The Theta Prophecy: A Time Travel Dystopian

The Theta Timeline

by Chris Dietzel

The treasure at Oak Island. JFK’s assassination. A tyrannous regime’s inner-workings. Welcome to The Theta Prophecy, where alternate history meets modern dystopian.Having survived a perilous journey into the distant past, a time traveler grapples with the crushing realization that his sacrifices were in vain. In a different era, the world suffers at the hands of an empire bent on instilling misery upon an entire population. But the course he unknowingly sets the world upon will change everything we think we know about history.Irreverent but insightful, The Theta Prophecy is an adventure spanning centuries. More than just another dystopian story, it offers a disturbing vision of the future that will leave you asking, what is reality and what is fiction? And most importantly, can the Tyranny be stopped?

Genres: Science Fiction, Time Travel, Fiction, Dystopia, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

277 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 26, 2015

About the author

Chris graduated from Western Maryland College (McDaniel College). He currently lives in Florida. His dream is to write the same kind of stories that have inspired him over the years.

Sign up for his mailing list to receive updates on future projects and some neat freebies: http://chrisdietzel.com/mailing_list/

In his free time, Chris volunteers for a Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) program for feral cats. (If you would like more information on how best to care for abandoned and feral cats in your neighborhood, please check out the Alley Cat Allies website at: http://www.alleycat.org/)

Dietzel is a huge fan of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) and mixed martial arts (MMA). He trained in BJJ for ten years, earning the rank of brown belt, and went 2-0 in amateur MMA fights before an injury ended his participation in contact sports.

It is incredibly difficult for new authors to gain an audience. If you read one of his books and enjoyed it, please recommend it to anyone else you think may like them.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

– Dad?

– Yes, son?

– Dad, Charly said tyranny is very bad. Is that true?

– What makes Charly say that?

– He got it from a book.

– What kind of book?

– His sister read it. She is seventeen already. And then she told Charly about it. It's called the thetaprof I see. What's a thetaprof?

– You probably mean prophecy. That's when someone knows something evil about the future, and then tells the others about it to warn them.

– Aha. But in this book they travel to the past. Time travel. That's awesome! And then they meet the Indians and then they search for a treasure and they dig deeper and deeper. And then the president gets shot. That's so cool!

– You find it cool that the president gets shot?

– No no. But the other things. And when the president is dead then comes the tyranny. And they have flying cameras. They can see and hear everything.

– Flying cameras?

– Yes. They're called errorcams. They fly around the houses and record everything, and the cops have these blasters and they shoot everyone. So cool.

– Wait a minute. People put up with that? These "errorcams"?

– Of course. The government tells them, everything is alright. Nobody needs to be afraid. Only when someone is hiding something, then the cops come and it goes pew pew pew with the blasters.

– So they only shoot at the tyranny?

– No, Dad! That is the tyranny. The government call themself the tyranny. And they shoot the people. And the time travelers want to stop them.

– That's some nonsense. A tyranny who calls itself that.

– Charly's sister says that's because of the sad tire. I didn't get that. But the rest is so cool.

– Charly's sister probably means satire.

– Fine. Whatever. Charly says, his sister says, that everyone should read the book.

– Uh-huh.

– Dad?

– What's next?

– Can I read the book too?

– I don't know. It sounds pretty violent. Give it to me first, and then we'll see.

– Okay.



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

[Chris Dietzel]

A little more about my next book: while it takes place in the same world as The Theta Timeline, it's a stand alone story so it doesn't matter which book you read first. It's a completely different kind of dystopian from my end-of-the-world books--less solitary and more intrigue. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

[David Estes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the author for providing an ARC in exchange for a review. This in no way influenced the content of my review.

The Theta Prophecy is an extremely well-written, thought-provoking novel with some really cool historical fiction scenes involving past U.S. Presidents, like Thomas Jefferson and JFK. I loved the time travel aspect to this book, and the clever ways in which the time travelers attempted to impact a future they truly hoped to change to help better the world from which they'd come. The heroes in this story were very likeable and the villains utterly hateable. My only disappointment was in the ending, which was left wide open and contained an epilogue that basically recapped everything we already knew about the tyrannical future world. I had hoped that all of the previous characters' actions (the time travelers) would somehow be tied together in a satisfying way. But then again, I believe the author's intent was to provoke thought and consideration about what we as humans can do today to ensure the future for generations to come is one worth living in.

Overall, if you enjoy intellectual, thought-provoking stories with SciFi elements, I think you'll greatly enjoy this read.

[Papaphilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Theta Prophecy is wonderful and well worth the time to read. Chris Dietzel has taken a dystopian universe and given it a twist to make it seem all too real. If you are a fan of conspiracy theory, you will love this book. If you love dystopia, you will love this work. If you are a fan of time travel, you will love this book. If you love a well written novel, you will really love this work.

The Theta Prophecy is a second of a developing universe. It is excellent work. Chris Dietzel notes his books are stand alone. Far be it for me to disagree with the author of the work, but I do. Both The Theta Prophecy and The Theta Timeline are intertwined. It is true they are not direct sequels to each other and either may be read first, but they both must be read in relation to each other. I see both as chapters in a much larger epic.

The Theta Prophecy bounces back and forth between a given past and the present of the dystopia of the State. Chris Dietzel weaves a series of famous conspiracy theories to present how the dystopian world came into existence and how trips to the past failed to change the present. There is just enough science to give the background, but it is not hard or gets in the way of this excellent tale. The beauty is that the story provides the States' view of reality and it has some surprising humanity. It is certainly soul crushing and back breaking, but there is a realization things are out of hand with no sight of how to fix the situation. The story shows the frustration of trying to negotiate the world when the rules are so arbitrary and what happens when the proverbial nails sticks out.

The Theta Prophecy is an excellent read and I hope there is more to follow.

[Luke McNamara · Rating 1 out of 5]

“During the boat ride, the boys didn’t talk
about things like the Super Bowl or the new hit song on the radio because those things didn’t exist yet”
- an absolutely ridiculous and hilarious (in a bad way) quote which epitomises the writing style of this book.


I think this is some sort of thinly veiled libertarian manifesto. Free book off of Apple Books so I feel somewhat bad for being so harsh but it was hilarious.

Dietzl concocts a conspiracy involving a dystopian authoritarian state (creatively called “The State”) in the future which time travelling dissidents (creatively called “Thinkers”) attempt to thwart yet (it seems) inadvertently create. A mass web of conspiracy theories involving JFK, the Federal Reserve/banks, and the arms industry becomes the genesis of the State.

A strange book which had no real sense of a beginning-middle-end, multiple characters who just kept dying, and felt just like a book length explanation through exposition in a clunky attempt at world building.

The exploration of the JFK conspiracy was only mildly interesting because it was an insight into the minds of Americans.

Still, filling up the goodreads challenge so can’t complain too much.

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

I loved the use of real history. I enjoyed the way it made me think about current affairs. Also how relevant it is in todays scamdemic. A well diserved 5 stars

[Carlos Mock · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Theta Prophecy by Chris Dietzel

The book is divided into three parts and three timelines.

In the first part, we deal with a time traveler that arrives into the Mi'kmaq tribes of New Foundland. Apparently in the future, the State has become tyrannical and the Thinkers in the future decide to send time travelers back in time to see if they can stop the State from becoming authoritarian and a disaster for human rights. The first traveler lands in a very native Nova Scotia and because he can't do anything to change the future, he writes a book and buries it in an Island (Oak Island) off the coast of Nove Scotia.

In the early 18th century, Julius Condenborn, a wealthy fur trader, finds the book buries over 100 feet below the ground and gives it to Thomas Jefferson, the third US President to warn him of the dangers that are coming to our country.

The second part occurs between 1956 and 1963 and it deals with another traveler trying to prevent JFK's assassination in 1963.

The third part occurs in 2048 and the State is at its height. Human rights are none existent. Pollution by big companies is allowed. Laws are applied only to poor people, while rich people go unpunished.
There is no free press, and people are constantly monitored to prevent any dissent.

Narrated from the third person point of view, the book is quite boring. Mostly because nothing really happens. There is very little action. I thought of stopping and not finishing it, but eventually, and after a few tries, I did finish it.

I think a simple essay on the evils of authoritarianism would have been a more effective way of telling the story.

Not recommended!

[Paul Mackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Oak Island angle was most intriguing part of the story... until the dull and unnecessarily long reveal at the end of the book.
The Kennedy era component also felt like it was leading me somewhere interesting... but also didn't.
The entire second half of the book was a tedious and repetitive lecture about authoritarianism, presented through implausible, one-dimensional characters.
One star would be a bit harsh, but I can't stretch it to three.

[Lawrence Xing · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty fascinating time travel tale that rapidly devolves into a cliche dystopia. Nothing against the genre, but its effectiveness hinges heavily on presentation. Here I found The Theta Prophecy to be lacking, from the antagonistic overlords predictably named "The Tyranny" to a long John-Galt styled manifesto against...tyranny. I barely made it through multiple chapters of the supreme leader monologuing his dastardly plans like a verbose James Bond villain to a convenient advisor/speech receptacle. In another scene a few characters discuss in eye-watering detail the Tyranny's corruption. The chapter closes with, "Outside, a new AeroCam was watching from the third story window". I couldn't help but laugh at the juxtaposition of an attempt at an ominous mood with the unsubtle delivery of "pay attention! It's inescapable government surveillance!"

It's really sad, because the time-travel really built up intrigue and invested me in the resolution, and because I think the overarching point of the book is worth considering. Unfortunately, this falls short of more thought-provoking dystopian fiction like Brave New World or The Trial.

[Annie Mahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

WTF did I just read? At first it seemed like a book about a treasure hunt, then a conspiracy theory, then a satire. Then I finished it and I realized it's not any of the above, it's a dystopian that will blow your mind.

I already read Dietzel's "The Theta Timeline" and loved it. That book had a single story that was scattered with tons of other connected ideas. This book has three separate stories that are connected by one common idea. (Tough to explain without ruining anything, but it will make sense when you read it). I think this book is better in almost every way than the first one. It is also typical Dietzel writing. If you want a conventional story or a pretty bow at the end of the book, you need to read something else. Dietzel is about as unconventional as it gets when it comes to his stories and his endings never have a clear end. That's what I love so much about them.

If you love science fiction or time travel this book is an absolute must.

Note: I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Ronel van Tonder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read "The Theta Timeline" with its twist on the element of time travel, I was eager to see where Dietzel took the next installment in this series. I was pleasantly surprised with "The Theta Prophecy". In this novel, the story is tightly focused on the characters themselves, and since I love character-driven fiction, this made the book for me.

I would have enjoyed deeper explanations on some of the elements touched on in this book but perhaps the author is reserving these for another novel? Being South African, some of the political intrigues present in the novel were a bit hit and miss for me.

This is a fantastic novel and one which I highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed books along the lines of George Orwell's 1984. Although the author doesn't dwell as much on the futuristic nightmare as in his previous book, he still paints a terrifying future: a warning... and a challenge.

Will you take the Theta Prophecy to heart? Or, through indifference, will you be a silent bystander to this none too-fantastical regime we're all headed toward?

[Barracuda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of brave individuals traveling through time wanting to change the course of their current world to avoid the tyranny. The way each part of this book intertwines real events with potential different outcomes is fascinating. I enjoyed the JFK part especially since it had something totally different from anything I've ever heard.

Dietzel's novels always have me imagining "what would I do" and leave me contemplating the possibilities. The Theta Prophecy is another thought provoking and quick read that I would recommend to anyone because its a blend of so many different types of stories.

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Gale McGaha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling Story Upstaged by Diatribe.

What started as an interesting bit of time travel and intriguing regressed into a tedious political essay. The last quarter of this novel focused almost entirely on commentary that neither furthered the plot nor developed the characters. An item whose contents was teased through the book turned out to be anticlimactic. There was one hint of a cliff hanger at the end, but unless this picks up immediately in the next book, it will have been for naught. That’s unfortunate because there were many interesting characters and plot lines that just petered out.

[Jon Stonecash · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very heavy handed.

[Matt Kelland · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unreadable crap. DNF.

[Vesselin Bakov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost perfect in my opinion - very light (albeit the future it shows is dark) and easy to read, the only thing that prevents me from giving it 5 stars is the way too hyperbolical description of said future. Want to color the dictators as ultimately bad - there are other ways of doing so, without having them shoot a group of 16yo partying, or incarcerate an old man, sickly looking at that, for littering, when he's planted a few flowers outside his home. Got the idea, but it's a bit white and black, a bit too much on the nose.

Other than that, I really liked the multiple different settings that the book went through - at times, they almost felt like reading two different books. Well done on that part!

All in all, a satisfying read with a slight feel of 1984 (maybe intended?), but not exactly on par with the classic. Still, recommending for a light reading.

[Jan Butchart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!! Not so "dystopian" after all!

A very chilling read especially as it echoes not only past and present events but also future ones. The frightening thing is, that this author has, through "fiction ", conveyed almost verbatim, exactly what would happen if this was really based on true events. Government greed, economic depression, tyranny, watch groups, political oligarchy etc. etc. has been written about, made movies of, been right there in front of all of us many times before....Kudos to those who try to keep us aware of what is right in front of us but it takes courage for more people to be doers rather than cowards or under rug sweepers and to start standing up for our rights and those of others. Stand tall and try always to make a difference.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thinly veiled analogy

While Dietzel writes well enough, this book gradually ends up heavy handed and ful of predictable dialogue. When he writes about indigenous Canadians and nature, he is at his best. And the middle section - without revealing any spoilers - is moderately clever if nearly unbelievable. Finally, we get to scenes that we've heard about in the first 2/3rds of the book, with plenty of examples and a character whose actions seem sudden, even though her motivations are explained a couple times. In the epilogue, we are able to witness the "mystery," which ends up being an overlong editorial of sorts. It was a short read, and I don't know how one could attempt the same thing and do any better. If I'm going to be lectured, I prefer nonfiction.

[Kshydog · Rating 5 out of 5]

In order to enjoy this book, you need to be comfortable reading about potential future possibilities. This book really made me think about our country right now. It makes me think about the way our government already is made up of career politicians, rich people and their backers are the only ones that can afford to run, the idea of a war as a way to improve the economy, the right of government to know what people are doing - so much of the book is already happening. Interesting how “the Thinkers” did time travel while not knowing how successful it would be. A lot of time spent on the hole being dug by one traveler. Trying to stop JFK assassination was fascinating. Tragic how the country is run in 2050 by such inept self serving people.

[Mark Lucas-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theta Prophecy

This is a book with a powerful message. It portrays a future not too distant and yet terrifyingly imminent. It is a future that it already present in many ways. It will cause you to question the society we live in and the freedoms we think we hold. Above all it will encourage you to question and ask. At it’s heart it can be expressed by a couple of quotations.
“Who watches the watches?”
“All evil needs to proliferate is for people to ignore it, to pretend it doesn’t affect you.”
“If you do not stand up against injustices to others who will stand up for you when you are the victim of an injustice?”

[Peter Browne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing.

I like time travel stories. There is an interesting time plot gimmick. The main character is passionate and driven. Drawing in JFK and the Oak Island mystery is worthwhile. It's an easy, fast read.

That's about all the good stuff.

The characters are not well formed.
Time travel just leads to the same conclusions, if not even creating those conclusions.
The story is depressing and synical.

It is a poor man's 1984. Rather than being escapist, it's too reminiscent of where we are currently heading.

Not worth a read. Will not look for more by the writer.

[John Burr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prescient and political

Presumably Orwell wrote 1984 as a projection of the society he saw in the same way as this fine book?
Despite the depressing familiarity with which we can easily see the events therein through the lens of what has sadly become so commonplace in the US, the tone and atmosphere makes for an easy read, even as we'd like a happy ending.
Read this book and remember: the events are hardly far fetched since the US, the UK, China, and some other high-surveillance societies, are already most of the way down much of this terrifying road!

[R Moltzon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written dark dive into where society in America seems to be going. While some recent historical events such as the JFK assassination are part of the plot, the end has more of a 1984 feel. One can only hope that current events will not prove to be moving the needle closer to the dystopian outcome described in the Theta Prophecy.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Envisions a future where people don't take to the streets when government oversteps its authority. Rich people and banks run the world. Abuses by the rich don't have the same consequences as abuses by regular people.
The diatribe at the end is intended for modern people. Don't let them get away with taking your rights.

[Colleen B Boyarsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

of things to come

This book clearly shows what’s happening to the United States now. If we don’t start standing up and speaking out this tale will be reality and not fiction! Kudos for warning us of what can happen when we allow the government to slowly take power over our entire lives using fear to get compliance.

[Divya Pal · Rating 2 out of 5]

A favourite trope of SF – one that has a time traveler from the future coming back to change the past in order to change his present – was the central theme of this novel. However, the author messed up a brilliant idea of an Orwellian future being the departure point of a series of time travelers attempting to change their time-line. A missed opportunity and a lot of superfluous verbiage.

[Tim Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

1984 revisted

Unfortunately, this is very close to what is happening today. Take the invasion of Ukraine as an example.
I have advocated for term limits for much of my adult life. Not a perfect solution to
corrupt or bought politicians but, at least a start.
A very thought provoking book. At least for '' thinkers ''.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of citizens decide to time travel to the past to try to save the world from the controlling state that it has become. Each person transports to a different point in time and so they don't know how much their 'little change' will assist in the needed changes to protect the people of the future.

Interesting theory of controlling time

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Theta Prophecy hits very close to home in what is going on in our country today. It gives you a lot to think about.

I enjoyed reading this book emencely and believe everyone should take the time to read it.

[Simon Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Made you think...

This was quite deep, I probably should have read in a few sittings as possible, as pick up and put down, got me a little confused! Apart from that a really good story.