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Future In Doubt
Future In Doubt is a standalone speculative time travel science fiction thriller, set in the modern world, with elements of mystery and romance. Perfect for teens, young and older adults.
A freshly engaged young couple full of boundless optimism, drive, and talent have their love ripped apart through a chance encounter with a dying man who claims to be from the future.
Before he dies, the man warns Essie and Jonah about a coming global disaster – even giving a specific date – and declares that they alone are the only hope left to stop it.
Essie believes the dying man. Jonah does not. And because Essie believes him, she throws away her promising career and the life she and Jonah were preparing to build, all in the far-fetched and probably futile attempt to stop a looming disaster she knows almost nothing about.
But Essie’s tireless commitment, courage, and flair for the dramatic propel her to do and learn whatever it takes to discover the meaning behind the clues given by the dying man. She faces nothing less than convincing the entire world that life as we know will be destroyed if they don’t grapple with what she comes to believe is the cause of civilization’s destruction.
But what if she’s wrong? Even if the dying man was from the future, what if Essie misinterpreted what he told her? And what about Jonah and her flailing love for him? When Jonah’s hard-driving boss begins pressuring him to silence Essie’s efforts, she realizes Jonah’s company has something to do with the coming disaster.
Essie’s journey leads her to pits of utter loneliness and despair, media mockery, online ridicule, and threats on her life as the date of the predicted cataclysm draws near. With Essie driven by rising desperation and a shadowy and uncertain grasp of what's true as she stands alone against disbelieving, ridiculing humanity, Earth's future totters on the brink.
With thrills, fun surprises, betrayals, and twists amid the withering dying bonds of love, Future In Doubt is written in a cinematic, crowd-pleasing, and fast paced style that will entertain and satisfy broad swaths of readers.
From Reader's
"Daniel Magill has a lot of different plates spinning in his novel Future In Doubt, but does incredibly well in making sure none of them are toppled prematurely. What I love most is that we do not definitely know as readers if Essie is right on the earthquake prophecy, and Magill takes us along for a prepper's dream ride as she dives head first into it. We know what is happening with Jonah and some of what Randolph is up to, but it's always a click or two behind any revelation—with excellent twists served up even after. There are some legitimate scumbags in the story and Essie is well and truly
on her own, building her up as a persistent and strong female protagonist. Magill has a handle on what relationship fallout looks like and, better still, how relationships might be rebuilt. The writing is clean and tight, and the entire time-travel element is very creative."
A freshly engaged young couple full of boundless optimism, drive, and talent have their love ripped apart through a chance encounter with a dying man who claims to be from the future.
Before he dies, the man warns Essie and Jonah about a coming global disaster – even giving a specific date – and declares that they alone are the only hope left to stop it.
Essie believes the dying man. Jonah does not. And because Essie believes him, she throws away her promising career and the life she and Jonah were preparing to build, all in the far-fetched and probably futile attempt to stop a looming disaster she knows almost nothing about.
But Essie’s tireless commitment, courage, and flair for the dramatic propel her to do and learn whatever it takes to discover the meaning behind the clues given by the dying man. She faces nothing less than convincing the entire world that life as we know will be destroyed if they don’t grapple with what she comes to believe is the cause of civilization’s destruction.
But what if she’s wrong? Even if the dying man was from the future, what if Essie misinterpreted what he told her? And what about Jonah and her flailing love for him? When Jonah’s hard-driving boss begins pressuring him to silence Essie’s efforts, she realizes Jonah’s company has something to do with the coming disaster.
Essie’s journey leads her to pits of utter loneliness and despair, media mockery, online ridicule, and threats on her life as the date of the predicted cataclysm draws near. With Essie driven by rising desperation and a shadowy and uncertain grasp of what's true as she stands alone against disbelieving, ridiculing humanity, Earth's future totters on the brink.
With thrills, fun surprises, betrayals, and twists amid the withering dying bonds of love, Future In Doubt is written in a cinematic, crowd-pleasing, and fast paced style that will entertain and satisfy broad swaths of readers.
From Reader's
"Daniel Magill has a lot of different plates spinning in his novel Future In Doubt, but does incredibly well in making sure none of them are toppled prematurely. What I love most is that we do not definitely know as readers if Essie is right on the earthquake prophecy, and Magill takes us along for a prepper's dream ride as she dives head first into it. We know what is happening with Jonah and some of what Randolph is up to, but it's always a click or two behind any revelation—with excellent twists served up even after. There are some legitimate scumbags in the story and Essie is well and truly
on her own, building her up as a persistent and strong female protagonist. Magill has a handle on what relationship fallout looks like and, better still, how relationships might be rebuilt. The writing is clean and tight, and the entire time-travel element is very creative."
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 1, 2026
About the author
Daniel Magill
2 books7 followersI began writing screenplays in the early 2000s. I spent years reading books, attending conferences, getting mentored, and paying for coverage. I entered and advanced in several contests.
But the film industry changed, and I realized it was very unlikely I'd ever get anywhere. So in 2022, I pivoted and started writing novels.
Future In Doubt is my debut novel. I worked for years on the screenplay for this, and converted it into a novel more recently.
It's a sci-fi thriller with time travel set in a fictional present day.
War Virus, my second book, launches what will be a lengthy series.
It's a galactic war space opera unlike anything ever written. No alien invasions. No magic. Just two human civilizations fighting for 500 years, full of hate and vengeance.
But what if the heart of just one man were to transform and see this war for what it really is? Book 1 begins the epic saga in darkness.
Look for more War Virus books in the coming years, and more standalone novels too.
I hope you'll follow me on here and join my author newsletter - the Magill Storyteller - through my website!
But the film industry changed, and I realized it was very unlikely I'd ever get anywhere. So in 2022, I pivoted and started writing novels.
Future In Doubt is my debut novel. I worked for years on the screenplay for this, and converted it into a novel more recently.
It's a sci-fi thriller with time travel set in a fictional present day.
War Virus, my second book, launches what will be a lengthy series.
It's a galactic war space opera unlike anything ever written. No alien invasions. No magic. Just two human civilizations fighting for 500 years, full of hate and vengeance.
But what if the heart of just one man were to transform and see this war for what it really is? Book 1 begins the epic saga in darkness.
Look for more War Virus books in the coming years, and more standalone novels too.
I hope you'll follow me on here and join my author newsletter - the Magill Storyteller - through my website!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 27, 2026
Future In Doubt immediately and excellently builds the characters into a world that is brimming with promise and lives full of bright expectations. However, when one incredible event interrupts their idyllic present, engaged couple Essie and Jonah are torn between keeping the pieces of their lives together while grappling with the impending doom that threatens the entire planet. Author Daniel Magill delivers a taut thriller on the level of novelist Michael Crichton. But Future in Doubt succeeds on a higher level by presenting a story populated with realistic, dimensional characters caught up in the action. The reader watches as relationships crumble under the weight of the situations, elevating the tension and giving the reader a real connection to root for (whereas characters in Crichton novels tend to simply be masters of ceremony for delivering the needed exposition and explanation for the plot IMO).
Future in Doubt is definitely recommended for anyone seeking a engaging, twisting, and high-stakes thriller that is both mysterious and thought-provoking!
Future in Doubt is definitely recommended for anyone seeking a engaging, twisting, and high-stakes thriller that is both mysterious and thought-provoking!
May 22, 2026
When asked, 'Are you ready to risk your life for the survival of humanity?' many will answer in the affirmative. But if you ask them whether they are ready to become the object of mass ridicule and humiliation, the black sheep of their own family, the bearer of a social stigma, a fool in the eyes of their partner—the number of brave souls will thin out.
Essie, the heroine of this unusual science-fiction novel, refuses to forget what she saw and pretend that 'everything is fine.' She lays everything on the altar of truth: her union with a man she once loved, who has now defected to the enemy camp, her brilliant career prospects, and simply her reputation as a rational human being. With no bravado. With no feminist slogans. She is not a soldier, a spy, or a scientist. Her field is as far from saving the world as humanly possible, and her goal, prior to her terrifying encounter with the Time Traveler, had been a happy marriage and a comfortable future.
She chose to step in.
I'm a sucker for prey-to-hunter transformation, and I was thrilled to see where the story was going. To see a young woman become a pain in the ass for a dangerous corporate experiment was beyond satisfying.
Other characters' performance is also quite plausible. The plot twists are difficult to predict. And while the novel's start felt a bit drawn-out to me, from the moment of the Time Traveler's death onward, the story unfolds quickly enough to keep our interest from fading, yet not so fast as to strip us of the scientific justification for the threat looming over humanity.
Future in Doubt is a smart sci-fi thriller you will absolutely want to re-read over time.
Essie, the heroine of this unusual science-fiction novel, refuses to forget what she saw and pretend that 'everything is fine.' She lays everything on the altar of truth: her union with a man she once loved, who has now defected to the enemy camp, her brilliant career prospects, and simply her reputation as a rational human being. With no bravado. With no feminist slogans. She is not a soldier, a spy, or a scientist. Her field is as far from saving the world as humanly possible, and her goal, prior to her terrifying encounter with the Time Traveler, had been a happy marriage and a comfortable future.
She chose to step in.
I'm a sucker for prey-to-hunter transformation, and I was thrilled to see where the story was going. To see a young woman become a pain in the ass for a dangerous corporate experiment was beyond satisfying.
Other characters' performance is also quite plausible. The plot twists are difficult to predict. And while the novel's start felt a bit drawn-out to me, from the moment of the Time Traveler's death onward, the story unfolds quickly enough to keep our interest from fading, yet not so fast as to strip us of the scientific justification for the threat looming over humanity.
Future in Doubt is a smart sci-fi thriller you will absolutely want to re-read over time.
April 28, 2026
I won this in a giveaway
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews