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Jigsaw: Temporal Apocalypse
- GenresHistorical Fiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published July 9, 2026
About the author
David Alyn Gordon
25 books45 followersI have been a social studies teacher, principal, and founding owner of the Grand Canyon College Preparatory Academy in Tempe, Arizona. I grew up reading and watching science and historical fiction. I am also a big baseball fan. I have combined my various passions in the Jigsaw series, which focuses on time-traveling teens thrust into major historical events—many of which never made the standard history books. I was born in New York and now live in Arizona with the love of my life Gwyn. We are both are dog people, and enjoy travel and food—Italian, Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian cuisines in particular.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 11, 2026
Thank you for writing this. The farewell scenes near the end landed because you built these relationships across ten books. That is a rare thing to pull off.
August 7, 2026
Jigsaw: Temporal Apocalypse is a sprawling time-travel adventure that combines historical fiction, supernatural fantasy, science fiction, political intrigue, and a generous amount of pulpy action. It’s the tenth Jigsaw novel and the fifteenth book in the larger Jigsaw Universe, and the author recommends reading the earlier installments first. The story follows the Guardians as they try to stop Lilith, Ahriman, Pilo, and their allies from reshaping history and triggering a Temporal Apocalypse. The plot moves across centuries, from Roman-occupied Judea and medieval trade routes to postwar Europe, 1910s Arizona, the Russo-Polish War, and the strange political experiment in Fiume. That scale gives the book the energy of a season finale in which nearly every character, artifact, rivalry, and historical thread has returned for one enormous confrontation.
David Alyn Gordon’s greatest strength here is his enthusiasm for overlooked history. The novel doesn’t treat the past as scenery. Labor struggles, racial violence, extremist movements, wartime upheaval, political opportunism, and religious traditions all become active parts of the story. The shifting missions in Arizona, Poland, and Fiume gradually connect through the fragments of a powerful amulet, while the Nazi Bell and other temporal devices add a science-fiction framework to the supernatural conflict. There’s a lot happening, but the structure creates the feeling that separate pieces of history are clicking into place. Gordon also has a knack for choosing settings that are dramatic on their own, then finding ways to raise the stakes with demons, immortals, vampires, zombies, and time travelers.
For all its apocalyptic danger, the book is often funny and affectionate. Noah, Francesca, Tori, Mueller, Mariah, and the rest of the Guardians speak to one another like people who’ve survived far too many bizarre missions together. Their teasing, arguments, romantic bonds, and family connections give the story warmth between battles. The dialogue can be blunt and deliberately theatrical, especially when the villains explain their plans or heroes trade jokes during a crisis, but that style fits the book’s larger-than-life personality. The emotional farewell scenes near the end are particularly effective because they draw on relationships built across the series. Even after the central conflict is settled, the final chapters leave room for births, reunions, new beginnings, and the amusing realization that retirement may be harder for these characters than saving history.
I’d recommend Temporal Apocalypse most strongly to established Jigsaw Universe readers, especially those who enjoy seeing long-running character arcs and earlier plot elements brought together. It’ll also appeal to readers who like alternate-history adventures packed with real historical figures, supernatural mythology, political commentary, and fast-moving ensemble action. Someone fascinated by lesser-known episodes from the aftermath of World War I or early Arizona history will find plenty to explore. Because the story assumes familiarity with a large cast and extensive backstory, its biggest rewards will go to readers who’ve already traveled through the earlier books and are ready for a crowded, energetic culmination.
David Alyn Gordon’s greatest strength here is his enthusiasm for overlooked history. The novel doesn’t treat the past as scenery. Labor struggles, racial violence, extremist movements, wartime upheaval, political opportunism, and religious traditions all become active parts of the story. The shifting missions in Arizona, Poland, and Fiume gradually connect through the fragments of a powerful amulet, while the Nazi Bell and other temporal devices add a science-fiction framework to the supernatural conflict. There’s a lot happening, but the structure creates the feeling that separate pieces of history are clicking into place. Gordon also has a knack for choosing settings that are dramatic on their own, then finding ways to raise the stakes with demons, immortals, vampires, zombies, and time travelers.
For all its apocalyptic danger, the book is often funny and affectionate. Noah, Francesca, Tori, Mueller, Mariah, and the rest of the Guardians speak to one another like people who’ve survived far too many bizarre missions together. Their teasing, arguments, romantic bonds, and family connections give the story warmth between battles. The dialogue can be blunt and deliberately theatrical, especially when the villains explain their plans or heroes trade jokes during a crisis, but that style fits the book’s larger-than-life personality. The emotional farewell scenes near the end are particularly effective because they draw on relationships built across the series. Even after the central conflict is settled, the final chapters leave room for births, reunions, new beginnings, and the amusing realization that retirement may be harder for these characters than saving history.
I’d recommend Temporal Apocalypse most strongly to established Jigsaw Universe readers, especially those who enjoy seeing long-running character arcs and earlier plot elements brought together. It’ll also appeal to readers who like alternate-history adventures packed with real historical figures, supernatural mythology, political commentary, and fast-moving ensemble action. Someone fascinated by lesser-known episodes from the aftermath of World War I or early Arizona history will find plenty to explore. Because the story assumes familiarity with a large cast and extensive backstory, its biggest rewards will go to readers who’ve already traveled through the earlier books and are ready for a crowded, energetic culmination.
August 8, 2026
Thanks for a free ARC of Jigsaw: Temporal Apocalypse.
Oscillating between various timelines - 1945, 15 B.C.E. 1914, 1917, 921 C.E. 1204,1583, 1929, 1936, 2025, 2029, and many more – the story jumps here and there, making it difficult to keep track of what is happening and what the significance of random historical incidents is. Each chapter introduces new characters and takes you to a new place. Also, various names of characters and places further confuse the reader. Only when it narrates the familiar incidents of the present does it make sense.
If Akoman had an amulet that gave him the power to control all natural forces of good and evil, Abram had the Ring of Solomon. Both devices had tremendous power. The amulet, Akoman’s new body, the Bell, Mueller’s wolf form, and Lilith’s aspirations are the most interesting aspects of this book. However, these elements are so spread out that the reader loses interest. Since the book is action-oriented, there is no character building; they just come and go. Some even have vampiric powers!
After finishing the book, I felt relieved to be living a normal life in 2026 and want to put all the events behind me. As one of the characters in the book says, “In a world that is abject crazy, cowardly and mean, there is only one truth, only one love…” and here I would like to change the dialogue to: that is peace and safety. I am glad Francesca could relax and bake some chocolate fudge brownies, if she will be alive in 2446, while I can do that right now!
Oscillating between various timelines - 1945, 15 B.C.E. 1914, 1917, 921 C.E. 1204,1583, 1929, 1936, 2025, 2029, and many more – the story jumps here and there, making it difficult to keep track of what is happening and what the significance of random historical incidents is. Each chapter introduces new characters and takes you to a new place. Also, various names of characters and places further confuse the reader. Only when it narrates the familiar incidents of the present does it make sense.
If Akoman had an amulet that gave him the power to control all natural forces of good and evil, Abram had the Ring of Solomon. Both devices had tremendous power. The amulet, Akoman’s new body, the Bell, Mueller’s wolf form, and Lilith’s aspirations are the most interesting aspects of this book. However, these elements are so spread out that the reader loses interest. Since the book is action-oriented, there is no character building; they just come and go. Some even have vampiric powers!
After finishing the book, I felt relieved to be living a normal life in 2026 and want to put all the events behind me. As one of the characters in the book says, “In a world that is abject crazy, cowardly and mean, there is only one truth, only one love…” and here I would like to change the dialogue to: that is peace and safety. I am glad Francesca could relax and bake some chocolate fudge brownies, if she will be alive in 2446, while I can do that right now!
September 3, 2026
Apocalypse indeed! Events accelerate to a grand scale! The author says that this book should be read after the previous ones and I agree; to jump in without prior knowledge is very confusing. There are A LOT of characters and events take place in more than one time period and motivations, relationships, and events are driven by actions that happened in the previous books; therefore, my comment that the narrative is confusing must be understood in the context of my having read only two previous books.
That said, I think there's enough going on to confuse anyone. This book isn't called "Jigsaw" for nothing! Of course, seeing how the parts fit together or collide is a big part of the fun of the story.
The story IS fun, though over-the-top in places. It's an action thriller on a grand scale with some grounding in real historical events. Escapism!
That said, I think there's enough going on to confuse anyone. This book isn't called "Jigsaw" for nothing! Of course, seeing how the parts fit together or collide is a big part of the fun of the story.
The story IS fun, though over-the-top in places. It's an action thriller on a grand scale with some grounding in real historical events. Escapism!
August 13, 2026
I do like stories that are structured to make you think, and this one delivered that with temporal and spatial shifts that take you through a variety of war, pandemic, and demonstration scenes. The separated pieces of the amulet add to the sci-fi/history/socio-politics, creating an enjoyable adventure mystery. I also enjoyed the crazy teleportation process somehow going awry, and the Many Worlds Theory scenes, which added interest to the adventure.
But the alternative reality versus reality puzzle is what I enjoyed most about this world of warring factions, where The Guardians bravely attempt to prevent extremism and ultimately, the Temporal Apocalypse, in the past, present, and future.
War history enthusiasts may be especially enthralled.
But the alternative reality versus reality puzzle is what I enjoyed most about this world of warring factions, where The Guardians bravely attempt to prevent extremism and ultimately, the Temporal Apocalypse, in the past, present, and future.
War history enthusiasts may be especially enthralled.
August 19, 2026
The latest installment of the Jigsaw series continues the intriguing story of time-traveling teens who revisit some of history's most violent and unstable times. Spanning centuries the storyline does tend to hop around quite a bit and does get a little head spinning at times. But the future as we know it is at stake as the Guardians are fighting a war of their own to stop the dark powers from reshaping history and shattering reality forever. It's an incredible adventure the author creates with lesser known historical events and deft knowledge of history. I recommend reading the earlier books in the series to fully enjoy this particular episode. Recommended for YA and history buffs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews