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The Time Trap Series #1
Time Trap
In the 26th century, chaos threatens to overwhelm civilization—but the historians on staff at the Time Institute are determined to change things for the better. Through first-hand recordings of the greatest events of the past, they hope to reawaken the modern-day populace and restore its zest for achievement. The trouble for the Institute is that saboteurs have infiltrated.
The trouble for time-traveler Noel Kedran is that his mission lands him in the wrong place and century.
Medieval Greece is little more than a way-station for European knights headed for the Crusades. All but forgotten, this small pocket of history is awash in treachery as Greek bandits, French knights, and Constantinople's diplomats battle for supremacy. Caught in their clash to rule Greece, Noel fears that any alteration to the course of history could destroy his own time, until he meets a stranger who is his mirror image. This twin, as determined to destroy the future as Noel is to save it, will take both Noel’s fate and history into his own hands.
The trouble for time-traveler Noel Kedran is that his mission lands him in the wrong place and century.
Medieval Greece is little more than a way-station for European knights headed for the Crusades. All but forgotten, this small pocket of history is awash in treachery as Greek bandits, French knights, and Constantinople's diplomats battle for supremacy. Caught in their clash to rule Greece, Noel fears that any alteration to the course of history could destroy his own time, until he meets a stranger who is his mirror image. This twin, as determined to destroy the future as Noel is to save it, will take both Noel’s fate and history into his own hands.
224 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 1992
13 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 22, 2022
Leon, my beloved evil time clone! The origin!
This was such a fun backtrack to introduce where Noel and Leon come from. I learned that Leon is even more sympathetic than I thought, and Noel even more of a self-important sexist ass. Also, the worldbuilding of the Future is kind of hilarious.
Noel and Leon are both delightfully incompetent. Noel spends a REMARKABLE amount of time getting beaten up and severely injured. Medieval Greece is an interesting setting choice - I'll certainly give it that! But the characters were all kind of cartoonish. The main delights are 1) Leon and 2) Noel getting whump'ed constantly.
From the very beginning, when a crazed fanatical "anarchist" sabotaged the time travel device for uhhhhh chaos reasons, to Noel's disrespecting every woman around him and whining about how People These Days Are All On Theirphones Brain Chips listening to holo-podcasts all day, to Noel accidentally landing in medieval Greece and getting into all kinds of scrapes trying to Fix The Timeline that Leon messed up, to only actually encountering Leon like 70 pages in, to all the ridiculous machinations... none of it was good, but all of it was pulpy stupid fun. Major rec for whump fans, Noel goes through it.
This was such a fun backtrack to introduce where Noel and Leon come from. I learned that Leon is even more sympathetic than I thought, and Noel even more of a self-important sexist ass. Also, the worldbuilding of the Future is kind of hilarious.
Noel and Leon are both delightfully incompetent. Noel spends a REMARKABLE amount of time getting beaten up and severely injured. Medieval Greece is an interesting setting choice - I'll certainly give it that! But the characters were all kind of cartoonish. The main delights are 1) Leon and 2) Noel getting whump'ed constantly.
From the very beginning, when a crazed fanatical "anarchist" sabotaged the time travel device for uhhhhh chaos reasons, to Noel's disrespecting every woman around him and whining about how People These Days Are All On Their
November 24, 2021
Far from Chester's best work. I'm reading the entire series to the end though. I have to see if how much I despise the protagonist is accurate. I'm waiting for the "twist" at the end that he's been a jerk all along (because he IS). If that ends up not being the case, then 3 stars is too generous.
June 5, 2022
This was pretty good. It reminded me a lot of Michael Crichton’s Timeline novel.
In the 2500s, there’s a Time Institute. They travel back and regulate/witness history. But there’s a war going on. A group called the Anarchists feel like we shouldn’t time travel and have sabotaged one of the Time Institute’s historians, causing him to be trapped in the Middle Ages. Now he’s got to figure out what happened to him and how can he get back home without altering history.
I really enjoyed this. Lots of good adventure and intrigue. We find out something happened to Noel during his trip back to the past, sabotage caused a double of him to be created. The double is an exact negative copy and threatens to upend all history.
Like I said lots of fun.
In the 2500s, there’s a Time Institute. They travel back and regulate/witness history. But there’s a war going on. A group called the Anarchists feel like we shouldn’t time travel and have sabotaged one of the Time Institute’s historians, causing him to be trapped in the Middle Ages. Now he’s got to figure out what happened to him and how can he get back home without altering history.
I really enjoyed this. Lots of good adventure and intrigue. We find out something happened to Noel during his trip back to the past, sabotage caused a double of him to be created. The double is an exact negative copy and threatens to upend all history.
Like I said lots of fun.
June 25, 2018
2.5 stars
After thoroughly enjoying The Sword, the Ring and the Chalice series, I was really, really looking forward to a time travel offering from this author, especially as time trave is one of my favourite genres.
Alas, I found the narratve stilted and the characterisation rather two-dimensional. The evil-twin mirror-image concept feels particularly silly, and I was unable to finish the story, despite slogging halfway through the book. How disappointing!!!
After thoroughly enjoying The Sword, the Ring and the Chalice series, I was really, really looking forward to a time travel offering from this author, especially as time trave is one of my favourite genres.
Alas, I found the narratve stilted and the characterisation rather two-dimensional. The evil-twin mirror-image concept feels particularly silly, and I was unable to finish the story, despite slogging halfway through the book. How disappointing!!!
October 1, 2018
2 stars. Story seemed a little random and unbelievable. Won't read more of the series
July 26, 2024
Good quick fun stuff. 73/100
July 30, 2016
Such a fun read!
Poor old Noel, he's got himself into a right pickle after his time travel device was tampered with. He landed in the middle of a road with a company of mounted Knights thundering towards him. He's whacked with a sword, falls off the hill and is knocked out, then captured by two dwarves and a female bandit (who kicked him in the nether regions); gets beaned on the head by a rock from a slingshot, bound and plonked on a mule being taken to the castle when he decides to escape and this time falls down a mountain. All this in the first 30%, so one is certainly not at all bored from the beginning page right the way to the end of the story.
Pretty good bunch of characters overall and a humorous, action-packed read.
I'll definitely be following this series to see what mess Noel finds himself neck deep in next.
Highly recommended.
Poor old Noel, he's got himself into a right pickle after his time travel device was tampered with. He landed in the middle of a road with a company of mounted Knights thundering towards him. He's whacked with a sword, falls off the hill and is knocked out, then captured by two dwarves and a female bandit (who kicked him in the nether regions); gets beaned on the head by a rock from a slingshot, bound and plonked on a mule being taken to the castle when he decides to escape and this time falls down a mountain. All this in the first 30%, so one is certainly not at all bored from the beginning page right the way to the end of the story.
Pretty good bunch of characters overall and a humorous, action-packed read.
I'll definitely be following this series to see what mess Noel finds himself neck deep in next.
Highly recommended.
August 18, 2023
Ooh sci fi and historical together, rubbing hands together gleefully... Nearly didn't finish, but it was short. Didn't like the writing very much, found the main character annoying and irritatingly short-tempered. How many chapters in one book should end with him being knocked out? The sci-fi element was poorly skipped over, the future dystopia was lacking detail or interest and the historical scenes felt 2-dimensional. Meh.
February 2, 2013
Enjoyable pulp romp. Interesting characters with a slight twist on time travel - what would happen if you split into two personalities while traveling in time. Noel finds out more about himself than he had planned to.
February 21, 2015
Good read could but do with out evil twin plenty of posibility without and found Charactor awkward at times
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews