The Darkest Loop

by James Fant

Dallas Anderson is stuck in a time loop that repeats Labor Day 2001 to September 11, 2001. He thinks he must prevent the terrorist attacks to break the loop. But each loop challenges that theory, igniting a fiery romance between him and his best friend's sister and exposing the dark truth behind Déjà vu.

Genres: Historical, Fiction

420 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 4, 2017

Reviews

[LeTara Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't think of anything that I disliked about this novel. Although the theme of deja vu is nothing new—I wrote a short story playing around with the idea about a year ago—and plenty of movies and books exist that tackle the subject, I really appreciate the direction that Mr. Fant went with this one.

Dallas, the protagonist, is an ordinary guy with a tendency to stray from anything that could possibly be serious. His best friend, Kevin, invites him over for a Labor Day cookout only for Dallas to discover that it is all a ploy to set him up on a date with Kevin's sister, Thena. At first thought, they had nothing to bond over, but a tragedy strikes that soon changes that. From Labor Day until the tragic events of 9/11, Dallas and Thena become closer than they ever imagined, until the day after 9/11 when Kevin wakes up and it is Labor Day again. Did he dream all of that, or what?

Or what, indeed. The mission of stopping the September 11 terrorist attacks was suspenseful, thrilling and interesting. I even enjoyed the romantic sub-plot between Dallas and Thena. The first several chapters of the book weren't the easiest for me to get into because of the need for build-up. Personally speaking, I'm not one who likes repetitiveness, but for a book dealing with time loops and deja vu, it is necessary in order to really tell the story. The first several chapters established plenty of confusion, which is what Dallas was experiencing as he kept reliving the same week of his life over and over again. I really wanted to see what the author was going to do with this storyline, so I kept turning the pages. Once Dallas figured out what was going on, however, the fun really began.

There were so many turns. Every time the clock restarted, the same days would pass yet something new would happen. Obstacle after obstacle appeared out of thin air that wouldn't have even made sense to Dallas if he were not the one going through it himself. Who are these strange characters that appear in one loop, then disappear? Some things are left to the reader's imagination and ability to cook up conspiracies.

What I liked most was how the main characters remained ordinary people. They never turned into superheroes. They remained relatable, flawed. They were decent, regular, imperfect people who were just trying to do the right thing, even if it was a stretch as huge as them stopping September 11, 2001 from becoming a day of tragedy eventually written down in history books. Their efforts were not fruitless in the least, though they resulted in an ending that neither of them were expecting and some lives were saved.

I also enjoyed seeing the relationship develop between Dallas and Thena. They had a sort of love at second sight type of attraction. They had known of each other for years, but never got to actually know each other. A lot of the little things that Dallas noticed about Thena were very endearing and sweet. I felt that it rounded the book out and gave the readers a little taste of everything from romance to suspense to sci-fi. I had an idea of how things would end with Thena and Dallas, which took a little bit of the edge off while I was trying to figure out how everything else would turn out.

I knew that I'd read another book by James Fant eventually, once I tackled some others on my to-read list, but I am glad he asked for my two cents on this one because it was a very fun and exciting read. I'll have to make sure to keep his titles near the top of my to-read list.

[Yecheilyah Ysrayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second read from this author. I absolutely loved COED. I enjoy Fant's writing style and how his characters always remind me of real people.

On September 3rd, Dallas gets a call from his friend Kevin inviting him to a BBQ during Labor Day Weekend. At the house Dallas meets Kevin’s sister Thena who Kevin and his wife Jasmine are trying to hook up. Everything seems normal at first, until Dallas wakes the next day to the same phone call from Kevin, the same invitation to his BBQ, the meeting of Thena and the same series of events from the previous night. That’s because it’s September 3rd again and it will be for the better part of the book. Each September 3rd runs through September 11th and then Dallas wakes up to September 3rd again. The loops involve similar but different outcomes, playing on Dallas mind until he realizes he is stuck in a time loop.

What I loved most about this book was the Final Destination type clues sprinkled about. I loved how something would happen in one loop and then the author would take us to a loop that gives us the same events from a different perspective. Like how Dallas smells the scent of a woman on his sheets and meets a woman the next day with the same scent. They are just meeting but have already met and been together. The series of coincidences and Déjà vu keeps you on the edge of your seat and is also reminiscent of Premonition the movie starring Sandra Bullock.

The only thing I did not like very much is the ending. The anticipation and tension was so well done that I was not as impressed with the revelation toward the end of the book. Things got weird...I mean more weird than usual for this book and while weird can be good, I felt the author drifted and the whole reason behind the loop was not as satisfying for me as I had hoped. Otherwise, def a five-star read.

[Cyrene Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though the editing wasn’t perfect, and there were some real oddities in the wording sometimes, I enjoyed this book a lot. I was impressed with how my opinion and interest just kept improving as I read more and more. (To be totally honest, I was thinking as I began reading that I was going to have to drag myself through the book. Never has my opinion turned around so completely.) What is also great about this book is that it is very clean. Where the author could have chosen to include coarse language and explicit sex scenes, he did not. It worked so well for this book. There is only one scene that is pretty disturbing (spoilers: torture, frightening and extreme violence). Otherwise, I would even recommend this book to some younger readers.

I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author. This book is just great entertainment, pure and simple. Reviewed by Emily

4 1/2 Stars

Full review at UncagedBooks.com

[Samantha Turley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are a lot of moving parts to this novel and a good amount of drama and action without being action packed. I liked the way the characters were relatable even though it was set in a different time period.
The Historical aspect is very well done and the imagery and setting is amazing. The Author really brings the world to life through words.
Get ready to be immersed in the world and captivated by the characters he has created.

[C. Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Fant has characterization down to a science. His characters really run the show and make the story so fun to read about.

This was a very action packed Historical Fiction Novel that definitely kept me flipping pages. There were surprises along the way that definitely shocked me. Anything but predictable.

Great pacing and a well written storyline.

[Gina Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great ride of a novel. You have time loops and time travel. Trying to prevent a conspiracy/attack and everything in between. There is not a dull moment in this novel, it is action packed and full of twists and turns. I was completed captivated by James Fant’s writing and the story in general. Wonderful characters, wonderful setting and descriptions, and wonderful ending!