as fixing a single event (like Back to the Future but without any of the charm). But on this level, the author doesn’t explore the time paradox paradigm in an effective way. He chooses to focus mainly on the main character without exploring the concept behind the jabberwock (his time travel machine), or the “ripple effect” his decisions have on the broader world. Sadly, for big fans of Time Travel Science-Fiction, this novel completely misses the mark by treating the actual time travel as an afterthought, a plot convention. Yet most of us want some *science* in our Science-Fiction.
In addition, this novel has such a sparse cast of characters that I felt it would have made a much better short story or novella than a full novel. While the main character (who is both the protagonist and the antagonist, one of the few interesting developments here) feels kinetic and fleshed-out (albeit with some stereotypes), the rest of the characters are two-dimensional and fully stereotypical (the younger sister who is more mature, the overprotective aunt, the alcoholic father, the best friend who’s a bad influence, etc.), And no character, including the MC, really has a satisfying internal arc. There is no growth, no catharsis, no emotional impact. They just play their parts in the global plot. No one except the MC displays any real humanity or convincing emotion. And he just calls himself “stupid” throughout the story and obliterates any attachment the reader may have for him with his actions as his own antagonist.
It’s clear that the novel is mired in the “Story Grid method,” which emphasizes theme over story to the point that the plot becomes insignificant. The truly interesting aspects of the story, the technology of the jabberwock and the time paradox paradigm, suffer and take a back seat to the five commandments of storytelling, double-factor complication, just-in-time and least-viable exposition (which means you don’t get to flesh-out story concepts) and so on. What’s more, the plot loses itself, establishing the novel as a cautionary tale yet miraculously pulling out a happy ending. It got to be incredibly frustrating during the middle build when the plot conventions began to be openly predictable. By the ending payoff, it became blatantly obvious what the MC was going to do, given that he was his own antagonist and basically had to defeat himself. Yet there was no catharsis because, due to his characterization as the antagonist, I didn’t care what happened to him anymore. “Just kill the fucking kid” became wholly ironic in the end.
The last detail that bothered me about the way this book was written is how the author never explored the concept of the “trauma machine” at all throughout the novel. Aside from the confusing, unnecessary Prologue, it is never mentioned within the actual story. The reader is left to assume, then just finds out at the very end—literally the last couple of pages—what the trauma machine is in relation to the events of the plot. When I read the prologue (not to mention the title), I expected the trauma machine to have an integral, and hopefully thought-provoking, connection to the global story. When it was simply defined at the end, the revelation was so unsatisfying that I actually felt cheated. It will keep me from reading another work from this author.
A few words about the editing: Story Grid Publishers felt it important enough to credit their CEO, Tim Grahl, as the editor, with a featured byline on the cover (immediate red flag to me if this hadn’t been an ARC). Yet the book is peppered with typos and syntax errors that are more than just simple mistakes that break immersion. Take this example sentence from Chapter One: “He imagined his sister’s glare, reminding him again how, with him at twenty-six and four years her senior, she had still ended up the more mature sibling, the big sister to her older brother.” Notwithstanding that this is a run-on sentence that takes five whole phrases to establish the sister’s stereotype, it creates a confusing ambiguity with the description, “with him at twenty-six and four years her senior.”
This actually tells the reader, grammatically, that the MC is 30 years older than his sister! It probably should have been expressed as, “with him at twenty-six years of age, four years her senior,” because later in the very same beat, the author tells us that the MCs best friend, whom he went to school with (what I thought was) thirty years prior, *dated* his little sister (YIKES!). It’s only chapter one and I’m now wondering what kind of creeps the MC and his best friend are. It isn’t until page 145 that this ambiguity is cleared up, after I spent dozens of pages wondering how this young woman could even have the same mother as her middle-aged brother to begin with, given the chronology of the events involved. To me, this isn’t the type of confusion an author wants in his *time travel* novel. And this is by far not the only mistake that leads to confusion.
All in all, _The Trauma Machine_ was a frustrating read, full of long, drawn-out passages that contributed very little to the progression of the plot, with cardboard supporting characters that didn’t add any real humanity or emotion, and a predictable second half that trainwrecked into an unsatisfying ending. The Story Grid method does have some rudimentary concepts for beginning authors struggling to construct a workable plot. But as a strict formula for writing a novel, as is displayed here, it leaves the true story behind and allows some compelling science-fiction concepts to fall flat in the service of trying to be a “category-of-1 book” and change the reader’s outlook of the world.
January 14, 2026
The fickleness of Time travel
Wow what a great story. Each journey back in time having unexpected consequences.
Time travel may be an old trope but the way this is written will keep you wanting to read what happens next.
I was lucky to receive an advanced copy and leave this honest review.
Wow what a great story. Each journey back in time having unexpected consequences.
Time travel may be an old trope but the way this is written will keep you wanting to read what happens next.
I was lucky to receive an advanced copy and leave this honest review.
January 13, 2026
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a review
This is a book that is meant to be read fast and forgotten quickly after, without spending too much time thinking about either the characters or the plot itself; think too much and it falls apart. If you’re in need of something unchallenging and quick to occupy your attention then this book is just that. Think of it like popcorn, light entertainment you’ll forget before long.
The story features shallow characters which do not grow in any way (except for one, kind of, maybe, if you are generous), is very light on descriptions: they are so few that it’s hard to get a real sense of place or space, no place really feels alive or lived in, you don’t know when this happens or what kind of town or city it happens in (one scene in particular suffers a lot, as the way the characters move is hard to fathom, I suspect the author had an idea of how it worked but forgot to tell us).
Structurally, the book works more or less like a series of expeditions: preparation, go on the expedition, return, then all over again, which makes it a problem when the characters don’t learn form past mistakes, they just move on to the next one without growing in any way, it also makes the entire thing predictable, you will always know what a situation leads to and it never changes the formula.
The consequences of the time travel sometimes don’t even follow, this is a time travel story and something happening in the past has plot-convenient influences on the present without really being logical.
The ending, too, is predictable, you get told quite early in a very awkward piece of dialogue, and I kept thinking, “They can’t it like that, it doesn’t make sense.” Turns out they end it like that and it doesn’t matter if it makes sense.
There are also the problems you’d find with an indie publisher, like some awkward phrasing:
“She bled from cuts of glass and suffered just minor burns, but she was safe.” – the cuts are made by the glass not of it, and having “just minor burns” followed by a “but” really makes you read twice
“[...]returning to the door and removing its chain before then turning the deadbolt and opening the door.” – “before then” really feels like repeating itself
The occasional odd simile is also present: “[…] lay injured at the hospital, her life dangling like the pendulum on a clock.” – pendulums are known for swinging, not just hanging.
On a more positive note, you do get some sense of who the characters are without too much exposition, even if they are just two dimensional.
And most of the book is written competently enough (though never great) and the plot is never boring, despite the occasional plot hole; this is a time travel story, it’s not easy writing these without some issues.
It must be said, that most of these issues you will not notice if you read this book like a short airport thriller then you will likely come off it far more positive, just don’t ponder the book for any amount of time. The problems here are more of a death by a thousand paper cuts, rather than some grand issues.
This is a book that is meant to be read fast and forgotten quickly after, without spending too much time thinking about either the characters or the plot itself; think too much and it falls apart. If you’re in need of something unchallenging and quick to occupy your attention then this book is just that. Think of it like popcorn, light entertainment you’ll forget before long.
The story features shallow characters which do not grow in any way (except for one, kind of, maybe, if you are generous), is very light on descriptions: they are so few that it’s hard to get a real sense of place or space, no place really feels alive or lived in, you don’t know when this happens or what kind of town or city it happens in (one scene in particular suffers a lot, as the way the characters move is hard to fathom, I suspect the author had an idea of how it worked but forgot to tell us).
Structurally, the book works more or less like a series of expeditions: preparation, go on the expedition, return, then all over again, which makes it a problem when the characters don’t learn form past mistakes, they just move on to the next one without growing in any way, it also makes the entire thing predictable, you will always know what a situation leads to and it never changes the formula.
The consequences of the time travel sometimes don’t even follow, this is a time travel story and something happening in the past has plot-convenient influences on the present without really being logical.
The ending, too, is predictable, you get told quite early in a very awkward piece of dialogue, and I kept thinking, “They can’t it like that, it doesn’t make sense.” Turns out they end it like that and it doesn’t matter if it makes sense.
There are also the problems you’d find with an indie publisher, like some awkward phrasing:
“She bled from cuts of glass and suffered just minor burns, but she was safe.” – the cuts are made by the glass not of it, and having “just minor burns” followed by a “but” really makes you read twice
“[...]returning to the door and removing its chain before then turning the deadbolt and opening the door.” – “before then” really feels like repeating itself
The occasional odd simile is also present: “[…] lay injured at the hospital, her life dangling like the pendulum on a clock.” – pendulums are known for swinging, not just hanging.
On a more positive note, you do get some sense of who the characters are without too much exposition, even if they are just two dimensional.
And most of the book is written competently enough (though never great) and the plot is never boring, despite the occasional plot hole; this is a time travel story, it’s not easy writing these without some issues.
It must be said, that most of these issues you will not notice if you read this book like a short airport thriller then you will likely come off it far more positive, just don’t ponder the book for any amount of time. The problems here are more of a death by a thousand paper cuts, rather than some grand issues.
January 13, 2026
Story Grid Publishing provided an early galley for review.
I enjoy a good time travel story and am always open for one. In his debut novel, Spaulding works well within an often seen trope of the concept (changing the past is not always as easy it would seem). The way Nate learns that lesson (over and over) makes for a good narrative.
I really liked one technical touch Spaulding employed here: swapping the tense when Nate travels to the past. I found this worked very well to differentiate the text. Since I was so caught up in reading the story, the ending genuinely suprised me (which is always good in a story).
This is certainly a new author I plan to keep my eye on in the future.
I enjoy a good time travel story and am always open for one. In his debut novel, Spaulding works well within an often seen trope of the concept (changing the past is not always as easy it would seem). The way Nate learns that lesson (over and over) makes for a good narrative.
I really liked one technical touch Spaulding employed here: swapping the tense when Nate travels to the past. I found this worked very well to differentiate the text. Since I was so caught up in reading the story, the ending genuinely suprised me (which is always good in a story).
This is certainly a new author I plan to keep my eye on in the future.
December 5, 2025
I'll start by saying I really don't like time travel!
Even though there were moments where I was scratching my head, I still really enjoyed this book.
I found myself thinking about it while walking the dog. It's fast paced, well written and has a brilliant story at its heart.
Even though there were moments where I was scratching my head, I still really enjoyed this book.
I found myself thinking about it while walking the dog. It's fast paced, well written and has a brilliant story at its heart.
January 13, 2026
I was given this book as an ARC and an example of the work done by Story Grid, a creative writing course.
The prologue introduces named characters who do not appear anywhere else in the book. It takes the form of a play rather than prose, as it gives direction in brackets. Personally, I thought neither the content nor the format worked and if it were excluded, it would make no difference to the story.
The first line of the prose is unfortunate. “The uptown clock tower bonged the quarter hour as the weathered tiles of Lugi’s Linguini appeared in the distance, nestled among a canopy of ember and rut maple trees.” Appeared in the distance suggests a direction of travel, but we are talking about the clock tower and this is not moving. It would be nice to report that this was the only example, but it isn’t. “I can’t bring a girl like this meet with Mom:” You may get away with this if you are trying to portray a character whose first language is not English, but I don’t think the author intended this.
Nate is the main protagonist who is involved in a car accident and the story revolves around time travel, guided by his future self, to change the outcome of the accident. However, his younger self, fuelled by alcohol and incompetence, only makes matters worse. Although it is admirable that his younger self will not shoot a child, it is difficult to connect the change with the outcome in later life. His older self complains of prison time and drug addiction, but there is no evidence of how events in his youth contributed to this. The character does not appear to learn anything, apart from the fact that nothing he does has a positive effect.
The inciting incident appears to be his Aunt’s journal detailing time travel and his older self breaking into his home. The idea of lights and music as a vehicle for time travel is an interesting one. Also, the requirement that you need to stay present in the moment, to be able to stay in that particular time. Nate’s relationship with his sister and his friend Patrick (Rico) is shallow, with little detail of any shared history. This book is only concerned with time travel without the emotional glue to hold it all together.
I understand that this is a debut novel and the scene description is not bad, but all the elements of character, story, structure and emotion need to come together to make it a good book. I am sure the writer will get better over time.
The prologue introduces named characters who do not appear anywhere else in the book. It takes the form of a play rather than prose, as it gives direction in brackets. Personally, I thought neither the content nor the format worked and if it were excluded, it would make no difference to the story.
The first line of the prose is unfortunate. “The uptown clock tower bonged the quarter hour as the weathered tiles of Lugi’s Linguini appeared in the distance, nestled among a canopy of ember and rut maple trees.” Appeared in the distance suggests a direction of travel, but we are talking about the clock tower and this is not moving. It would be nice to report that this was the only example, but it isn’t. “I can’t bring a girl like this meet with Mom:” You may get away with this if you are trying to portray a character whose first language is not English, but I don’t think the author intended this.
Nate is the main protagonist who is involved in a car accident and the story revolves around time travel, guided by his future self, to change the outcome of the accident. However, his younger self, fuelled by alcohol and incompetence, only makes matters worse. Although it is admirable that his younger self will not shoot a child, it is difficult to connect the change with the outcome in later life. His older self complains of prison time and drug addiction, but there is no evidence of how events in his youth contributed to this. The character does not appear to learn anything, apart from the fact that nothing he does has a positive effect.
The inciting incident appears to be his Aunt’s journal detailing time travel and his older self breaking into his home. The idea of lights and music as a vehicle for time travel is an interesting one. Also, the requirement that you need to stay present in the moment, to be able to stay in that particular time. Nate’s relationship with his sister and his friend Patrick (Rico) is shallow, with little detail of any shared history. This book is only concerned with time travel without the emotional glue to hold it all together.
I understand that this is a debut novel and the scene description is not bad, but all the elements of character, story, structure and emotion need to come together to make it a good book. I am sure the writer will get better over time.
January 13, 2026
This is an early contender for my favorite book of 2026 because it completely lives up to what it is supposed to be. Like it says in the subtitle, you're getting family trauma and time travel. It works so well that it should be criminal. Also, it took a thing I hate - unreliable narrators - and made me like it for this story only.
Let's talk about the unreliable narrators first. Yes, I did not stutter or typo - there are two of them. However, the reason they are unreliable is another reason why this book is brilliant. They are unreliable because of the time travel they do. With the way the time travel rules work in the book / the world's reality, you feel, at times, that you cannot trust what is coming out from two of the characters. So the unreliable narrators being a great part of the book is one of the reasons.
The other reason, like I just said, is the time travel rules. I have been a fan of time travel in science fiction since I was a kid watching the Back to the Future trilogy. The rules that Brent sets make complete scene and feeds into other aspects of the book without you feeling like you're being beaten over the head with it. Also, while there are some technical details of how they are time traveling, I like that, as the book went on, those technical details started to get less and less important. Sometimes a time travel story will stumble over itself in trying to keep a high technical detail without. In putting those details more and more into the background as the novel went on and focusing on the core mission of Nate was a smart route to take.
The last reason is I finished the book, closed it, and just had to stare into the distance for a while. I'm still thinking about that ending and how I don't know if I could make that choice. I don't know if I would have it in me to make that choice. I don't know if I could sacrifice that much in order to make life better. The two ending chapters are that impactful that I had to read them twice. It was a gut punch. It will make you feel and think and do exactly what books are supposed to do.
This is an amazing debut novel and I cannot wait to see (and read!) what comes next.
Let's talk about the unreliable narrators first. Yes, I did not stutter or typo - there are two of them. However, the reason they are unreliable is another reason why this book is brilliant. They are unreliable because of the time travel they do. With the way the time travel rules work in the book / the world's reality, you feel, at times, that you cannot trust what is coming out from two of the characters. So the unreliable narrators being a great part of the book is one of the reasons.
The other reason, like I just said, is the time travel rules. I have been a fan of time travel in science fiction since I was a kid watching the Back to the Future trilogy. The rules that Brent sets make complete scene and feeds into other aspects of the book without you feeling like you're being beaten over the head with it. Also, while there are some technical details of how they are time traveling, I like that, as the book went on, those technical details started to get less and less important. Sometimes a time travel story will stumble over itself in trying to keep a high technical detail without. In putting those details more and more into the background as the novel went on and focusing on the core mission of Nate was a smart route to take.
The last reason is I finished the book, closed it, and just had to stare into the distance for a while. I'm still thinking about that ending and how I don't know if I could make that choice. I don't know if I would have it in me to make that choice. I don't know if I could sacrifice that much in order to make life better. The two ending chapters are that impactful that I had to read them twice. It was a gut punch. It will make you feel and think and do exactly what books are supposed to do.
This is an amazing debut novel and I cannot wait to see (and read!) what comes next.
January 16, 2026
Quick, fast-paced, character-driven story, perfect for people who want to dip their toes in sci-fi and time travel.
Things I liked:
*Antagonist. There was no big bad, no mastermind villain, nor a psycho on the loose. It was the main character himself. "You are your own worst enemy." And time, of course, it is, after all, a time travel story.
*Pace. The story moved at a steady pace. Twists and turns kept happening, there was not a moment for our main character, Nate, to sit down and relax.
*The ending. The book had the ending that it deserved.
Things I wasn’t such a fan of:
*Every relationship Nate had felt left on a surface level. It’s supposed to be an emotionally driven story, but none of his relationships were explored in depth. Not with his sister, nor father. We learn about his aunt only through her journal. It just isn’t enough to feel real sympathy for him.
*Too much telling and not enough showing. Every time he went back in the past, it was an opportunity to show a scene from his life, his family’s dynamic, something that would add a layer to what he is as a character. His hardships, pain, and guilt. But it just didn’t deliver.
*Time travel rules. The fact that it wasn’t based on science wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a bit too obvious that these rules were made to serve the plot. Like "the 70% rule/ law." I had to roll my eyes at this one.
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a review.
Things I liked:
*Antagonist. There was no big bad, no mastermind villain, nor a psycho on the loose. It was the main character himself. "You are your own worst enemy." And time, of course, it is, after all, a time travel story.
*Pace. The story moved at a steady pace. Twists and turns kept happening, there was not a moment for our main character, Nate, to sit down and relax.
*The ending. The book had the ending that it deserved.
Things I wasn’t such a fan of:
*Every relationship Nate had felt left on a surface level. It’s supposed to be an emotionally driven story, but none of his relationships were explored in depth. Not with his sister, nor father. We learn about his aunt only through her journal. It just isn’t enough to feel real sympathy for him.
*Too much telling and not enough showing. Every time he went back in the past, it was an opportunity to show a scene from his life, his family’s dynamic, something that would add a layer to what he is as a character. His hardships, pain, and guilt. But it just didn’t deliver.
*Time travel rules. The fact that it wasn’t based on science wasn’t a bad thing, but it was a bit too obvious that these rules were made to serve the plot. Like "the 70% rule/ law." I had to roll my eyes at this one.
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for a review.
January 14, 2026
This is a promising debut novel that explores the complexity of family relationships, causality and the age old question, “if you could, would you? And indeed, should you?”
Some reviews have suggested the plot is predictable. I can’t really argue with that, but that’s not to say the story isn’t well executed. I’m one of those people who gets joy from learning about “how and why" things happen perhaps more than “what" actually happens, so for me, Brent’s take on this “predictable” plot was enough to make it an enjoyable read.
The book has been criticised for not being “sciency” enough to be science fiction. As a casual reader of sci-fi and fantasy, I didn’t think the “lack of science” was a problem, but then I didn’t have any expectations on this front (precisely because I’m not a hardcore sci-fi nerd).
Whilst I agree with a number of reviews about the fact that the main character, Nate, isn’t particularly likeable or sympathetic, that didn’t stop me wanting him to succeed and, without giving any spoilers, I did shed a little tear at the end. Since I was one of those emotionally challenged kids who didn’t cry at THAT moment in Disney’s Bambi, I think this says something. Or maybe I’ve just become soft in mid-life!
All in all, I found The Trauma Machine to be a decent debut novel and I look forward to seeing what Brent writes next.
Some reviews have suggested the plot is predictable. I can’t really argue with that, but that’s not to say the story isn’t well executed. I’m one of those people who gets joy from learning about “how and why" things happen perhaps more than “what" actually happens, so for me, Brent’s take on this “predictable” plot was enough to make it an enjoyable read.
The book has been criticised for not being “sciency” enough to be science fiction. As a casual reader of sci-fi and fantasy, I didn’t think the “lack of science” was a problem, but then I didn’t have any expectations on this front (precisely because I’m not a hardcore sci-fi nerd).
Whilst I agree with a number of reviews about the fact that the main character, Nate, isn’t particularly likeable or sympathetic, that didn’t stop me wanting him to succeed and, without giving any spoilers, I did shed a little tear at the end. Since I was one of those emotionally challenged kids who didn’t cry at THAT moment in Disney’s Bambi, I think this says something. Or maybe I’ve just become soft in mid-life!
All in all, I found The Trauma Machine to be a decent debut novel and I look forward to seeing what Brent writes next.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
In brief: a fast-paced, emotionally gripping thriller with sci-fi elements (time travel, I won't say more to avoid spoilers).
What would happen if you took the kind of premise usually treated by a very slow, mood-centred "literary fiction" sort of book but wrote it as a tightly paced, no-frills, read-in-one-sitting thriller? This is how I would summarize the experience of reading this book. Although the plot revolves around a sci-fi plot device (time travel, trying to change the past), at its core, as the title indicates, is a whole mess of complicated and difficult emotions and a lifetime of characters whose traumas and troubles intertwine with each other's. The book is both exciting and, especially at the end, genuinely touching. The finale feels genuinely earned rather than contrived, which... shall we say... isn't always the case.
A word of warning about sensitive topics that the book engages with: substance abuse, domestic violence. The topics are handled with sensitivity and literary care, but for readers who need to avoid these altogether, it's worth knowing in advance.
I would recommend picking this up for a winter weekend and settling in for quite a ride.
[Disclosure: I received an advanced review copy from the publisher, no strings attached.]
What would happen if you took the kind of premise usually treated by a very slow, mood-centred "literary fiction" sort of book but wrote it as a tightly paced, no-frills, read-in-one-sitting thriller? This is how I would summarize the experience of reading this book. Although the plot revolves around a sci-fi plot device (time travel, trying to change the past), at its core, as the title indicates, is a whole mess of complicated and difficult emotions and a lifetime of characters whose traumas and troubles intertwine with each other's. The book is both exciting and, especially at the end, genuinely touching. The finale feels genuinely earned rather than contrived, which... shall we say... isn't always the case.
A word of warning about sensitive topics that the book engages with: substance abuse, domestic violence. The topics are handled with sensitivity and literary care, but for readers who need to avoid these altogether, it's worth knowing in advance.
I would recommend picking this up for a winter weekend and settling in for quite a ride.
[Disclosure: I received an advanced review copy from the publisher, no strings attached.]
January 16, 2026
The Trauma Machine is classified as fiction, science fiction, time travel. And you may think, like I did initially, “this is really not my preferred genre.” But give this one a shot. Because it is so much more.
The main plot of the story is very cool, very interesting (as you can read in the book’s summary). I consider that to be the vehicle (forgiver the pun) by which the author touches on the very human topics of shame, blame, redemption, forgiveness, hate, love, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, and everything in between.
There were moments where I got a little turned around as the author phrases things in a unique, not dissatisfying, manner. Again, different for me and in many ways that made it even more of an interesting read.
You will get to a point, almost but not quite near the end, where a light bulb turns on and you will say to yourself “no way!” I’d love to tell you the precise passage that it hit me but do not want to give anything away that will lessen your experience. The last 2-3 chapters are incredibly beautiful and heart wrenching.
In full disclosure, I was given an advance copy of this book. I gave it 4 stars but, in all honesty and to prove I’m not being influenced by the free copy, I would give it 3.75 stars.
But if my 5 star books are To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and The Catcher in the Rye you can see that 3.75 stars is indicative of an extremely good and satisfying read.
Hope this helps.
The main plot of the story is very cool, very interesting (as you can read in the book’s summary). I consider that to be the vehicle (forgiver the pun) by which the author touches on the very human topics of shame, blame, redemption, forgiveness, hate, love, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy, and everything in between.
There were moments where I got a little turned around as the author phrases things in a unique, not dissatisfying, manner. Again, different for me and in many ways that made it even more of an interesting read.
You will get to a point, almost but not quite near the end, where a light bulb turns on and you will say to yourself “no way!” I’d love to tell you the precise passage that it hit me but do not want to give anything away that will lessen your experience. The last 2-3 chapters are incredibly beautiful and heart wrenching.
In full disclosure, I was given an advance copy of this book. I gave it 4 stars but, in all honesty and to prove I’m not being influenced by the free copy, I would give it 3.75 stars.
But if my 5 star books are To Kill a Mockingbird, 1984, and The Catcher in the Rye you can see that 3.75 stars is indicative of an extremely good and satisfying read.
Hope this helps.
January 13, 2026
Review of an arc,
I’m a big fan of time-travel tropes.
The main story in “The Trauma Machine” is the time-travelling paradox. The trope is subverted to “you can change the past, but you might not like the consequences in the future.” And reminded me of “Star Trek: TNG: Tapestry.”
“The Trauma Machine” might not be the best executed time travelling adventure (in my opinion, “The Sea of Tranquility,” Futurama’s “Roswell That Ends Well”, and Pete Hautman’s “Mr. Was”), but the book was fast-paced and entertaining.
There was a missed opportunity to have some Tardis level fun with technology, instead, the initial time machine looks like a botched first semester project from the engineering students I used to teach.
There are some minor errors in the book, which annoyed me. E.g. the arbitrary rule of time travel, that you can only go 70% of your life back in time, but then the main character travels from he’s 26 to before his sister is born, and there’s a 4 year difference between the siblings.
I’m a big fan of time-travel tropes.
The main story in “The Trauma Machine” is the time-travelling paradox. The trope is subverted to “you can change the past, but you might not like the consequences in the future.” And reminded me of “Star Trek: TNG: Tapestry.”
“The Trauma Machine” might not be the best executed time travelling adventure (in my opinion, “The Sea of Tranquility,” Futurama’s “Roswell That Ends Well”, and Pete Hautman’s “Mr. Was”), but the book was fast-paced and entertaining.
There was a missed opportunity to have some Tardis level fun with technology, instead, the initial time machine looks like a botched first semester project from the engineering students I used to teach.
There are some minor errors in the book, which annoyed me. E.g. the arbitrary rule of time travel, that you can only go 70% of your life back in time, but then the main character travels from he’s 26 to before his sister is born, and there’s a 4 year difference between the siblings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
I received an advanced-reader copy for this review.
"The Trauma Machine" by Brent Spalding was a book that I found hard to determine it's genre. It starts out in fiction that felt a little like an Indiana Jones novel. Rapidly it becomes a Sci-Fi book, but even though it has some well thought out hard Sci-Fi elements, stays friendly to the reader. Don't let the classification uncertainty throw you. It was a good read and I have already suggested it to a few of my fiction friends. I really loved that the pacing was well proportioned in such a way that the chapters had points of breath so it was not a hard force march to the end, but I really did not loose momentum at any point. Brent kept my interest the whole time I was reading it. His crafting of the various characters made things interesting. There were clear motivations and the various characters mindset and actions are still making me think about what I read. I do suggest it, even as a breakout book to people who do not usually care for a Sci-Fi type book.
"The Trauma Machine" by Brent Spalding was a book that I found hard to determine it's genre. It starts out in fiction that felt a little like an Indiana Jones novel. Rapidly it becomes a Sci-Fi book, but even though it has some well thought out hard Sci-Fi elements, stays friendly to the reader. Don't let the classification uncertainty throw you. It was a good read and I have already suggested it to a few of my fiction friends. I really loved that the pacing was well proportioned in such a way that the chapters had points of breath so it was not a hard force march to the end, but I really did not loose momentum at any point. Brent kept my interest the whole time I was reading it. His crafting of the various characters made things interesting. There were clear motivations and the various characters mindset and actions are still making me think about what I read. I do suggest it, even as a breakout book to people who do not usually care for a Sci-Fi type book.
January 14, 2026
Disclaimer: I recieved an Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for a review.
First off, I did enjoy this book. A big strength of The Trauma Machine is definitely the fast pacing free from filler scenes (except for maybe the prologue). Framed as a time travel story, this is an impressive warning against messing with fate and trying to alter reality.
The Trauma Machine also shows how a story can be captivating while keeping to a minimalistic cast of characters.
And while the idea itself was (at least for me) relatively well known, the scenes itself are of well above average writing quality and logically lead into one another by clear lines of acxtions and consequences. Nevertheless, this does not lessen the want to know how exactly these consequences will unfold.
If you like Time Travel stories, moral dilemmas and the sense on inescapable dread descending on the protagonists, consider giving this book a read.
First off, I did enjoy this book. A big strength of The Trauma Machine is definitely the fast pacing free from filler scenes (except for maybe the prologue). Framed as a time travel story, this is an impressive warning against messing with fate and trying to alter reality.
The Trauma Machine also shows how a story can be captivating while keeping to a minimalistic cast of characters.
And while the idea itself was (at least for me) relatively well known, the scenes itself are of well above average writing quality and logically lead into one another by clear lines of acxtions and consequences. Nevertheless, this does not lessen the want to know how exactly these consequences will unfold.
If you like Time Travel stories, moral dilemmas and the sense on inescapable dread descending on the protagonists, consider giving this book a read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I received an ARC copy of this book.
I ended up finishing this book, over three days, with tears on my face. It reads like an excellent limited season television show, cinematic and deeper than the genre that would pull people in at the start, stirring emotions beyond the label under which it would be shelved. The conveyer belt that keeps the story moving is time travel, but what is the story about? Shame, sacrifice, failure, love, and the rapture that love rolls over us as humans, and what our capacity to change looks like in its wake.
If you like time travel, you'll like this book, but not because of the time travel. It's books like these in which we see the layers of our own lives. I personally found myself grateful for my own after reading it. Perhaps have someone dear to you nearby to hug when you're finished. You'll be grateful for them too.
I ended up finishing this book, over three days, with tears on my face. It reads like an excellent limited season television show, cinematic and deeper than the genre that would pull people in at the start, stirring emotions beyond the label under which it would be shelved. The conveyer belt that keeps the story moving is time travel, but what is the story about? Shame, sacrifice, failure, love, and the rapture that love rolls over us as humans, and what our capacity to change looks like in its wake.
If you like time travel, you'll like this book, but not because of the time travel. It's books like these in which we see the layers of our own lives. I personally found myself grateful for my own after reading it. Perhaps have someone dear to you nearby to hug when you're finished. You'll be grateful for them too.
January 13, 2026
I received an ARC copy for this very close to the release date and went in with an open mind. The first few chapters I was trying to get my bearings on whether I was really a target reader but it moved rapidly into action and intrigue around Nate’s character and web of relationships + the subtleties of the butterfly effect which drew me on. The time travel science seems a little squishy so not strict sci-fi like an Asimov or Andy Weir, yet the character driven storytelling shines through. I can be a super slow reader of fiction but I finished this in two days. Even waking up at 5am to devour the last 20%. The payoff was excellent. Surprising but inevitable as they say. I can’t say exactly why this book was such a page turner or even what category to put it in… Guess you can try the sample and see for yourself.
January 13, 2026
This is a dark story about time messing and past fixing. Watching the protagonist digging a hole for themselves with every new idea to fix the last thing he did is captivating and the writing is really good throughout. Definitely something to put on your list if you like dramatic stories with a dark and mysterious theme or if you're a fan of time travel stories. The story reminded me a lot of the Netflix series "Dark" which has a similar premise and theming. [I was given a free advance reader copy of the book]
January 14, 2026
4 1/2 stars. This book was well put together and pacey, with a satisfying ending. It deals with the issue of regret, and the thought we all have at one time or another, “If only I could change the past.” Well, even if we could, should we?
The narrative contained too much explicit language for me, but the action side of things was fine (tense, gritty, but not too much gore). I found the prose a little clumsy at times, but that might be because I read an advanced copy that hadn’t been fully line-edited yet.
Overall, a great book that got me thinking.
The narrative contained too much explicit language for me, but the action side of things was fine (tense, gritty, but not too much gore). I found the prose a little clumsy at times, but that might be because I read an advanced copy that hadn’t been fully line-edited yet.
Overall, a great book that got me thinking.
January 14, 2026
Coming from the Story Grid fold, this book was well written and the editing was clearly top notch. It set out to do what it was trying to do and lead to a conclusion that felt inevitable. It’s a good read.
Personally, though, I found it a little bleak. The book really emphasised how flawed all the characters were, which (without spoiling things) was sort of the point. But that also made it had to like them. They’re not really people you want to spend time with. But that’s just my personal preference.
All in all, it was a well executed thriller.
Personally, though, I found it a little bleak. The book really emphasised how flawed all the characters were, which (without spoiling things) was sort of the point. But that also made it had to like them. They’re not really people you want to spend time with. But that’s just my personal preference.
All in all, it was a well executed thriller.
January 13, 2026
Spaulding's frenetic exploration of the pros, cons, and ethics of fixing the past through his main character, Nate, propelled me to his surprising yet inevitable ending. I would have been happy with a slightly slower read to learn more about the other major characters, but the way he handled the climax brought tears and satisfaction. An engrossing and compelling read for anyone who wonders "what if".
I received an ARC of this book.
I received an ARC of this book.
January 13, 2026
Be Careful What You Wish For
We've all done things we wish we could undo. What if that was really possible? Would we go back in time and change our actions?
This book takes us on a rollercoaster ride of just such a premise. We might forget, in our drive to change something we regret, that there are ripple effects, that the cause-effect result from a single action can change the lives of many others.
The trauma machine is ruthless. A fantastic read.
We've all done things we wish we could undo. What if that was really possible? Would we go back in time and change our actions?
This book takes us on a rollercoaster ride of just such a premise. We might forget, in our drive to change something we regret, that there are ripple effects, that the cause-effect result from a single action can change the lives of many others.
The trauma machine is ruthless. A fantastic read.
Review of advance copy
I got an ARC of this book to read. The plot involves the protagonist going through various timelines using time travel, and to be honest, this kind of sci-fi in an otherwise real world isn't really my preferred reading genre. However, this is a well-written book, which I wanted to finish to see what was going to happen, and the ending was a very suitable and emotional one. I enjoyed it.
January 14, 2026
This is an unusual and absorbing take on time travel, grounded in the very real emotional lives of everyday people coping with a shared tragedy. The layered perspectives and structure are impressively handled, and the story stayed with me long after I finished reading. (Read Jan 2016, pre publication copy.)
December 18, 2025
Read an ARC:
Plotted like a tightly wound clock and as enjoyable as a good episode of the Twilight Zone. I sped through this short novel. Great for fans of time travel/butterfly effect type stories and those who love the redemption of a seemingly irredeemable protagonist.
Plotted like a tightly wound clock and as enjoyable as a good episode of the Twilight Zone. I sped through this short novel. Great for fans of time travel/butterfly effect type stories and those who love the redemption of a seemingly irredeemable protagonist.
January 4, 2026
I really enjoyed reading this book. In particular, the last third of the book moves really quickly and keeps you hooked to find out how it ends. I’d recommend it to anyone that enjoys reading thrillers with a science fiction element.
Review of advance copy received from Author
What would you do if you could change the past? That's the pain point that Brent Spalding explores in this book about family, relationships, values, morals, with enough action and twists to make your head spin. The end had me on the edge of my seat.
January 13, 2026
It took me a few chapters to warm up to the protagonist, but I liked the premise so I stuck with it and I didn't regret it. Brent handled the complexity and impacts of time travel really well. It was a good read and I'm looking forward to his next book.
January 13, 2026
A fun and twisted ride looking at "what ifs" and "if onlys." Well-paced and nicely written, this time-travel novel kept me entertained. My only issue with it was at the end, when one of the details that had been negated was still embedded in the final roundup.
Review of advance copy
A good one!
January 13, 2026
ARC review
Wow- I really enjoyed this. So many twists and turns and a satisfying ending. Recommended read. 4.5*
Wow- I really enjoyed this. So many twists and turns and a satisfying ending. Recommended read. 4.5*
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