What do you think?
Rate this book
Magic: The Gathering: Time Spiral Cycle #1
Time Spiral: Time Spiral Cycle, Book I
Time is Running Out!
The planeswalker Teferi at last returns to his home plane only to find it devastated and barren. Time itself is fracturing, and it’s up to Teferi and his companions to find a way to halt the collapse.It won’t be easy when his allies are poised to turn against him.
About the Author
Scott McGough recently moved to farm country and can now compare the urban, suburban, and agrarian lifestyles. Not surprisingly, his first choice hasn’t changed since all things being equal, he’d rather be down the shore.Scott worked on The Duelist magazine before joining the Creative Team for THE GATHERING®. He worked on almost all the Urza/Phyrexia saga and has since written eight novels and a handful of short stories for THE GATHERING. All this, and yet he has only ever appeared on one Magic card. Though he finds this burden bitter and onerous, he will at least admit that that it’s a really good picture.
From the Paperback edition.
The planeswalker Teferi at last returns to his home plane only to find it devastated and barren. Time itself is fracturing, and it’s up to Teferi and his companions to find a way to halt the collapse.It won’t be easy when his allies are poised to turn against him.
About the Author
Scott McGough recently moved to farm country and can now compare the urban, suburban, and agrarian lifestyles. Not surprisingly, his first choice hasn’t changed since all things being equal, he’d rather be down the shore.Scott worked on The Duelist magazine before joining the Creative Team for THE GATHERING®. He worked on almost all the Urza/Phyrexia saga and has since written eight novels and a handful of short stories for THE GATHERING. All this, and yet he has only ever appeared on one Magic card. Though he finds this burden bitter and onerous, he will at least admit that that it’s a really good picture.
From the Paperback edition.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 12, 2006
23 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Scott McGough
29 books12 followersScott McGough lives in Seattle with a pair of cats and an Australian Cattle Dog. He has written or co-written over a dozen novels and short stories for Magic: The Gathering; he also provided random pirate voices for an upcoming computer game and portrayed a shambling, gut-munching zombie extra in a local low-budget film. Based on his acting performances so far, everyone agrees he should keep writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 8, 2025
The far too frequent spelling errors annoyed me but it was all redeemed in the last chapter when Jhoira said "Everyone taps the land for mana." Truly incredible writing!
March 29, 2021
Book is decent but nothing special. Half of my enjoyment is from my fondness for the characters as someone who plays the game. On its own the story isn't much but factoring that in the book is enjoyable.
The big reason I wanted to read this cycle was to learn about what happened during The Mending. The Mending is basically a cataclysmic event that changed the way Planeswalkers worked in the Multiverse. Prior to it, we had near-omnipotent beings like Urza, and post-Mending we have trash like Chandra. It was obvious Magic needed to do this to make Planeswalkers work in the game and not be such obvious weak points in the story. I figured that this being a major event was worth reading.
We don't quite get that far in this book nor would I have expected us to. I found myself enjoying it still as you could see what was going on and where it was headed. Considering how much it shaped the future of Magic it's just one of those events you want to read.
I think especially after having recently gone back to Dominaria a lot of the locations and characters are fresh in my mind. Even if that set was actually about three years ago I had a fondness for it because it was a very good limited format. We got some major characters returning in that set, like Teferi, so I was more than happy to see some kind of origin story for them. Yes, this isn't the origin story for either Teferi or Jhoira, that actually happens in Time Streams (which I've read), but this feels more like the pinnacle story for them. Just as The Brothers' War is the origin story for Urza but not actually the pinnacle of anything he did.
I actually quite liked it, more than I thought I would. It was fairly well written given the quality of some of the Magic novels. Again, I think I liked it as much as I did because of my fondness for Magic and this particular area. Had this not been some epic moment in the Multiverse I may not have cared as much. Will have to see how I feel after finishing all three in the cycle.
The big reason I wanted to read this cycle was to learn about what happened during The Mending. The Mending is basically a cataclysmic event that changed the way Planeswalkers worked in the Multiverse. Prior to it, we had near-omnipotent beings like Urza, and post-Mending we have trash like Chandra. It was obvious Magic needed to do this to make Planeswalkers work in the game and not be such obvious weak points in the story. I figured that this being a major event was worth reading.
We don't quite get that far in this book nor would I have expected us to. I found myself enjoying it still as you could see what was going on and where it was headed. Considering how much it shaped the future of Magic it's just one of those events you want to read.
I think especially after having recently gone back to Dominaria a lot of the locations and characters are fresh in my mind. Even if that set was actually about three years ago I had a fondness for it because it was a very good limited format. We got some major characters returning in that set, like Teferi, so I was more than happy to see some kind of origin story for them. Yes, this isn't the origin story for either Teferi or Jhoira, that actually happens in Time Streams (which I've read), but this feels more like the pinnacle story for them. Just as The Brothers' War is the origin story for Urza but not actually the pinnacle of anything he did.
I actually quite liked it, more than I thought I would. It was fairly well written given the quality of some of the Magic novels. Again, I think I liked it as much as I did because of my fondness for Magic and this particular area. Had this not been some epic moment in the Multiverse I may not have cared as much. Will have to see how I feel after finishing all three in the cycle.
July 14, 2019
This was solid and went very quickly, which is usually a good sign that it's at least superficially engaging.
It was entertaining and I'm mostly excited to get through this block to the "modern" era where the way planeswalkers and magic works gets a bit better-defined and I'll actually recognize most of the characters instead of just one or two here and there (the count went way up in this book).
I'm a bit confused by Bolas' introduction here. I did skip some of the older books and went from Judgment to Onslaught, so was he first included in any of the 6 in that gap?
I'm mostly ok with his appearance, I actually suspected that was him right after his first few "lines" (not actually spoken, telepathic, so it's weird), and was proven right a few pages later. It was a bit inconsequential in that I had no idea he had been imprisoned so his release doesn't really have that feeling of OH NO THEY LET HIM OUT other than my knowing he's a recurring villain later. He argues a lot, fights and beats Teferi.....but then Teferi is fine and Bolas just leaves. I know it has consequences later in the series, but for the current story it stood out as a really nonsensical inclusion.
I'll just have to see how the rest of the block shakes out.
It was entertaining and I'm mostly excited to get through this block to the "modern" era where the way planeswalkers and magic works gets a bit better-defined and I'll actually recognize most of the characters instead of just one or two here and there (the count went way up in this book).
I'm a bit confused by Bolas' introduction here. I did skip some of the older books and went from Judgment to Onslaught, so was he first included in any of the 6 in that gap?
I'm mostly ok with his appearance, I actually suspected that was him right after his first few "lines" (not actually spoken, telepathic, so it's weird), and was proven right a few pages later. It was a bit inconsequential in that I had no idea he had been imprisoned so his release doesn't really have that feeling of OH NO THEY LET HIM OUT other than my knowing he's a recurring villain later. He argues a lot, fights and beats Teferi.....but then Teferi is fine and Bolas just leaves. I know it has consequences later in the series, but for the current story it stood out as a really nonsensical inclusion.
I'll just have to see how the rest of the block shakes out.
July 13, 2022
Overall pretty average brand-fantasy with some unfortunate quirks.
The first of these quirks is the consistent typos, wherein small words get constantly skipped. I’m taking ‘of,’ ‘to,’ and ‘the.’ It’s extremely distracting and it’s kind of baffling nobody caught it in editing considering how jarring it is.
It’s unclear whether or not Radha is someone we’re supposed to root for or like or even consider a force of good. She mercilessly beheads multiple people for her revenge and power quest, but this is seemingly presented as something we should be happy about.
Teferi and Jhoira are fun characters. I was also fond of Venser. Otherwise, the novel is simple and average and pretty easy to get through if you’re just looking for a fantasy romp.
The first of these quirks is the consistent typos, wherein small words get constantly skipped. I’m taking ‘of,’ ‘to,’ and ‘the.’ It’s extremely distracting and it’s kind of baffling nobody caught it in editing considering how jarring it is.
It’s unclear whether or not Radha is someone we’re supposed to root for or like or even consider a force of good. She mercilessly beheads multiple people for her revenge and power quest, but this is seemingly presented as something we should be happy about.
Teferi and Jhoira are fun characters. I was also fond of Venser. Otherwise, the novel is simple and average and pretty easy to get through if you’re just looking for a fantasy romp.
July 21, 2024
It was nice to see the characters of Teferi and Jhoira again. This starts the last unfinished thread from the Phrexian War, the phasing in of Shiv and Zhalfir which he phased out during the war. Teferi does not seem to be very convincing as a planeswalker until the end. All in all it was a good book. It will be interesting to see how the cycle ends and the Saga of Dominaria ends.
January 25, 2021
Una novela fantástica olvidable, que pasa demasiado tiempo preocupada en el espectáculo de luces y colores que en avanzar la trama con las acciones de los personajes. No es lo peor que leí del genero pero no destaca demasiado ni me invita a terminar la saga.
December 29, 2023
Although there were periods where I was captivated, I can't help but feel that the story could have been told in 100 less pages had the audience not had to trudge through several pages of exposition thrown in our faces.
November 24, 2024
pretty solid, first mtg book so great there. the battles & duels were great to see described out and character development was also pretty good. storytelling was a bit all over the place, but it makes sense for a first of the series
November 4, 2019
Hat seine Momente, wirkt aber wie ein unmotiviertes Abklappern von zentralen Momenten und Orten. Spätestens mit Vensers Auftritt geht es auch in der Gruppendynamik bergab.
September 27, 2021
Some minor slips, but it's a work of love with nicely added lore.
December 28, 2022
A bit esoteric but would you give up your existence to fix a mistake you made?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2011
I love Magic, I love reading and I love fantasy, so how could I not pick this up at the price of a mere $3?
Time Spiral, one of my favorite Magic sets, has made it into book form in order to explain what the hell is going on in Dominaria. This time, there seems to be some sort of rift in Shiv and it's up to our resident plansewalker, Teferi, and his sidekick Jhoira to save the day.
Cheesy intro aside, the book was pretty well written. The characters seems pretty generic (particularly the viashino), but Radha does stick out. Yes, her personality is nothing more of a wild, reckless jungle girl, but she does it quite well. Her fight scenes make the inner fanboy in me all giddy with excitement (I love the quote that says if you look a Keldon in the eyes, they will take it as a challenge and kill you. If you look away, they'll think you're weak...and kill you.) Like any good plansewalking adventure, this story takes place on multiple planes - Zhalfir, Shiv, Keld, Skyshroud, etc. You'll meet and hear about some familiar characters like Freyalise and Karona. (Magic newbies may want to stay away.) The action scenes are very exciting, although Teferi's battle does seem pretty boring, particularly because it's a bit hard to visualize.
All in all, it's a bit hard to expect anything ground-breaking or extraordinary. Time Spiral can rightfully be called just another fantasy novel, but for fantasy buffs and Magic fans like myself, it is well worth the read. Plus, Radha just became my new favorite character in the Magic universe (even if her card is a bit underwhelming).
Note: That is Undying Rage on the cover.
Time Spiral, one of my favorite Magic sets, has made it into book form in order to explain what the hell is going on in Dominaria. This time, there seems to be some sort of rift in Shiv and it's up to our resident plansewalker, Teferi, and his sidekick Jhoira to save the day.
Cheesy intro aside, the book was pretty well written. The characters seems pretty generic (particularly the viashino), but Radha does stick out. Yes, her personality is nothing more of a wild, reckless jungle girl, but she does it quite well. Her fight scenes make the inner fanboy in me all giddy with excitement (I love the quote that says if you look a Keldon in the eyes, they will take it as a challenge and kill you. If you look away, they'll think you're weak...and kill you.) Like any good plansewalking adventure, this story takes place on multiple planes - Zhalfir, Shiv, Keld, Skyshroud, etc. You'll meet and hear about some familiar characters like Freyalise and Karona. (Magic newbies may want to stay away.) The action scenes are very exciting, although Teferi's battle does seem pretty boring, particularly because it's a bit hard to visualize.
All in all, it's a bit hard to expect anything ground-breaking or extraordinary. Time Spiral can rightfully be called just another fantasy novel, but for fantasy buffs and Magic fans like myself, it is well worth the read. Plus, Radha just became my new favorite character in the Magic universe (even if her card is a bit underwhelming).
Note: That is Undying Rage on the cover.
January 22, 2016
300 years ago a plainswalker (think wizard) made a continent disappear, now the continent is coming back and the plainswalker has no idea what to do. He gathers together a band of misfits who have no purpose, to go on an adventure that has no goal and fight battles that they can neither win or loose. The team consists of a young girl who has no special powers and does nothing throughout the entire story but she is actually 1000 years old. There are two lizard men warriors (that's original, it made me think of Cpt. Kirk fighting the umm...lizard man). Two other warriors are with the group but their main purpose for being in the story is to get cut up and die and then there is the female barbarian, written like a man with the only female quality being that she is referred to as a woman or a female. This group has no reason to be together and when the first member of the group dies, the group falls apart and splits up. The wizard fixes the problem without any help from anyone and the book ends with a cliffhanger.....I can't imagine anyone bought the second book.
This story is about nothing, the characters do nothing and have no personality so the reader really doesn't care that they do nothing.
This story is about nothing, the characters do nothing and have no personality so the reader really doesn't care that they do nothing.
December 28, 2008
I thought this book is fantastically written. The characters are good (but not spectacular), and the storyline is interesting (again, not spectacular). I give this book 5 stars, however, because it is just superbly written and was exceptionally enjoyable for that reason. It was sufficiently complicated without being overly so, it was flavorfully descriptive without getting tedious, and it flowed very evenly. I find writing of this caliber hard to find in the fantasy genre, so in that context, I feel a subjective 5 stars is warranted. I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the series.
August 3, 2013
The characters are disposable, and the writing is mediocre. Many times a character will perform an action which has no relevance to their personality or to the current setting, events, or plot. Many times I asked myself why the characters who are very obviously meant to be disposable were doing the unimaginative actions that they perform.
I've tried to finish this twice, and both times I get right to the end via sheer force of will to finish this book, and then I simply lose all possible interest in finding out the ending. I truly can not care about this one.
I've tried to finish this twice, and both times I get right to the end via sheer force of will to finish this book, and then I simply lose all possible interest in finding out the ending. I truly can not care about this one.
April 15, 2011
Shallow characters, that go through radical changes in behavior with no apparent reason or explanation and incoherent plot, with explanations that create more questions to the reader than they answer.
The only thing that saves the book from giving away is the impeccable english the author's using.
In general, avoid wasting your time on this book - unless you're doing it as a study in english literature...
The only thing that saves the book from giving away is the impeccable english the author's using.
In general, avoid wasting your time on this book - unless you're doing it as a study in english literature...
October 26, 2011
I thought this book was really well done and followed a good story of the card game well and the emphasis they put into the creatures and the violence was also really well done. the ending was i thought to be extreamly wierd though like it was just leading into the other book here is the ending quote "I thought Planeswalkers coulden't bleed?" We usally don't but at least i'm alive after all this and thats what counts."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 4, 2011
This is a Magic: The Gathering novel. I read it half on a dare and half as part of this game I play with a friend. It was less awful than I imagined, but still pretty mediocre. I realize I am not this book's target audience. If you tell anyone I read it I will beat you up.
EDIT: Who am I kidding? I am totally this book's target audience.
EDIT: Who am I kidding? I am totally this book's target audience.
June 20, 2011
This book was a refreshing breath of fresh air. I love fantasy and I love the backstory of Magic the Gathering. This book was a difficult find though. I had to go fifty miles to a Barnes & Noble to find this rare gem. Well worth it I assure you. =)
June 25, 2014
I love magic the gathering so I thought why not. Luckily these were given to me by a friend. For such a fun game they made the story boring. Teferri is little more then ancient brat with power bad combo. Didnt like any of the characters. I own it but thankfully I didnt buy it.
April 4, 2016
I'd heard bad things about Magic books, but was pleasantly surprised by this one. It's almost worth four stars, but the slow beginning and some odd character choices keep it from being truly great. Still, it's good enough that I'll probably pick up Planar Chaos soon!
May 14, 2012
It's been a while but I'm pretty sure this book was awful. Also I never finished it because it was so awful. I got about halfway through maybe.
July 27, 2012
From the first page to the last, I couldn't put it down. Loved every moment!
Read
January 25, 2017Wah... Exposition overload. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into this book. :(
April 3, 2021
It's not a bad book but it's not a good either. Definitely not a bad way to kill time though.
February 19, 2016
An enjoyable nostalgic series
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews