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Time Clocks: A Novel of AI, Fate, and the Threads of the Present Moment
The present is theirs—if they can reach it. And stay. A story of mystery, suspense, and an unexpected love—both timeless and new.
When Boaz is summoned to a furious dismissal meeting at the company where he has spent years developing FocalAI, better known as the nation’s AI, everything in his familiar, comfortable office feels like a personal possession -even the door, the window, the air, the time that had passed. By nightfall, he is cast out into the desolate industrial zone outside his office, stripped of his phone, his car, and perhaps soon his relationship. The future looms, threatening and uncertain. Then, three strangers appear, raising questions not about the future but about the a police officer who lost her memory in the '80s (and maybe it is just as well), a flamboyant French dandy from the nineteenth century, and a wounded shepherd from biblical times, clad in armor and tassels. As his own life unravels, Boaz feels compelled to discover why these three have arrived at his side. Why now and why him? What role do they play? And what role might he have? As their stories unfold, Boaz realizes he holds three fragile threads, with only one chance to weave them together - through a single loop in time. By their side, the present grows more surprising by the moment.
When Boaz is summoned to a furious dismissal meeting at the company where he has spent years developing FocalAI, better known as the nation’s AI, everything in his familiar, comfortable office feels like a personal possession -even the door, the window, the air, the time that had passed. By nightfall, he is cast out into the desolate industrial zone outside his office, stripped of his phone, his car, and perhaps soon his relationship. The future looms, threatening and uncertain. Then, three strangers appear, raising questions not about the future but about the a police officer who lost her memory in the '80s (and maybe it is just as well), a flamboyant French dandy from the nineteenth century, and a wounded shepherd from biblical times, clad in armor and tassels. As his own life unravels, Boaz feels compelled to discover why these three have arrived at his side. Why now and why him? What role do they play? And what role might he have? As their stories unfold, Boaz realizes he holds three fragile threads, with only one chance to weave them together - through a single loop in time. By their side, the present grows more surprising by the moment.
- GenresScience Fiction
453 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2026
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August 29, 2025
בסדר, מעביר את הזמן
אני מאד אוהב סיפורים המערבים אלמנטים של מסע בזמן, אבל במקרה של הספר הזה לא ממש הבנתי מה הקשר. איך הם הגיעו, למה הגיעו, מה הקשר לחמשירים נבואיים?
יש לכאורה ארבע דמויות ראשיות, אבל שתיים מהן הן קריטקורה חד-ממדית (המספר מתייחס אליהן כאל פייס ומיסטר T מצוות לעניין) שלא ממש אכפת מהרגשות שלהם (ניתקו אותן מעולמן, משפחותיהם וקרוביהם) או שהן מתפתחות בצורה כל שהיא.
ישנה דמות השוטרת משנות השמונים, שמניעה את העלילה במשך שני-שליש מהספר, עד שפותרים את התעלומה שלה, ואז הופכת למכונת קלישאות וחזרה על 'דוגרי' (חייתי בשנות השמונים ואני כמעט בטוח שלפחות בחלק מהמקרים השימוש במילה הוא לא במקום).
וישנו הגיבור הראשי שלא התחברתי אליו. במילה אחת משעמם. הוא לא מביע רגשות חזקים (למרות טלטלות), מקבל באופן כמעט אפטי את מה שמתרחש סביבו.
הספר זרם במהירות, עלילה בלשית לינארית. פה ושם יש הברקות מילוליות ואיזכורי פופ (בעיקר לשנות השמונים) חביבים.
וכן, יש דבר כזה רחוב מוכרי הסיגריות בבת ים, אני עובד שם!
אני מאד אוהב סיפורים המערבים אלמנטים של מסע בזמן, אבל במקרה של הספר הזה לא ממש הבנתי מה הקשר. איך הם הגיעו, למה הגיעו, מה הקשר לחמשירים נבואיים?
יש לכאורה ארבע דמויות ראשיות, אבל שתיים מהן הן קריטקורה חד-ממדית (המספר מתייחס אליהן כאל פייס ומיסטר T מצוות לעניין) שלא ממש אכפת מהרגשות שלהם (ניתקו אותן מעולמן, משפחותיהם וקרוביהם) או שהן מתפתחות בצורה כל שהיא.
ישנה דמות השוטרת משנות השמונים, שמניעה את העלילה במשך שני-שליש מהספר, עד שפותרים את התעלומה שלה, ואז הופכת למכונת קלישאות וחזרה על 'דוגרי' (חייתי בשנות השמונים ואני כמעט בטוח שלפחות בחלק מהמקרים השימוש במילה הוא לא במקום).
וישנו הגיבור הראשי שלא התחברתי אליו. במילה אחת משעמם. הוא לא מביע רגשות חזקים (למרות טלטלות), מקבל באופן כמעט אפטי את מה שמתרחש סביבו.
הספר זרם במהירות, עלילה בלשית לינארית. פה ושם יש הברקות מילוליות ואיזכורי פופ (בעיקר לשנות השמונים) חביבים.
וכן, יש דבר כזה רחוב מוכרי הסיגריות בבת ים, אני עובד שם!
Review of advance copy received from Author
💀 ROBIN’S REVIEW: THE AUTOPSY OF TIME CLOCKS
By Yoav Avni
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🪦 THE BODY
One spectacularly bad day becomes an existential group project. Apparently, getting your life together requires participants from several centuries. Scheduling must be a nightmare.
🔪 FIRST INCISION
Corporate nonsense meets cosmic nonsense. Finally, a workplace disaster that HR cannot resolve with a mandatory slideshow.
🩸 THE AUTOPSY
Beneath the wonderfully odd setup are messy people, questionable decisions, and enough substance to give your brain something to chew besides “well, that’s inconvenient.” The personalities carry the chaos, including those you might prefer to launch directly into another era.
🫀 STILL HAD A PULSE
Sharp humor and emotional weight share the space without elbowing each other off the page. There is more here than a fancy concept wearing a lab coat.
🦴 WHAT BROKE
A few poetic detours could have used a metronome and adult supervision. A small irritation, but my inner ear would like to file paperwork.
☠️ CAUSE OF DEATH
Death by calendar malfunction, with complications from being human. An entertaining cerebral headache, and I mean that affectionately.
Reviewed by Robin’s Review
By Yoav Avni
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🪦 THE BODY
One spectacularly bad day becomes an existential group project. Apparently, getting your life together requires participants from several centuries. Scheduling must be a nightmare.
🔪 FIRST INCISION
Corporate nonsense meets cosmic nonsense. Finally, a workplace disaster that HR cannot resolve with a mandatory slideshow.
🩸 THE AUTOPSY
Beneath the wonderfully odd setup are messy people, questionable decisions, and enough substance to give your brain something to chew besides “well, that’s inconvenient.” The personalities carry the chaos, including those you might prefer to launch directly into another era.
🫀 STILL HAD A PULSE
Sharp humor and emotional weight share the space without elbowing each other off the page. There is more here than a fancy concept wearing a lab coat.
🦴 WHAT BROKE
A few poetic detours could have used a metronome and adult supervision. A small irritation, but my inner ear would like to file paperwork.
☠️ CAUSE OF DEATH
Death by calendar malfunction, with complications from being human. An entertaining cerebral headache, and I mean that affectionately.
Reviewed by Robin’s Review
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I thought this was a thoughtful book that told a good, well-paced story about AI and time travel. I liked the characters: the protagonists and antagonists were well developed. There was also some clever writing. My only quibble was with limmericks which did not resonate with me because their cadence seemed off. Nonetheless, this book was well worth reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Roundfire Books for the advance reader copy.
October 16, 2026
Time Clocks: A Novel of AI, Fate, and the Threads of the Present Moment by Yoav Avni offers an imaginative blend of mystery, suspense, time-bending encounters, and unexpected love. At the heart of the story is a fascinating question: what happens when the life we believe we understand suddenly falls apart, leaving us face-to-face with people and possibilities that seem to belong to entirely different times?
Boaz’s journey begins with a devastating professional setback. After years of developing FocalAI, known as the nation’s AI, he is abruptly dismissed and finds himself stripped of the familiar comforts that once defined his life. His displacement creates an immediate sense of uncertainty, making his subsequent encounters with three extraordinary strangers all the more intriguing. A police officer who lost her memory in the 1980s, a flamboyant French dandy from the nineteenth century, and a wounded shepherd from biblical times form an unusual group whose presence raises questions that extend far beyond Boaz’s immediate troubles.
One of the most compelling elements of this premise is the way Avni brings artificial intelligence, historical mystery, and the nature of time into the same narrative. The strangers’ vastly different backgrounds create opportunities for unexpected connections, while Boaz’s growing awareness of the fragile threads linking their stories gives the plot an underlying sense of urgency. The idea that he has only one chance to weave these threads together through a single loop in time adds an intriguing layer of suspense.
I also appreciate how the story’s larger mysteries emerge alongside a deeply personal turning point in Boaz’s life. His professional collapse and uncertainty about his relationship make the questions surrounding fate and the present moment feel emotionally relevant, not merely intellectual puzzles. The promise of unexpected love adds another dimension to a narrative that appears interested in how seemingly disconnected lives can become intertwined in surprising ways.
At 453 pages, Time Clocks offers readers an extended journey through an unusual speculative premise, blending elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. It may appeal to readers who enjoy stories involving artificial intelligence, time travel, historical figures or settings, and characters drawn into circumstances they cannot easily explain. Overall, Yoav Avni presents an intriguing premise built around the possibility that the present is far more mysterious—and more interconnected—than it first appears.
Boaz’s journey begins with a devastating professional setback. After years of developing FocalAI, known as the nation’s AI, he is abruptly dismissed and finds himself stripped of the familiar comforts that once defined his life. His displacement creates an immediate sense of uncertainty, making his subsequent encounters with three extraordinary strangers all the more intriguing. A police officer who lost her memory in the 1980s, a flamboyant French dandy from the nineteenth century, and a wounded shepherd from biblical times form an unusual group whose presence raises questions that extend far beyond Boaz’s immediate troubles.
One of the most compelling elements of this premise is the way Avni brings artificial intelligence, historical mystery, and the nature of time into the same narrative. The strangers’ vastly different backgrounds create opportunities for unexpected connections, while Boaz’s growing awareness of the fragile threads linking their stories gives the plot an underlying sense of urgency. The idea that he has only one chance to weave these threads together through a single loop in time adds an intriguing layer of suspense.
I also appreciate how the story’s larger mysteries emerge alongside a deeply personal turning point in Boaz’s life. His professional collapse and uncertainty about his relationship make the questions surrounding fate and the present moment feel emotionally relevant, not merely intellectual puzzles. The promise of unexpected love adds another dimension to a narrative that appears interested in how seemingly disconnected lives can become intertwined in surprising ways.
At 453 pages, Time Clocks offers readers an extended journey through an unusual speculative premise, blending elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. It may appeal to readers who enjoy stories involving artificial intelligence, time travel, historical figures or settings, and characters drawn into circumstances they cannot easily explain. Overall, Yoav Avni presents an intriguing premise built around the possibility that the present is far more mysterious—and more interconnected—than it first appears.
September 18, 2025
{2.5 מעגל למטה}
כוונה טובה חוצה את המסלול,
אולי תוביל – אך לא תמיד לפתרון מועיל,
יש פתילים בעולם שנשכחו בארון,
חלק מהסיפור לא זכה להיגיון,
ונשאר באפילה, די מבולבל.
היו חוטים שממש לא צריך,
והיו אחרים שהמדע מהם הרחיק,
נשארו בעלי צל, שאלות פתוחות,
הפרטים ברקע, הסוף אינו ברור,
ולפעמים רק צל עובר על דף ריק.
העולם אני אוהב כלליות פנימית,
פותר תעלומות אך דורש עקביות,
כמה חבל כשאין מסגרת ברורה,
הספר קומל, כל התעלומה נשארה,
והסיפור חוטא ללא שלמות אמיתית.
יש רגעים בהם המלך עירום,
אך לעיתים דווקא הסופר הופך לאדום,
העלילה נחשפת, מתנגנת בלי עטיפה,
וזה הכוח – ליצור בלי מסכה,
לספר אמת, גם אם בסוף נשאר יתום.
סיבוב הזמן לא תמיד חותם,
פתרונות נסתרים, סיפורים פעם ופעם,
היוצר משתף כשהתמונה לא שלמה,
חולף ברוח, מלטש רק מה שבנשמה,
ולפעמים הוא והקורא רוכבים יחד לבדם.
כוונה טובה חוצה את המסלול,
אולי תוביל – אך לא תמיד לפתרון מועיל,
יש פתילים בעולם שנשכחו בארון,
חלק מהסיפור לא זכה להיגיון,
ונשאר באפילה, די מבולבל.
היו חוטים שממש לא צריך,
והיו אחרים שהמדע מהם הרחיק,
נשארו בעלי צל, שאלות פתוחות,
הפרטים ברקע, הסוף אינו ברור,
ולפעמים רק צל עובר על דף ריק.
העולם אני אוהב כלליות פנימית,
פותר תעלומות אך דורש עקביות,
כמה חבל כשאין מסגרת ברורה,
הספר קומל, כל התעלומה נשארה,
והסיפור חוטא ללא שלמות אמיתית.
יש רגעים בהם המלך עירום,
אך לעיתים דווקא הסופר הופך לאדום,
העלילה נחשפת, מתנגנת בלי עטיפה,
וזה הכוח – ליצור בלי מסכה,
לספר אמת, גם אם בסוף נשאר יתום.
סיבוב הזמן לא תמיד חותם,
פתרונות נסתרים, סיפורים פעם ופעם,
היוצר משתף כשהתמונה לא שלמה,
חולף ברוח, מלטש רק מה שבנשמה,
ולפעמים הוא והקורא רוכבים יחד לבדם.
April 6, 2026
This is a mainstream novel, not SF. At times felt like it's a comedy aimed at young readers, with clichéd characters that only speak in stereotypes. Couldn't stand the treatment of programming and "computer science" as hand-wavey gobbledygook, esp. in a day-after-tomorrow setting. Huge misunderstanding of carbon dating (an object that jumps forward in time will not "age").
September 29, 2026
Time Clocks presents an intriguing blend of AI, mystery, suspense, fate, and an unexpected love story woven through an unusual journey across time.
Boaz’s sudden fall from his familiar life into uncertainty creates a compelling starting point, particularly as three mysterious strangers from radically different periods enter his story.
The police officer from the 1980s, the nineteenth-century French dandy, and the wounded shepherd from biblical times give the novel an especially distinctive premise.
The idea of three fragile threads that must somehow be woven together through a single loop in time creates a strong sense of mystery and anticipation.
At 453 pages, this upcoming novel has substantial room to draw readers into its layered questions about identity, time, connection, and the unexpected turns of the present.
Boaz’s sudden fall from his familiar life into uncertainty creates a compelling starting point, particularly as three mysterious strangers from radically different periods enter his story.
The police officer from the 1980s, the nineteenth-century French dandy, and the wounded shepherd from biblical times give the novel an especially distinctive premise.
The idea of three fragile threads that must somehow be woven together through a single loop in time creates a strong sense of mystery and anticipation.
At 453 pages, this upcoming novel has substantial room to draw readers into its layered questions about identity, time, connection, and the unexpected turns of the present.
November 8, 2025
פשוט מעולה.מעניין, מותח, מתוחכם. עוד ספר מצוין של הסופר הזה.
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