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The Infinity Engines #2
Maelstrom
A dangerous prophecyAn altered timelineAnd a world of malevolent creaturesThe second book in Andrew Hastie’s imaginative and original Infinity Engines series, Maelstrom is an action-packed, dystopian time travel adventure.
Caitlin has disappeared and someone has changed history. Lost in an alternate reality, Josh must discover who has disrupted the timeline and try to fix the continuum.
But there’s a problem. The Order has become divided over an old manuscript which describes the Maelstrom — a chaotic realm filled with ancient gods that exists outside of the timestream. One faction believes that Josh will be the key to unlocking its power, the other that he needs to die to save them from oblivion.
Josh must find Caitlin and a way into the maelstrom, discover the author of the book and rewrite the prophecy.
Caitlin has disappeared and someone has changed history. Lost in an alternate reality, Josh must discover who has disrupted the timeline and try to fix the continuum.
But there’s a problem. The Order has become divided over an old manuscript which describes the Maelstrom — a chaotic realm filled with ancient gods that exists outside of the timestream. One faction believes that Josh will be the key to unlocking its power, the other that he needs to die to save them from oblivion.
Josh must find Caitlin and a way into the maelstrom, discover the author of the book and rewrite the prophecy.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 1, 2018
455 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Hastie
29 books158 followersAndy was born in 1967, and grew up with a love of science fiction inspired by the TV shows of the late 70s. Having always had a creative eye, he graduated with a BA Honours in Graphic Design, and has gone on to have a successful career as a Creative Director within a number of digital agencies, creating award-winning work for some of the largest global brands. During this time he nurtured his passion for writing sci-fi and secured a commission with the BBC for his first script, The Department of Unknown Origins, a Victorian X-Files set in the Natural History Museum, exec produced by Jon Plowman and considered by BBC Drama and Sky One.
The Anachronist is his first novel, one of a three part series called 'The Infinity Engines.' You can find out more about it on his blog: www.infinityengines.com
He lives in Surrey with his wife, two teenage daughters and a troublesome puppy.
The Anachronist is his first novel, one of a three part series called 'The Infinity Engines.' You can find out more about it on his blog: www.infinityengines.com
He lives in Surrey with his wife, two teenage daughters and a troublesome puppy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
March 13, 2023
Not as good as the first book and I think I will stop at this book and not finish the series. It’s like time travelers combined with Harry Potter but not magic wands.
June 8, 2023
DNF
Just lose patience when reading becomes a chore. I'm just finding all of this very superficial and shallow, going far too YA. There's a real story in here somewhere, but it's not on display
Just lose patience when reading becomes a chore. I'm just finding all of this very superficial and shallow, going far too YA. There's a real story in here somewhere, but it's not on display
January 27, 2020
At the end of the first book
Much like Back to the Future Part 2, Josh returns to a world very different to the one he left. In this world someone accelerated the timeline for developing weapons by travelling back in time to teach people how to make guns. The present day has been marred by several nuclear wars and Josh's old gang are sick with radiation and living like homeless people in the wreckage of buildings while Caitlin and Dalton rule the country and have banned time travel.
As well as Back to the Future this book also reminded me of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it also reminded me of an episode of Stargate and the series Divergent by Veronica Roth. Which leads me to wonder, is it derivative or just exploring themes and questions raised by other dystopian and time travelling series? Oh, and there's a little bit of Star Wars thrown in for good measure.
Anyhoo, Josh tries to right the timeline but when he returns to the present he finds that the Colonel has disappeared, never seems to have existed.
The blurb:
The Order has become divided over an old manuscript which describes the Maelstrom — a chaotic realm filled with ancient gods that exists outside of the timestream. One faction believes that Josh will be the key to unlocking its power, the other that he needs to die to save them from oblivion.
Josh must find Caitlin and a way into the maelstrom, discover the author of the book and rewrite the prophecy.
This was enjoyable but totally confusing. What is a timestream? What is a continuum? What is so odd about being from the present? What on earth was going on? Why is Dalton so nasty? I feel like whoever it was that could believe six impossible things before breakfast, I'm not sure I truly understood what was going on - there was certainly enough action for at least five feature films!
So, I'm probably going to read the next one but I am a bit nervous as to where it is going ...
Much like Back to the Future Part 2, Josh returns to a world very different to the one he left. In this world someone accelerated the timeline for developing weapons by travelling back in time to teach people how to make guns. The present day has been marred by several nuclear wars and Josh's old gang are sick with radiation and living like homeless people in the wreckage of buildings while Caitlin and Dalton rule the country and have banned time travel.
As well as Back to the Future this book also reminded me of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, it also reminded me of an episode of Stargate and the series Divergent by Veronica Roth. Which leads me to wonder, is it derivative or just exploring themes and questions raised by other dystopian and time travelling series? Oh, and there's a little bit of Star Wars thrown in for good measure.
Anyhoo, Josh tries to right the timeline but when he returns to the present he finds that the Colonel has disappeared, never seems to have existed.
The blurb:
The Order has become divided over an old manuscript which describes the Maelstrom — a chaotic realm filled with ancient gods that exists outside of the timestream. One faction believes that Josh will be the key to unlocking its power, the other that he needs to die to save them from oblivion.
Josh must find Caitlin and a way into the maelstrom, discover the author of the book and rewrite the prophecy.
This was enjoyable but totally confusing. What is a timestream? What is a continuum? What is so odd about being from the present? What on earth was going on? Why is Dalton so nasty? I feel like whoever it was that could believe six impossible things before breakfast, I'm not sure I truly understood what was going on - there was certainly enough action for at least five feature films!
So, I'm probably going to read the next one but I am a bit nervous as to where it is going ...
September 29, 2019
I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could as the story explored some paths that I didn't enjoy and cancelled some of my favourite characteristics of the main protagonists, but the last 100 pages were written in a way that it was impossible for me to put it down.
April 22, 2018
Keeps getting better
Am always dubious that the second can’t be better then the first book. But this series is going from strength to strength keep up the good work !
Am always dubious that the second can’t be better then the first book. But this series is going from strength to strength keep up the good work !
November 9, 2022
really good read. Can see how some might get frustrated by plot line, but so fits in with the premise of the world.
July 10, 2025
Full of twists and turns! And a cliffhanger that leaves me itching to read the next book.
June 8, 2025
Second book in the series
I’m hooked, really enjoyed the first two books, onto the third now! Be nice if they were a little cheaper, come on Amazon, do us a deal!
I’m hooked, really enjoyed the first two books, onto the third now! Be nice if they were a little cheaper, come on Amazon, do us a deal!
November 3, 2018
When I started reading this I wasn't sure I was going to like it but I did. It has a way of drawing you into a complex story and wanting to read more. Very good read.
March 4, 2023
Good
I enjoyed this book,but found it kind of choppy. Like the cliff hanger ending. Makes me want to see what comes next.
I enjoyed this book,but found it kind of choppy. Like the cliff hanger ending. Makes me want to see what comes next.
January 16, 2022
Getting Too Weird And Hard to Follow...
Whoa! In the beginning it felt as if I was reading the wrong book 2 in the series. After just learning about the main characters, the world building, and what the central core of the storyline would be about, as well as a significant twist/cliffhanger at the very end of book 1, this left me totally perplexed.
It did an entire 360 on me, and I had to actually look to verify I hadn’t picked up the wrong book 2 in a series. I see where Hastie has done a spin-off from this 5 book series, so I wasn’t too sure.
Committed myself to reading further, to see if it would possibly change back to the original, primarily because it’s main focus is on time travel. And in all fairness, it really is only the first 25 pages or so, or 5-7%, of the book which caused the confusion-it just felt like so much longer.
There's another section further on in the book, around the 60-65% mark, where it becomes jumbled and confusing again, and takes on more of a deep out there type of SciFi, with an overload in describing these creatures that attack. It just didn't jive with the rest of the writing style of the book. Made me question whether I'd be continuing on past book 2.
By the end of book 2, I'm just as confused, lost, and disappointed as ever. It's definitely lost any resemblance to
Time Travel/ Adventure/Fantasy, and has gone way out there. At this point I m needing a break before the 3rd in the series, if I even decide to continue on.
Whoa! In the beginning it felt as if I was reading the wrong book 2 in the series. After just learning about the main characters, the world building, and what the central core of the storyline would be about, as well as a significant twist/cliffhanger at the very end of book 1, this left me totally perplexed.
It did an entire 360 on me, and I had to actually look to verify I hadn’t picked up the wrong book 2 in a series. I see where Hastie has done a spin-off from this 5 book series, so I wasn’t too sure.
Committed myself to reading further, to see if it would possibly change back to the original, primarily because it’s main focus is on time travel. And in all fairness, it really is only the first 25 pages or so, or 5-7%, of the book which caused the confusion-it just felt like so much longer.
There's another section further on in the book, around the 60-65% mark, where it becomes jumbled and confusing again, and takes on more of a deep out there type of SciFi, with an overload in describing these creatures that attack. It just didn't jive with the rest of the writing style of the book. Made me question whether I'd be continuing on past book 2.
By the end of book 2, I'm just as confused, lost, and disappointed as ever. It's definitely lost any resemblance to
Time Travel/ Adventure/Fantasy, and has gone way out there. At this point I m needing a break before the 3rd in the series, if I even decide to continue on.
June 6, 2018
Definitely more refined than the last book. As before, the plot was very intriguing and full of surprises. There was more creativity in how the characters extricate themselves from the many crises they encounter. The antagonists are getting really annoying, which leads to more interesting situations although I really want to just kill them off! Congrats and I’m looking forward to the third novel.
August 25, 2018
The Infinity Engines - Maelstrom
This is book 2 in the series..
Caitlin has gone missing, Josh needs to find a way to enter the Maelstrom. Caitlin doesn’t remember having a relationship with Josh. While it all sounds confusing it does make sense if you have read the first in the series, Anachronist. I can’t write too much as could be a lot of spoilers!!!
There are lots of twists, the usual time traveling puzzles and it’s a great, gripping and at times fun read
This is book 2 in the series..
Caitlin has gone missing, Josh needs to find a way to enter the Maelstrom. Caitlin doesn’t remember having a relationship with Josh. While it all sounds confusing it does make sense if you have read the first in the series, Anachronist. I can’t write too much as could be a lot of spoilers!!!
There are lots of twists, the usual time traveling puzzles and it’s a great, gripping and at times fun read
September 5, 2018
Confused plotting.
Not as good as the first episode yet I find myself caring for the outcome of the characters. As a completist I have just downloaded the third instalment thanks largely to the authors ability to leave this story on a massive cliffhanger. Frankly if you have read this far, you are going the whole way. Hopefully this is the awkward middle child and ep3 returns to ep1’s form 🤞.
Not as good as the first episode yet I find myself caring for the outcome of the characters. As a completist I have just downloaded the third instalment thanks largely to the authors ability to leave this story on a massive cliffhanger. Frankly if you have read this far, you are going the whole way. Hopefully this is the awkward middle child and ep3 returns to ep1’s form 🤞.
November 16, 2022
no Rules
Good Science fiction is hard to write. No matter where or when the story is set there are rules, restrictions to stop everyone from simply ending a crisis with a new skill.
This is definitely starting to just allow anything to happen by introducing a new rule, each time it is needed.
Except for the main character, all of the characters have little in the way of back stories. No small character traits. They just turn up when needed and have no depth to them.
Good Science fiction is hard to write. No matter where or when the story is set there are rules, restrictions to stop everyone from simply ending a crisis with a new skill.
This is definitely starting to just allow anything to happen by introducing a new rule, each time it is needed.
Except for the main character, all of the characters have little in the way of back stories. No small character traits. They just turn up when needed and have no depth to them.
August 20, 2018
Csnt wait for the next one!
Reminiscent of Harry potter in the sense it's a strong story with interesting characters with time travel rather than magic the theme. Can easily see the series as a film.
Reminiscent of Harry potter in the sense it's a strong story with interesting characters with time travel rather than magic the theme. Can easily see the series as a film.
January 10, 2021
Great adventure through time . Colorful, clever and amusing.
March 21, 2018
Had me hooked from the start of book 1
Had me hooked from the start of book 1.
Like a time travelling Kingsman with some great characters and imagery. Can't wait for number 3!
Had me hooked from the start of book 1.
Like a time travelling Kingsman with some great characters and imagery. Can't wait for number 3!
April 2, 2018
Loved it, great follow up to the first book and excited to see where it goes next :)
May 29, 2018
Absolutly perfect follow on from the first book. Answers plenty of questions but still leaves you in suspense for the next book. Great writing style can't wait until book 3.
June 5, 2018
Im hooked
Im Looking for the next book. Gripping stories .
I just want to keep reading , hard to put down
Im Looking for the next book. Gripping stories .
I just want to keep reading , hard to put down
July 17, 2018
Exciting story
Great time travel story that genuinely had me hooked. I've never read a book five hours straight. As good as Harry Potter
Great time travel story that genuinely had me hooked. I've never read a book five hours straight. As good as Harry Potter
August 2, 2018
A excellent, fun read in the time travel genre.
August 10, 2018
Wow!
So many twists and turns! The main character is growing by leaps and bounds. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
So many twists and turns! The main character is growing by leaps and bounds. Can’t wait to see what happens next!
August 22, 2018
Really enjoyed this
I really enjoyed this book but it was a bit confusing at times. Overall I’m looking forward to the next book as I’m interested in what happens next
I really enjoyed this book but it was a bit confusing at times. Overall I’m looking forward to the next book as I’m interested in what happens next
May 20, 2020
This book is ok, some parts are really gripping. But it nowhere as good as the first book. It completely changes the character that I came to love in book one, the bad characters become silly.
August 26, 2019
My Grade = 80% - B-
First Published 2018. 407 pages.
At the very end of the previous book, Anachronist, Josh Jones was on a picnic with his girlfriend, Caitlin, in 6th Century B.C. China, observing a major battle, when all of a sudden, Cat disappears and the reader is left with a cliff hanger.
Josh manages to hitchhike rides through the lifespans of 71 different people to get him back to London in his own time, but is is not HIS London, but a dystopian one rebuilt on the ruins of several other layers of Londons destroyed by nuclear weapons.
Fortunately he manages to find a few people he knew in his London. They manage to discover how and why the timelines diverged, and he and a team of three others travel back to the 11th Century to set things straight. When Josh does return to what he thinks is his London, it isn't quite - almost, but not exactly. The people Josh knows are still there, but it seems that Josh was never born, even though our present Josh still exists. All this takes place in about the first quarter of the book.
Josh manages to find his time-cohorts from the previous book, and this is where things start to get sticky, tricky, and confusing. There seem to be a large number of factions who all believe in vastly different things about time and time travel and the universe and predictions. Because of Josh's travels many believe him to be an entity either called the Paradox or the Nemesis - either the Savior who will save the world and humanity or the one who will destroy it.
These factions are many and are politically divided and bear resemblance to the many different branches of Christianity, in a way all believing the same thing, but in vastly different ways. And all out to get and destroy each other.
A good deal of the story takes place in the "Maelstrom" which seems to bear a resemblance to a cosmology chart I saw while studying Milton's Paradise Lost - neither the Earth or Heavens or anything in the Known Universe, but which was labelled as the "Chaos" between them all. It is populated by vast numbers of demon-like monsters with horrible descriptions.
If there is anything in the plot that may decide things it is believed that Josh's father came from the future, the one time that no one seems to have the ability to travel to. (I know, but I just couldn't figure a way to end that sentence without a preposition.....) Finding his identity seems to be the key to everything and what the next book will cover.
I found all these factions to be very confusing and I cannot remember the names of most of them, though in my review of the Anachronist, I took notes and listed them as they appeared. I didn't do that this time. Though confusing, I kinda enjoyed the book and several of its surprises. I tried to keep as many as possible out of this review.
And, though confusing, I ordered the third book in the collection, Eschaton, from
Amazon before I finished Book 2.
I must also say that in Book 1, I did notice a few typos. In Book 2 there were quite a few typos and misspellings.
One particularly confusing paragraph:
He held up one hand and started to count off on his fingers. 'It starts with Prophecy - belief in a
paradox leading to factual division within the Order and either dissolution or insurgency. Then
there are whole numbers of other factors like fluctuations in Standard Random, chronospheric
anomalies such as perdurant activity -"
Whew!
First Published 2018. 407 pages.
At the very end of the previous book, Anachronist, Josh Jones was on a picnic with his girlfriend, Caitlin, in 6th Century B.C. China, observing a major battle, when all of a sudden, Cat disappears and the reader is left with a cliff hanger.
Josh manages to hitchhike rides through the lifespans of 71 different people to get him back to London in his own time, but is is not HIS London, but a dystopian one rebuilt on the ruins of several other layers of Londons destroyed by nuclear weapons.
Fortunately he manages to find a few people he knew in his London. They manage to discover how and why the timelines diverged, and he and a team of three others travel back to the 11th Century to set things straight. When Josh does return to what he thinks is his London, it isn't quite - almost, but not exactly. The people Josh knows are still there, but it seems that Josh was never born, even though our present Josh still exists. All this takes place in about the first quarter of the book.
Josh manages to find his time-cohorts from the previous book, and this is where things start to get sticky, tricky, and confusing. There seem to be a large number of factions who all believe in vastly different things about time and time travel and the universe and predictions. Because of Josh's travels many believe him to be an entity either called the Paradox or the Nemesis - either the Savior who will save the world and humanity or the one who will destroy it.
These factions are many and are politically divided and bear resemblance to the many different branches of Christianity, in a way all believing the same thing, but in vastly different ways. And all out to get and destroy each other.
A good deal of the story takes place in the "Maelstrom" which seems to bear a resemblance to a cosmology chart I saw while studying Milton's Paradise Lost - neither the Earth or Heavens or anything in the Known Universe, but which was labelled as the "Chaos" between them all. It is populated by vast numbers of demon-like monsters with horrible descriptions.
If there is anything in the plot that may decide things it is believed that Josh's father came from the future, the one time that no one seems to have the ability to travel to. (I know, but I just couldn't figure a way to end that sentence without a preposition.....) Finding his identity seems to be the key to everything and what the next book will cover.
I found all these factions to be very confusing and I cannot remember the names of most of them, though in my review of the Anachronist, I took notes and listed them as they appeared. I didn't do that this time. Though confusing, I kinda enjoyed the book and several of its surprises. I tried to keep as many as possible out of this review.
And, though confusing, I ordered the third book in the collection, Eschaton, from
Amazon before I finished Book 2.
I must also say that in Book 1, I did notice a few typos. In Book 2 there were quite a few typos and misspellings.
One particularly confusing paragraph:
He held up one hand and started to count off on his fingers. 'It starts with Prophecy - belief in a
paradox leading to factual division within the Order and either dissolution or insurgency. Then
there are whole numbers of other factors like fluctuations in Standard Random, chronospheric
anomalies such as perdurant activity -"
Whew!
February 17, 2024
This second book in the series wasn't quite as good as the first, but still worth reading. It really had nothing to do with how it was written, or even the plot itself. I found myself hating the timeline that Josh immediately found himself in, and the complete dystopian AU just didn't sit well. With that being said, I think that's actually a compliment to Hastie, that it was so disturbing that it put me off a bit. We were introduced to some new terminology in this book, and I think that tends to confuse most readers. Keeping up with new terminology, new characters, and the mind bending idea of time travel can leave most EASILY confused. There were times when I had to re-read a paragraph or two, but overall, it all sorted itself out as I kept reading and allowed the story to take me where it wanted me to go. I will definitely be reading the third installment.
July 6, 2025
I found this to be a strange mixture of interesting and frustrating. We follow Josh on a time travel adventure that involves alternate timelines that arise after his trip with Caitlin at the end of the first book.
The plot is fairly complex, which is the interesting aspect of the story; however, the events didn't always seem to follow a logical path, which caused frustration, which can be par for the course with time travel adventures that include some sort of paradox or alternate timeline.
It certainly wasn't as engaging as the first book, but it still had me intrigued, and I did mostly enjoy it, plus with the possibilities that exist for future books, it's a series I will continue to read.
The plot is fairly complex, which is the interesting aspect of the story; however, the events didn't always seem to follow a logical path, which caused frustration, which can be par for the course with time travel adventures that include some sort of paradox or alternate timeline.
It certainly wasn't as engaging as the first book, but it still had me intrigued, and I did mostly enjoy it, plus with the possibilities that exist for future books, it's a series I will continue to read.
June 11, 2023
The second book in the series sees our protagonist voyage to a dystopian future and witness a growing schism within their time travelling organization that involves a prophecy based around him. Although some of the chapters occasionally feel a little "out of sequence" this is certainly intended and some of the definitions of key aspects can be glossed over if you're not reading carefully enough. Although I found the middle third not quite as strong as the opening and closing, there are many new aspects in this volume that add layers of complexity upon the first book and this keeps things very fresh overall. Looking forward to the next one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews