Tom

by Stephen Matthews

A love of science… …never prepared him for this. Where had the portal taken Tom? A shy science reporter, who followed the rules, didn’t make waves, and was generally risk averse, had just taken an accidental trip. There are only two questions. Where was he? And more importantly, when was he? 47,000 years in the past, the stone-age life was fraught with danger. Tom must figure out how to survive, which would not be easy as life in Beaconsfield, near London had not prepare him for anything like it. He was not alone, though, and when he meets Canee, everything changes. She’s beautiful and interesting in a way he’s never known. But there was a rival… Can Tom survive? Will he make it home? You’ll love this epic time-travel adventure, with a twist, because the primal instincts are still in us all. Get it now. Book 1 in the series

Genres: Time Travel, Fantasy, Harem

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Sadly Stephen died suddenly on the 8th Jan 2022, leaving 2 more books to be proof read and then published. His wife will try to sort them out but at present has a lot to cope with. He wrote up to the end of his life so there are ideas awaiting to be written.

Stephen was a retired software engineer who worked for several major UK companies and travelled the world managing and testing software projects. Then he was more used to writing User Manuals than novels. That is before he retired with his wife to live in Cyprus. There, with time on his hands, ideas in his head and the need to type, he started to write. His first novel, which is still unpublished, took him 4 years.

In his spare time he did charity work on the Island and is a wood turner.

He and his wife have two grown up children and three grandchildren.

He has a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science, and an MBA from the Open University.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good.

[John D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is a good book. You shouldy read it. I like the story. The characters are fun. The book is a good read. i enjoyed it alot.. Download or buy it today. why not? Only small typo with loud being turned into load

[Thomas James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine

Who has not dreamed of going back in time and redoing some stupid blunder you made earlier in life? Has not thought how nice it might be to use some modern knowledge to help problems of the past? But why stop with your lifespan? Why not go back to the cave-man era? Can you imagine? Even an average Joe would be considered a genius. Stephen Matthews does just that. He takes a pretty average man and places him in a place where can really make a difference. It is my belief that most of us want to feel important. That we have a purpose. In Tom we can vicariously experience that thrill, if only for a short while. Totally enjoyable.

[Jose · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't say this enough.

Only someone who is less, very less(insert expletives comments since Amazon is China censoring everything) than intelligent let's an enemy live, especially one that has not only killed in cold blood but did it in a cowardly way. Backstabbing, or back clubbing? Not to mention tried to kill you. Anyway, yeah. Even in modern times that's just something not to do.

[Norm S · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Tom having lost his wife to cancer, traveled to Slovenia to hike from Slovenia to Italy. Somewhere along the way he goes 45,000 years into the past. When one reviewer compared this book to the Bonesetter series I decided to give it a try. While I won't say it's as good as Bonesetter, it comes pretty close. Never does really explain how he went back in time. Maybe in the next book.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable

A very interesting read that creates a world full of things for our MC to show his Stone Age clan. The bonus being the women all seem to be reasonably attractive to the MC isn’t fussed.

It starts in Slovenia but not sure if that’s where the MC has “portaled” to but there’s plenty of game and wild veg to survive on.

Editing could be better but happy to raise it when noted to improve it for others. I’ll move onto the next and hope it’s as good.

Enjoy 😁

[Saint Vitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom becomes a caveman

This book took some unusual research into what life must have been in pre history. I'm need to go back and read how Tom got there and exactly where he was. The types of animals seemed out of their routes. how's ur misunderstand the language? I am wondering if it is our earth at all? anyway it is worth reading because it makes you imagine that time.

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting adventure

I wasn’t sure what to expect based on the simple title but it has all the makings of a great series. And if you enjoy game kit type books this qualifies as base building.

[Linda Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding new series!

Lucky I just found this! Great storyline and very good characterization. A few errors, but not distracting. What could be better. A 21st Century man traveling back 47,000 years. What's not to love!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read

An interesting read and fun time travel premise. I enjoyed the book but the author could definitely use an editor. Ignore the editing or lack thereof and it is a fun read.

[R Grove · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't make it past page 10!

Grammatical ,tense and syntax errors abound. Just walked into the past and they all understood each other. No communication issues at all!! At least give me a bit of story rather than choppy sentences. Had to give this a bad review.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good read.

The story is intriguing and I enjoyed how the MC is just using his mind to help his cave. The pacing was good and I enjoyed the character development.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

A Very Nice Book I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I found the characters engaging and enjoyed getting to know them. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

[gary peabody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was a good read

The book was very good and I could hardly put it down, I liked the character and truly enjoyed the read.

[John DeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

hopefully, good reads is more forgiving with their ratings than amazon. Stephen Matthews wrote a decent fade to black mostly, harem story. A new twist to it, and decent writing. Unfortunately, he continually uses wander for wonder, plane for plain, and two more that I can't remember throughout the entire book. There were numerous typos that at one point almost had me put the book down. I can handle the occasional misspellings and wrong word, and liked the story. Definitely read much worse, but I won't be continuing the series. Every time I come across a typo or wander rather than wonder, it breaks the flow of the book for me. An editor or decent proofreader would have made this book a 4 maybe 4.5-star book. But if the author can't bother to even go back and proofread and correct the issues in the first books, then I am not going to waste my time reading the rest of the series.

[Nicholas Wishek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually take time to review books. Tom was a fun read. Not overly realistic, however. I'm more in favor of realistic fiction. That said, it was "fun" as I said before. Most everything goes well for Tom. Heck, he gets not one, but three women in a mini-harem. He is accepted by the leaders of the Cave. His plans work out almost perfectly.
I don't have a big problem with his unexplained ability to understand a language he had never heard before. Heck, I accept "warp" drive in space sci-fi, so it's not much different as far as I can tell.
The author does a good job with his characters, and just his story telling, so I will read the next in the series, probably the whole series. It's light, fun, and easy reading.

[Hamed I.G · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a miserable excuse for a book.

The MC is a scientific journalist with absolutely no knowledge at all. 47% of the book and what have he done ? Well, he made a fence of twigs, a jacket, and a torch. What the hell! Tools WHERE are the tools?! He have a stone that he thinks contains iron only to do nothing with it. He has clay but does nothing with it other than a bowl becuase "there is no time" only to spend a month, a whole freaking month dining nothing. What is going on!

[Daphne Singingtree · Rating 1 out of 5]

Needs better research and editing

I love the premise, modern man in ancient worlds is my favorite genre. I decided to give this a try, I expected sexism, yep. But not giving any rational explanation on why Tom can understand everyone, and if they are in Africa why is everyone white? Also oranges and lemons growing? And it does not make sense that the cave people had always eaten meat raw. I don't think I can stand so many inconsistently and wrong things. Won't be reading the sequels

[Ben Kirch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series i didnt know i needed.
The Protagonist (Tom) gets transported back in time. A LOT of time, 47'000 years to be precise.

Currrently there are 6 Books out, and they are very well written, and the setting is very interesting. The Author managed to describe a world, that is real, believeable and well thought out. There is Basebuilding, Romance, Intrigue, Plottwists and Animal companions. I can strongly reccommend it.

[Susan McReynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm being generous with a 3 star rating. The book needs an editor very badly. The story idea was a strong 4 1⁄2. But the execution was a 2 at best. I can only think that if I were an author I would want the best version of my book out there. And this just can't be it. All this book needs is grammar checking, tense correction, and tightening up. I wonder if the rest of the books in this series are as poorly executed.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story if a bit shaky on the technology

An enjoyable story of the type. I do not give it five stars because the sociology and economics seemed a bit off. The people of Willow Cave had, at once, too much and to little technology. But accurate realism is not what we should expect when imagining being transported 47,000 years into the past.

[John Nino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new reality

A very interesting story line. A bit far fetched but believable if you stretch your imagination. Similar to the Clan of the Cave Bear series but from a different standpoint. Ratifies the theory of outside influences on early cultures. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

[Henry Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting start to this series

I needed this. Thoroughly enjoyed my adventure while seeing where this novel was going. Vaguely reminiscent of the Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jane Auel. With a time traveler added to the mix. I think I’ll enjoy the series.

[Jimmy Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Five stars!! Pen slipped

A good story is about the people. I you don't know or care about them, it's not a good story. This one had people I cared about and it was written well that I enjoyed it.

[Mike Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This story of a man who loses his wife and goes on a walk about to clear his head and ends up 40k in the past. This is where I didn’t like that the Mc was able to talk to the natives. Everything else was a good read.

[Rose LaBarge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story

Very interesting storyline, like the shared responsibilities and interaction between male and female characters. Highly developed social skills and awareness of the needs of all in the tribe.

[Phil Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

Good story line but very poor editing. There was not enough research done either. Oranges and lemons are domesticated citrus. Limes being the closest to natural.

[CHRISTINE HARDING · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very exciting and enjoyable. New idea too.

[Pamela Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Love the story. Modern day man finds himself back in the stone age of hunters and gathers. He finds purpose and a place and people to belong to.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time warp

No explanation of how he jumped or how he understood the language but skipping that it is a fun read.