Paradox Inc.

by Forrest Brazeal

When Davis Kennedy interviews at a mysterious new startup called Paradox Inc., he’s startled to find the venue is in the past. Silicon Valley’s emerging “temporal engineering” sector has just cracked time travel, and companies are racing to exploit it for productivity hacks that would make Steve Jobs’s head spin.

Despite initial hesitations, Davis takes the job—only to find himself at the center of a frenzied tech arms race to bring consumer time travel to market. As corporate recklessness fractures reality itself, Davis struggles to clean up his colleagues’ messes. Even worse, his billionaire founder isn’t just in it for the science—he has far more sinister plans. If he gains control of the future, it might already be too late to stop him.

Told in a mockumentary style with rotating POVs, PARADOX INC. follows Davis; Gloria, an executive at a rival tech firm battling time travel-induced chaos; and Lena, a journalist profiling Paradox Inc.'s founder, only to uncover a much larger conspiracy.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Adult, Thriller, Time Travel

384 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 19, 2027

Reviews

[GCR | Book Realm]

I received this ebook from Random House Publishing Group/NetGalley

Paradox Inc. ended up being such a ride. I wasn’t fully sure how I felt during the first third, but once the story found its rhythm, the twists really started twisting, and by the end I was completely in.

The whole concept of time travel as a startup is wild, mostly because it also feels way too believable. Of course humans would figure out time travel and immediately try to monetize it, manipulate it, litigate it, and use it for personal gain. That realness is what made the story so uncanny. The tech/startup culture, ambition, ego, and corporate chaos all felt exaggerated just enough to be funny, but close enough to reality to be uncomfortable.

I loved how the story kept building. The first third took me a little bit to settle into, but the payoff was absolutely worth it. Once the pieces started clicking into place, the story became messy, clever, and really entertaining, and it made me want to keep reading.

For a debut novel, this was seriously impressive. The concept is sharp, the world is fun, the twists land, and the ending made me hope there is another book coming in this world.

I’d recommend this to readers who enjoy speculative fiction, time travel, corporate chaos, twisty stories, and books that make you think, “this is absurd,” followed immediately by, “actually, humans would so absolutely do this.”

[Daniel]

"What if Tech Bros discovered time travel?" remains one of the best hooks I've ever heard.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this look into our society's response to new technology and unregulated power and I think many others will as well. Particularly in our current landscape, many of the trajectories of the book seemed more than plausible, and as a reader it gave me much to think about as we tackle similar new capabilities such as the increase in AI, the steady creep towards recreational space travel and similar progress.

The use of letters, email excerpts and varied interviews worked really well for this book and I the various voices and perspectives felt unique and distinct. I particularly enjoyed the chapters with Gloria and Lena. Perhaps these worked so well for me because I am also a working woman and a mom, but I also feel that those viewpoints in particular really rounded out the narrative. Their voices in particular illustrated the dangers of unchecked technology and the social responsibility creators have to make sure their products are truly serving the greater good.

I was shocked to learn that this was debut for Forrest Brazeal. The writing was tight and despite some slight confusion at the end (can you really talk about time travel without this?), it held together very well. The story was paced well and kept me engaged, wanting to know what the big 'moment' was and how they world moved forward.

Overall, I gave this book five stars. I think it will be very successful upon publication and I can't wait to talk to people about it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for my free ARC access for my unbiased opinion.

[Kaavya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine for the ARC. This was incredible. The pacing is fast and the plot is super thrilling. If Silicon Valley was working on time travel it would be super close to this.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got an ARC of this from NetGalley and loved it. Brazeal sets his story around the Bleb 1, the world’s first consumer time machine, and the venture-backed chaos that erupts once Silicon Valley gets its hands on it. Chapter 11 had me laughing out loud, genuinely cackling alone in my living room. The time travel logic is handled with real care too, and has a surprisingly heartwarming ending considering all the chaos that came before it. This is a smart, funny satire of venture capital and startup culture wrapped around a genuinely well-built time travel plot. Will be picking up whatever Brazeal writes next.

[Kristine M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley and the author for a digital ARC!

The tech bros have entered the time travel chat. Startups and established tech companies alike are racing to release a consumer-ready time machine, and the path forward - or backward? - isn’t quite linear.

This book was an absolute trip, start to finish. Satirical, witty, a warning, and just a fun story. Whatever you’re looking for in this book, you’ll find it. The interview style, with multiple points of view, kept me so engrossed in the story and every character’s personality and viewpoint was so unique. I expect this book will be a big deal, and I’m very much looking forward to that.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paradox Inc. is thought-provoking and funny and, frankly, scarily realistic in its depiction of Silicon Valley tech bubbles and time travel for consumers. I enjoyed the ride and found a lot to appreciate in the book’s humor and its near-future plausibility.

That said, I hit a stretch in the middle where I was ready for it to wrap up, and I think we could have gotten to the point a bit faster. The ending largely worked for me emotionally, but the book had a lot of details in time travel fiasco that left things feeling jumbled and drafted for the sake of the story rather than staying consistent with the “science.”

Overall, I’m glad I read it and I liked it, but the pacing issues and hand-wavy time travel rev up at the end kept it from being a favorite.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradox Inc is an interesting story about the advent of time travel. I elected to request an ARC of this book as I have been looking to read more speculative fiction, and generally enjoy science fiction. The current publisher's description and tags include Humor & Satire and Sci-Fi & Fantasy. As someone who really loves the intersection Humor/Science Fiction, I hate to say that this book does not deliver. When I consider top books in Humor/Science Fiction fantasy I look for books that are in the same universe as Jasper Fforde, Terry Pratchett, Martha Wells, Douglas Adams, and Daniel O'Malley. This book has little in common with those authors. If I was rating this on categorization alone it would definitely be a 3-star review.

As it is this is a very different and very interesting science-fiction story. I wish I had known what I was getting into more when I started. At the time I was looking for something more humorous so it took me longer to read as I just could not get my head into the right space to read it. I think this book is the perfect complement to readers who enjoy books like Sylvain Neuvel's Themis Files, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and Blake Crouch. I also think this would be the right book for anyone who has read Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman's OpenAI or the non-fiction writings of Patrick Radden Keefe.

It is the story of the invention and commercialization of time-travel. While it is entertaining to think of how time-travel will be commercialized, the fact that author Forrest Brazeal has real-world experience from Silicon Valley in exactly the environments described in detail in this book makes it read more as a cautionary tale of a future yet to materialize rather than a speculative flight of fancy. That said, it is still a good book and engaging story, sitting somewhere between 3.8-4.2 stars. The writing is sharp, exacting, and paced well throughout the three parts of the book.

I think narrative is well-developed and provides a great look at how and why Silicon Valley is such a unique place. The characters are memorable and, for the most part, appropriate caricatures of their real-world AI Tech-Bro counterparts. Unfortunately, I do not think it goes far enough INTO satire to be humorous. You can almost hear a Musk/Altman/Jobs/Cook say many of the lines relayed throughout the story.

I guess that is why it is not a 5-star book. Perhaps in some not-too-distant future this is the reality. Perhaps this is the timeline we are in now, we just do not know it yet.

Thanks again to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC. Despite my misgivings above, I would recommend anyone who enjoys sci-fi/speculative fiction to read this.

[Madisonn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I LOVED the way this book was formatted. It read like a nonfiction book, but it was all about time travel. Big thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC!!!

~Tropes~
🕰️ Time travel
🦩 Multiple POVs
🐪 Interview style
🏳️‍🌈 Gay rep

•Thoughts - This was such a cool book. When I started it, I genuinely thought I had missed an entire time travel era because of the the style of the book, and then I realized it reads like a nonfiction fiction book, the type one of our characters, Lena Engal, would write.

I absolutely loved the style, and I think more books should be formatted like this. There are three main characters, but various other people are “interviewed” and their POVs are included in the book as well.

So, this book is about a time travel bubble that popped after its giant boom. The three main POVs give us different sides of the same story portraying the company making the time machines, its rival company, and the POV of a reporter getting the scoop on key players and the time travel era as a whole.

•Characters - (you can skip this to read my thoughts on the plot)

Davis Kennedy, a gay engineer working at the main time travel company, Bleb, is the MMC. He gives us the inside story on what the people at that company are like (not that great), what it’s like working there (nonstop grind), and what his life has been like up to that point. I LOVED what happened to him at the end of the book, and I think it’s the perfect bittersweet ending to what has happened to him. It really ties together all of the issues and risks with time travel as well. I enjoyed his POV as a whole, but I also think all of his backstory and current life struggling with homophobia is a fantastic addition. It especially goes into what it’s like to be gay in a very Christian community, and I think that’s an important plot point that could potentially help people open their eyes to what it’s like for others (if they’re willing) or prove to others that they’re not alone.

Gloria Monday is a woman working in the tech world, something that’s EXTREMELY difficult to do, and she works for Blebs rival company, Vitruvian. Gloria isn’t a big fan of a lot of the people she works with, and she’s beginning to think her marriage might not be so swell either, but she knows how to get a job done. She’s given a special task (twice) and comes up with a solution. She’s an incredible woman, and I hope her situation at the end of the book was resolved.

Lena Engal is a reporter in the tech industry, but she also has a difficult home life. She has a manipulative husband and a daughter she wants the best for, but it’s not easy to escape when her husband holds all the cards. Or so he thinks. Lena sets out to tell the truth, or her version of the truth, by writing a book. She interviews various people, including the CEO of Bleb who’s not a great guy, to get the full story. Time travel is especially prominent in her story, and it’s very interesting to read about the effect it had on her personally.

•Plot - I think the plot is fantastic. I’ve never read a time travel book as technical as this one, and it was fascinating, especially considering the author is someone who has experience in Silicon Valley. The flow is great, and there are small tidbits that keep you interested. The POVs from multiple sides of the story really added to the narrative because you can’t get the full picture without different opinions on the same thing.

This book is also a great commentary on what our society has come to tech-wise, and that when something revolutionary is unveiled, all people think about is “What’s next?” The main corporation was fairly corrupt and run by a guy with questionable morality, so it was definitely true to life. This is DEFINITELY the best science fiction time travel book I’ve read, and definitely recommend 🩵

[Sam Veltre · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever sat through a corporate presentation filled with agonizing buzzwords like "disruption," "synergy," and "scalability," you have likely felt a mild existential dread. Forrest Brazeal takes that exact tech-industry absurdity and pairs it with the grand, dangerous mechanics of science fiction in his brilliant debut novel, Paradox Inc.

The premise is delightfully terrifying: What happens when the egomaniacal, profit-driven tech bros of Silicon Valley successfully invent, commodify, and monetize time travel? The answer is a chaotic, wildly inventive ride that is equal parts pitch-black corporate satire and a deeply compelling sci-fi mystery.

A Masterclass in Narrative Direction
What sets Paradox Inc. apart is its incredibly unique structural execution. Instead of a traditional, linear science fiction narrative, Brazeal presents the story as an artifact of oral history. Constructed through a dynamic mix of:

Post-disaster interview transcripts

Corporate emails and Slack messages

Legal and court case documentation

Personal letters and travel logs

The book functions like a high-stakes, documentary-style retrospective on a failed tech empire. Right from the beginning, the audience is hooked by the haunting loom of a central mystery—a "terrifically huge incident" that caused the time-travel bubble to burst. Brazeal expertly drops breadcrumbs across various timelines and corporate entities (like the main time-travel startup, Bleb, and its cult-like competitor, Vitruvian), masterfully building the tension until the narrative culminates in a truly original, wild, and mind-bending finale that reshapes everything you just read.

Unforgettably Distinct Characters
While the premise offers plenty of opportunity for easy laughs at the expense of startup culture, the novel is grounded by its rich, multifaceted character work. Brazeal weaves together three primary viewpoints that balance the overarching corporate madness with genuine, vulnerable human stakes:

Davis Kennedy: A brilliant engineer at Bleb navigating a high-pressure, nonstop grind. His perspective gives us an unfiltered look into the toxic underbelly of innovation-at-all-costs culture. His deeply personal backstory—dealing with a rigid, unaccepting background—adds layers of profound emotional weight, leading to a bittersweet ending that ties the existential risks of time travel perfectly to his own life.

Gloria Monday: A formidable, highly competent working mother surviving the cutthroat tech landscape. Employed by Bleb’s rival, Vitruvian, she is a sharp, pragmatic problem-solver who anchors the corporate satire while giving readers a fierce, capable protagonist to root for.

Lena Engal: A sharp tech journalist determined to uncover the truth about Bleb's corrupt CEO. Her domestic struggles with a manipulative husband contrast beautifully with her public pursuit of accountability, making her the perfect vessel to challenge the ethical vacuum of the time-travel boom.

The Verdict: Funny, Dark, and Too Close for Comfort
Brazeal’s background in tech shines through in every hilariously cringeworthy corporate interaction—from a surreal job interview requiring candidates to solve temporal paradoxes, to a lavish, multi-million-dollar tech party featuring looted, discontinued snacks from the 1990s. It’s an incredibly sharp critique of a society that asks "What's next?" without ever pausing to ask "Should we?"

Underneath the witty banter and the ridiculousness of "Time Travel as a Service," Paradox Inc. carries a chilling, Black Mirror-esque resonance. It serves as a brilliant allegory for our modern anxieties surrounding unchecked AI and corporate greed. For anyone who loves sharp satire, complex character arcs, and speculative fiction that isn't afraid to get a little weird, this book is an absolute triumph.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and to Ballantine for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

As someone with little-to-no insider knowledge of how the tech industry works, I was eagerly anticipating reading this novel but also felt nervous at the possibility that parts of it may elude my understanding. This is a worry I usually have when going into anything science-fiction, but in this case the worry was unfounded. The storytelling in this novel is phenomenal. We have three protagonists we follow: Davis Kennedy, an employee working on the Bleb 1 project; Gloria Monday, an employee at Vitruvian (who is trying to create a competitor product against the Bleb 1); and Lena Engel, a journalist who follows and reports on the time travel scene. Each interview/point-of-view is in first-person perspective and adopts a fairly casual, conversational tone that kept me engaged the entire time. They all have unique backstories and quirks that make them easy to distinguish from each other and each of their perspectives are fascinating and revealing in their own ways. The pacing was also expertly crafted. The through-line of this novel is the race to invent time travel and put it in the public's hands, but there are other major plot points and side stories specific to each individual protagonist that are revealed to the reader in chronological order and ultimately intertwine in a satisfying rising action and climax: "The Mishap" that is referred to throughout the course of the story.

Humorous writing, and specifically satire, is hard to pull off successfully; if the writing is too on-the-nose, it risks becoming farcical and uninteresting, but if it is too subtle, it risks being mistaken for that which it is criticizing. I think Brazeal pulls off the satire in this novel extremely well. It isn't hard to draw a lot of parallels to the real-life state of the tech industry, even if you are someone who knows nothing about the inner-workings of computers but has any social media account. Characters that seem like they might be caricatures are exaggerated only slightly enough to point out the problems within an industry that values "the next big thing" over any moral or ethical concerns. There are situations unique to each protagonist that feel almost absurd but are increasingly plausible in this day and age, and general world-happenings that showcase real concerns with the way technology can be utilized once it is available for public use. This book is funny for sure, but also incredibly insightful, with a few darker themes and moments that balance the tone well.

As mentioned earlier, the formatting of this book is through interviews, and while I understand that may be off-putting for some people, to me it didn't feel any different to reading any first-person novel with perspective changes. I think the interview format heightens the storytelling and lends to the stellar pacing and allows for each character to shine in their own way on their own terms. With that said I think this book is perfect for anyone who is a fan of "mockumentary" style storytelling, but it is also a fantastic science fiction novel and satire that I think most any reader can find something of value in.

[Miranda Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Publishing for providing me with an ARC of The Paradox Inc. This is ultimately a 4.5-star read for me. I wish Goodreads allowed half-star ratings.
I am rounding up. And here is why . . .

I know that this book is billed as Satire and Humor, but I actually feel that this hits pretty close to an eventual reality. It made me think of the movie "Idiocracy" in this sense (which is very clearly created as humor and satire). The first time I watched Idiocracy, I thought it was funny but didn't think much about it at the time. I had no idea after my first viewing of that movie that I would think about it at least weekly (often more) for the rest of my life. As I was reading this book, I had that thought many times . . . . . that this is a book that I will think about.

While put forth in a sometimes humorous way as a sci-fi eventuality, I don't actually know how off-mark this is. 100 years ago, people could never have conceived in the sci-fi reality that we are living now. So it is not that far-fetched that time travel and all the mayhem that comes with it could be an eventuality that society has to grapple with.

I love the way the author approached this topic. I'm going to reference another book here because it really gave me the same kind of feels. When I read Christina Baird's End of Men, I had the same kind of reaction. She approached the fallout of the topic in a similarly thorough way-looking at all potential angles and affects on society. Brazeal does this beautifully. I love the way the author jumped into the commercialization of such technology and used multiple storylines and perspectives to illustrate the chilling repercussions of such an advance in technology. Much like Baird's approach, this wasn't really a character-focused endeavor. I don't feel like we got very in depth with any of the characters, but I think that this is Ok. In fact, I think that this is preferred for tackling this topic. I would much rather see all the differing viewpoints and points of fallout than spend a lot of time on any of the characters.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and know that it is one that I will ponder in the future. That is why it gets a rare 5 Star rating from me.

[vianny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley.

This book was way too relatable. I work in tech and reading this was painful in the best way.

The setup: it's about the race to make time travel accessible and monetizable in Silicon Valley.
Multiple POVs, multiple companies racing toward the same dystopia. The scope of time travel is limited to returning to the past, which lets the book do something really specific with what "the past" actually means for different people. The digs at the past not being great for everyone? Subtle but they landed.

The tech satire is SO well done. The interview loops. The "quirky" founders. The VC pitch built entirely on vibes. The escalation paths. The email threads (HILARIOUS). The sentiment dashboard. The exec asking why can't we launch ours. If you've worked in tech, you've lived all of this.

I also loved how self-aware (or honestly, lack of self-aware) the characters were, and how the book
explored the obvious next step: how the tech gets exploited, hacked, and used in ways it was never meant to be. Living through the current AI craze, this hit different.

The ending was crazy, especially with Davis. And honestly? The cure for burnout the book explores through Davis? Appealing in a dark way.

The fact that this is the author's debut is so surprising. The writing is sharp, the multiple POVs are handled cleanly (never confusing), and the satire is just dead on.

5 stars. If you've ever worked in tech, this book was written for you.

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 3.75 Rounded up.

A clever, entertaining fusion of time-travel sci-fi and sharp Silicon Valley satire.

The oral-history format is a clever choice, effectively illustrating how a single invention snowballs into something far bigger than anyone could have anticipated. The shifting perspectives keep the narrative engaging, making it satisfying to piece together the larger story as each character uncovers another piece of the puzzle. The time-travel concepts are imaginative without becoming overly convoluted, and the humor lands consistently, especially for anyone familiar with tech culture, venture capital buzzwords.

Where the novel fell a little short for me was in its characters. While they're entertaining and serve the story well, most feel more like instruments of the satire than fully developed people, making it difficult to become emotionally invested in their individual journeys. The mock-documentary approach, though inventive, also creates a degree of emotional distance that softens the impact of some of the book's biggest moments.

Even with those shortcomings, Paradox Inc. is an entertaining, fast-paced debut filled with clever ideas and sharp wit. It doesn't reinvent the time-travel genre, but it offers a fresh, distinctive perspective. Readers who enjoy science fiction mixed with corporate satire and who don't mind a story that emphasizes big ideas over deep character development will likely find plenty to enjoy.

Overall Paradox Inc. is a witty and imaginative debut that pairs inventive time-travel concepts with a sharp, often hilarious send-up of Silicon Valley and startup culture. Its clever premise, engaging writing, and steadily escalating stakes make for a thoroughly enjoyable read. While not every element lands perfectly, it's a memorable sci-fi adventure that delivers both laughs and thought-provoking ideas about the consequences of treating world-changing technology like the next disruptive startup.

[Gracyn Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book ended up being very different from what I expected, which honestly makes it a little difficult to review because I’m still sitting with it. I may come back and update my thoughts after I’ve had more time to process everything.
Overall, I enjoyed it. One of the book’s biggest strengths is how well it explores the way society would respond to this kind of technology. It’s uncomfortable in a way that feels believable. I went in expecting more satire and humor, so I was surprised that it leaned much more toward reflection, with some genuinely darker themes.
I also really appreciated the interview format. It took me a little while to settle into the rhythm of jumping between different people and remembering who everyone was, but I think that was partly on me. I had less time to read over the past few weeks, so I was constantly picking it up and putting it back down making the story harder to follow.
The time travel concepts were…a lot. I enjoyed how ambitious they were, but I’d be lying if I said I always followed them. Some of the explanations stretched my brain, and I’m still not entirely sure I understand the concept of a bleb.
I think I liked the ending. Without giving anything away, I appreciated that it felt realistic rather than trying to wrap everything up with a neat little bow. It stayed true to the tone the story had established from the beginning.
There was a stretch in the middle where the pacing slowed enough that it started to lose me, and I think the story could have been tightened a bit. Once it found its momentum again, though, it completely pulled me back in, and I flew through the rest. I’ll definitely be interested to see what this author writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kyle Goins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every once in a while the book gods smile upon you and deliver you a little unexpected gift. There I was on NetGalley, browsing for my usual favorite authors and genre (horror), when a new science-fiction book popped up pitched as “what happens when tech bros discover time travel.” I simply couldn’t resist.

What an absolute delight Paradox, Inc. ended up being. As you may know from being alive in the year 2026, the moment tech bros invent a new technology that can make them very rich, the moral consequences go by the wayside. That is the crux of Paradox, Inc. - what would happen as the time travel tech bubble grows?

The story is told as an oral history - a compilation of interviews and internal company documents obtained through legal discovery, which serves to immerse you in the narrative. There was a surprising amount of both humor and heart throughout. At several points, I stopped reading just to confirm that the author is just a tech nerd and that this is his debut novel. It’s so well crafted and the attention to detail is excellent.

Anyone that works in a tech (or tech-adjacent) industry will appreciate the satire and unfortunately very real corporate life. I know what a few of my tech friends are getting for their next birthday gifts (I give books as gifts a lot, I’m fun at parties).

If you were a fan of Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter, I’d highly recommend this one. It occupies a similar realm of speculative time travel/reality bending with a dash of horror elements, though admittedly Paradox, Inc. is a lot funnier than Dark Matter.

This was just such an inventive debut! Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC and the opportunity to read this one (very) early. Opinions are, as always, my own.

[Marissa F · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Overall, an entertaining experience. Reminded me somewhat of another time travel book I just finished, "Retro" by Jessica Goldstein but that was more about the experience and less about the in-world technology.

I will admit, at 5% in I was already confused. Davis has an interview, he's moved on to the next level, but wait no, he's rejected and the next interview is canceled but he goes anyway and gets the job. What? I was worried that this would be a pattern but the rest of the book flowed more easily.

Observations:

1 The multiple narrators did provide layers to the story because everyone had information that no one else was privy to, but framing their chapters as interviews or testimony didn't really work. They read like traditionally written chapters rather than the way people sound when they're telling a story and having it transcribed.

2 All the character voices sounded the same, so I would frequently forget whose narration I was hearing. (The exception was Trammel's travel log, which lapsed into poetry toward the end.)

3 Vitruvian is a cult: "The only thing worth doing is becoming a better citizen of Vitruvian." Also see: “If success is whatever happens, then the contrapositive must also be true. If it wasn’t a success, it never happened.” Apparently, when they say failure is not an option they mean it literally.

I finished the final chapter and felt inexplicably sad. I finally realized that the ending gave me the same feeling as reading Flowers for Algernon.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.

[Alli Blackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This... this was a ride. I know that this was fiction, but was it really? This is a satirical, sci-fi tale of Silicon Valley vultures and the time travel craze. It is told in a "mockumentary" style, following the POVs of a few different employees. Here a few of my thoughts:

Could be better:
- Different POVs need stronger identities. I needed to go back a few pages many times to see who was talking. Understood that the verbiage is similar due to the plot, but Davis, Gloria, Lena... any "normal" person needed more identifiers. Their personalities were different so I am not sure why my brain wasn't separating them. Tom, Larry, Jacob - now they were easy to tell apart.
- For me, personally, a little too long? Felt like I was skimming at some parts. I don't think THAT much needed to be shaven, but just a trim could be a world of difference.

What I loved:
- The ending was absolutely insane. Mouth was hanging open.
- The exacerbated corporate culture (at least I hope it was) was hysterical. If this was even partly inspired by real stories, I cannot imagine what real Silicon Valley people deal with. So out of touch; self-aware that they lack empathy as they try to be the best and/or be the CEO's pet.
- I loved the switching between Larry and his team, Tom and his team, Lena, etc. - kept it fresh and moving.

The fact that this was a DEBUT?? Fantastic!! 4.5 stars (rounded to 5 here). I really cannot wait to see where this hits when it is officially published. This may be a book that people are talking about. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy. I cannot wait to share this book on socials later in the year.

[Jaime Garza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ebook from NetGalley as an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

This book delves into the intricate world of hard science fiction, centered around the concept of time travel. Time travel has become a reality and is commercially available to the public. The science behind it is quite ingenious. When you travel to the past, you create a “bleb,” which is essentially a separate version of the past. Regardless of how many people travel to the past, each bleb remains distinct, and upon exiting, it disappears. However, you can venture further into the past by creating blebs within blebs. You can effectively prevent any direct modification of the past or present. A crucial aspect of the science is the occurrence of paradoxes, which play a significant role throughout the narrative.

Larry Xi, the visionary and head of the most prominent time travel corporation, is a complex and enigmatic character. Davis Kennedy, an employee of the company, is one of the main protagonists. Gloria Monday, an executive at a competing corporation, delivers an exceptional performance in the book’s climax. Lena Engel, a writer and reporter, also contributes significantly to the plot. The ensemble cast is well-crafted, adding depth and intrigue to the story.

The central question revolves around Larry’s ability to merge blebs and the potential consequences of altering the past. This pivotal plot point drives the narrative and keeps readers engaged.

Overall, this book is truly remarkable. I thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the captivating ending. It is highly recommended for anyone interested in science fiction and time travel.

[Grant Yoder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Forrest Brazeal for allowing me to read this ARC.

Paradox Inc. is a sci-fi novel set in the modern day that takes place in the tech bubble of Silicon Valley. The main antagonist, Larry Xi (who seems eerily similar to Steve Jobs), is the CEO of The Bleb Project, a company that is trying (and succeeding) to bring access to time travel into the hands of consumers. However, Larry is obsessed with “making a difference”, and a simple time travel machine that allows travel just a few minutes at a time into the past won’t cut it. When world-changing tech is in the hands of a visionary like this though, it can have dire consequences, and the differences that are made may not be welcome.

This was an exhilarating read! First off, I loved how the prose was in the form of interviews, text chains, e-mail chains, etc. It made it a very quick read without sacrificing the flow of the book. I saw this book as both a love letter to the tech industry and also a dire warning about letting technology run our lives. While advancements in technology in even just our lifetimes have paid incredible dividends, the tech bubble in Silicon Valley can never seem to leave well enough alone. While, in some cases, that can lead to great results, other times it can also lead to disastrous consequences. The subplot of family love and acceptance was excellent and very well written too as it blended seamlessly into the main plot line. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone! Look for it when it publishes in January 2027!

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy.

5/5 temporal stars

I could not put this book down! It was wildly entertaining and hilarious.

Paradox Inc. follows the POV of 3 people during the time travel bubble in silicon valley. One POV is an investigative journalist exploring the minds behind the invention and commodification of time travel. The other two POVs are employees at competing time travel companies, one a longer standing corporation and the other an audacious start up. We follow each POV in the lead up to, midst, and immediate aftermath of the event that causes the time travel industry bubble to pop.

Fans of Silicon Valley will love this book, as it is a more up to date look at the tech craze around current emerging tech including AI and quantum. My favorite character in the book, and what sold it for me, was Vijay Patel for reasons I will not elaborate on. I loved the juxtaposition of two very common types of tech companies--the operational complexity of corporate and wild wild west feeling of working at a startup. The author did a great job of capturing some of the more extreme types of folks one might find around San Francisco, and some tropes that were a little too close to home.

While most might see this book as a critique of silicon valley, it captured the charming spirit of innovation and fertile ground for all types of shenanigans which makes the region so wonderfully interesting. Would definitely recommend this for tech optimists and skeptics alike.

[Dave Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paradox Inc. takes one of science fiction’s oldest ideas, time travel, and gives it a thoroughly modern Silicon Valley makeover. The premise is audacious: competing tech founders race to commercialize time travel after discovering “blebs,” localized time distortion bubbles that might just be engineered into a consumer product. It’s exactly the sort of idea that sounds ridiculous until the novel convinces you it isn’t, and Forrest Brazeal pulls off that trick with surprising confidence.

What really makes the book work, though, is its voice. Brazeal clearly knows the startup world from the inside, and it shows in every pitch deck, investor meeting, Slack exchange, text message, and email. The dialogue between founders, executives, and tech bros felt so authentic that I occasionally forgot I was reading fiction. More than once, I laughed out loud because I’d either seen those conversations before or could easily imagine them happening. If you’ve spent any time around startups or the tech industry, there’s an extra layer of enjoyment waiting for you here.

The final stretch, after the strange, but inevitable Melvindale Mishap, became a bit muddled as the story tried to tie together its increasingly ambitious ideas, and I wasn’t entirely satisfied with how everything resolved. Even so, that didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. Paradox Inc. is smart, inventive, and refreshingly original, combining speculative science with tech startup culture in a way that feels both plausible and entertaining. It’s one of the most enjoyable tech-centered novels I’ve read in quite a while.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5 thank you net galley for the ARC! this is a very unique book, both in premise and in style.

an incredibly timely satire of the tech space and how that monster consumes itself time and time again. fingers crossed it’s about to happen again soon with generative AI!!

while i did appreciate the oral telling of the story, i found the characters themselves fairly underdeveloped and bland. those in the tech space felt like caricatures in a way that went beyond just standard satire, and was a bit heavy handed at times. i also felt the female characters were extremely underdeveloped, with personal crises that fell flat because we didn’t know them well enough to care.

i also personally would have liked the “mishap” to have occurred at least a little sooner. i found myself really absorbed in the consequences and aftermath and wish we could have gotten to explore that a little more than just the last 8%. the last 10% really engrossed me, but i am a person who is more compelled by consequences than the lead up to an event.

the science was impressive while also being fairly digestible. i felt like i was always able to get the gist despite pages and pages of jargon, some completely made up, without my eyes glazing over. i have to say that in and of itself is quite impressive.

overall this is an ambitious and in impressive first novel. i am so glad i picked this up - outside of my comfort zone but a relevant and relatively quick read.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I found this story pretty enjoyable. It's a collection of POVs from different characters; it was always clear whose story it was, and I found it easy to keep track of the different narratives. I think they were interconnected well and felt distinct from one another. I'm not in the Bay Area tech scene, so I don't know how much of their behavior is satire vs. how much of that actually does happen, but some of the platitudes were funny to read. It's also interesting to think about what kind of businesses people could come up with if time travel were available. Although, I don't know why they just keep calling it a time machine when it also travels through space. That seems like a big deal. I also don't know why people would ever be late when using a time machine, but I guess that's just part of the plot. There were some random things that happened, including a bit of body horror, and I didn't really understand why those specific things would occur, other than for shock value. It might've been nice for there to be some more reasoning for it instead of just saying random stuff happened leading to random problems people are left with at the end of it all. But I like a bit of weird in my books, anyway. It was a fun read, and I wouldn't have guessed what ended up happening in some of the characters' lives, so the surprises were nice.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect going in, but this was a wild ride. The format tripped me up at first—multiple POVs told through interviews, email excerpts, legal documents, and texts, all non-linear. But once the science and technology started getting explained, I got pulled all the way into the chaos of time travel and its possible fallout.

The way the book explores commercialized time travel is fascinating and unsettling in equal measure. It reads like satire of real corporate greed and ambition: tech bros talking down to women, assuming they didn’t get it; men exploiting time to cheat, party, and get rich; the working women who are consistently the voice of reason and consistently ignored. At its core, it's humans doing what humans do best with new technology—using it for personal gain without any real fear of consequence.

And then the ending hits with a cascade of freak disasters—grotesque, strange, almost absurd—and yet somehow it all felt plausible. That's the unsettling part: it never crosses into pure fantasy. It stays just close enough to reality to make you wonder.

It's twisted, but I guess that's what happens when you start messing with time. Comedy and horror, wrapped in sci-fi, and genuinely frightening by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.

[Jose Villanueva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC!

I absolutely LOVED this novel. It was the perfect mix of sci-fi and humor, while still feeling grounded in the characters and emotion.

In Paradox Inc. "big tech" has cracked the code on time travel and, if you can believe it, they don't have the best intentions of how to use it. From simple money grabs to selfish endeavors of much higher magnitude, this felt like such a realistic portrayal of what time travel would actually look like.

The split POV's really worked for me. Novels like this can often feel so focused on the plot and keeping the foot on the gas that character work slips through the cracks. On the other end of things, split POV's can sometimes kill the momentum of a story like this, but that was not the case here. The balance felt perfect.
Brazeal created characters with backstories that I actually cared about and whose lives would and did feel real ramifications, on a micro and macro level, from the plot at large.

It's not often that I finish a book and think, "wow, they absolutely nailed that ending," but, again, he absolutely nailed it. I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of this as soon as it comes out and recommending it to everyone who will listen.

[Xiibalba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paradox Inc. by Forrest Brazeal is one of those tech satires that could only exist right now, in this 2026 crazy timeline. The premise is basically the funniest and saddest thing ever: a startup invents the first consumer time travel device, the Bleb 1, and instead of using it for anything remotely meaningful, people are stealing discontinued 90s Doritos with it or killing their past selves for TikTok clout. Yeah. It is dystopian sci fi but filtered through a very specific, very cynical understanding of startup culture, the kind where growth at all costs matters more than whether the product should even exist.

What kept me reading was the structure more than anything, honestly. The story switches between three points of view, an engineer, a rival executive and a journalist, and it is told almost like a documentary.
As someone who reads a ton of sci fi, I really appreciated that the author cared more about the social and ethical mess of the invention than the mechanics of time travel itself, which is usually where these books either shine or fall apart completely.
I give it a soft 5 but a 5 nonetheless. It had some pacing problems but I had a complete blast reading it, absolutely recommend this book.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in May, 2026.

Really enjoyed this. Working in tech, I had several "this isn't even satire, it's just my life" moments. The premise is interesting and there's a good amount of scientific detail without reading like a textbook.

My main critique (and the reason for the 4/5 stars): You know when a comic does a bit just a little too long? That's how this book felt. The pacing is weird but not in a way that I can say it's specifically the beginning or end. Every chapter starts out super witty and then goes on for about 500 words too long. I think one pass to just streamline some of the prose would have helped a lot. I had more than a few "get to the point already" moments when reading. But I know some readers will love this book for the prose.

It's still absolutely worth the read, and I hope this book gets the buzz it deserves. I think it will be a popular book club book because there's so much to feed conversation. I read this as an e-book, but will definitely check out to see how the audiobook is when that gets released.

[Aimee (Book It Forward) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. The oral history format made for a unique take on the time travel genre, and the satirical look at Silicon Valley culture felt both hilarious and a little too believable. The blend of startup culture, venture capital excess, and world-changing technology was entertaining while also making for a surprisingly tense story.

What stood out most was how stressful the plot felt. No matter what the characters did, it seemed like they could never truly get ahead of the villains because of the time travel element. That constant feeling of inevitability kept me invested, especially the storyline following the mother and journalist fighting to keep custody of her baby. Her story added a very emotional, human layer to an otherwise chaotic and often funny novel.

At times, I did find the science behind the time travel confusing, and I occasionally struggled to follow all of the mechanics. I also would have loved more details about the actual time travel adventures, as those moments were some of the most interesting parts of the book and left me wanting more.

Overall, this was a clever, original, and thought-provoking read that mixes humor, social satire, and high-stakes science fiction into something memorable. If you enjoy time travel stories with a fresh format and plenty of Silicon Valley satire, this is well worth picking up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC.

Loved it! Silicon Valley invents time travel. So, of course, it is released with every last safety concern addressed and with a great plan to ensure there's no social disruption. Just like with the current AI boom, right?

We learn early on that there was a "mishap." The story, told through interviews, subpoenaed documents, etc. (like World War Z) slowly, slowly fills in the blanks. We see many companies cashing in on the invention by creating services - some quite ingenious, others that are completely unnecessary - but everyone needs to be using it somehow, right? (Again, just like the 2026 AI bandwagon).

The idea that time travel is a solution in need of a problem, just needing the right killer app to make it really useful, is a great satire of the tech industry in general and the AI boom in particular. Well written, engaging, and a different story than anything I've seen before.