-100

by Jonathan Maas

Now in development with Olumide Odebunmi and Tolu Awosika, the screenwriters of Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassin’s Ball! -100 When Kela invents a device that can send herself back in time, she decides the first person she’ll tell will be her boyfriend, Adam. Before she can tell him though, he breaks up with her. Kela goes home and makes a she will use the device to go back, one day at a time, and end things with Adam first—on each and every day of their one hundred day relationship. After these one hundred days, she will have effectively erased their relationship from this existence, and any other. Never Go Back in Time But both Kela and Adam will soon understand that the universe disallows time travel for a reason. There are some things that should not be seen, and some horrors that the human mind shouldn’t even attempt to understand. If they want to survive these one hundred days, they must find a way to move forward together, even if it means unleashing the inconceivable terrors lurking just beyond our conception. Edition 2 - now formatted for Kindle

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 28, 2018

About the author

Jon Maas was born in New Haven, Connecticut and grew up in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from Stanford University with degrees in Biology and History, he's earned a living as a Musician, Peace Corps Volunteer, Standup Comedian, TV Producer and Web Designer.

He has published ten books, and has more on the way.

He has also directed the movie 'Spanners' starring Shawn Christian and Eric Roberts, and wrote its sequel book - 'Spanners: The Fountain of Youth.'

He writes on his bus commute to and from work, and has a soft spot in his heart for all types of Public Transportation.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Here's the thing - I really wanted to like this because the premise is really interesting but it kinda felt like the author wrote the last page first and then wrote the bare minimum necessary to get there. There are huge gaping holes and mistakes both in logic and sequential order; NO world building at all and precious little character development. I actually sighed a breath of short-lived relief when I came to Adam's part because there was finally something more substantial. Speaking of....didya know Kela was beautiful but you gotta be careful of pretty girls dontcha know (huge eyeroll which made perfect sense once I realized the author was a man {Nothing like a bit of sexism or preconceived notions to cap off one's day, amirite?}).

Now...I'm nowhere near as smart (or alas, stunningly beautiful) as Kela but I'm fairly certain even as a guy, I'd be a bit more concerned about my date having a freaking SEIZURE or trying to KILL me daily than that she may come with baggage because the pretty ones always do. GMAFB! But no, he stays from Day One because that makes all the sense in the world.

On the upside, I love the idea of the story - really like the notion of counting down to the 'seminal moment', and adored Adam's dad. Kela deserved better in oh so many ways.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for multiple reasons. First, despite being female, I'm not a a fan of the romantic story, movie or anything typically identified as chick flick or chick lit. This has to be the first anti-romance I've read with the fascinating approach that the brilliant but empathetic Kela chooses a time travel experiment to break up with her boyfriend of 100 days. Second, it's about time travel which is a topic that's been addressed in various ways many different times but this story takes a unique approach to the topic. Third, this is a very straightforward story making very philosophical topics such as time travel direct and personal. This is a wonderful work of speculative fiction.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started this twice. I really tried to like it, but there's nothing interesting about this, the writing unfortunately I found very boring and I just couldn't get very invested in what was going on. The concept could have been so good. but it didn't work out for me.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Expect the unexpected. That’s how I’m going to go in from now when I read anything by Jonathan. Awesome job. Can’t wait for his next work.

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Jonathan Maas' -100 is an incredibly fresh and unique take on time travel. It's an entertaining novella in which the author fluently combines science fiction, science, horror and romance elements to create an original story.

Jonathan Maas is an independent author whose fiction I've come to like a lot, because it's different and entertaining. He writes fresh, imaginative and original speculative fiction that sets him apart from many other authors. This novella showcases his writing skills and imagination in an excellent way.

I enjoyed reading -100, because it's something different due to the author's way of exploring time travel from a different perspective. I found his philosophical exploration of time travel intriguing, because the scientific conversations between the protagonists are fascinating and offer quite a lot of food for thoughts. He examines problems that may arise from time travel by writing about what the protagonists experience and how they deal with what's going on. The examination of possible and impossible things is wonderfully imaginative.

In this novella, Kela has invented a device that can send herself back in time. She can't wait to tell her boyfriend, Adam, what she has invented. When she tries to tell Adam her big news, Adam breaks up with her... When Kela tries to think about what happened between her and Adam, nothing seems to make sense to her. She comes to the conclusion that the universe has made an error and she needs to correct it. She decides to do it thoroughly so that the mistake will be completely cleansed from existence... Soon Kela and Adam find out that there are certain things that should not be seen and human mind should not try to make sense of some things...

This unique story flows well from start to finish and instantly grabs hold of the reader's attention. There's a good balance between speculative and scientific elements, and the speculations about various things make for an entertaining read.

Kela is an interesting character, because she's a highly intelligent person whose intelligence puts her into a league of her own. She has her own way of thinking about things. Adam is also an interesting and intelligent character. He has applied to many universities and has gotten a position at a university, which is far away from his father who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.

The relationship between Kela and Adam is handled well, because Kela has difficulties understanding certain things about romance and why one should have a boyfriend. She has never understood the importance of these things. There's something about her behaviour that reminded me of Asperger's syndrome, but is slightly different from it.

Jonathan Maas writes about such things as online dating and relationships in a surprisingly thoughtful way. It was interesting to read about what Adam thought of dating through the internet and the algorithms that are used by dating websites. I was also fascinated by how Adam felt about dating Kela.

There have often been times when I've felt annoyed when reading about romance elements in time travel stories, but nothing in this novella rubs me the wrong way. I found myself captivated by the anti-romantic elements, because they were unique and offered excellent counterbalance to the romantic elements. The author shows that love can be expressed in various non-typical ways.

The horror elements are intriguing, because there's something about them that is reminiscent of cosmic horror. Because I'm a big fan of cosmic horror, I found this fascinating. In my opinion, the author writes well about these elements, because he doesn't go overboard with them, but uses them sparingly.

The strange symbols that Kela draws add an element of mystery to the storyline. I won't reveal what the symbols mean, but I can mention that what is revealed about them will captivate readers.

I think it's possible that this novella may not be to everyone's liking because of its different kind of contents, but that is often the case with original fiction that differs from mainstream fiction. Personally, I find this novella's contents refreshingly different and was pleased with them, because the author explores challenging and difficult concepts in his own unique way.

My final words are:

Jonathan Maas' -100 is a satisfyingly fresh time travel novella. It will appeal to fans of the author and also to newcomers, because it's something different and entertaining. If you enjoy reading extraordinary stories, you should take a look at this novella, because it's not your normal kind of a time travel story.

[Jennifer Tooker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure, I was provided with a copy of this book by the author, however, I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.

To change your future, change your past

Kela and Adam seem to be made for each other. She is brilliant beyond measure and Adam gets her even when nobody else does. So, when Kela discovers the secret to time travel and can send her consciousness back in time she naturally cannot wait to share this groundbreaking information with Adam but before she can, he breaks up with her. Unsure how this turn of events happened or why Kela can only do one thing with this news:

Go back and undo the relationship.

Kela sets out to send her future self back in time to systematically undo the last 100 days of her relationship with Adam but once begun, it seems that time cannot be undone. Kela and Adam are in for the ride of their lives as they are faced with the realities of why time travel is not to be attempted ever.

Checking in at a little under 200 pages, do not let the length of this book cause you to underestimate this story. Jonathan Maas has crafted a story that is every bit as cerebral and philosophical as it is fantastical and whimsical. As the reader is taken back into Adam and Kela’s relationship and we see future Kela’s efforts to destroy their bond the framework is set for a love story like no other. Once again, Maas proves that there is not a genre that he is unable to tackle with authority. Not being one for the typical romance, I really love how Maas illustrates that love can take many forms and be expressed in ways that are not typical. With such complex concepts and incredible events packed in between the pages, -100: A Time Travel Horror Romance will be a story I find myself contemplating for a long time to come.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly unique story. Kela is the primary female character. She is beyond brilliant, but she seems more like a computer than a human. She believes she and her boyfriend, Adam, are meant to be together because the universe made it that way. Love doesn't seem to factor in the equation for her.

Adam is intrigued by her beauty and intelligence. They have amazing discussions about physics, the universe, humanity, time travel, and the meaning of life. The author makes these topics wonderfully accessible to the average human that isn't a physicist. Their conversations were the highlight of the book for me because they were so honest and intelligent. They opened up such possibilities---along with the consequences of those possibilities.

The rest of the book is pretty much an acting out of their discussions, and those unintended consequences read their ugly head. The story moves very quickly, and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. This is a great book. Highly recommended.

[JUDITH DICKINSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forget all those books about travelling back in time to make significant changes in the history of this or any other world. This book is much more intimate. The narrative evolves around the relationship between Kela and Adam. Despite their different natures they still find themselves drawn into a relationship. After 100 days Adam breaks up with Kela
The unique thing about Kela is that she has invented a time-travel device. She uses the device to go back in time, visiting each of those 100 days with the intention of ending their relationship before Adam can. The dangers of time-travel are many, even over so short a period of time. Can Kela and Adam survive the horrors that might await them? Will they both not only survive, but survive untainted.
This is only 170 pages but I was drawn into its depths, the factual elements and the fictional combine to lead the reader into unknown realms, facing the possible dangers to both mind and body with them.

[Kat Clyde · Rating 1 out of 5]

**SPOILERS**

I read this as I was looking for something else to read, that wasn't in my norm. The first couple of chapters were interesting, the black box on the back of her head, the idea of just time travel for the mind sure. I couldn't buy her love for this guy and that she was this upset that she would go back in time just to get even. This character is obviously on the spectrum, so for her to not understand the emotions of a relationship, but then have such an explosive reaction to a breakup didn't make sense to me. Then also, I felt cheated at the ending. For someone to go through all this effort to breakup with a guy, and she just tries to kill him for 100 days, and he doesn't die or she doesn't actually end up insane I felt misled. This wasn't designed to be a book of happily ever afters.

The author also plays with multiple theories of time travel rather than just one, so that also didn't appeal to me, as someone who has followed the different theories. This book shoves a lot of science in the reader's face at once and hopes that just keeps you. It did, but I didn't enjoy it afterward. I want stuff that makes sense. Sure you have the science, follow through on the science presented.

[Tim Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

The problem with time travel novels is that most of the best ideas have been done - so what you get tends to be a different version of a story someone has already told. This is not one of those books. As one might expect from Jonathan Maas this is a new idea, time travel of a person's memories, to themselves in their own past. It's a slim volume, with a limited cast of characters, but is very nicely put together. I also liked the end - but since that's in my past, and possibly your future, I won't tell you about that!

[Lauren Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The universe had made an error, and Kela would correct it. She would do this thoroughly, until this mistake was completely cleansed from existence."(28)

I would like to thank Jonathan Mass for providing me with a copy of this book!

This book was a complete page turner, which will make you need to keep reading. It was very well written and easy to follow. However, I found that the two parts would have made more sense in the opposite order to have better flow.

This book was a quick read, as I read it in a couple of hours!

I would recommend it to any sci-fi lovers out there!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very wierd

This was a strange book. There are errors (not meaning typos) in the logic and sequences. Perhaps this would have been better as a short story. I was half-way through and almost stopped reading. I really can't recommend it heartily. There are much better books out there.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unusual story but I was riveted

It’s technically got some romance, but so unconventional! The dialogue was very well done, and interesting, and the discussion about existence of multiple timelines was what really intrigued me. I would recommend this to my sci- fi friends.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story

[Dawn Ireland · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish it.

The book was poorly developed and desperately needed editing. I made it through the first few chapters and threw in the towel.

[Cynthia R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually read Wi-Fi. But I just couldn't get past the first chapter.

[Chelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating

I wasn't sure I wanted to read this but interesting science. Interesting outcome. Makes one think.
Warning: not an easy beach read.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read. Not my normal cup of tea. The book will open your mind.