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The Traveler
Not yet published
Expected 16 Jun 26‘This novel is addictive as hell’
– Gareth Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors
First a day. Then a year. Then forever.
Joseph Eckert's The Traveler is a captivating and heart-wrenching debut perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, The Time Traveler's Wife and Interstellar.
It’s a morning like any other when Scott Treder first slips. One moment, he’s driving to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he is tumbling down the road, his car gone, his world changed.
7:51 am. Monday, April 13th.
7:52 am. Tuesday, April 14th.
Twenty-four hours, lost in a heartbeat.
This first slip is just the beginning. At precisely 7:52 am each morning, Scott jumps forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First a day is lost. Then weeks. Then decades. As Scott hurtles helplessly toward the future, he watches his seven-year-old son, Lyle, grow into a man – and then an old man – in a matter of days.
But Lyle has a plan. He dedicates his entire existence to a single, impossible catching the father who is leaving him behind . . .
An epic story of survival, heartbreak, and a father-son bond that defies the laws of physics.
* * *
What readers are saying about The
‘Joseph Eckert has created a yarn that is heart-rending, yet in the end, a powerful cry of hope in the inevitable dark’
– Claire North, bestselling author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Slow Gods
‘Equal parts a harrowing time-travel novel and a family drama that will tear at your heart. If you loved books like The Time Traveler’s Wife, then you must read this story’
– James Rollins, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones
– Gareth Brown, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Book of Doors
First a day. Then a year. Then forever.
Joseph Eckert's The Traveler is a captivating and heart-wrenching debut perfect for fans of Blake Crouch, The Time Traveler's Wife and Interstellar.
It’s a morning like any other when Scott Treder first slips. One moment, he’s driving to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he is tumbling down the road, his car gone, his world changed.
7:51 am. Monday, April 13th.
7:52 am. Tuesday, April 14th.
Twenty-four hours, lost in a heartbeat.
This first slip is just the beginning. At precisely 7:52 am each morning, Scott jumps forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First a day is lost. Then weeks. Then decades. As Scott hurtles helplessly toward the future, he watches his seven-year-old son, Lyle, grow into a man – and then an old man – in a matter of days.
But Lyle has a plan. He dedicates his entire existence to a single, impossible catching the father who is leaving him behind . . .
An epic story of survival, heartbreak, and a father-son bond that defies the laws of physics.
* * *
What readers are saying about The
‘Joseph Eckert has created a yarn that is heart-rending, yet in the end, a powerful cry of hope in the inevitable dark’
– Claire North, bestselling author of The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August and Slow Gods
‘Equal parts a harrowing time-travel novel and a family drama that will tear at your heart. If you loved books like The Time Traveler’s Wife, then you must read this story’
– James Rollins, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Map of Bones
Audible Audio
Expected publication June 9, 2026
About the author
Joseph Eckert
5 books30 followersI am an avid reader and writer, author of several as-of-yet unpublished works and one self-published work (Mamertine). I am also an amateur photographer with an ever increasing repository of photographs from around the country and, increasingly, around the world.
I love stories in every medium, from novels to comics to movies to video games. I find it incredibly interesting to see how each medium has individual strengths and weaknesses for telling a compelling story. The novel may be the reference for narratives now, but often as not the most unique story telling can be found on TV periodicals or in the no-holds-barred imagination spaces of graphic novels.
I love stories in every medium, from novels to comics to movies to video games. I find it incredibly interesting to see how each medium has individual strengths and weaknesses for telling a compelling story. The novel may be the reference for narratives now, but often as not the most unique story telling can be found on TV periodicals or in the no-holds-barred imagination spaces of graphic novels.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
April 12, 2026
An interesting concept about slipping through time in increasing (doubling) increments.
I like the first half better, where the jumps were less significant timeframes, and Scott was dealing with the real effects of these jumps affecting his life.
The later jumps, of thousands of years, were a bit hard to relate to on a personal level with the character, but the “new” settings were interesting. I did find the conclusion satisfying, however, so the book ended well.
I had a couple of frustrations with the main character, but I suppose they weren’t too serious. I would have like to see him have a little more backbone, though.
Overall, recommended, especially for sci fi fans.
-Desiree Reads
April 12, 2026
I like the first half better, where the jumps were less significant timeframes, and Scott was dealing with the real effects of these jumps affecting his life.
The later jumps, of thousands of years, were a bit hard to relate to on a personal level with the character, but the “new” settings were interesting. I did find the conclusion satisfying, however, so the book ended well.
I had a couple of frustrations with the main character, but I suppose they weren’t too serious. I would have like to see him have a little more backbone, though.
Overall, recommended, especially for sci fi fans.
-Desiree Reads
April 12, 2026
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2026
This was a fun time travel story with questions around identity, the self, and the unconditional love between a son and father. Somewhat heartbreaking, and an ending that felt interesting but not unexpected. Solid speculative fiction of the future and a thought experiment.
May 11, 2026
I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
What a fascinating read this was! I was totally captivated by this story. We meet a man who finds himself driving along when suddenly he’s bruised and bumped on the side of the road. His job is angry, his wife is panicking, his son is worried as he had disappeared for a full 24 hours. It happens again, only this time the length of time he’s gone for doubles. He’s concerned, confused as seeks help from scientists. We see the emotional impact on his family. For him, he has no sense of the loss of time, things warp and then he’s back. But his family lose him for longer and longer periods each time, having to deal with his absence and loss of his income.
A core part of this story is family, and the unwavering bond between the man and his son. Though he ultimately becomes younger than his son, his son never gives up hope that he’ll find a way to help his father, dedicating his life and career to finding a way to understand the time jumps. It’s a beautiful bond and the thing that gives the main character Scott hope throughout his discombobulating jumps into the future.
The jumps get bigger and so do the changes, with Scott in peril regularly and having to quickly adjust to the changes of each time. Some of which are poignant or even devastating.
I found this novel so profound, so fascinating. I’d highly recommend it and I would read it again. What a unique and innovative exploration.
What a fascinating read this was! I was totally captivated by this story. We meet a man who finds himself driving along when suddenly he’s bruised and bumped on the side of the road. His job is angry, his wife is panicking, his son is worried as he had disappeared for a full 24 hours. It happens again, only this time the length of time he’s gone for doubles. He’s concerned, confused as seeks help from scientists. We see the emotional impact on his family. For him, he has no sense of the loss of time, things warp and then he’s back. But his family lose him for longer and longer periods each time, having to deal with his absence and loss of his income.
A core part of this story is family, and the unwavering bond between the man and his son. Though he ultimately becomes younger than his son, his son never gives up hope that he’ll find a way to help his father, dedicating his life and career to finding a way to understand the time jumps. It’s a beautiful bond and the thing that gives the main character Scott hope throughout his discombobulating jumps into the future.
The jumps get bigger and so do the changes, with Scott in peril regularly and having to quickly adjust to the changes of each time. Some of which are poignant or even devastating.
I found this novel so profound, so fascinating. I’d highly recommend it and I would read it again. What a unique and innovative exploration.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The Traveler Is Both Epic and Intimate
The following ratings are out of 5:
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎
Character development: 😋😉😎🤓🤯
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration
Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary
Scott Treder is on his way to work one ordinary morning, driving about twenty-five miles per hour, when his car suddenly vanishes around him. He continues moving at the same speed and slams onto the pavement, tumbling the length of a football field. Scraped, shaken, and confused, he calls his wife only to learn that an entire day has passed in the few minutes he thought he had been gone. His car kept traveling without him until it crashed into another vehicle, and no one can explain where he went or how he returned.
Scott is an average man with an extraordinary son. Lyle is seven years old, gifted, and endlessly curious. Their nightly reading sessions are the heart of their relationship, and Lyle devours books far beyond his age level. He is currently reading Jurassic Park and thriving in his school’s gifted program. After Scott’s first disappearance, Lyle becomes terrified that his father will vanish again. Scott promises he will not, even though he has no idea what happened to him.
That promise does not last long. When Scott arrives at work to explain his unexpected absence, the world shifts again. He falls from his desk chair and discovers that two more days have passed. His car has parking tickets, his boss is furious, and his family is frightened. His wife begins to suspect he is lying, and Scott has no way to convince her otherwise.
The next disappearance happens right in front of his wife and son. This time he is gone for four days. Now that she has witnessed it herself, his wife finally believes him. The pattern is unmistakable. Each disappearance lasts twice as long as the one before it.
Desperate for answers, they seek help from Beck, the chairman of the physics department at UW. Beck assumes it is a prank and is more impressed by Lyle reading one of his physics texts than by Scott’s story. He reluctantly agrees to observe, but when Scott disappears again in Beck’s office and returns a week later, Beck refuses to continue. Fortunately, one of his colleagues, Maggie Paulson, a professor of theoretical physics, decides to investigate the phenomenon herself.
Highlights
• Accessible science
The theoretical physics in this story is complex, yet the author makes it understandable without oversimplifying. Even as someone who does not naturally grasp advanced physics, I appreciated how the book guided me through the concepts.
• Emotional depth
At its core, The Traveler is a story about love, fear, and the fragile bond between a father and son. Scott and Lyle’s relationship is tender, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. I cried more during this audiobook than I have for any other story in a very long time.
• A fresh and unsettling time travel premise
Scott’s involuntary jumps, with each interval doubling, create a constant sense of dread. He does not travel to another place or timeline. He simply loses time. Watching him miss years in what feels like moments gives the story a devastating emotional weight. The idea that two weeks for Scott can equal years for his family is profoundly affecting.
• A blend of intimate drama and large-scale speculation
As Scott leaps further into the future, the story widens into questions about humanity, artificial intelligence, and the fate of Earth. The contrast between small family moments and sweeping existential ideas is compelling.
• Vivid future worlds
Joseph Eckert’s writing brings each future era to life with imagination and detail. The different versions of Earth Scott encounters are fascinating and often haunting.
• A powerful sense of acceleration
The doubling mechanic is used brilliantly. Hearing the comparison between Scott’s days and the years he jumps forward makes the scale of his journey feel shocking and tragic.
Limitations
• Reduced emotional intimacy in the second half
Once Scott begins traveling thousands or millions of years ahead, the story becomes more abstract. The personal stakes feel less immediate.
• Slower pacing in later sections
The early chapters are tense and gripping, while some of the far future exploration feels repetitive or overly extended.
• A divisive ending
I found the conclusion satisfying and emotionally fitting. Though I have seen other reviews that said it felt rushed or less impactful than the buildup promised.
• Heavy philosophical themes
The story was less action driven sci fi and had a reflective tone that was a bit heavier than anticipated.
Narration
Ray Porter delivers a strong solo performance. His voice is expressive, engaging, and easy to follow. He brings energy to each scene and gives distinct voices to the characters without ever sounding exaggerated. Even as someone who does not usually prefer solo narration, I found his performance compelling and enjoyable.
Final Opinion
The Traveler is a deeply emotional and imaginative story that blends intimate family drama with sweeping speculative ideas. Its greatest strength lies in the relationship between Scott and Lyle, which grounds the entire narrative in something painfully human. The time travel mechanic is fresh, frightening, and beautifully executed, and the audiobook’s emotional impact is undeniable.
The second half shifts into more abstract territory, and the pacing may not work for every listener, but the journey remains powerful. This is a story that lingers. It asks what it means to lose time, what it means to love someone you may not get to keep, and what remains of a person when the world moves on without them.
Overall, it is a moving, thought provoking, and memorable listen that rewards anyone who enjoys emotional science fiction with heart.
Quotes
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎
Character development: 😋😉😎🤓🤯
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Solo Narration
Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary
Scott Treder is on his way to work one ordinary morning, driving about twenty-five miles per hour, when his car suddenly vanishes around him. He continues moving at the same speed and slams onto the pavement, tumbling the length of a football field. Scraped, shaken, and confused, he calls his wife only to learn that an entire day has passed in the few minutes he thought he had been gone. His car kept traveling without him until it crashed into another vehicle, and no one can explain where he went or how he returned.
Scott is an average man with an extraordinary son. Lyle is seven years old, gifted, and endlessly curious. Their nightly reading sessions are the heart of their relationship, and Lyle devours books far beyond his age level. He is currently reading Jurassic Park and thriving in his school’s gifted program. After Scott’s first disappearance, Lyle becomes terrified that his father will vanish again. Scott promises he will not, even though he has no idea what happened to him.
That promise does not last long. When Scott arrives at work to explain his unexpected absence, the world shifts again. He falls from his desk chair and discovers that two more days have passed. His car has parking tickets, his boss is furious, and his family is frightened. His wife begins to suspect he is lying, and Scott has no way to convince her otherwise.
The next disappearance happens right in front of his wife and son. This time he is gone for four days. Now that she has witnessed it herself, his wife finally believes him. The pattern is unmistakable. Each disappearance lasts twice as long as the one before it.
Desperate for answers, they seek help from Beck, the chairman of the physics department at UW. Beck assumes it is a prank and is more impressed by Lyle reading one of his physics texts than by Scott’s story. He reluctantly agrees to observe, but when Scott disappears again in Beck’s office and returns a week later, Beck refuses to continue. Fortunately, one of his colleagues, Maggie Paulson, a professor of theoretical physics, decides to investigate the phenomenon herself.
Highlights
• Accessible science
The theoretical physics in this story is complex, yet the author makes it understandable without oversimplifying. Even as someone who does not naturally grasp advanced physics, I appreciated how the book guided me through the concepts.
• Emotional depth
At its core, The Traveler is a story about love, fear, and the fragile bond between a father and son. Scott and Lyle’s relationship is tender, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. I cried more during this audiobook than I have for any other story in a very long time.
• A fresh and unsettling time travel premise
Scott’s involuntary jumps, with each interval doubling, create a constant sense of dread. He does not travel to another place or timeline. He simply loses time. Watching him miss years in what feels like moments gives the story a devastating emotional weight. The idea that two weeks for Scott can equal years for his family is profoundly affecting.
• A blend of intimate drama and large-scale speculation
As Scott leaps further into the future, the story widens into questions about humanity, artificial intelligence, and the fate of Earth. The contrast between small family moments and sweeping existential ideas is compelling.
• Vivid future worlds
Joseph Eckert’s writing brings each future era to life with imagination and detail. The different versions of Earth Scott encounters are fascinating and often haunting.
• A powerful sense of acceleration
The doubling mechanic is used brilliantly. Hearing the comparison between Scott’s days and the years he jumps forward makes the scale of his journey feel shocking and tragic.
Limitations
• Reduced emotional intimacy in the second half
Once Scott begins traveling thousands or millions of years ahead, the story becomes more abstract. The personal stakes feel less immediate.
• Slower pacing in later sections
The early chapters are tense and gripping, while some of the far future exploration feels repetitive or overly extended.
• A divisive ending
I found the conclusion satisfying and emotionally fitting. Though I have seen other reviews that said it felt rushed or less impactful than the buildup promised.
• Heavy philosophical themes
The story was less action driven sci fi and had a reflective tone that was a bit heavier than anticipated.
Narration
Ray Porter delivers a strong solo performance. His voice is expressive, engaging, and easy to follow. He brings energy to each scene and gives distinct voices to the characters without ever sounding exaggerated. Even as someone who does not usually prefer solo narration, I found his performance compelling and enjoyable.
Final Opinion
The Traveler is a deeply emotional and imaginative story that blends intimate family drama with sweeping speculative ideas. Its greatest strength lies in the relationship between Scott and Lyle, which grounds the entire narrative in something painfully human. The time travel mechanic is fresh, frightening, and beautifully executed, and the audiobook’s emotional impact is undeniable.
The second half shifts into more abstract territory, and the pacing may not work for every listener, but the journey remains powerful. This is a story that lingers. It asks what it means to lose time, what it means to love someone you may not get to keep, and what remains of a person when the world moves on without them.
Overall, it is a moving, thought provoking, and memorable listen that rewards anyone who enjoys emotional science fiction with heart.
Quotes
“I wasn’t a messiah or some kind of prophet. I was a middle-class computer programmer from the mid-west. Three weeks ago, I was finding bugs in computer code that would look like cave paintings to the people of this time. I was a nobody; I couldn’t even pretend to be a messiah.”
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December 7, 2025
The premise of this novel immediately drew me in. Scott Treder—an ordinary man, on an ordinary day—suddenly feels the world slip while driving his car and lands on the road, without a car (it kept going without him and hit another parked car), bruised, and with missed phone calls from annoyed boss and alarmed wife. What was a blink of an eye for Scott, was 24 hours for the world. The next day, at the exact same time, Scott disappears again: for 48 hours. Each day, the time doubles: meaning gaps will soon be years. Scott, a narrator who truly embodies an "everyman" archetype, is scared and confused by this. What others (i.e. scientists he asks for help) see as an exciting possibility of time travel, is for him a personal tragedy.
The novel never loses its quick pace and tragic undertone. The reader is equally disoriented as Scott by the rapidly changing timeline, which is a good thing since the pacing works very well and it's hard to stop reading the novel—I finished it in just a few days! Scott's story, however, continues to be tragic and possibilities of redemption or hope are implied but unconvincing. At some point, I felt so bad for the guy that the reading stopped being "fun" anymore. Ultimately, the ending left me feeling a little empty and the best part of the novel was its beginning when Scott was navigating the changing relationship with his family—his personal stakes (family) simply felt more engaging and important than the broader stakes for the world.
The best part of the novel: the caleidoscope of vividly visual landscapes and author's imagination when describing the future (but I can't spoil too much here!)
The most promising part of the novel: Scott's relationship with his son Lyle; but I feel this could have been deepened. There were some profound narrative moments and Scott's thoughts about this, but there were also times when I did not feel that he had many feelings about it (or maybe that was intentional and he was so tired that he dissociated from the unreality of their situation?)
The worst part of the novel: secondary characters who were not Lyle :( Unfortunately, the novel felt very lonely and particularly female characters felt very flat. I understand that Scott's wife is angry and scared and it is well-explained why (both through the events of the novel and her own backstory) but it never feels like she has any personality or history beyond reacting to Scott's tragedy; despite being the love of his life and the most important person in his life. If you've seen movies where the wife is just a memory of a woman on a beach (rather than a person), you know what I mean :) Also, Scott keeps having memories about his friends but we never learn much about them beyond them being important for him: I kept hoping for a narrative resolution or their importance, especially that one of these friends was literally just a name and we found nothing about her.
After reading, I realized the author also wrote a screenplay based on this and it makes a lot of sense: the novel is very visual and presumaly these characters would shine on a movie screen. Unfortunately, they do not shine on the page.
Still, it was a very good read, especially for the fans of science fiction; Some ethical dilemmas that Scott faces are also interesting, as are the questions about the fate of the universe!
Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of The Traveler in exchange for my honest review!
The novel never loses its quick pace and tragic undertone. The reader is equally disoriented as Scott by the rapidly changing timeline, which is a good thing since the pacing works very well and it's hard to stop reading the novel—I finished it in just a few days! Scott's story, however, continues to be tragic and possibilities of redemption or hope are implied but unconvincing. At some point, I felt so bad for the guy that the reading stopped being "fun" anymore. Ultimately, the ending left me feeling a little empty and the best part of the novel was its beginning when Scott was navigating the changing relationship with his family—his personal stakes (family) simply felt more engaging and important than the broader stakes for the world.
The best part of the novel: the caleidoscope of vividly visual landscapes and author's imagination when describing the future (but I can't spoil too much here!)
The most promising part of the novel: Scott's relationship with his son Lyle; but I feel this could have been deepened. There were some profound narrative moments and Scott's thoughts about this, but there were also times when I did not feel that he had many feelings about it (or maybe that was intentional and he was so tired that he dissociated from the unreality of their situation?)
The worst part of the novel: secondary characters who were not Lyle :( Unfortunately, the novel felt very lonely and particularly female characters felt very flat. I understand that Scott's wife is angry and scared and it is well-explained why (both through the events of the novel and her own backstory) but it never feels like she has any personality or history beyond reacting to Scott's tragedy; despite being the love of his life and the most important person in his life. If you've seen movies where the wife is just a memory of a woman on a beach (rather than a person), you know what I mean :) Also, Scott keeps having memories about his friends but we never learn much about them beyond them being important for him: I kept hoping for a narrative resolution or their importance, especially that one of these friends was literally just a name and we found nothing about her.
After reading, I realized the author also wrote a screenplay based on this and it makes a lot of sense: the novel is very visual and presumaly these characters would shine on a movie screen. Unfortunately, they do not shine on the page.
Still, it was a very good read, especially for the fans of science fiction; Some ethical dilemmas that Scott faces are also interesting, as are the questions about the fate of the universe!
Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of The Traveler in exchange for my honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Read Completed 5/15/26 | 4.25 - 4.5 stars | Book #106 of 2026
(May round this up later)
This was such a unique and interesting read. I will always try a time travel story, and I'm always impressed with an author can present me with something new in the way of how the time travel works and what the character does with it.
I've been in a HUGE reading slump, so I was happy that I immediately connected with this book. Right off the bat, it was interesting, wasting no time in sending Scott ahead in time and having the reader wonder why and how. The beginning of the book spends a good amount of time also establishing who he was as a character, his family, his relationships, and the decisions that he makes.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. The writing style + subject matter + audiobook narrator (Ray Porter) gave it a DARK MATTER meets Dark (Netflix) meets Andy Weir feel, and those are all things I really enjoy. Ray Porter, of course, does a fantastic job with the audio and that always helps me get even more into the read.
Part of the time travel aspect (no spoilers, this is something that happens early on in the book, but look away if you want to be 100% going in blind) is that Scott begins to skip forward ahead in time exponentially. He skips forward at the same time every day, but each day it's for a longer period of time. First one day, then 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, etc. Part of the intrigue of the book is not only wondering why this happens, and how this happens, but HOW LONG will this go on? How long will Scott keep moving through time? If it's doubling each time, how long can this last? When does it end? When does the reader stop seeing things? How long can he survive what the future holds?
MILD SPOILERS
The second half of the book really explores the future in all of its vast entirety, and I didn't expect it to be so sci-fi! I wasn't expecting this venture into invented future civilizations, but I really enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would too. I kept wondering where this would end and if there really was a point in time where Scott would get back. It was neat seeing the way the author imagined how the world could evolve, kill itself off, get killed off by outside forces, and what humanity becomes.
Honestly, I expected to be a little on the fence about the ending, just because I wasn't sure if there was any ending that I would like. Would I like it if he made it home? Would I like it if this was all fake? If he died? If he kept traveling into infinity? In the end, I think I was moderately satisfied, and it's honestly really hard for me to be fully satisfied with endings like these because I honestly don't even know what the options are. In a romance, you know you're getting a happily ever after. In a thriller, it ends with the main character winning against a baddie or everything falls wildly apart. With a book like this? Sometimes you just can't even imagine what the endings could be so it's difficult to wrap your head around any ending.
I appreciated that this was unique (for the things I've read). It was different and yet the tone really felt similar in a way that I was comfortable listening to the whole thing -- and it was longer than I expected too! I think this will be one that I remember the whole year and it will be one that I recommend.
(May round this up later)
This was such a unique and interesting read. I will always try a time travel story, and I'm always impressed with an author can present me with something new in the way of how the time travel works and what the character does with it.
I've been in a HUGE reading slump, so I was happy that I immediately connected with this book. Right off the bat, it was interesting, wasting no time in sending Scott ahead in time and having the reader wonder why and how. The beginning of the book spends a good amount of time also establishing who he was as a character, his family, his relationships, and the decisions that he makes.
I also really enjoyed the vibe. The writing style + subject matter + audiobook narrator (Ray Porter) gave it a DARK MATTER meets Dark (Netflix) meets Andy Weir feel, and those are all things I really enjoy. Ray Porter, of course, does a fantastic job with the audio and that always helps me get even more into the read.
Part of the time travel aspect (no spoilers, this is something that happens early on in the book, but look away if you want to be 100% going in blind) is that Scott begins to skip forward ahead in time exponentially. He skips forward at the same time every day, but each day it's for a longer period of time. First one day, then 2, then 4, then 8, then 16, etc. Part of the intrigue of the book is not only wondering why this happens, and how this happens, but HOW LONG will this go on? How long will Scott keep moving through time? If it's doubling each time, how long can this last? When does it end? When does the reader stop seeing things? How long can he survive what the future holds?
MILD SPOILERS
The second half of the book really explores the future in all of its vast entirety, and I didn't expect it to be so sci-fi! I wasn't expecting this venture into invented future civilizations, but I really enjoyed that a lot more than I thought I would too. I kept wondering where this would end and if there really was a point in time where Scott would get back. It was neat seeing the way the author imagined how the world could evolve, kill itself off, get killed off by outside forces, and what humanity becomes.
Honestly, I expected to be a little on the fence about the ending, just because I wasn't sure if there was any ending that I would like. Would I like it if he made it home? Would I like it if this was all fake? If he died? If he kept traveling into infinity? In the end, I think I was moderately satisfied, and it's honestly really hard for me to be fully satisfied with endings like these because I honestly don't even know what the options are. In a romance, you know you're getting a happily ever after. In a thriller, it ends with the main character winning against a baddie or everything falls wildly apart. With a book like this? Sometimes you just can't even imagine what the endings could be so it's difficult to wrap your head around any ending.
I appreciated that this was unique (for the things I've read). It was different and yet the tone really felt similar in a way that I was comfortable listening to the whole thing -- and it was longer than I expected too! I think this will be one that I remember the whole year and it will be one that I recommend.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
My thanks NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this new work of speculative fiction that deals with a fundamental trope, that of time travel, told in a way that shows the pain, the fear, the uncertainty of the unknown future, and what it means for those left behind, not knowing what is happening to the person they love.
I work with a few people who have no sense of time. As the saying goes they will probably be late for their own funeral. Daylight savings time always mess them up pretty badly. No matter how much warning they get, they are either early or late to work the next day. I can see how this can mess someone up for a whole day. One hour lost, or even an hour gained, that can askew everything. Lunch, opening a store, meeting employees, picking up kids. Imagine skipping a few hours. A few days, a few years, a few eons. Moving into the future, alone, and afraid of being forgotten in the past. Something face by the character in this really impressive novel. The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is a story about the present, about family, about being remembered, and of never forgetting, not matter how much time passes, for love like time never runs out.
Scott Treder is driving to work, the same way and the same time he has been doing, when suddenly his car is gone, and he finds himself rolling in the street, in traffic, with no idea how things changed. Not only is his car gone, but his phone has blown up with questions about where he is. For an entire day has passed. The next day, same time Scott moves forward two days in time. This continues to happen with the time doubling and doubling as it goes. Soon he is missing months and years. His wife has no idea what to do, or how to handle this new reality. Lyle, Scott's son, is seven when this starts, soon Lyle is older than Scott. Scott moves forward seeing the future of man in ways that are both good and bad. As Scott moves, Lyle a genius in his own way tries to figure out what is happening to Scott, and why spending his life on bringing his father home, no matter how much Scott would rather Lyle just move on.
This is a really wonderful book, a book that asks big questions while telling a science fiction adventure that seems so familiar, and yet is very unique. Eckert has a real sense of narrative, making the ideas seem plausible, and creating characters that readers really care for, and want to not only know more about, root for even when all seems lost. There is a lot going on, and I am trying not to spoil anything. Again the characters are really good Scott and Lyle especially. One can sense the bond between them, and really gives the book a lot of heart. The science is really well-told makes sense. The futures are really interesting, and also fit what is going on here. Some are bleak, some have hope, and really add to the tale.
A book that was far more than I expected. I just thought it was going to be like a Michael Crichton kind of story, a straight ahead thriller, but the book is far more. Again no spoilers. One of the more thoughtful and emotional science fiction stories I have read in quite a long time.
I work with a few people who have no sense of time. As the saying goes they will probably be late for their own funeral. Daylight savings time always mess them up pretty badly. No matter how much warning they get, they are either early or late to work the next day. I can see how this can mess someone up for a whole day. One hour lost, or even an hour gained, that can askew everything. Lunch, opening a store, meeting employees, picking up kids. Imagine skipping a few hours. A few days, a few years, a few eons. Moving into the future, alone, and afraid of being forgotten in the past. Something face by the character in this really impressive novel. The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is a story about the present, about family, about being remembered, and of never forgetting, not matter how much time passes, for love like time never runs out.
Scott Treder is driving to work, the same way and the same time he has been doing, when suddenly his car is gone, and he finds himself rolling in the street, in traffic, with no idea how things changed. Not only is his car gone, but his phone has blown up with questions about where he is. For an entire day has passed. The next day, same time Scott moves forward two days in time. This continues to happen with the time doubling and doubling as it goes. Soon he is missing months and years. His wife has no idea what to do, or how to handle this new reality. Lyle, Scott's son, is seven when this starts, soon Lyle is older than Scott. Scott moves forward seeing the future of man in ways that are both good and bad. As Scott moves, Lyle a genius in his own way tries to figure out what is happening to Scott, and why spending his life on bringing his father home, no matter how much Scott would rather Lyle just move on.
This is a really wonderful book, a book that asks big questions while telling a science fiction adventure that seems so familiar, and yet is very unique. Eckert has a real sense of narrative, making the ideas seem plausible, and creating characters that readers really care for, and want to not only know more about, root for even when all seems lost. There is a lot going on, and I am trying not to spoil anything. Again the characters are really good Scott and Lyle especially. One can sense the bond between them, and really gives the book a lot of heart. The science is really well-told makes sense. The futures are really interesting, and also fit what is going on here. Some are bleak, some have hope, and really add to the tale.
A book that was far more than I expected. I just thought it was going to be like a Michael Crichton kind of story, a straight ahead thriller, but the book is far more. Again no spoilers. One of the more thoughtful and emotional science fiction stories I have read in quite a long time.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This was an extremely bleak and ultimately frustrating read.
I love the idea of time travel, love exploring it's possibilities and implications, but I just couldn't grasp a greater meaning here. I felt like I was being dragged hopelessly through time to no end.
Book description:
One minute Scott is driving himself to work and the next minute he's outside of his car thrown to the side of the road. He can't understand what happened let alone how to explain it to his wife Amy but he realizes right away that he's lost an entire day's time. The next day it happens at the exact same time, at 7:52 am he's thrown into the future, at the exact location he is currently standing in, this time losing double the amount of time. And so each day goes, doubling in on itself each time and as Scott is being propelled into a future unknown, it comes at the greatest cost- losing each day of his present.
Review:
I was very much invested in the beginning, very much intrigued and curious to know the direction the novel would take. The question of how this was happening didn't matter so much to me as the why. Why Scott, why now, and what was the ultimate purpose of having the reader watch him lose everything?
Reading how his wife Amy had to navigate her husband's disappearance was heartbreaking. Reading how Scott was forced to miss all the moments of his son's life was devastating. I as the reader, could handle the losses insofar as there was a reason behind it all, a driving force, an ends to these terrible means. I waited and I waited and I waited.
And then suddenly the story turned into something else entirely. A nonsensical journey through projected futures where nothing necessarily happens. There is no more family no more known world. The time traveling doubling in on itself with each trip means it quickly and all at once becomes a lonely journey of nothingness. His son Lyle dedicates his entire life to helping his father, except it's to no avail other than to sustain Scott's time hop unendingly. BUT WHY?? But why but why but why.
I will spare you hours of your time and unnecessary headaches from the brain bending litany that was this novel.
Why- For no reason other than to ensure an existence after the end of existence.🤯
Why him in particular? No reason.
Why did he have to sacrifice his family and getting to live his life? No discernible reason.
Where did the journey take him? On a one way road to the end of time
He didn't get to live his life at present, he lost days and months and years of time being propelled forward and he didn't even get to live out those future days. All this time traveling to end up surpassing all life forms, only to get to the end of a life not lived. I just can't handle the purposelessness of it all.
The only redeeming factor was getting to read the unconditional love of his son but even that was bittersweet, such a double edged sword and for what???? Nothing.
Frustrating because the story had potential to be something, but in the end it just was what it was.
I love the idea of time travel, love exploring it's possibilities and implications, but I just couldn't grasp a greater meaning here. I felt like I was being dragged hopelessly through time to no end.
Book description:
One minute Scott is driving himself to work and the next minute he's outside of his car thrown to the side of the road. He can't understand what happened let alone how to explain it to his wife Amy but he realizes right away that he's lost an entire day's time. The next day it happens at the exact same time, at 7:52 am he's thrown into the future, at the exact location he is currently standing in, this time losing double the amount of time. And so each day goes, doubling in on itself each time and as Scott is being propelled into a future unknown, it comes at the greatest cost- losing each day of his present.
Review:
I was very much invested in the beginning, very much intrigued and curious to know the direction the novel would take. The question of how this was happening didn't matter so much to me as the why. Why Scott, why now, and what was the ultimate purpose of having the reader watch him lose everything?
Reading how his wife Amy had to navigate her husband's disappearance was heartbreaking. Reading how Scott was forced to miss all the moments of his son's life was devastating. I as the reader, could handle the losses insofar as there was a reason behind it all, a driving force, an ends to these terrible means. I waited and I waited and I waited.
And then suddenly the story turned into something else entirely. A nonsensical journey through projected futures where nothing necessarily happens. There is no more family no more known world. The time traveling doubling in on itself with each trip means it quickly and all at once becomes a lonely journey of nothingness. His son Lyle dedicates his entire life to helping his father, except it's to no avail other than to sustain Scott's time hop unendingly. BUT WHY?? But why but why but why.
I will spare you hours of your time and unnecessary headaches from the brain bending litany that was this novel.
Why- For no reason other than to ensure an existence after the end of existence.🤯
Why him in particular? No reason.
Why did he have to sacrifice his family and getting to live his life? No discernible reason.
Where did the journey take him? On a one way road to the end of time
He didn't get to live his life at present, he lost days and months and years of time being propelled forward and he didn't even get to live out those future days. All this time traveling to end up surpassing all life forms, only to get to the end of a life not lived. I just can't handle the purposelessness of it all.
The only redeeming factor was getting to read the unconditional love of his son but even that was bittersweet, such a double edged sword and for what???? Nothing.
Frustrating because the story had potential to be something, but in the end it just was what it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
On 13th April at 752am something very unusual happens to Scott Treder. While driving to work the world slips around him. His car suddenly disappears and he finds himself rolling across the hard surface of the road. Scott is confused about what just happened to him - even more so when he realises twenty-four hours have passed in an instant. Scott cannot account for any of them, and has no way to explain where he has been to his concerned family. The next morning, at exactly7.52am, Scott jumps forward again. This time for two whole days.
Much to Scott's dismay, the pattern continues at 7.52am every day, with the time he is away doubling each episode. Weeks, months and years pass in a matter of days for Scott, while the world changes around him, and a gulf opens up between him and his loved ones. There seems no way to stop this process, but as his clever son Lyle's life passes in Scott's absence Lyle comes up with a plan...
This ambitious debut has an absolutely fascinating premise, following Scott Treder as he leaps forward in ever increasing spans of time. It is difficult to talk about the story in too much detail without giving away spoilers, but as Eckert weaves an epic voyage for his character the novel takes on different forms, evolving from contemporary time-travel thriller, into near future dystopia, and then way beyond into speculative sci-fi mind-blower.
Eckert explores a lot of intriguing themes as the story progresses, mostly around the propensity for humanity to destroy itself over and over again, which means there is a good deal of rising and falling of civilisations as Scott travels in time. However, this is not a novel that is devoid of finer feelings, particularly when it comes to fathers and sons, as the relationship between Scott and Lyle provides an emotional back-bone to the story that is intensely moving.
I very much enjoyed the way Eckert touches on oodles of lovely classic sci-fi standards, and conjures an irony-rich dual role for Treder as both potential messiah and anti-Christ as mysticism runs riot during his lengthy absences. He asks a wealth of philosophical questions about Scott's purpose too, which tie-up in a surprising conclusion.
This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. Although The Traveler's destination point proved to be a little meta-physical for my time-travel tastes, the journey there kept me trans-fixed. Eckert's writing style is both engaging and entertaining, and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.
Much to Scott's dismay, the pattern continues at 7.52am every day, with the time he is away doubling each episode. Weeks, months and years pass in a matter of days for Scott, while the world changes around him, and a gulf opens up between him and his loved ones. There seems no way to stop this process, but as his clever son Lyle's life passes in Scott's absence Lyle comes up with a plan...
This ambitious debut has an absolutely fascinating premise, following Scott Treder as he leaps forward in ever increasing spans of time. It is difficult to talk about the story in too much detail without giving away spoilers, but as Eckert weaves an epic voyage for his character the novel takes on different forms, evolving from contemporary time-travel thriller, into near future dystopia, and then way beyond into speculative sci-fi mind-blower.
Eckert explores a lot of intriguing themes as the story progresses, mostly around the propensity for humanity to destroy itself over and over again, which means there is a good deal of rising and falling of civilisations as Scott travels in time. However, this is not a novel that is devoid of finer feelings, particularly when it comes to fathers and sons, as the relationship between Scott and Lyle provides an emotional back-bone to the story that is intensely moving.
I very much enjoyed the way Eckert touches on oodles of lovely classic sci-fi standards, and conjures an irony-rich dual role for Treder as both potential messiah and anti-Christ as mysticism runs riot during his lengthy absences. He asks a wealth of philosophical questions about Scott's purpose too, which tie-up in a surprising conclusion.
This is one of those books that you simply cannot put down. Although The Traveler's destination point proved to be a little meta-physical for my time-travel tastes, the journey there kept me trans-fixed. Eckert's writing style is both engaging and entertaining, and I cannot wait to see what he comes up with next.
November 24, 2025
Many thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing me with an eARC of The Traveler in exchange for my honest review!
This does quite an excellent job at invigorating the part of my heart that adores time-travel. Damn, even when I'm only at the 19% mark in the plot, it's already reaching a heart-wrenching and daunting point that makes me go, "Holy shit, if we're progressing this far within the first act, then what will unfold along the rest of the path?" The novel responds by committing itself to the weighty depths of its premise and stretching things out all the way to an incredibly existential ending. Sure, the thematic material that this covers through its lens of speculative fiction isn't anything too revolutionary, but it remains a thought-provoking aspect that anchors the story in a foundation of grounded humanity. The meaning of life, what this represents in a constantly evolving world, and how we use religion to make sense of things we can't fully comprehend lands in a touching fashion with the help of Scott and Lyle's heartfelt dynamic. This element fuels the tale forward through the increasing amount of isolation that Scott has to wrestle with over the course of his journey. There's such a psychological and emotional burden that comes with unwillingly navigating a journey like his, and it's all conveyed to me in a manner that expands to the unimaginably distant corners of the universe.
Admittedly, I do wonder if the very ending could have been wrapped up a bit more satisfyingly, because it's the sort of thing that leaves me going, "Oh... so this is why Scott has been putting up with all of these time-travel shenanigans?" Not that it's an outright bad ending and it ruins the book, to be clear, but I'm not sure it hits me with the fulfilling punch that I'm looking for. I don't know, maybe I'll click better with it after some more thinking. Overall, I'm officially rating The Traveler 4.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 4 stars. Considering how much this has riveted me, I'm most certainly anticipating more of Joseph Eckert's writing.
This does quite an excellent job at invigorating the part of my heart that adores time-travel. Damn, even when I'm only at the 19% mark in the plot, it's already reaching a heart-wrenching and daunting point that makes me go, "Holy shit, if we're progressing this far within the first act, then what will unfold along the rest of the path?" The novel responds by committing itself to the weighty depths of its premise and stretching things out all the way to an incredibly existential ending. Sure, the thematic material that this covers through its lens of speculative fiction isn't anything too revolutionary, but it remains a thought-provoking aspect that anchors the story in a foundation of grounded humanity. The meaning of life, what this represents in a constantly evolving world, and how we use religion to make sense of things we can't fully comprehend lands in a touching fashion with the help of Scott and Lyle's heartfelt dynamic. This element fuels the tale forward through the increasing amount of isolation that Scott has to wrestle with over the course of his journey. There's such a psychological and emotional burden that comes with unwillingly navigating a journey like his, and it's all conveyed to me in a manner that expands to the unimaginably distant corners of the universe.
Admittedly, I do wonder if the very ending could have been wrapped up a bit more satisfyingly, because it's the sort of thing that leaves me going, "Oh... so this is why Scott has been putting up with all of these time-travel shenanigans?" Not that it's an outright bad ending and it ruins the book, to be clear, but I'm not sure it hits me with the fulfilling punch that I'm looking for. I don't know, maybe I'll click better with it after some more thinking. Overall, I'm officially rating The Traveler 4.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 4 stars. Considering how much this has riveted me, I'm most certainly anticipating more of Joseph Eckert's writing.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The Traveler is easily my favourite book I’ve read this year so far. From the first few chapters, it pulled me in emotionally in a way that very few science-fiction stories do. The novel follows Scott Treder, a man who suddenly begins jumping forward in time every morning, doubling the time passed with each jump. What starts as losing a single day quickly turns into losing years, and eventually decades. Scott is forced to watch his life unfold in fragments, unable to control how quickly time is pulling him away from everything he loves.
At its heart, this isn’t just a story about time travel. It’s a story about a father and his son and those fleeting moments that pass. As Scott keeps leaping further into the future, his son Lyle grows up normally, and their relationship becomes something incredibly powerful. It is a bond stretched across years, built through moments that are rare but deeply meaningful. Watching a father and son try to stay connected while time itself is tearing them apart is what makes this book so emotional.
The story reminded me a lot of Interstellar. Like that film, it mixes huge, almost cosmic ideas about time and the future of humanity with a deeply personal family story. It makes you think about the bigger picture. It makes you think about time, legacy, and what really matters in life but it never loses the human emotion at the centre of it.
This book is full of emotion, huge stakes, and that sense of the bigger picture that great science fiction can create. By the end, it left me thinking about time, family, and the moments we often take for granted. The Traveler isn’t just a clever sci-fi idea, it’s a genuinely moving story about love, sacrifice, and the connection between a father and his son. Something that I can only hope to achieve.
For me, it’s the most powerful and memorable book I’ve read this year, and one I won’t forget anytime soon
At its heart, this isn’t just a story about time travel. It’s a story about a father and his son and those fleeting moments that pass. As Scott keeps leaping further into the future, his son Lyle grows up normally, and their relationship becomes something incredibly powerful. It is a bond stretched across years, built through moments that are rare but deeply meaningful. Watching a father and son try to stay connected while time itself is tearing them apart is what makes this book so emotional.
The story reminded me a lot of Interstellar. Like that film, it mixes huge, almost cosmic ideas about time and the future of humanity with a deeply personal family story. It makes you think about the bigger picture. It makes you think about time, legacy, and what really matters in life but it never loses the human emotion at the centre of it.
This book is full of emotion, huge stakes, and that sense of the bigger picture that great science fiction can create. By the end, it left me thinking about time, family, and the moments we often take for granted. The Traveler isn’t just a clever sci-fi idea, it’s a genuinely moving story about love, sacrifice, and the connection between a father and his son. Something that I can only hope to achieve.
For me, it’s the most powerful and memorable book I’ve read this year, and one I won’t forget anytime soon
May 6, 2026
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the eARC for review.
The only thing I knew about this book going in was that it was about time travel, one of my favorite tropes. Scott Treder is driving to work one day when his car disappears out from under him and he rolls to the curb. When he goes home he discovers that one whole day has passed from the time he was ejected from the car. Scott doesn't know what happened and neither does anyone else - everyone thinks he just chose to play hooky for a day. But then the next day at the same time he disappears again. And reappears. This time two days have passed. Scott soon figures out that every time he jumps time it doubles. The slow realization that he will lose weeks, then months, then years of his life and his seven-year-old son Lyle's life, makes him panic. He desperately wants to find a way to stop it and goes to great lengths to try to find a solution.
The Traveler is framed as a father/son journey through time, and the description is not wrong. But what actually happens is much different than what I thought would happen. Lyle grows up and spends his life finding a solution to stop the time jumps, much to Scott's dismay, who wants Lyle to simply live his life and forget about him. But Lyle can't.
This book jumps hundreds and thousands of years into the future and Scott is witness to all of humanity's wars and innovations - the destruction of and reinvention of society. I thought it was interesting to see what Eckert's vision of the future of Earth is, and I liked following Scott's character as everything changes around him yet he stays the same.
What surprised me about the book was that Eckert gets deep near the end, philosophizing about what or who is responsible for pulling Scott through time. I won't give anything away but it was not what I thought, which I truly enjoyed.
Great characters, interesting plot that made you think at the end.
4 stars
The only thing I knew about this book going in was that it was about time travel, one of my favorite tropes. Scott Treder is driving to work one day when his car disappears out from under him and he rolls to the curb. When he goes home he discovers that one whole day has passed from the time he was ejected from the car. Scott doesn't know what happened and neither does anyone else - everyone thinks he just chose to play hooky for a day. But then the next day at the same time he disappears again. And reappears. This time two days have passed. Scott soon figures out that every time he jumps time it doubles. The slow realization that he will lose weeks, then months, then years of his life and his seven-year-old son Lyle's life, makes him panic. He desperately wants to find a way to stop it and goes to great lengths to try to find a solution.
The Traveler is framed as a father/son journey through time, and the description is not wrong. But what actually happens is much different than what I thought would happen. Lyle grows up and spends his life finding a solution to stop the time jumps, much to Scott's dismay, who wants Lyle to simply live his life and forget about him. But Lyle can't.
This book jumps hundreds and thousands of years into the future and Scott is witness to all of humanity's wars and innovations - the destruction of and reinvention of society. I thought it was interesting to see what Eckert's vision of the future of Earth is, and I liked following Scott's character as everything changes around him yet he stays the same.
What surprised me about the book was that Eckert gets deep near the end, philosophizing about what or who is responsible for pulling Scott through time. I won't give anything away but it was not what I thought, which I truly enjoyed.
Great characters, interesting plot that made you think at the end.
4 stars
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE, EPIC SAGA! This book should be in the running for best Sci-fi 2026
One Monday morning, Scott Treder finds himself driving to work when BAM! He's inexplicably displaced from his car, still moving at the speed he was driving in the exact same place! Even though Scott is injured from the accident that ensues, he's able to check his phone, finding a slew of messages, shortly realizing he has missed an entire day of life. How in the world? His family doesn't believe his story, he's in trouble with work, but before he can even catch his breath, the phenomenon happens again, the next morning at the exact same time. This time he returns to earth TWO DAYS later! What follows is the incredible adventure of The Traveller and his relationship with Lyle Treder, his brilliant son, as his time jumps double every single time, with only 24 hours to discover what's new and how he needs to prepare for the next jump. Can a man be a father if he has intention but can't follow-through? Is this kind of time-traveling better or worse than death? What is the point of it all? Why him? All of these questions arise and some are answered though this unenviable tale of Scott Treder.
While this story did not end the way I hoped, I enjoyed the philosophical conversation and appreciate that the author had a different goal in mind than pleasing me ;) It makes me want to lie in bed and talk too late into the night with my husband.
Troupes: The chosen one, AI technology, human enhancement, humanoid AI, civilian war, space and travel,
Spice: 1/5 🌶️
Gore: 1/5 🩸
Language: 2/5 👀
Triggers: death, powerlessness, assault and battery, total destruction
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC!
One Monday morning, Scott Treder finds himself driving to work when BAM! He's inexplicably displaced from his car, still moving at the speed he was driving in the exact same place! Even though Scott is injured from the accident that ensues, he's able to check his phone, finding a slew of messages, shortly realizing he has missed an entire day of life. How in the world? His family doesn't believe his story, he's in trouble with work, but before he can even catch his breath, the phenomenon happens again, the next morning at the exact same time. This time he returns to earth TWO DAYS later! What follows is the incredible adventure of The Traveller and his relationship with Lyle Treder, his brilliant son, as his time jumps double every single time, with only 24 hours to discover what's new and how he needs to prepare for the next jump. Can a man be a father if he has intention but can't follow-through? Is this kind of time-traveling better or worse than death? What is the point of it all? Why him? All of these questions arise and some are answered though this unenviable tale of Scott Treder.
While this story did not end the way I hoped, I enjoyed the philosophical conversation and appreciate that the author had a different goal in mind than pleasing me ;) It makes me want to lie in bed and talk too late into the night with my husband.
Troupes: The chosen one, AI technology, human enhancement, humanoid AI, civilian war, space and travel,
Spice: 1/5 🌶️
Gore: 1/5 🩸
Language: 2/5 👀
Triggers: death, powerlessness, assault and battery, total destruction
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Please note: reading this review may spoil the book for you.
The first third or so of The Traveler was good. A man suddenly starts jumping to the future every day at the same time. First, he jumps one day. Then two. Then four. Then eight. He ages one day at a time, while his wife and child grow old, then older, then die. His wife can’t take the strain and leaves him. His child devotes his life to saving his father. Scott is helpless – although scientists study him, no one can figure out why the jumps are happening or stop them.
Then, we are treated to the author’s very dim view of the future on Earth. Most of the jumps – increasingly longer in time – are to horrible futures. A month has passed for Scott and he is millions of years into the future. (Annoyed note: An artificial intelligence with him can’t calculate the exact year – why not, exactly?) Scott had two good childhood friends he continually thinks about but who ultimately play the role of a Chekhov’s gun that is never taken down from the wall. Scott himself isn’t interesting, his son isn’t interesting, the increasing fascination with AI isn’t interesting.
The last 60 pages especially are an exercise in boredom. Nothing remarkable happens, and the jumps come quickly. The Traveler didn’t make me think about the existence of time, or what will happen on Earth millions of years in the future, or the nature of love, or whether or not there is a God. The beginning was intriguing, but The Traveler ultimately thudded to its conclusion.
Your reading experience may differ.
I read an advance reader copy of The Traveler from Netgalley.
The first third or so of The Traveler was good. A man suddenly starts jumping to the future every day at the same time. First, he jumps one day. Then two. Then four. Then eight. He ages one day at a time, while his wife and child grow old, then older, then die. His wife can’t take the strain and leaves him. His child devotes his life to saving his father. Scott is helpless – although scientists study him, no one can figure out why the jumps are happening or stop them.
Then, we are treated to the author’s very dim view of the future on Earth. Most of the jumps – increasingly longer in time – are to horrible futures. A month has passed for Scott and he is millions of years into the future. (Annoyed note: An artificial intelligence with him can’t calculate the exact year – why not, exactly?) Scott had two good childhood friends he continually thinks about but who ultimately play the role of a Chekhov’s gun that is never taken down from the wall. Scott himself isn’t interesting, his son isn’t interesting, the increasing fascination with AI isn’t interesting.
The last 60 pages especially are an exercise in boredom. Nothing remarkable happens, and the jumps come quickly. The Traveler didn’t make me think about the existence of time, or what will happen on Earth millions of years in the future, or the nature of love, or whether or not there is a God. The beginning was intriguing, but The Traveler ultimately thudded to its conclusion.
Your reading experience may differ.
I read an advance reader copy of The Traveler from Netgalley.
April 26, 2026
Review of ‘The Traveler’ by Joseph Eckert, due to be published on 11 June 2026 by Pan Macmillan, Tor Books.
Scott Treder is travelling to work on 13 April, just a normal day, until the clock hits 7:52am. He finds himself rolling on the road, his car gone and inexplicably it’s now 14 April and he has no recollection of what has happened or where the last 24 hours have gone.
The next day, at exactly 7:52am Scott slips again, this time for 48 hours. With no idea what’s happening to him, Scott, his wife Amy and son Lyle, realises that his slips are doubling each time, with the reality soon becoming clear that in a matter of days, Scott will be absent from them for years at a time. Lyle is just 7 years old when the slips start, with a curious and intelligent mind he promises his dad that he will work out what’s happening to him. Scott sees him age to be an old man, in a matter of days.
This was a story quite unlike anything I have ever read before. The time slips take you to new realities as the world changes through decades, centuries and millennia. Eckert takes us through war ravaged lands, machine wars, desolation, the death of civilisation and destruction of the Earth. He also tells us of beauty, creating a universe far beyond anything we could imagine. Underwritten is Scott’s struggle to understand why him, what’s the purpose of his time slips, can it be stopped and can he go back.
It was heartbreaking, crazy, poignant and imaginative. For me, it was also a love story between a father and son. It lingers long after the last page, ending a story that is wild, unpredictable and mind blowing.
Scott Treder is travelling to work on 13 April, just a normal day, until the clock hits 7:52am. He finds himself rolling on the road, his car gone and inexplicably it’s now 14 April and he has no recollection of what has happened or where the last 24 hours have gone.
The next day, at exactly 7:52am Scott slips again, this time for 48 hours. With no idea what’s happening to him, Scott, his wife Amy and son Lyle, realises that his slips are doubling each time, with the reality soon becoming clear that in a matter of days, Scott will be absent from them for years at a time. Lyle is just 7 years old when the slips start, with a curious and intelligent mind he promises his dad that he will work out what’s happening to him. Scott sees him age to be an old man, in a matter of days.
This was a story quite unlike anything I have ever read before. The time slips take you to new realities as the world changes through decades, centuries and millennia. Eckert takes us through war ravaged lands, machine wars, desolation, the death of civilisation and destruction of the Earth. He also tells us of beauty, creating a universe far beyond anything we could imagine. Underwritten is Scott’s struggle to understand why him, what’s the purpose of his time slips, can it be stopped and can he go back.
It was heartbreaking, crazy, poignant and imaginative. For me, it was also a love story between a father and son. It lingers long after the last page, ending a story that is wild, unpredictable and mind blowing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listening copy.
I should have known that with Ray Porter narrating, after how much I loved Project Hail Mary, this book was going to pull me in.
At first, I was honestly a little unsure. A story about a man suddenly skipping through time, losing pieces of his life and family, didn’t immediately sound like something that would fully hold my attention. But I was very, very wrong.
Scott feels like all of us in some way—loving our families deeply while getting caught in the constant push of providing, surviving, and trying to be enough, all while letting days slip through our fingers faster than we realize. His journey is emotional, thought-provoking, and at times heartbreaking. Lyle, his brilliant but socially awkward son, added so much heart to this story, and watching Scott’s love for him shape so much of what mattered was powerful.
This book jumps through time, through different versions of society, and even through larger questions about humanity and the universe itself. I thought that might lose me, but it never did. Even with Scott living life in fractured 24-hour segments, I stayed fully invested.
“It isn't fair and it isn't right but it isn't unfair and it isn't wrong. It just is.”
That line captures so much of this story’s emotional core acceptance, love, loss, and the relentless movement of time.
And maybe even more hauntingly: “Our ending, their beginning.”
This book was far more than I expected. It was emotional, intelligent, expansive, and deeply human. I absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend it.
I should have known that with Ray Porter narrating, after how much I loved Project Hail Mary, this book was going to pull me in.
At first, I was honestly a little unsure. A story about a man suddenly skipping through time, losing pieces of his life and family, didn’t immediately sound like something that would fully hold my attention. But I was very, very wrong.
Scott feels like all of us in some way—loving our families deeply while getting caught in the constant push of providing, surviving, and trying to be enough, all while letting days slip through our fingers faster than we realize. His journey is emotional, thought-provoking, and at times heartbreaking. Lyle, his brilliant but socially awkward son, added so much heart to this story, and watching Scott’s love for him shape so much of what mattered was powerful.
This book jumps through time, through different versions of society, and even through larger questions about humanity and the universe itself. I thought that might lose me, but it never did. Even with Scott living life in fractured 24-hour segments, I stayed fully invested.
“It isn't fair and it isn't right but it isn't unfair and it isn't wrong. It just is.”
That line captures so much of this story’s emotional core acceptance, love, loss, and the relentless movement of time.
And maybe even more hauntingly: “Our ending, their beginning.”
This book was far more than I expected. It was emotional, intelligent, expansive, and deeply human. I absolutely loved it, and I highly recommend it.
May 15, 2026
As soon as I read the premise for this book, I knew that I wanted to read it ASAP. Instead of your stereotypical time traveling where you go forth and end up wherever, this story has our main character blip out of existence and reappear exactly where he left from. If he happens to blip out while he is in say, a car, traveling at a speed greater than zero, when he instantaneously (to him) blips back in, he would be in that same position as if he was in a car, just without the car, further ahead in time. Bouncing, flailing, scraping across the road. The car from before his blip, carries on without him, eventually crashing into some parked cars. The thing that pulls you along through this story is the exponential time that disappears every time he makes a jump. The first time was 24 hours, the second, 48 hours, etc. The time jumps happening at the exact time every day, 7:51am.
The first half of the book was exciting, suspenseful and original. You had the anguish of his family trying to exist without him, questions of the unknown entity that was pulling him along the timeline and unexpected consequences of his time traveling. The author had some interesting visions of what some possible futures might entail and it was an engaging read. Then we got to the back half. It felt both rushed and at the same time, you wanted answers and just wanted to get to the point. Why did our MMC have to go through all this anguish? Why did he have to sacrifice his life? Was there a point to all of it? I was kind of let down at the end. There was this whole build up and at the end, ugh. It's still three stars, for the most part, it was a very good story and a stand alone. No cliffhanger. No sequels. I want to thank NetGalley and the author for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
The first half of the book was exciting, suspenseful and original. You had the anguish of his family trying to exist without him, questions of the unknown entity that was pulling him along the timeline and unexpected consequences of his time traveling. The author had some interesting visions of what some possible futures might entail and it was an engaging read. Then we got to the back half. It felt both rushed and at the same time, you wanted answers and just wanted to get to the point. Why did our MMC have to go through all this anguish? Why did he have to sacrifice his life? Was there a point to all of it? I was kind of let down at the end. There was this whole build up and at the end, ugh. It's still three stars, for the most part, it was a very good story and a stand alone. No cliffhanger. No sequels. I want to thank NetGalley and the author for this eARC. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Traveler is an absolutely outstanding piece of science fiction that left me in tatters and had me gripped from the very first page.
The premise of time travel is by no means new, but I've yet to experience anything that comes close to having such an emotional impact.
Scott Treder finds himself jumping forward in time at an exponential rate, reappearing in exactly the same spot he left from but further and further into the future. The terrifying consequences of this soon become real as Scott's remaining days with his wife and son begin to rapidly diminish.
The story unfolds at an engaging pace, and we get to experience a variety of times and places as Scott jumps each day. This could very easily have fallen into a repetitive pattern, but Eckert avoids that trap by focusing on key moments and the places Scott finds himself falling into.
The time travel aspect raises existential questions around the meaning of life, and I found the handling of Scott's role as both a father and a son to be utterly heart-breaking but also life-affirming. As a father myself, and having lost my own father, this book has affected me deeply, and that is what a truly great book should do. That being said, there is an incredible amount of hope and humanity at its core, and the ending felt very fitting.
This one will live with me for a long time, and it evokes that age-old questions of why we are here and what is our purpose.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan & Tor for the ARC.
The premise of time travel is by no means new, but I've yet to experience anything that comes close to having such an emotional impact.
Scott Treder finds himself jumping forward in time at an exponential rate, reappearing in exactly the same spot he left from but further and further into the future. The terrifying consequences of this soon become real as Scott's remaining days with his wife and son begin to rapidly diminish.
The story unfolds at an engaging pace, and we get to experience a variety of times and places as Scott jumps each day. This could very easily have fallen into a repetitive pattern, but Eckert avoids that trap by focusing on key moments and the places Scott finds himself falling into.
The time travel aspect raises existential questions around the meaning of life, and I found the handling of Scott's role as both a father and a son to be utterly heart-breaking but also life-affirming. As a father myself, and having lost my own father, this book has affected me deeply, and that is what a truly great book should do. That being said, there is an incredible amount of hope and humanity at its core, and the ending felt very fitting.
This one will live with me for a long time, and it evokes that age-old questions of why we are here and what is our purpose.
A huge thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan & Tor for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Wow, what a great book! The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is a time traveling, sci fi book that is different than any time traveling book I’ve ever read! From the first chapter, I was hooked. I stayed up way too late reading that first night because I had to see what happened next!
Scott Treder is on his way to work one morning, when he suddenly jumps forward in time 24 hours, leaving his car to crash without a driver, and himself to almost get hit by a car when he suddenly appears in the same spot, sans car, the very next morning. From then on, he disappears the next day, at the same time, but for double the length of time, so 48 hours, then 96 hours, etc, until he’s disappearing for decades, centuries, then millennia. Throughout this, his 7 year old son vows to figure out what’s going on with him, and spends his life trying to figure out a solution to his dad’s problem. But as time passes, Scott sees his wife and son get old and die, humans migrate to Mars, interplanetary wars, ice ages, comet destruction, and he keeps jumping forward in time, with no end in sight.
This book was so dang interesting and encompassing. And seeing what the author envisions happening to humanity and the earth in the future was so fascinating. Each time Scott jumped, something new was happening and it was scary and exhilarating at the same time to imagine it. On top of that, it makes you wonder, what exactly is our purpose here on earth? What a great sci-fi book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
Scott Treder is on his way to work one morning, when he suddenly jumps forward in time 24 hours, leaving his car to crash without a driver, and himself to almost get hit by a car when he suddenly appears in the same spot, sans car, the very next morning. From then on, he disappears the next day, at the same time, but for double the length of time, so 48 hours, then 96 hours, etc, until he’s disappearing for decades, centuries, then millennia. Throughout this, his 7 year old son vows to figure out what’s going on with him, and spends his life trying to figure out a solution to his dad’s problem. But as time passes, Scott sees his wife and son get old and die, humans migrate to Mars, interplanetary wars, ice ages, comet destruction, and he keeps jumping forward in time, with no end in sight.
This book was so dang interesting and encompassing. And seeing what the author envisions happening to humanity and the earth in the future was so fascinating. Each time Scott jumped, something new was happening and it was scary and exhilarating at the same time to imagine it. On top of that, it makes you wonder, what exactly is our purpose here on earth? What a great sci-fi book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for the advanced copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received an ARC of the audiobook from Netgalley.
I was hooked from the very beginning. Scott finds himself jumping through time, exponentially. It starts with how it affects him and his family on a small scale. Missing a few days, not being able to continue working so his wife Amy is basically solo parenting at this point.
I loved following the mystery as time goes by and no one can find a solution. It kept me wondering the whole time, up until the end.
When I read books about characters who live "forever" somehow, I often find it annoying when they remain in one spot the entire time when they have forever to see it all (thinking of v e schwab, for example) but this story had the perfect explanation for it. How can he see it all when he skips time only for 24 hours? I was exhausted for him.
Spoiler for the ending
Comment about the audiobook: it is narrated by the same man who narrated Project Hail Mary so I was imagining Ryland Grace the whole time. I enjoy the narrator's ability to immitate accents but he's so bad at female voices it's funny.
I was hooked from the very beginning. Scott finds himself jumping through time, exponentially. It starts with how it affects him and his family on a small scale. Missing a few days, not being able to continue working so his wife Amy is basically solo parenting at this point.
I loved following the mystery as time goes by and no one can find a solution. It kept me wondering the whole time, up until the end.
When I read books about characters who live "forever" somehow, I often find it annoying when they remain in one spot the entire time when they have forever to see it all (thinking of v e schwab, for example) but this story had the perfect explanation for it. How can he see it all when he skips time only for 24 hours? I was exhausted for him.
Spoiler for the ending
Comment about the audiobook: it is narrated by the same man who narrated Project Hail Mary so I was imagining Ryland Grace the whole time. I enjoy the narrator's ability to immitate accents but he's so bad at female voices it's funny.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Traveler follows Scott Treder, a man who begins involuntarily jumping forward through time at the same moment every day, with each jump doubling in length. As Scott is pulled farther into the future, his young son Lyle grows up without him and dedicates his life to understanding what happened and how to stop it. The novel blends intimate family loss with large-scale speculative ideas about time, humanity, and the fate of the world.
The first half of this book completely destroyed me. The portrayal of grief, absence, and a parent missing their child’s life was devastating, and I had to pace myself because I was crying so much. I was fully absorbed and couldn’t put it down.
As the jumps become more extreme, the structure could have felt repetitive, but the author’s vivid imagination kept me engaged. Each future world felt distinct, and I appreciated the underlying hope that Earth can survive humanity, as well as the exploration of sentient AI and its capacity for beauty and destruction.
Where the book lost me was the ending. I had fully bought into the emotional stakes and was expecting a more morally challenging conclusion that matched the weight of the story. The final chapter felt surprisingly safe after such a bold and emotionally honest journey. This was a five-star read for me right up until the end.
Despite that, it’s a powerful and memorable novel, and I don’t regret reading it. I just wish the ending had matched the ambition of everything that came before it.
The first half of this book completely destroyed me. The portrayal of grief, absence, and a parent missing their child’s life was devastating, and I had to pace myself because I was crying so much. I was fully absorbed and couldn’t put it down.
As the jumps become more extreme, the structure could have felt repetitive, but the author’s vivid imagination kept me engaged. Each future world felt distinct, and I appreciated the underlying hope that Earth can survive humanity, as well as the exploration of sentient AI and its capacity for beauty and destruction.
Where the book lost me was the ending. I had fully bought into the emotional stakes and was expecting a more morally challenging conclusion that matched the weight of the story. The final chapter felt surprisingly safe after such a bold and emotionally honest journey. This was a five-star read for me right up until the end.
Despite that, it’s a powerful and memorable novel, and I don’t regret reading it. I just wish the ending had matched the ambition of everything that came before it.
May 17, 2026
The best audiobook I’ve listened to this year!
I sat for a long moment after finishing my listen. Every time I tried to collect my thoughts, an overwhelming amount of emotions kept forcing me to stop. How do you describe the journey this book will take you on? I’m not sure that I can. Not without sounding melodramatic or cliche.
The Traveler fooled me in the beginning. A man jumping through time, I’ve heard this before many times. Yet, the intimacy and the interiority that Scott shares along his journey proves there is more to explore.
I’m not sure who I love more, Scott or Lyle. The relationship they share, the longing, the distance between parent and child, struck deep at my core. The adult in me felt the weight of every single jump. The child in me shattered with each leap in time.
I cried, I stared silently as the words echoed in my mind, and I felt out of place—much like Scott in each new landing—as I intruded on moments of deep love. If you are hesitant, I understand. The Traveler is worth every moment you will spend listening or reading it. Do not miss this book. It will linger in your thoughts long after the credits play. I’m already itching to listen again.
Thank you MacmillanAudio and NetGalley for reaching out and allowing me a first listen. #MacAudio2026
I sat for a long moment after finishing my listen. Every time I tried to collect my thoughts, an overwhelming amount of emotions kept forcing me to stop. How do you describe the journey this book will take you on? I’m not sure that I can. Not without sounding melodramatic or cliche.
The Traveler fooled me in the beginning. A man jumping through time, I’ve heard this before many times. Yet, the intimacy and the interiority that Scott shares along his journey proves there is more to explore.
I’m not sure who I love more, Scott or Lyle. The relationship they share, the longing, the distance between parent and child, struck deep at my core. The adult in me felt the weight of every single jump. The child in me shattered with each leap in time.
I cried, I stared silently as the words echoed in my mind, and I felt out of place—much like Scott in each new landing—as I intruded on moments of deep love. If you are hesitant, I understand. The Traveler is worth every moment you will spend listening or reading it. Do not miss this book. It will linger in your thoughts long after the credits play. I’m already itching to listen again.
Thank you MacmillanAudio and NetGalley for reaching out and allowing me a first listen. #MacAudio2026
April 22, 2026
Release date: June 9, 2026
Scott Trader’s whole life changes when he jumps forward through time 24 hours. He doesn’t know how, or why, or how to stop it. But at 7:52 am, he jumps forward in time, doubling the time he’s missing with each jump. Scott is missing time with his wife and is missing his son, Lyle (once seven years old), growing up. Scott does everything he can to try to stop time jumping, and eventually his son makes this his own lifelong work.
The first half of this book, I was very invested in what would happen to Scott, and what the next time he jumped into would look like. I couldn’t put it down. The Traveler reminded me a lot of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and I am a big fan of time-travel stories.
But by the middle of it I was confused.
What else could possibly happen?! And the pacing slowed down significantly as Scott navigated times so futuristic they were somewhat difficult to grasp.
The end of this story was not what I expected, but I loved the way this story focused on Scott and Lyle’s father-son relationship. Scott grieved his wife and his son’s childhood so greatly, I wanted Scott to find his way back as well.
Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this book!
Scott Trader’s whole life changes when he jumps forward through time 24 hours. He doesn’t know how, or why, or how to stop it. But at 7:52 am, he jumps forward in time, doubling the time he’s missing with each jump. Scott is missing time with his wife and is missing his son, Lyle (once seven years old), growing up. Scott does everything he can to try to stop time jumping, and eventually his son makes this his own lifelong work.
The first half of this book, I was very invested in what would happen to Scott, and what the next time he jumped into would look like. I couldn’t put it down. The Traveler reminded me a lot of Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and I am a big fan of time-travel stories.
But by the middle of it I was confused.
What else could possibly happen?! And the pacing slowed down significantly as Scott navigated times so futuristic they were somewhat difficult to grasp.
The end of this story was not what I expected, but I loved the way this story focused on Scott and Lyle’s father-son relationship. Scott grieved his wife and his son’s childhood so greatly, I wanted Scott to find his way back as well.
Thank you Tor and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this book!
January 11, 2026
The Traveler is a remarkable piece of storytelling—epic in scope and easily one of my favorite books in recent years. I can’t wait for readers to discover it (I’ll be handselling it the moment it’s out). At its heart, it’s about the bond between a father and his son, but it’s also a love story, a tragic romance, and ultimately the journey of a man trying to find his way home… only to go wildly and painfully off course.
Joseph Eckert has written a time-traveling epic that astonished me with its creativity in depicting “our world.” Every place Scott lands in feels like it could be the setting of a novel all its own. I found myself wanting more after each “slip,” because the author does such a phenomenal job making these places vivid, wild, and outlandish....yet entirely believable. Each "slip" raises thought-provoking questions about fate, choice, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for the people we love.
The Traveler made me laugh. It broke my heart. It lifted me up and tore me down again and again. It made me hope for the best and fear the worst. This isn’t just a story—it’s a quiet force that stays with you, echoing long after the last page.
Joseph Eckert has written a time-traveling epic that astonished me with its creativity in depicting “our world.” Every place Scott lands in feels like it could be the setting of a novel all its own. I found myself wanting more after each “slip,” because the author does such a phenomenal job making these places vivid, wild, and outlandish....yet entirely believable. Each "slip" raises thought-provoking questions about fate, choice, and what we’re willing to sacrifice for the people we love.
The Traveler made me laugh. It broke my heart. It lifted me up and tore me down again and again. It made me hope for the best and fear the worst. This isn’t just a story—it’s a quiet force that stays with you, echoing long after the last page.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3/31/26
RTC
(Gotta process some big feelings first) 🥲
4/1/26
*Spoiler alert on just in case*
You know you've got something special when a book makes you FEEL. Yes, time travel has been done before in varying degrees of success in literature. What stands apart is the utter lack of control Scott (MMC) has over his leaps forward in time. Every 24 hours he jumps forward in time, and ever jump doubles the distance forward. He goes from missing a day to missing years of his life in relatively short order.
The undertones of grief, loss, and helplessness I experienced while reading this book brought me to tears at points. The tragedy of being absent in the lives of the people he loves; robbed of time while being propelled further and into an unrecognizable future is heartbreaking.
As a reader, I kept hoping for things would work out for Scott, that he would get a resolution that was fair after all that he went through. Other reviewers have expressed disappointment at the ending, and I think it's a valid critique. It feels a bit rushed and lackluster given all that we got to see leading up to Omega. I'm hoping it grows on me.
I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
RTC
(Gotta process some big feelings first) 🥲
4/1/26
*Spoiler alert on just in case*
You know you've got something special when a book makes you FEEL. Yes, time travel has been done before in varying degrees of success in literature. What stands apart is the utter lack of control Scott (MMC) has over his leaps forward in time. Every 24 hours he jumps forward in time, and ever jump doubles the distance forward. He goes from missing a day to missing years of his life in relatively short order.
The undertones of grief, loss, and helplessness I experienced while reading this book brought me to tears at points. The tragedy of being absent in the lives of the people he loves; robbed of time while being propelled further and into an unrecognizable future is heartbreaking.
As a reader, I kept hoping for things would work out for Scott, that he would get a resolution that was fair after all that he went through. Other reviewers have expressed disappointment at the ending, and I think it's a valid critique. It feels a bit rushed and lackluster given all that we got to see leading up to Omega. I'm hoping it grows on me.
I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
The blurb reads like it's a thriller but it's actually sci-fi, not my usual type of book at all but I still read it to the end.
Some of the more technical science jargon went straight over my head but it was a beautiful story about family, primarily a Father & Son, Scott & Lyle.
One morning at 7:51, Scott jumps forward in time by a whole day in a instant. This continues to happen each day doubling the time slips each time. He has no choice but to leave his family behind as he is propelled into the future.
I thought it started very strong and the first few time slips were set in modern times, so very easy to follow.
The more futuristic time slips, I struggled with a bit but the author has an incredible imagination of the future, based on logical assumptions. I found his story telling to be very eventful and engaging.
I enjoyed some time periods more than others but the diversity was fantastic.
Overall I thought it was an epic tale of family and it even made me cry a little in places.
Thank you to Pan MacMillan Book Break for kindly gifting me a proof copy.
Some of the more technical science jargon went straight over my head but it was a beautiful story about family, primarily a Father & Son, Scott & Lyle.
One morning at 7:51, Scott jumps forward in time by a whole day in a instant. This continues to happen each day doubling the time slips each time. He has no choice but to leave his family behind as he is propelled into the future.
I thought it started very strong and the first few time slips were set in modern times, so very easy to follow.
The more futuristic time slips, I struggled with a bit but the author has an incredible imagination of the future, based on logical assumptions. I found his story telling to be very eventful and engaging.
I enjoyed some time periods more than others but the diversity was fantastic.
Overall I thought it was an epic tale of family and it even made me cry a little in places.
Thank you to Pan MacMillan Book Break for kindly gifting me a proof copy.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Traveler by Joseph Eckert
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Let me take a moment—and a few deep breaths—because this book absolutely blew my mind. The Traveler made me feel sad, anxious, hopeful, and completely overwhelmed, sometimes all at once. It follows a man who is suddenly forced forward through time every twenty-four hours. He’s an unwilling traveler, with no control and no choice in his fate.
What really stood out to me is how deeply the reader is pulled into his experience. You don’t just watch this happen to him—you feel it with him. The story is vast, layered, and heavy in the best way, asking big questions and delivering moments of real existential dread. Be prepared to sit with those feelings.
This book kept me engaged and mystified. I had no idea how it would end and I enjoyed that.
Though the philosophy, science and concepts were heavy and real, this became an easy five-star read for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Let me take a moment—and a few deep breaths—because this book absolutely blew my mind. The Traveler made me feel sad, anxious, hopeful, and completely overwhelmed, sometimes all at once. It follows a man who is suddenly forced forward through time every twenty-four hours. He’s an unwilling traveler, with no control and no choice in his fate.
What really stood out to me is how deeply the reader is pulled into his experience. You don’t just watch this happen to him—you feel it with him. The story is vast, layered, and heavy in the best way, asking big questions and delivering moments of real existential dread. Be prepared to sit with those feelings.
This book kept me engaged and mystified. I had no idea how it would end and I enjoyed that.
Though the philosophy, science and concepts were heavy and real, this became an easy five-star read for me.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I loved this book from the moment I started it. I actually sat on it for a while because I did not want to stop reading it. Scott Treder begins jumping forward in time, first one day and then doubling every day. He begins disappearing for days, months, and then years on end. Scott has to say goodbye to his son, Lyle, and his wife, Amy, over and over while only one day passes for him. He watches as Lyle grows up, then spends his whole life trying to save his father--he loses Amy within days, as she then enjoys a quiet life with a new husband. As his leaps continue to double, ages pass, and the future transforms before his eyes. Scott is a great character, and as we travel with him, we feel his pain as well as the awe that he experiences.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was hooked by this story from the very first page! The premise of the story is pretty simple - Scott Treder finds himself thrown into the future every 24 hours, and the time he loses in between grows exponentially.
However, as you get further into the story, it hits you just how quickly the time gaps build up; while mere days pass for Scott, thousands of years have passed on Earth.
The author creates an incredible vision of the future throughout the millennia, and each time jump is exhilarating.
This was truly a book I couldn't stop reading, I had to know what would happen next! The author takes you on an unforgettable journey that will remain with you for a long time. Highly recommended!
However, as you get further into the story, it hits you just how quickly the time gaps build up; while mere days pass for Scott, thousands of years have passed on Earth.
The author creates an incredible vision of the future throughout the millennia, and each time jump is exhilarating.
This was truly a book I couldn't stop reading, I had to know what would happen next! The author takes you on an unforgettable journey that will remain with you for a long time. Highly recommended!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I want to thank NetGalley for the audio ARC of this book. Let’s start with the narrator… Ray Porter. There has really not been a book he narrated that I haven’t enjoyed, and this is another one he nails. Now the story… our protagonist jumps forward in time one day, which is mildly problematic. He reappears exactly where he vanished and stays for another 24 hours before disappearing double the amount of time as the previous jump. This doubling rapidly creates problems for which he cannot be prepared. The first half of this book is a solid 5 stars while he wrestles with losing his family. The second half is solid 4 stars as it gets into speculative sci-fi about what will come in the future. I’d really like to give this 4.5 stars and recommend it to everyone.
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