A Gift of Time

by Jerry Merritt, Christopher Lane (Narrator)

When Micajah Fenton discovers a crater in his front yard with a broken time glider in the bottom and a naked, virtual woman on his lawn, he delays his plans to kill himself. While helping repair the marooned time traveler’s glider, Cager realizes it can return him to his past to correct a mistake that had haunted him his entire life. As payment for his help, the virtual creature living in the circuitry of the marooned glider, sends Cager back in time as his ten-year-old self, knowing everything he’d known at eighty and gives him access to advanced equations of space and time.
But living life over knowing the future isn’t as easy as Cager has anticipated. His every action alters the future he remembers until much of what he remembers never happened at all. And those changes work against him at every turn, preventing him correcting the most serious mistake of his life. Now he must use his advanced mathematical ability to build his own time machine to go back and try again. But he needs a fortune even to begin.
Then he receives help from a strange, young woman with no history. While perfecting time travel, Cager and his new partner overcome enormous problems, even being hunted by dinosaurs in the Cretaceous. After that, though, things get really bizarre.

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Thriller

Audible Audio

First published October 15, 2016

Reviews

[donna backshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gift of Time started out questionably, so bizarre in the interactions between Cager, the main character, and the very alien Lovely Pebble and Time Glider. I was wondering if I'd made a mistake choosing this novel.

But then it all started to click, and the story grew a heart bigger than I could have imagined. I fell in love with every single one of the characters, caring as deeply for them as any I've ever met in a book. If you loved Stand by Me, Life After Life, or 11/22/63, I am certain you'll find a favorite in this one too.

[Ken Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is rare that I binge read a book from beginning to end, consuming every spare minute of my time. It is rarer still that a science fiction story moves me to tears. A Gift of Time has it all: love worth sacrificing immortality for, gut-wrenching loss, mystery, murder, mind-bending technology, and of course: time travel. Wow! I cannot give enough high praise for this book! Thank you, Mr Merritt, for penning this brilliantly written tale!

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually find time travel novels entertaining reads. This one was a bit odd though. I liked the beginning and the middle sections enough. Great writing; likable characters, and a story I was truly interested in. But then the last third was spectacularly off the charts in a ridiculous way. It was like Merritt got bored and gave the book to someone else to finish. Honestly! The change was jarring, unforgivably confusing, and so far beyond any semblance of believability that I had to force myself to finish it. Sure, when reading a time travel book one has to allow for a good deal of artistic license and expect some seriously unbelievable things to happen. But by the end it was totally out of control. It was like the author didn't really know how to finish it so he just wrapped it up in any nonsensical way that occurred to him. Too bad! For the first two-thirds I was ready to give the novel 5 stars. But after struggling to finish it, the best I could do was 3. That said, based on the first two-thirds of the book I am open to giving the author another shot. Maybe he'll keep it all together in the next one.

[Robin Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As many of my friends know, I am a huge time-travel story fan. So I went into this story with great expectations. The first 2/3 of the book were absolutely fantastic and it was on its way to becoming one of my favorites. But, alas...

I recently learned a phrase from my husband, 'jumping the shark,' a term used to describe a moment when something that was once great has reached a point where it will now decline in quality. THIS book qualifies as a book that has jumped the shark.

The writing in this book is wonderful, almost poetically phrased. I loved the characters, well-drawn, likable, and interesting. And I really loved the story until it got bad.

From the book description: When Micajah Fenton discovers a crater in his front yard with a broken time glider in the bottom and a naked, virtual woman on his lawn, he delays his plans to kill himself. While helping repair the marooned time traveler’s glider, Cager realizes it can return him to his past to correct a mistake that had haunted him his entire life. As payment for his help, the virtual creature living in the circuitry of the marooned glider, sends Cager back in time as his ten-year-old self, knowing everything he’d known at eighty and gives him access to advanced equations of space and time.

I loved the precocious ten-year-old Micajah. He was adorable. The little things he did to rectify the one thing in his life that he'd wanted to change were enough to change a LOT of things. I loved the little twists and turns that the author took during this portion of the story. I loved Micajah's old, aunt Celie and Arlie.

But when Micajah gets to the point of adulthood when he wants to make another time machine with his advanced mathematical skills the book really, really went downhill. I don't know if the science or math is anywhere near correct but it was damned boring. I was listening on Audible and found myself zoning out for large portions of the story.

AND THEN... He finds himself being hunted by dinosaurs in the Cretaceous period and the author lost me. It was so ridiculous! At that point, my rating had gone from a five to a 3. If Goodreads would allow half stars I would give it a 3.5 because the last 45 minutes actually redeemed the plot in my mind. But I was majorly disappointed by that last third of the book.

I listened to this book on Audible. The narrator, Christopher Lane, was absolutely perfect! His old, southern woman accent was just as wonderful as his little kid accent. And he was able to convey men and women without me cringing. His tone and inflections were a joy to listen to.

[Margaux B · Rating 2 out of 5]

3.25⭐

While not a sci-fi fan, the premise of an 80 year-old wanting to return to his 10 year-old self to go back and fix the biggest regret of his life was intriguing.

I was okay with time travel being involved. Except for the parts where it was explained. Ad nauseam. The quantum physics was beyond me but I did get the multiple universes explanation of how making copies of one's sentient being or "uploading" to a network for a virtual world operated. Maybe? You don't have to get it to like this story. Skimming is encouraged when needed :)

It started out with sophomoric humor (tricking an alien life force to remain naked) but quickly settled into it's plot of getting the opportunity to go back in time to "fix" his biggest regret. And we're talking a HUGE life altering event.

It felt like the book was divided into two parts - the beginning (the best part where an older man tries to change a traumatic childhood event and what happens) and the last part (where a LOT of different issues were crammed into it). It's almost like an editor sat the author down and told him to make this story more sell-able and he added elements of Terminator (will the advance of technology make humans extinct?), Jurassic Park (the dinosaurs), and any current thriller movie (Arlen and Jimmy). It was a bit much.

The story of Micajah/Cager going back and and trying to re-live his life as a better person was what held my interest. The actual time traveling stuff? Not so much.

The ending was okay. Did not like how everything was tied up with a bow or the praising of how humans are the bestest creatures in the universe . . . but the arc of Cager being unattached from others (he didn't speak to his wife for years?! was estranged from his own son, etc.) to an outpouring of love felt right. The rest of it? Hmmm.

While a little messy, this was a good science-fiction pick for a book club. There was a lot to discuss: Was Cager on the Autism scale? The question of time traveling and addressing multiple versions of yourself while doing so - would you eliminate the other versions of yourself? Child abuse. Misogyny. Not appreciating what you have until it's gone. How traumatic events affect a family. How memories, whether true or false ones, are real to the person remembering. Our discussion lasted two hours.

Sidenote - there was a definite religious undertone for me with Micajah (meaning god-like) attempting to change events that fate? the universe? seemed determined to happen. There was a message of how everything is beyond your control, no matter how smart or how technologically advanced you may be... There is a higher power at work? Plus the ending kinda gave me "Rapture" vibes.

[Kacy❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this so much! Why is it that books you purchase on a whim, turn out to surprise you in the best possible way! What a heartfelt story. Some parts were so raw and emotional, and it made the story feel real in its own way.

I am all for time travel. I am a giant Doctor Who fan after all. A Gift Of Time was more than just about time travel though. This was a story about love. About loss. About the consequences of the actions that we take. About second guessing everything and nothing at the same time. About wishing we could change ourselves and our past. About becoming a better person. About friendship. About risks and uncertainties. About growing up. It was such a wonderful journey. I am glad I stumbled upon this book. If you enjoy a good story and time travel, I would totally recommend this. The audio version was great!

[Jesse]

Should be a Hugo Nominee

Note: This is a review of the Audible audio version. For some reason, Goodreads does not list the Audiobook version.

One of the best science fiction stories I've read in a long long time. Reminiscent of Heinlein, Asimov and Clarke's best. If this story is not in the running for the Hugo then the Hugo is no longer representative of the best in Sci-Fi literature. And that is what this is...Literature.

Imagine being able to go back and relive your life from the age of 10 with all the knowledge and experience gained through 80 years of life. And that's the starting premise for this masterful time travel story. Along the way we contemplate what it means to be human, the depth of love, the best and worst of humanity, immortality and heaven. I haven't read anything as intriguing or engaging in a long long time.

This is no serialized sci-fi adventure story, although it's an adventure to be sure. This is a standalone novel. With well-developed characters, an engaging plot and thoughtful ideas that will have you wondering about our human existence and the possibilities for immortality for a long time. Nothing seems contrived. The science is close enough to enable you to readily suspend disbelief in time travel or the possibility of a galaxy-wide virtual reality that promises immortality to those who accept it. But with that, we are treated to what that sort of existence lacks. And that's all I'll say about that (in my best Forrest Gump voice).

Christopher Lane is absolutely perfect in the reading with his southern style and excellent characterizations of each voice. Few audio actors are able to do female voices well but Lane brings them to life. Lovely Pebble is given just the right balance between alien construct and human voice and his Aunt Sealy is otherworldly.

Simply superb.

[Stephanie Evers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that the reviews here have vastly overstated the quality of this book. It was entertaining and fun, and the middle section where the main character was a 10-year-old was extremely compelling. If the book had just been about that section of the story, I probably would have awarded it 4 or 5 stars. The prose was lovely and the story of Joey and Arlie was compelling and sad.

The novel fell short in its lazy use of tropes (for example, including a basically magical, all-knowing, ancient African-American woman who has no obvious personal characteristics other than to know everything without being told, live in a swamp, and dispense wisdom; an also basically magical space alien who is eternally young and beautiful, who is in love with Micajah, and whose whole purpose of existing is literally him; and another female character who follows Micajah around, is in love with him, and literally sacrifices her life for him, all while he informs the reader throughout the narrative that he is incapable of feeling or expressing love to these women). There are no consequences for any actions. Micajah loads his whole family (except his wife, who he was willing to kill himself over at the beginning of the book) into a virtual world and they’re all fine with this. Micajah seems to be nearly all-knowing, but makes one incomprehensibly terrible decision after another and nothing unfixably bad ever happens to him. He is immortal, knows everything, is literally a billionaire, and is adored by everyone in his life, despite his inability to show them love. Everything in this book is convenient, from the way that the 80 year old protagonist encountering an alien in his yard just happens to have a PhD in physics and owns an engineering company that allows him access to a personal helicopter and facilities to make 99.9% pure titanium, to the way that everyone throughout the book accepts what is happening without any difficulty or disbelief. Everyone just accepts time travel and aliens as normal and continues with their day, even in the 19th century.

The protagonist believes he is always right and makes decisions without caring at all how they will affect others. He is willing to erase his own son and ignore his dying lover’s last wishes in order to do what he “knows” is best and never experiences any consequences or personal change. He’s also self-pitying, describing himself as a failure and planning to kill himself from the first page of the book. Women in this narrative exist only to adore Micajah and die to further his story. His younger brother existed to be saved only to assuage Micajah’s own guilt, and his father might as well have not even been in the story for all the impact that he had on it. In short, the entire book was a profoundly self-centered narrative about one overly privileged and selfish man getting everything he wants and eventually becoming immortal, while being depicted as literally among the best that humanity has to offer.

This is a lot of criticism, but it bothered me throughout the story. Where it rang truest was in its exploration of boyhood and the futility that Micajah’s quest seemed to have at that time. This book was fun and I did enjoy it, but the issues above made giving it any more than 3 stars an impossibility for me.

[Bon Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book... This book... This book.

There's no other way of putting it. This book, or better, THESE BOOKS, are works of pure genius.
It's so many different books and styles, squeezed harmoniously into one and played like a beautiful piano concerto, that it escapes my ability to mention them all.

Let's see, what do we have here. At first, I thought this was going to be some kind of lit rpg parody. Man finds a huge hole in his backyard with displaced earth nowhere to be seen. Then he proceeds to communicate with beautiful naked female of fantasy looks and proportions who soon decides to dress up in clown suit for HIS benefit. Because simply being beautiful naked female out of this Earth wasn't beneficial enough.

Together, they reduce a bunch of seasoned FBI agents to the level of inaptness of Three Stooges in one laughable manner after another. For a small price of almost pure titanium rod, our hero Cager gets paid in the currency of immortality. Which is a huge turn of events, considering he was thinking of killing himself.

Freud would have something to say here about phallic symbols this and that. And Joung would reply with comments about archetypal wishes in collective unconsciousness. But you know, sometimes, a titanium rod is just a titanium rod, and wishes sometimes do get fulfilled.

It was just a simple matter of protocol for Lovely Pebble, his new better half. That protocol forbids taking favors without giving something in return. That's perfectly acceptable species of an alien and potential life companion if you ask me.

Gotta admire the ingenious name of this virtual lassie. Lovely. Pebble. Just perfect, if you ever want to name a boat after your one true love. Which happened too.

So they both go into virtual sunset, proceeding to exist together and forever in the bliss of virtual world, where every wish is realized at the speed of mental imagery... I mean, after all that happening in the introductory part of the book, what else was I to think than this was a high grade comedy?

But no. Where ordinary book would probably find its root note in the form of HEA, this one only begins to take its grip. The friction, you see, is that after a while of what I imagine is heavenly existence of non-stop sex with a fantasy figure that is all you ever dreamed of, the man of the dreamhouse by the waterfall begins to feel certain... vague displeasure. What it is, will be revealed near the end, but you can probably guess it right now with good amount of certainty.

So this was just your basic intro and slight glimpse into the material main protagonist is made of.

You see, he cannot just accept simple life's pleasures, like enjoying the hobbies, having every mastery, like instant piano virtuosity at his whim. Ask and you will receive, being taken to literal extremes. But no. He has unfinished business down on Earth, and decides to go back, even at the cost of losing this heavenly life of unlimited possibilities and duration.

Then it becomes a top class mystery. And in one point, CSI level of intrigue, investigation, and demonstrating how big of a bitch payback can be, to those who wronged him and his family. Yes he had a little help of time machine, but it still took significant amount of cleverness to pull it off. So in no way was it a deus ex machina moment, that it so easily could have been.

It's a love story too. About love bigger than immortality. And that part of the story will almost make you fall in love with every positive character in this book too.

It's a life drama, about loss, guilt and what would man be ready to do for another go at life, not any life, but his particular story, and NOT to enjoy life's pleasures, mind you, but to actually GIVE UP on all heart's and sensual desires just to make things right.

It's a sci-fi, with abundant but interesting elaborations about nature of time. I absolutely have no idea whether or not they're grounded in theoretical physics or not, but they sure are mind stretchers.

For instance, time paradox doesn't seem to play a role in this brand of time travel. For the same reason swimmer can't catch a boat he fell off. Even if the boat's name was Lovely Pebble. That was so obvious. What were all those Star Trek screenwriters thinking.

And most of the book, or the book as a whole, is a sophisticated, philosophical study of a substance of life. What makes us human, individual, beings with a soul. Do copies have a soul of original or original soul?

I became instant fan of this author and I'm eager to read everything he's ever written. Also, the performance by Christopher Lane is one of the best I've ever heard. Simply incredible contribution to making this book and characters alive.

One (or several) of the best books of all time.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, I rolled my eyes when the alien just had to show up as a beautiful, young, naked woman. However, the story becomes much deeper very quickly. I fell in love with the characters we met along the way and I was eager to hear what happened to all of them. I'm so happy I listened to this instead of reading it because the narrator is exceptional. It was the first time I heard a Christopher Lane narration and I'll look for more from him. 4.5 stars without narration/ 5 stars with.

[Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I came across this book. I don't remember getting it for my kindle, but I am certainly glad that I did. I had no expectations of the book when I started which is rare for me, but even if I had started with high expectations, this book would have met them. Over 1200 ratings on goodreads with an average of 4.24 says that many people agree with me.

A unique story of time travel, of love, of life, of humanity.

Since you already know I've rated this 5*, it may be anti-climatic, but here are my sub-ratings:

Characters: 5*
The protagonist in this book are not perfect. They are not one dimensional. They are complex. They learn. They grow. They succeed. They fail. They are human. Or not.

Plot: 5*
The plot twists and weaves its way around this story. Many stories that try to achieve similar goals start at point A and go to point B in a predictable manner. There are many points in this story where I was surprised at what happened - and it wasn't just the author changing story lines just to shock or to surprise the reader. The changes in this book are natural and well-supported.

Universe: 5*
Those of you that know me know that this is one of the things that matters most to me in a story because it is the thing that most authors - even the good ones - frequently neglect. By universe, I don't just mean world building and descriptiveness. I mean how does THAT world impact the story. It is one thing for me to smell the ocean on the wind because the author describes it so well. It is another thing for that description to go to the next level and impact the story itself. I like a story where the universe isn't just the color of the world, but it has an impact on the world.

Who do I think would like this book? People who enjoy time travel, but not in the hard core sci-fi manner. The time travel is important to the book, but it isn't front and center. It is a tool used to forward the plot. There are many friends that will receive recommendations of this book from me.

[Matthew Wentworth · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there are certainly aspects of this book that are redeemable, for a piece of fiction that relies so heavily on concrete science and intricate technical concepts, there are numerous, egregious errors in logic that poke holes in the narrative. Too frustrating.

This is beside the fact that the final part of the book is such a huge cop-out.

The best parts of this novel were probably the middle third that had nothing to do with time travel what-so-ever. In that section, the book was well worth the read; however, the beginning and end kind of spoil the middle, which is too bad.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a while since I read a whole book in a day, don’t get the opportunity often.

Entertaining if a little confused in places, but has some page turning qualities. It lacks a little soul however, the soul that mr Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle has, which gets a mention.

[Randy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Time-Travel Tale!

Although I'm not even a general fan of the sub-genre, I've been fortunate enough to have recently read several superb time-travel novels, including Stephen King's fantastic "11/22/63,” (of which you can read my review HERE), and this hidden gem certainly didn't disappoint either.

It's far more than a story about jumping across space-time, or parallel universes; it's a story about what is at the very root of the human existence and soul. It's about love and what is at the essence of being a person.

I won't bore you with a book report or synopsis. You can read the back cover or description for that. Just trust me when I say this is certainly worth a read, regardless of if you are into time-travel or even sci-fi for that matter.

Solid 4.0/ 5.0

[Bill Poplaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to 28 books so far and this one is number 1

I really enjoyed this book. It keep me on the edge of my seat right to the very end. I listened to it on audible and the narration was great. I have listened to 28 books so far and this one ranks number1.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great. It starts off goofy but ends magnificently.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ultimately this book fails because it’s not sure what it wants to be when it grows up.
It starts off as a fairly standard science fiction book; transitions abruptly to a coming-of-age story; Swerves into hard-core science-fiction with interesting time travel analysis; then ends as a book about introspection and what it means to be human.
It’s a Frankenstein of genres and concepts.
But it is supposed to be a time-travel book - and in that it fails.
Unfortunately the book completely ignores the core of time travel novels which is the time travel paradox.
Without examining the paradoxes inherent in time travel the book is in effect not a time travel book - because the paradox of the cause and effect of the act of time travel is really the crux of any good time travel book. I will say that the author is a very good writer and there is a very nice fluidity and poetry to his writing style.

[Wallis · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Good a Contemporary Read

As I've had the pleasure to experience in a while. I'm not one to harbor on editing as, unless it renders the book comprehensible, we have the mental capacity to understand the writers intent....especially a talented one as this. That particular burr from under my saddle let me say "No problem with editing No problem with character development. Yes to a great storyline filled with memorable characters...etc..etc" I hated to see an end but happy also that monetary enticement didn't drag it into serial mediocrity. Can't say enough and, as I seldom leave but a line or two review, end your misery of reading my review by simply asking all to "Get off your duffs and go buy or download the book. It does not disappoint." End of quote and or whatever.

[Marjorie R. Huse · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wondrous tale

This exceeded all my expectations. I simply could not force myself to put it down. This story had so much depth and feeling. It also got really technical, which kinda left me behind occasionally. I cannot praise this story enough. I loved it. Twists and turns, people, dangers, it had it all.

[Sean Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was reminded, by the end, of one of Heinlein's weirder transhumanic endings. An interesting yarn here with a lot of ethical intrigue ,it did captivate me, even if I can't quite bring myself to call it best in class.

[Douglas Impiccini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings...a strong start is betrayed by a slow middle with a strange Jurassic park fantasy. I felt that a better story was left behind and that the one we got was a weak offshoot. Did the author die and his agent finish the novel?

The performance was fantastic.

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book delves deep into a thought experiment most of us have had; what if I could go back to being a kid but with all of the knowledge I have now?

Micajah is visited by an alien who comes to Earth in dire need of help. She calls herself Lonely Pebble – although she is a nebulous term since her preferred state of being IIRC is a floating orb. I very nearly DNFd early because it had creepy vibes when “the most non-intimidating state” the alien could think of is naked human female and he purposefully tricked her into staying that way. The main character is 80 years old at the start and he’s suicidal. His wife has died and although they didn’t have a great relationship, they’d been together a long time and she left behind a vacuum he didn’t want to live inside. He was interrupted by an alien time-traveler who’s ship is broken n’ whatnot.

So in exchange for helping her he would get one wish — and yeah he’s thinking “wow this is very much so like a genie”. What he wants is to go back to being ten and to try and fix something that went terribly wrong. You don’t know what it is until you get there, but in order to go back he has to let go of his present. He thinks to himself about how Jimmy, his son, will cease to exist if he goes back in time but he does it anyway. So it’s got to be something catastrophic – right?

I have an appreciation for the fact that the main character is 80 years old and contemplating suicide. That sounds like a strange thing to say, but I hear it all the time from my clients that they are done with this life and wish they could let go – it’s such a powerful human state of mind/being and yet I nearly never see it represented in any kind of speculative fiction. He is a greyish character, I mean one of the first things he does is poof his son out of existence, and not to mention every other human on the planet since he reset the timeline with his wish, and he did it all knowing that. It wasn’t something he did in a haste and then was like, “nnnoooooo” . It took me until almost the very end to like him a little. There was a friendship he built with someone from his past that he didn’t have his first time around, and I did find that very interesting if a bit taken to extremes. The kid’s father is very abusive, violent to animals, and an alcoholic. It did keep tension going on multiples levels and storylines since helping that kid wasn’t the original goal. It also humanized him and made him more of a sympathetic character despite me side-eyeing a lot of his decisions. But that friendship ends rather abruptly when he sets off on his next adventure… and then he went back to being kinda shitty to someone else and I was like “damnit”.

As far as the world building there’s a bit too much exposition. There are a bunch of examples of info-dumping in a way that just wasn’t holding my attention. The tech and how time travel worked in and of itself was interesting, but the way it was introduced wasn’t always. The aliens did not feel very alien to me which is usually a nitpick of mine for the First Encounter subgenre.

All in all this was okay, if you want something quick and fun with a lot of time jumps and math talk with a really great audio this could be for you.

Ratings:
Plot: 9/15
Characters: 10.5/15
World Building: 9/15
Writing: 11/15
Pacing: 12.5/15
Originality: 9/15
Enjoyment: 6/10
Final Score: 67.5/100

[Barry Bozeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This begins as a brilliantly funny and most interesting story then is ruined by a stupidity that is actually offensive and demeaning to the reader. Nobody could possibly be as brilliant and ostensibly careful as Micajah Fenton and find himself and Lovely Pebble; in the fix they are in when he tests his machine. It's just too DUMB to suspend any disbelief and is totally unnecessary to the story.
Micajah Fenton seems to be of necessity patterned on the author. Jerry - Micajah postulates that; everyone has at one time fantasized about returning to relive his life with the knowledge of what is learned in this one intact.This is not true of course - I have asked this question of many family and friends and I alone among them have considered - fantasized - this possibility. In fact, I've written many personal accounts of what I would do if given that opportunity and shared the idea with a number of friends. Reflecting on Stephen Kings 11-22-63 and Lem Grimwood's REPLAY, I have long lamented the pitiful attempts made in those stories to stop the killing of JFK and I believe I know how to do that if ever given the opportunity in a replay; of my own. In fact, I assembled a detailed plan that includes the point in time I would like to re-enter my life (at the Colorado Boy Scout Jamboree Summer 1960 at 14 years of age).
Upon body death I postulate choice. And the thing is that most people don't have the slightest I idea what to choose given that possibility. They think HEAVEN without any conception of what Heaven would mean to them. I postulate that the infinite Universe of infinite branches of worlds in infinite dimensions so allowing any individual a replay of life is relatively simple since a duplicate world is not hard to realize - whether it is a virtual or actual reality.
I am offended when Micajah is written as too stupid to avoid the catastrophe that results from his wreckless initial manned test of the time glider. Jerry - Micajah please hear this now: No one who has actually thought about time travel to the extent required to go through 80 years and another 40 of a 2nd life bent on building a time machine to save his brother would be a dumb as this character. It is infuriating.
The only message the reader can come away with as A GIFT OF TIME ends is the failure of imagination of the author. Can we actually believe that 120 years of life leaves the protagonist incapable of comprehending the new reality and loving Lovely Pebble; without regard for her humanity The mistakes made are so obvious and absurd for a man who is fully aware of the danger of this machine falling into the wrong hands. This failure of imagination is the infuriating destruction of what could have been a brilliant work of science fiction. Jerry - Micajah goes from being an admirable character bent on saving a brother, a friend, and a mother to becoming a person deserving of contempt for his failure to love Lovely Pebble or to attain any of his aims - and particularly for his failure to appreciate The Gift of Time.

[Lagarto · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the audiobook edition, not the text.

The reader for this audiobook edition is exceptional. The protagonist is a southern gentleman (Florida Panhandle). The reader has the perfect accent, timing, and intonation to pull it off. A better voice actor would be hard to find, anywhere. He suits the book perfectly.

Even up until the last 2 hours of the book, I was holding my tongue, and my opinion. I read a lot of reviews that were hating on the style and substance of the book, which puzzled me.

Yes, there are a lot of different styles in play here, which is unusual. Perhaps the author is new to this genre, I have not delved into his other works or history at all. Perhaps the editor felt this was fine, or didn't really edit much and let it slide. Either way, now that I have finished the book, I can say with certainty that I thoroughly enjoyed it, would highly recommend it, and was not disappointed in any way. I don't give 5 stars to very many titles, usually the flaws need to be reflected in the rating.

So how did this flawed, quirky book get a 5 star rating from me? Well, simple. It's HIGHLY ORIGINAL. I love sci-fi, particularly hard sci-fi. Think Neil Stephenson’s ANATHEM and SEVENEVES. Time travel usually bores me, because it is so improbable, authors can make up whatever devices they like to substantiate whatever action scenes they want to write. I hate reviews with spoilers, so I won’t do that to you. What I will say, is the time concepts of THIS book are unlike ones I have read/seen/heard anywhere else. And I LOVE these new concepts of what time can/can’t do. That originality is not only unusual, but earns a lot of respect from me.

So yeah, the downside of the writing: the action scenes are “inexperienced” – Merritt is no Grisham. I’m fine with that, the tone of most of the book is introspective so an awkward action scene is best kept brief anyway. The style shifts from one genre to another a half dozen times, which is a bit jarring. The prose gets lost in some places, running long and probably causing more than just a few readers to abandon the book, thinking it won’t get any better and MOVE ON.

Conclusion: yes, the conclusion was totally worth it. Read to the end. Be enlightened. Be entertained. You won’t be disappointed. I thought I would be disappointed. I was wrong. That makes me very happy.

[Syd (deertales) · Rating 4 out of 5]

i was really surprised by this book! despite the extremely hokey cover, there is a great story within these pages, full of love, family, guilt, and of course some time travel as well.

the beginning is a bit eye rolling - i thought that it was very apparent that a male wrote this book and that blatant testosterone seeping through the pages was initially a turn off for me. BUT, i think jerry merritt really corrected the course and despite some far fetched plot twists, i ended up really loving the characters, and the story was a well rounded, neatly tied up little adventure.

the writing was complex and interesting, and my only complaint on the prose front would be that there were a few instances of 'science-y info dump' where i kinda had no idea what anyone was talking about. but that's okay, because its clear that the author did, and i can respect a book that is laced with real potential science, rather than fiction solely fabricated in the mind.

overall, really enjoyed this and im glad i read it! i am a big fan of the time travel genre, and increasingly fascinated by the complexities of it, and for anyone that falls into this category i recommend picking up this book!

[Jordan Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Gift of Time, what a journey this book has taken me on. Thoroughly enjoyed every moment of consuming this book, with the twists and turns of the exciting narrative taking hold and gripping me tightly to Cager's story. Jerry Merritt here has written a phenomenal sci-fi tale, a gift, as you will, to any fan of time travel.

The plot takes you on a wild adventure through Cager's life and along the way encounters some intriguing characters, which develop alongside the protagonist well as the story unfolds. While dealing with time travel in sci-fi, I am always fascinated by how they author's interpretation of time travel and how it impacts on the story. I feel like Merritt has done well to integrate it into the book, taking care to ensure that what is happening doesn't become overbearing, it compliments the story really well, leading to fascinating scenes that are encountered.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed, and would recommend this to anybody!

[John Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story hit a lot of good places — what-if science/technology, thrills, and just plain old feel-good storylines. It feels ripe for a sequel, although it may be best to leave things as they ended, a bit unsure bit at a place that’s good enough.

If anything, I was just a bit disappointed with the ending. It felt slightly like a cop-out, a way of ending the story while leaving things a bit loose ... perhaps with a touch of Deus ex machina ... but maybe it was better this way as it gave the reader the job of deciding on their own conclusion. That’s an interesting approach and, to be honest, it’s growing on me as I gain distance from the story itself.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alien visitor crashes her time glider in the front lawn. Time travel with the space component factored in. Getting to go back to when you were 10 with all your 80 years of knowledge to correct a mistake. The beginning and the end were brilliant.

It only get a 3 stars because of how bogged down in the science of got in the middle when he was was trying to build a time machine. And that's coming from someone with an interest in physics; quantum and astro. Loved the concept. Very well done and unique.

[Dream Always · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have added this book to my top 25 books ever list. I loved the story, and I’m not a huge time travel fan...but, it was wonderful. I love all the characters. I read it and listened to it in the car and it made me laugh so many times, and ponder life, love, decisions and family. Who wouldn’t like a possible chance to do life again carrying the knowledge from the first.

[Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well what do you do when an attractive and quite unclothed lady is standing on your lawn asking for your help? Well, of course you invite her into your home and listen to her request. At least that is what Micajah "Cager" Fenton does.
Thus begins a most unusual story. On one hand it is an adventure story involving time travel and with lots of action. On the other it is a story about love and about second chances and redemption. Along the way this story has more twists than an Appalachian country road. We meet a variety of characters -- some honorable and brave (I loved Aunt Celie) and some just plain evil. Cager's road is not an easy one and his decisions will change things for many.
Drawbacks? I found the ending (the last 10% of so) to be elaborate and a bit unsatisfying. (I seem to be in a minority here. YMMV.) Also, why have Lovely Pebble run around naked? I don't see the point.
Anyway, overall a good story that pulled me right in. Christopher Lane provides a skillful narration.
Solid 4 stars.