In this fast-paced, thrilling journey through time, archaeologist David Preston comes into possession of a baseball supposedly signed by the legendary Ty Cobb in 1908, thanks to Ariyl Moro and her mysterious companion, Jon Ludlo. Except the ball tests out to be an impossible paradox. It was signed with a ballpoint pen (not invented until 1938) using ink that's several centuries older. But then, Ariyl and Ludlo aren't who they claim to be either.
Ariyl, a voluptuous 6-foot-3 beauty, turns out to be a tourist from a 22nd century paradise where time travel is the latest craze. Unbeknownst to her, however, her traveling companion, Ludlo, is a psychopath whose thefts are starting to alter history. In a world were even small changes in the timeline can cause catastrophic consequences, Ludlo's actions may completely destroy the future.
To stop Ludlo, David and Ariyl must solve a mystery involving Bronze Age swordsmen, modern-day Nazis, a steampunk world, Albert Einstein, some highly skeptical Founding Fathers, and a Golden Age Hollywood where the murder of a beloved movie star will spell doom for civilization.
I struggled with what rating to give this book. On the one hand, I read it through in I think 3 days, just stopping for trivial necessities like eating and sleeping and going to work.
On the other hand, when I think of it objectively, it's full of flaws.
The worst part of the book was when the hero travels to 1940s Hollywood. It sounds like some breathless fan. "Oh my, I saw Orson Welles ... and then I saw John Wayne ... and then Cary Grant walked past and he ACTUALLY SAID HELLO TO ME as he walked by ..." etc. I get it, the author must like old movies. But this just got tiresome. There's a particularly absurd scene where the hero gets three famous actors to help him fight the villains. Like, they just met this guy a few hours before, an apparently random fan in a restaurant pestering them. He talk to them for what in real time might have been ten minutes. In real life they'd surely just think this guy was annoying, maybe at best be mildly pleased that they have yet one more adoring fan. But then he finds them again and suddenly they are willing to risk their lives to help him. Because he said he liked their movies? That seems ... very implausible.
Likewise, there's a really cliche scene about an alternate time-line where the Nazis won World War 2. I guess it could have been interesting if he had some original take on it. But he doesn't. It's just, Hey, it would have been really terrible if the Nazis had won World War 2, wouldn't it?
The heroine is way too powerful. There's a quick explanation about future nanotechnology and the like. But it mostly detracts from the story. I rarely like superhero stories because if the hero is super-strong and invincible and can fly and all that, how is anything a challenge for him? Then the author has to struggle to come up with something to actually put him in danger. I think this story border on that problem. I won't go into details because maybe that would be a spoiler, but let's just say that she can get out of almost any problem way too easily, and so I cease to care about any dangers she faces.
Oh, and maybe I missed something, but a big chunk of the plot rests on what appears to be an astounding coincidence: The hero encounters two time travelers from the future -- not knowing that's what they are -- and then a few days (?) later, thousands of miles away, runs into one of them again through circumstances having absolutely nothing to do with the first meeting.
But all that said, this book still kept me interested. The hero and heroine were likable and interesting characters. I wanted to know how they get out of this mess.
The villain isn't just unexplained insane. He has very plausible motives: he's trying to change the past because the society in his own time is intolerable. The reader, and the hero, can understand exactly what his complaints are and why he might want to change things.
A pleasant and easy read. I got a kick out of all the historical references spread throughout the novel. Also a good approach to time travel, with just the right amount of back and forth in time with the same set of characters to make you wonder if/when they're gonna tumble on themselves and whether this'll result in an headache to follow :D fun all along!
This was an enjoyable read, although as a NZer, some of the USA-centric references were lost on me. I enjoyed the forays into the past, especially the ones thousands of years into the past! The nod to the golden years of Hollywood was a particular favourite part of the story. With a small cast, it was easy to follow the storyline. I'm not sure I'll read book #2, but I might. I enjoyed the story.
An entertaining, well-plotted action piece that would film well, not surprising considering the author's background in movies and TV. To its credit, the female character is the brawn (though she's also shallow and ignorant). You have to suspend some disbelief and just go along for the ride, but it's a time travel story, so you were already suspending some disbelief going in.
The author gives a convincing impression of having done his research - not having done the same research, I can't say more than that. I didn't catch any obvious wrong notes in the historical scenes, apart from using the horns of a gold statue to cut bonds (gold doesn't take a good edge; it's too soft). The plot is mostly consistent, though I did pick up what seemed to be a contradiction over whether the Time Crystal would or would not respond to instructions from the hero, and it weaves together well.
There's plenty of action, with the genetic superwoman from the future flinging around Nazi goons, as per the cover, and various other antagonists, and the narrator, a former competitive fencer, getting to use his sword skills multiple times. I do question whether someone used to fencing with a light competition saber would be able to adapt so quickly to a shorter and heavier sword, though I accept that he would be better than someone with no training.
It was clear from early on that the two main characters would get together. Considering that the woman comes off initially as a vapid airhead, with her appearance being the main thing going for her, I wasn't enthused about that development, and although her heroic desire to do the right thing did come out in the course of the book, she doesn't really develop enough for me to applaud the hero's taste. I find it believable that he would end up with her, but don't predict it working out in the long term.
The book as a whole has more depth than the heroine, and a degree of originality, and I do enjoy a time-travel story. It's fun, action-packed and generally well written, though there are some odd mangled sentences with words missing or in the wrong order which haven't been caught, despite the author's acknowledgements to a long list of people for reading over the text. It needs someone to read it upside down, backwards or aloud to pick up these errors.
If there was ever a sub-class of science fiction that provides a"tongue-in-cheek, slap your thighs in laughter" sort of humor, this would be it! This is a rollicking romp through the centuries as a present day archaeologist gets involved against his will with two "time travel tourists" from 2109 A.D. As long as the reader isn't looking for deep forays into wormhole physics, or philosophical treatises explaining the hows and whys of a potential future Utopia, this novel will surely entertain. One thing is for sure...you've GOT to suspend belief time and time again (pardon the pun). Molitor's wit comes at you at a break-neck pace. I often asked myself, "How many zany plot twists can be concocted out of so many time periods?" I mean, what time travel adventure can combine Ty Cobb, Jimmy Stewart, Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, The Founding Fathers, AND a "cast of thousands" (mostly from the Minotian Empire around 1600B.C.)? I enjoyed this as a purely entertaining work, something that would "cleanse the palate" as it were, after reading more serious authors, such as Harlan Ellison, H.G. Wells, et al.
Fun fluff. There's a lot of bad decision-making, wish-fulfillment, and expositionary dialog here, but it's entertaining and fast-paced. Don't expect a lot of complex character development or motivation examination. Also some borderline sexism masquerading as progressive gender roles. Male history nerd and sexy powerful woman travel to random era in history: dweeb wastes time making plan while babe charms local men with her outrageous figure. Rinse, repeat.
Imagine “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” but without the jokes, and without George Carlin, and without any meaning...Imagine “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” without any character development or plot development or purpose or reasoning. Imagine “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” that just goes on and on and on and on.
Yeah. That’s what this is like.
(I did manage to finish this, so technically it should be two stars, but it was just so flippin’ BAD!)
I love everything time travel which I may have mentioned in other reviews. This was a lot of fun, a very funny sci-fi fantasy with all the history and paradoxes that make up a very interesting time travel romp. It doesn't exactly end with a cliffhanger but it certainly has a kind of to be continued feel. If Mr Molitor is not working on a sequel I'm going to ask. Please a sequel!! Thanks.
This was a lot of fun. The author is a former movie and TV comedy writer - and Jeopardy! champ- so while this isn't hard sci-fi, it's fun sci-fi. A romp through history, including Thera, 1776, and Hollywood in the 1940s. Lively and funny.
I'm not sure what I was expecting here, but this definitely fell short. The premise was interesting enough, especially considering my time travel fixation, but it unraveled slowly to a disappointing ending. What hooked me was a baseball signed by Ty Cobb in 1908 with a pen that was only invented 30 years later, but using ink that was at least 200 years old. The main female character is annoying, but tolerable for most of the book. There were some interesting scenarios involving Ty Cobb and Orson Welles, although the sequence requiring rescue from a team of John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Stewart in the late forties was kind of silly. The author clearly put considerable effort into time paradoxes with characters doubling back in time creating different threads. I'm sure it made sense within context, but I couldn't be bothered to trace it out. What really tipped this into 2-star territory, though, was the explanation of the villain as a psychopath bent on altering time to conform to his whims. It just seemed lame. I won't be continuing the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Criticising this book feels like kicking a puppy. It was an easy read of harmless time twisting adventures. Romance in the form of man meets voluptuous amazon from the future. It’s the 1st of a series. It’s also the last in the series for me.
A romping ride through time. Interesting story about changing time. A bit loose on morals, and the language was lacking. I'd give it another star if the story was tightened up a bit and the unnecessary sexual stuff was removed.
The story begins with, "On the day he died, Andy Graise awoke in a lousy mood, never dreaming that the greatest afternoon of his life lay ahead." I was hooked for a while. But all the time travel and resultant changes of history got confusing, the characters weren't all that interesting, and in the end finishing the book became a chore.
Loved IT!!@!!! On the edge of your seat exciting. I know many technical guru's pointed out many mistakes in the book but geezzzz its a story! Lighten up. I enjoyed it. Couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next.
Outstanding time travel story. Lots of back and forth until you're dizzy. Good fights and interesting integration with historic characters too. All with a touch of humor to balance the drama. I want to read the next story in the series. Read this book, it's about baseball.
I downloaded this book because the description intrigued me. I kept reading because it was well written and addresses several time travel theories and paradoxes. I'm looking forward to downloading the next book in the series.
This is a great time travel story with a lot of attention to historical details. With the backdrop of divergent timelines based on acts done by a renegade time traveler (Jon Ludlo), we are given a first-person narrative as David Preston (our protagonist) attempts to undo all that has gone wrong. Being a typical archeologist, his strength is his knowledge and a lot of willpower. He also has the on-again/off-again support of Ariyl Moro (Jon's fellow time traveler).
I had trouble putting this down so I could get some sleep and do all the other things that life demands of us.
There are a couple passages that dwell a bit too much on details of some time periods, but they’re short enough to not be an impediment to my enjoyment of the book.
In addition to some great action scenes, there is a budding romance that doesn’t follow normal conventions.
The book has good closure on the main story arcs while setting up for the next book in the series.
This is a great take on time travel and how changing certain events can have an impact on the 'present' as we know it.
David Preston's view of life has always been through his focus on archaeology and it is during this that he meets the mysterious Ariyl Moro who has apparently been sent to be his assistant. Not long after meeting her, and discovering the artefact that will gain him much recognition and proof of his belief's is his world turned upside down. From travelling to ancient Thera before the volcanic eruption to the late eighteenth century and then flitting across the twentieth meeting various characters that have been influential to history for differing reasons. David Preston soon discovers that history has a lot more to offer—as does he to his travelling companion whose knowledge is based solely on fictional tv and films—as he bounces from one strange event to another, all with the aims of trying to repair history.
A great read that brings together some interesting times in history with a few laughs and a lot of 'what if's...'
Absolutely brilliant! I love time travel stories, but this one took on a new angle. Imagine if Weels' Weena had been the true time traveler, not the scientist. That's basically what you get in this story. David,an archeologist in 2013, finds himself traveling through time with Ariyl, a bored valley girl from about one hundred years in the future. In Ariyl's time, there is no war, no need for money, no sickness or death. Time travel is used as a form of entertainment as people have become more and more lazy and bored. But when Ariyl's friend with whom she had been traveling changes the future, it's up to David and Ariyl to try to set things right. I really, really enjoyed this book. At first ,Ariyl really annoyed me, but she was a valley girl, as she was just acting as her character was written. She grew on me as the story went. Like she told David,"I'm ignorant, not stupid." So as she started paying more attention and learning, she was less annoying.
Drat, this is book 1 of a series, too. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this book turned out to be very enjoyable and amusing. An archeologist (David Preston) meets two time 'tourists' from the future, one of whom, Ariyl is a veritable Amazon - beautiful, tall and very strong - but rather ditzy. He ends up traveling through time with her, because her ex-boyfriend is a bit of a psycho and a thief/collector who is apparently changing history with his thefts. As they bounce around time from the sinking of Atlantis to 1776 to the 1940s, they get into some scary (but funny) situations, from which Ariyl usually has to rescue the hapless David. I enjoyed it enough to buy the next one in the series - we'll see how it holds up.
Memoirs of a Time Travel is a fantastic and funny read. A hilarious action-packed romantic action comedy. The characters are wonderful and extremely entertaining. The dialogue is hilarious and the twists and turns are hair-raising. I'm a huge fan of time travel stories. From H.G. Well's The Time Machine to the cheesy TV classic, The Time Tunnel, to Back to the Future. Time travels stories are tough to pull off, but Doug Molitor hits just the right tone with this and hits it out of the park. I can't wait to start book two.
A completely fresh take on time travel isn't easy. "Memoirs" comes close with an archeologist (and swordsman) teaming up with a genetically perfected (and statuesque) future time tourist. The sinking of Atlantis and a golden idol come into play as the duo tries to stop a crazed collector intent on reshaping history. Nazis winning SwIm and the destruction of a future Los Angeles are just part of the backdrop to this fun, and we'll researched adventure.
Ariyal Moro is a gene-enhanced traveler from the future who leads archeologist David Preston on a time traveling journey from a dig in Atlantis to a meeting with Ty Cobb, a conversation with Albert Einstein, a booze filled evening with Hollywood stars and an encounter with the Founding Fathers as they finish the Declaration of Independence. It's a swift moving trip as they try to fix a messed up time-line and get back to their own worlds. I'm anxious to get the next book in the series. Buy this book and enjoy.
To be an effective time traveler you need to be a real student of history. Luckily David Preston knows what to expect wherever and whenever he ends up. And with a maniacal time traveler in the loose and doing his best to change the future David and his sidekick Ariyl are our only hope. Entertaining.
As a lover of time travel stories this is worthy of your time. As a resident of Los Angeles could follow the story without any problems. All the references to people of history is great plus. This tale would make a great movie. I look forward to the next chapter.