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DE-173
Atlantis 2005
The time war is over, and the surviving crew of DE-173 can live in peace once more as Earth's timeline runs true, without threat from the banished Phoenix agents.
But as with every war, something gets buried, left behind for future generations to find.
Iraq 2008
Colonel Jack Marsters and Major Ben Rhodes head up a security detail for an exhumation team sent to investigate a mass grave.
Their posting almost over, one skeleton is found buried deeper than the others. Buried for over a thousand years... and wearing a watch.
Two worlds collide as new threats to Earth's timeline rise and Marsters and Rhodes embark on the trip of ten lifetimes.
The time war is over, and the surviving crew of DE-173 can live in peace once more as Earth's timeline runs true, without threat from the banished Phoenix agents.
But as with every war, something gets buried, left behind for future generations to find.
Iraq 2008
Colonel Jack Marsters and Major Ben Rhodes head up a security detail for an exhumation team sent to investigate a mass grave.
Their posting almost over, one skeleton is found buried deeper than the others. Buried for over a thousand years... and wearing a watch.
Two worlds collide as new threats to Earth's timeline rise and Marsters and Rhodes embark on the trip of ten lifetimes.
282 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2016
1 person is currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 8, 2017
It all started with a single grave and remains that dated back eons and the watch this man was wearing, a telling symbol for seasoned time travelers. Time Travel, does it exist on some dimension? Does it change timelines to alter future lives? Isn’t everyone fascinated with the thought that events can be altered, but what of the consequences?
Jump through time and back as highly secret agents discover that someone is altering the past to destroy the future, which for these agents, is the present. Their assignment is to assure that the threat is neutralized, no matter how many jumps it takes and history does not alter the world of the present.
One agent is special, she is part of a legendary world now said to have dropped below the sea. Is she human or more? Her powers exceed anything known to mankind, and as a soldier, she excels. As a woman, she loves, grieves and will do anything to keep her team safe. As a prize for enemies, she is better than gold. Her team of human allies will risk life and limb to stop evil from using time, clones and death to steal humanity’s true history.
From start to finish, this intriguing read is rapid-fire, fresh and riveting as time and dimensions are breached and the ramifications are to be delicately handled. The biggest questions become who can be trusted, who is the target and who is working behind the scenes to twist time. DE-173 by J.G. Bell is a science fiction lover’s dream come true! High tension, brilliant scenes and characters that come to life as they embrace their “job,” and their missions as another day at the office when they are home and as their sole focus when at “work.” Loyalty to teammates, trust in each other and a closeness that enables them to almost hear each others thoughts, makes J.G. Bell’s tale a true escape into other worlds and dimensions!
I received this copy from J.G. Bell in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publisher: PublishNation (April 21, 2016)
Publication Date: April 21, 2016
Genre: Science Fiction | Time Travel
Print Length: 262 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Jump through time and back as highly secret agents discover that someone is altering the past to destroy the future, which for these agents, is the present. Their assignment is to assure that the threat is neutralized, no matter how many jumps it takes and history does not alter the world of the present.
One agent is special, she is part of a legendary world now said to have dropped below the sea. Is she human or more? Her powers exceed anything known to mankind, and as a soldier, she excels. As a woman, she loves, grieves and will do anything to keep her team safe. As a prize for enemies, she is better than gold. Her team of human allies will risk life and limb to stop evil from using time, clones and death to steal humanity’s true history.
From start to finish, this intriguing read is rapid-fire, fresh and riveting as time and dimensions are breached and the ramifications are to be delicately handled. The biggest questions become who can be trusted, who is the target and who is working behind the scenes to twist time. DE-173 by J.G. Bell is a science fiction lover’s dream come true! High tension, brilliant scenes and characters that come to life as they embrace their “job,” and their missions as another day at the office when they are home and as their sole focus when at “work.” Loyalty to teammates, trust in each other and a closeness that enables them to almost hear each others thoughts, makes J.G. Bell’s tale a true escape into other worlds and dimensions!
I received this copy from J.G. Bell in exchange for my honest opinion.
Publisher: PublishNation (April 21, 2016)
Publication Date: April 21, 2016
Genre: Science Fiction | Time Travel
Print Length: 262 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com
December 12, 2023
I really wanted to like this story. The premise of time travelers attempting to protect both the past and the future is something I find very interesting and held a lot of promise. The story structure had an episodic quality to it rather than a single overarching story. This made the end of each chapter or two feel like the author had slammed on the breaks and had to start over.
However, the toughest part was the writing itself. There is a jarring quality where characters change emotions in the space of a single sentence. At times, characters go from confused to expert in no time at all and scenes transition with nothing connecting them. This herkie jerky narration prevented me from enjoying the story...or even following it without backing up and rereading, thinking I missed something that wasn't there.
"DE-173" has an interesting concept. But the execution of the story feels unfinished. Unfortunately, it failed to capture me.
However, the toughest part was the writing itself. There is a jarring quality where characters change emotions in the space of a single sentence. At times, characters go from confused to expert in no time at all and scenes transition with nothing connecting them. This herkie jerky narration prevented me from enjoying the story...or even following it without backing up and rereading, thinking I missed something that wasn't there.
"DE-173" has an interesting concept. But the execution of the story feels unfinished. Unfortunately, it failed to capture me.
October 4, 2017
DE-173, by J G Bell, is yet another take on the USS Eldridge’s reputation as a test ship for the United States Navy during the Second World War. The many stories (and movies) purport that the ship was used in experiments during 1943 to develop a cloaking device (yes, like the Klingons have) to render the destroyer invisible to the enemy. An interesting concept, expect that the existence of radar at the time would have made an invisible ship pretty much useless. A far better approach would have been to try and make the ship invisible to radar (as is done today), which would have been a potent tool for night battles which the Japanese Navy excelled at during that time.
The real USS Eldridge, DE-173, a Cannon class destroyer escort, was named for Lieutenant Commander John Eldridge Jr., a hero of the battle for the Solomon Islands. Eldridge was laid down on the 22nd of February, 1943, at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Newark, New Jersey. She was launched on the 25th of July 1943, and commissioned on the 27th of August, 1943, with Lieutenant C. R. Hamilton, USNR, in command. Her service record makes it very clear that she was not in the Philadelphia area at the time the ‘experiments’ supposedly took place, and rather than disappearing and re-appearing as she does in the books and movies, her real history is much less exciting. On the 15th of January, 1951, Eldridge was transferred to Greece under the Mutual Defense Assistance Act and renamed Leon, D-54. She was decommissioned on the 5th of November, 1992, and was eventually sold as scrap to V&J Scrap Metal Trading Ltd.
Now, back to the review – sorry; got sidetracked by the ship’s history. J G Bell has taken what was an interesting story and turned it into something even more fascinating. This time, the ship has turned up in the lost city of Atlantis (of course!) and has allowed a group of people to start messing with Earth’s timeline. A team consisting of military members from various nations, working with colleagues from Atlantis, diligently work to restore the timeline and prevent further attempts by the ‘bad guys’ (I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll leave it at that) to change life as we know it.
The story flows smoothly, the character development is good, and I love the premise and ending. So what happened that I only gave it three stars? I’m glad you asked. The book desperately needed another few rounds of editing. I don’t mean for subtle things that only the purists would notice. I mean biggies! I’m looking forward to reading Book II – this one is that good – and I hope and pray that an attempt was made to appear as though someone edited it.
The real USS Eldridge, DE-173, a Cannon class destroyer escort, was named for Lieutenant Commander John Eldridge Jr., a hero of the battle for the Solomon Islands. Eldridge was laid down on the 22nd of February, 1943, at the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, in Newark, New Jersey. She was launched on the 25th of July 1943, and commissioned on the 27th of August, 1943, with Lieutenant C. R. Hamilton, USNR, in command. Her service record makes it very clear that she was not in the Philadelphia area at the time the ‘experiments’ supposedly took place, and rather than disappearing and re-appearing as she does in the books and movies, her real history is much less exciting. On the 15th of January, 1951, Eldridge was transferred to Greece under the Mutual Defense Assistance Act and renamed Leon, D-54. She was decommissioned on the 5th of November, 1992, and was eventually sold as scrap to V&J Scrap Metal Trading Ltd.
Now, back to the review – sorry; got sidetracked by the ship’s history. J G Bell has taken what was an interesting story and turned it into something even more fascinating. This time, the ship has turned up in the lost city of Atlantis (of course!) and has allowed a group of people to start messing with Earth’s timeline. A team consisting of military members from various nations, working with colleagues from Atlantis, diligently work to restore the timeline and prevent further attempts by the ‘bad guys’ (I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll leave it at that) to change life as we know it.
The story flows smoothly, the character development is good, and I love the premise and ending. So what happened that I only gave it three stars? I’m glad you asked. The book desperately needed another few rounds of editing. I don’t mean for subtle things that only the purists would notice. I mean biggies! I’m looking forward to reading Book II – this one is that good – and I hope and pray that an attempt was made to appear as though someone edited it.
October 2, 2017
DE-173 is a story about a time-traveling team that is dedicated to the correction of time events changed by a rogue time-traveling group. There is romance involved as well as characters with superhuman powers. Every time traveling episode is a last-ditch effort to right time anomalies. Just as you determine that the book is about to conclude, a new time anomaly pops up.
The main character is Tanis. Born to a time-traveling family, she has superhuman strength and can time travel without any mechanical aid. Tanis becomes both the focus of scientific replication attempts and of an antagonist group bent on killing her. The team’s refuge is the island of Atlantis that has been transported to a time stable safe-zone by Tanis’ parents.
There are a series of missions in the second half of the book, each one being self-contained adventures. The mission series reminded me of Stargate SG1, the team goes out to correct a change in the timeline, it encounters an adversary, and it then bravely deals with it with one of the team members almost getting killed in the process.
This book is an anomaly to me as it’s definitely a Sci-Fi, and it’s part love story, and there’s plenty of action. I previously called this a thriller but now I’m not so sure that’s accurate. Hopefully, a consensus will be arrived at with other readers expressing their opinions in their reviews.
The main character is Tanis. Born to a time-traveling family, she has superhuman strength and can time travel without any mechanical aid. Tanis becomes both the focus of scientific replication attempts and of an antagonist group bent on killing her. The team’s refuge is the island of Atlantis that has been transported to a time stable safe-zone by Tanis’ parents.
There are a series of missions in the second half of the book, each one being self-contained adventures. The mission series reminded me of Stargate SG1, the team goes out to correct a change in the timeline, it encounters an adversary, and it then bravely deals with it with one of the team members almost getting killed in the process.
This book is an anomaly to me as it’s definitely a Sci-Fi, and it’s part love story, and there’s plenty of action. I previously called this a thriller but now I’m not so sure that’s accurate. Hopefully, a consensus will be arrived at with other readers expressing their opinions in their reviews.
July 3, 2016
Good story, I like the link with the disappearance of Atlantis and The Philadelphia Experiment, checked out the Montauk plot too as I am a bit of a conspiracy theorist, thought it was a good twist.
Also the missions that the team have to go on back in time are refreshingly little know dates in history, not the usual obvious ones that some time travel stories suffer from.
The Characters are engaging too and I would like to see a prequel perhaps involving the original DE-173 team.
Look forward to the next instalment (I know it's coming I checked out the writers website) with great anticipation. I was a huge fan of Stargate SG-1 back in the day and this has the same appeal to me.
Also the missions that the team have to go on back in time are refreshingly little know dates in history, not the usual obvious ones that some time travel stories suffer from.
The Characters are engaging too and I would like to see a prequel perhaps involving the original DE-173 team.
Look forward to the next instalment (I know it's coming I checked out the writers website) with great anticipation. I was a huge fan of Stargate SG-1 back in the day and this has the same appeal to me.
November 26, 2016
I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
de-173 was a very well thought out, very intricate time-travel thriller.
There were times when I found myself not sure what was going on, but then I was drawn back in again and everything once again made sense.
Likeable and believable characters. It did start to grate on me that one of the main characters’ dialogue was written in his accent, which felt a bit too much but did add authenticity.
de-173 was a very well thought out, very intricate time-travel thriller.
There were times when I found myself not sure what was going on, but then I was drawn back in again and everything once again made sense.
Likeable and believable characters. It did start to grate on me that one of the main characters’ dialogue was written in his accent, which felt a bit too much but did add authenticity.
July 3, 2016
Really like the hit the ground running style of story telling. Also liked the tie in with The Philadelphia Experiment. Actually checked and the historical events they travel back to are real. Each chapter is a new mission and interesting too. My favourite character has to be Ned. Hope there is more to come.
July 3, 2017
Time travel is one of my favourites and this didn't disappoint really like the characters and the plot is cleverly worked out. sequel to come soon I hope and there is room for prequels too.
refreshingly not too way out there sci fi.
refreshingly not too way out there sci fi.
June 27, 2025
Okay, DE-173 had me hooked from the start! Imagine the time war is finally over, everyone's chilling, and suddenly, boom, something that should’ve stayed buried comes crawling back. Yep, nothing stays quiet for long.
Fast forward to Iraq, 2008, Colonel Jack Marsters and Major Ben Rhodes are just wrapping up their security job when they find this super old skeleton... wearing a watch. A modern watch. Like, excuse me? Instant goosebumps.
What happens next is pure chaos in the best way. Time travel, crazy missions, ancient secrets, it's like stepping into a movie where everything keeps getting bigger and wilder. The story just doesn't slow down and I loved every second of it.
Jack and Ben’s bromance? Solid. I loved their energy, serious when they need to be, but always throwing those “we’re definitely not ready for this” vibes. And the world-building? Atlantis, secret missions, future tech—it’s all here. Pure sci-fi gold.
If you’re into stories where timelines clash and the past refuses to stay buried, you need to check this one out. Trust me, it’s a ride.
Fast forward to Iraq, 2008, Colonel Jack Marsters and Major Ben Rhodes are just wrapping up their security job when they find this super old skeleton... wearing a watch. A modern watch. Like, excuse me? Instant goosebumps.
What happens next is pure chaos in the best way. Time travel, crazy missions, ancient secrets, it's like stepping into a movie where everything keeps getting bigger and wilder. The story just doesn't slow down and I loved every second of it.
Jack and Ben’s bromance? Solid. I loved their energy, serious when they need to be, but always throwing those “we’re definitely not ready for this” vibes. And the world-building? Atlantis, secret missions, future tech—it’s all here. Pure sci-fi gold.
If you’re into stories where timelines clash and the past refuses to stay buried, you need to check this one out. Trust me, it’s a ride.
November 21, 2025
Three people survive the time war and together they investigate the timeline. There is a lot of adventure and romance.
I received a free copy of this book.
Thank you to LibraryThing and author.
I received a free copy of this book.
Thank you to LibraryThing and author.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews