Jayce

by Josh Barkey

Josh Barkey's debut novel tells the story of Jayce Loman, a teenage genius who hijacks an untested time machine into a future where his is the most hated name in history.

215 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Josh Barkey was raised from diapers to diploma in the Amazon Basin of Peru, South America. He then paid for an English degree by sticking hundreds of thousands of baby trees into Canadian dirt, and now lives in a shed in North Carolina, arranging words into stories and screenplays.

Reviews

[Josh Barkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving myself four stars for this book because I feel as though I shouldn't give a book five stars unless I read it and thought, "I could NEVER write something this good." Which I didn't do, here. For obvious reasons.

(And yes, I'm aware that I gave my short stories and my picture-book five star reviews. I'm human and therefore wildly inconsistent. Sue me)

I've finished my second novel already and it's new and shiny so right now I'm in love with it, and would almost want to reserve the four-star rating for IT... except that I think this story really is a fun, entertaining (if light) read. I have lived and loved JAYCE for over a year. Give it a shot - maybe you'll love it, too.

[Lisa Hess · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this story had echoes of a A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court, Green Mansions, and of course H.G. Wells, which I loved, but for all that this treatment of time travel and the protagonist's problem is very creative and thought-provoking. I also liked that the main character wasn't the typical YA Mary Sue (or in this case, I guess, Marty Stu), but was very flawed. The protagonist's messed-upness allowed for growth and change, instead of the sink into cynicism or the (rolls eyes) grasp at irrational romantic hope--the story arcs of so much current YA fiction. I gave it three stars instead of the four the story would otherwise deserve (I got halfway through and stayed up late to finish it, always a good sign) mostly for technical reasons--the e-book had some formatting issues, I wished the story and narration had stayed solidly in one person's point-of-view, and I wanted more.

[Chris Hubbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Underdeveloped idea with little semblance of a plot. Weird omniscient narration that drops in from time to time. First and third acts are almost nonexistent and are completely unbelievable. This book needed a good editor and about twice as much content.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to follow, but this latest from author Josh Barkey is a 4-star read and maybe more, to put it simply.

[Suzanne Benner · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Plausible notion that the world might be better off without all our technology.