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American scientist, Matt Miller has been torn from his own century and dumped into Colonial Virginia with only his backpack and his wits. He has come to terms with where he is and when, and has surrounded himself many new friends, but also has also made an enemy who has sworn his destruction. Matt now leaves Virginia to make his fortune in Philadelphia, with the hope of returning and claiming the hand of the woman he loves. It seems predestined that he has been dropped into this new century to succeed on a grand scale. He soons finds though that a sworn enemy in Colonial America is no small thing.

338 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2017

536 people are currently reading
103 people want to read

About the author

Mark J. Rose

5 books233 followers
Mark J. Rose is a scientist, author, and screenwriter. He lives in La Jolla, California. He holds a doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry and is the director of research and development at a major biotech company. He has been fascinated for many years with exploring the intersection of man’s basic humanity with the challenges of a rapidly changing technological world. Working primarily in the science fiction and thriller genres, all his writing deals with the interaction of technology, science, and society.

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5 stars
1,315 (57%)
4 stars
717 (31%)
3 stars
197 (8%)
2 stars
38 (1%)
1 star
13 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
Profile Image for Martin.
327 reviews173 followers
June 14, 2019
What if you were catapulted into the past of colonial America just before the war of Independence?
How would you survive?


Matt relearns his studies of chemistry in the 21st century in order to become an apothecary in the 1770s of colonial America.
Matt learns how to ride horses and look after them while falling in love.

"Prophet" is part two of Matt Miller in the Colonies. On getting to the end of the story I found that there will be a part three published sometime soon.

Enjoy!


24 reviews
October 22, 2018
Alternate Historical Fiction

Weaving fact and fiction cleanly together with a history known by all this series weaves a fantastic tale. I appreciate how the protagonist while of the future and knowledgeable is not made out to be magical in his knowledge and instead has to work quite hard for the gains he makes. Well written, I look forward to the next book.
Profile Image for Lydia Bellamy.
71 reviews
April 22, 2018
An interesting book for time travelers and pre revolutionary history buffs.

The second book of an interesting concept. Traveling back to colonial America. Knowing history , but not how to survive in the past.
65 reviews
July 13, 2020
Excellent follow up to f book one

Well I finished book one last night and following day I finished book two. As you can tell I enjoyed book two as I spent the next day easing it. The journey continues with our man from our present back in the years before the American Revlotion. He wanted to start a business make it successful and return to his love. I also enjoyed the interaction between his horse and dog. Both animals were true to the man from the future. I hope they are in book three which I will start in the morning.
5 reviews
June 24, 2018
Thanks

Great read, well written . Can’t wait for book three , should be more insight into colonial living in America.
Profile Image for Jim Garrison.
72 reviews3 followers
October 29, 2018
Eagerly awaiting book three

A captivating story. I was hooked half way through the first book and hope that the saga will continue in a third book.
1 review
November 8, 2018
Good book with good charictors! I do wish they were a little longer and I cant wait for the next one to come out.
Profile Image for Jon Svenson.
Author 8 books112 followers
November 21, 2021
Matt takes off to Philadelphia to start his business. It is rough going at first, but he quickly makes a very good hire and things pick up. While all that is going on he's trying to recreate aspirin, Alka Seltzer, and a few other modern over the counter medicines.

The business part is well written, but it doesn't last long enough. Soon he's off to Virginia again, sooner than he'd told the Taylor family, asking for their daughters hand in marriage.

I won't spoil what they say, but that's not the biggest problem here. The romance is gone, and except for a single dance, it might as well be a business partnership. Why Grace is holding out for this guy I don't know, because the author doesn't really give us a reason to care.

Yes, there were a lot of reasons in the first book, but that was a while ago, and Matt hasn't done anything lately. His business is doing okay but he doesn't yet have the money to ask for her hand.

While all this is going on, we all of a sudden starting seeing colonial spellings of words, which didn't exist in the first book. It seems (to me) that the author went for more authenticity but sacrificed the story.

4/5*
Profile Image for Beau.
311 reviews7 followers
March 7, 2024
book 2 is better than book 1

I find almost no editing issues, and that was what kept me from giving book 1 five stars.

I like the characters and the setting. The search for others sent back from 2016 and the Taylor vs Payne feud continued.

We will learn more about Matt’s headaches.

What trials Matt faces! On to book 3.
Profile Image for Bullman.
187 reviews2 followers
January 6, 2020
Another great book in this series

I would give 6 stars if I could. I absolutely love this storyline and how it has continued to develop over the two books. Extremely well written, great characters and very intriguing.
Profile Image for J. Michael Smith.
298 reviews5 followers
November 10, 2023
This is the second book in a four book set, historical fiction combined with science fiction. Matt Miller is living a so-so life in 2016, when a lab experiment goes wrong and zaps him back in time to 1762. Miller was a 26 year old Ph. D. in chemistry, interested in pharmaceutical development. (He had nothing to do with the government experiment that zapped him--he just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.)

In book one, Miller falls in love with Grace Taylor and decides to stay in the past, rather than be transported back to the present. In book two, he heads to Philadelphia, briefly meets two other people who accidentally got zapped back in time, becomes friends with Benjamin Franklin, starts his own drug manufacturing company, and worries about Levi Payne, a man back in Virginia who has vowed to kill him. Book two ends with Matthew's return to Virginia and a decision by Grace's father on whether the two young lovers will be allowed to marry.

Book two introduces an element of "visions," in which Matthew's time travel has somehow left an imprint in his mind concerning his and Grace's future, and he is tortured with a vague knowledge of what is going to happen to him and everyone he cares about. In an interesting literary technique, Matthew will go blind, literally, temporarily--yet be able to see in his mind what is actually happening--because he had premonitions of it.

The characters evoke sympathy and the romance between Matthew and Grace--in book two as in book one--is exquisitely paced, even though it is not the primary focus of the second volume.

Rose could use a second editor in his work, as there were times I got a little lost in what was happening--not often, just a couple times, and just briefly. But the book is so well written otherwise, that the murkiness was distracting--and would be easily cleared with editing.

I'll go on to volume three.
Profile Image for Tony Hinde.
2,151 reviews78 followers
August 30, 2018
I enjoyed most of this sequel, maybe more than the first in the series. Matt seems more down to earth. His ambitions to use his advanced chemistry knowledge are foundering against the rocks of reality. His enemy isn't just sitting back and waiting for Matt's next move. And Matt is taking steps to protect himself from the future actions of said enemy... I like intelligent characters that prepare for known risks.

On the down-side, I felt let down by an underlying choice the author made, seemingly toward the end of the book. It just feels like a cop-out, that the author looked down an increasingly complex path and decided it was too hard to envision and describe. Instead, he chose to simplify this branching tree of outcomes by cutting it off at the roots.

There were so many interesting sub-plots that weren't explored. We meet the two female time-travellers, at least one of whom seems very bright, but then nothing. The british time-traveller could have been an interesting protagonist... imagine a Britain versus America war but with anachronistic future weapons, tactics and logistics. At one point Matt laments that Ben Franklin hasn't yet invented the Franklin stove. I would have liked to see them start a side-business making stoves and other inventions, to help Matt reach his financial goals.

In short, the book is excellent up until the last few chapters. It just seemed like the author gave up. I wish he had stopped writing after the fight with Levi, and given himself time to re-energize his passion for this promising tale.
Profile Image for Susan Wallace.
237 reviews18 followers
June 6, 2024
This book starts off answering the question "What happened to the other people who got sucked into the wormhole?", which I admit was bugging me a little bit when reading the first book, but the scientists who conducted the experiment seemed to just write them off, so I did too. Regardless, I'm glad to get this question answered right away, even though it doesn't really go anywhere. Maybe in the third and fourth books, but I'm having a hard time caring.

So we have a mother and daughter sent back to - conveniently - Philadelphia, Matt's hometown, in 1762. We quickly return to Matt, who's on his way to Philadelphia from Richmond. The trip doesn't go as smoothly as planned, and we are treated to the points of view of Scout, the dog, and Thunder, the horse. This bit reminded me of my favorite childhood book - Beautiful Joe, by Margaret Marshall Saunders, where a 12-year-old dog tells his life story - though it did also have the feel of suddenly changing to YA - or even younger - genre.

Matt finally makes it to Philadelphia, and starts his business, and goes to a gym of sort to learn how to fight, because he has an enemy in Virginia he knows he's going to have to face some day; and along the way makes fast friends with Benjamin Franklin, which to me, as ludicrous as it sounds, is the best part of the book. But that's about all there is to it. When Matt finally returns to Virginia, for a friend's wedding, we get a sudden fast-forward of eight years, and I completely lost interest.

Moving on to something else.
Profile Image for Ford Miller.
718 reviews6 followers
July 25, 2023
Disappointing start but a better ending.

The first 100 pages are filler on this second installment of this series. The MC stalls in the plotline ( gets robbed and then recovered loss goods). The first center pages could have been covered in two to three chapters maximum. Also the author decided to go point of view from pets point of view which completely changed a narrative that although is fiction was logical in its world building.
The story settled back into the main character at about 115 pages in and became entertaining again as he struggled with his fish out of water trope. At this point the story became enjoyable fast-paced and fun like the first book had been. Introduction to historical characters added to the fun. The book ended rather fulfilling and trying to wrap up the main antagonists storyline. However the pot was left open to one of the other time travelers possibly damaging our future world. Book leave you hang the knowledge that the revolutionary war is about to take place however to set up the third book, the story fast forwarded several years. Overall the book when starting was disappointing and I almost stopped reading it and gave up on it. However getting through that first hundred pages finally got to the meat of the story which made the first book so enjoyable. It redeemed itself and I look forward to trying the third book.
38 reviews4 followers
September 23, 2019
Just finished the second episode and it was as good as the first. The author has a knack for developing characters and his writing flows for easy reading. From what I can tell he has done his research on colonial America - not an time period I'm that familiar with - or at least he has made it sound believable. One small quibble. Although he may have researched his setting he is not a true historian. Years ago I read a very enjoyable tale about Vikings. However the author of that story had the Vikings feasting on venison, beef, sheep, and potatoes. Uh, the Vikings may have made it to the New World, but there were NO potatoes in Europe until hundreds of years later. Mark Rose did the same kind of thing when he mentioned bears, wolves, and coyotes in Virginia. Coyotes back east are a recent development.
That aside, Mr. Rose has weaved a another excellent chapter in the adventures of Matthew Miller. He leaves open the possibility of changing history. Just got the third book and can't wait to see what develops.
21 reviews
February 10, 2021
Even better than the first book. The Author has a way with telling a story that strikes one as unusual and gives me reason to thought enjoy his style and his uncanny ability to make his discriptions discriptions


of Scout the dogs world so that it gives a nice look at what could be a dogs perception of the world a believable way of seeing things through their eyes. Thought enjoyed it. I wasn't going to read this second book. But having started another book, I found myself wanting to continue with the series. So now I suppose I'll have to read the third in the series. Enjoy a different world that has been created here.
Profile Image for Quartknee.
225 reviews53 followers
November 14, 2025
Not quite as good as the first book. This wasn't structured as well as the first book so it felt like a series of events because the part the author really wanted to get to is in the next book - this one seemed more like chronological vignettes from a diary or something. The resolution with the Paynes was almost non-existent as it just sort of ends with the narrator sticking to Matt's POV rather than having one of the characters sharing gossip. Lots of telling without setting things up for the next book properly.
Profile Image for Janalyn, the blind reviewer.
4,622 reviews140 followers
August 22, 2019
I am loving this cerise!

I love this time travel book and although it is more historical fiction then time travel I love the part time please. I am so excited for book 3 Patrick Ferguson comes back and play a big part in his domination of the world, not really but really! The battle of independence is about to start and Matt Miller and Grace have five Younghans to care for and a whole form that the Taylor’s had built up to be something to be proud of
489 reviews7 followers
June 29, 2023
Intriguing Series Continues

This entertaining series moves at a very swift pace, keeping the reader turning the pages. The storyline is intriguing with fine details of time and place. I especially like that the timeline moves forward quickly, as this is Matt's story, and not a history lesson. In this volume we meet Benjamin Franklin, and also learn wht happened to the other three unintentional time travellers. I look forward to the next book in the series.
1 review
February 6, 2024
the Prophet

I love this series and can hardly sleep as I wander through the aspect of it. I think this writer is superb and knowledgeable on his subject. I’ve often wondered about time travel and how it would change the world of our time. I anxiously await the next book in this excellent series.
Diana L. Parker
159 reviews
September 26, 2025
I LOVE THIS SERIES

Mr. Rose has done a marvelous presentation of daily life in the early 1700’s. The build up to the American Revolution is extremely well written. I for one, have the feeling of being there and find the anxiety building.
I was somewhat surprised at how quickly it jumped…..won’t tell you how!
1 review
June 30, 2020
Great summer read

Our friends suggested we read this series and my husband and I have both enjoyed reading Matt Miller’s adventures back in time. It is a great escape from what is going on in the world today!
22 reviews
July 1, 2020
Another Great Story

Excellent continuation of the story begun in Journeyman! Great feeling of what life was like just before the revolutionary war. Looking forward to the next book!
718 reviews6 followers
September 6, 2020
Excellent!

A very good alternative history story. It's not covered, yet, but this is a parallel universe, breaking off when Matt was found in the gully/river. Beautiful horses and beautiful women, great story!
7 reviews
November 3, 2021
Cool premise and well written

This is the kind of book that you read at bedtime and it keeps you up reading through the night. It has a great plot, good character development and plenty of action. My kind of read.
149 reviews
April 29, 2022
A nice second book in the series.

Much tighter writing and character development in the second book in the series. I'm much enjoyed The plot line and the premise of the story and characters. I look forward to the next book in the series and wonder how is it going to go.
Profile Image for dan.
119 reviews
February 11, 2023
Ben Franklin makes the book!

B. Franklin enters Miller's life and makes it much more interesting. The book has great details from the importance of horses to the economy to the struggle for independence. It's one of the best stories I've read in a long time.
4 reviews
April 10, 2023
Interesting story.

I am enjoying way people in that Colonial time lived. Very Interesting keeping track of all the different story lines and what direction they will go in book 3.
Profile Image for Phillip Mclaughlin.
664 reviews7 followers
July 20, 2023
a captivating series. this second volume is entertaining

Premise :a mistake in an experiment tosses four people from the 21st Century to the middle of the 18th century.
Where and how the four manage to survive and thrive is the meat of the stories.
Highly entertaining.
Recommend
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews

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