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Arnesto Modesto: The World's Most Ineffectual Time Traveler
"There's going to be an attack."
By sending his memories back in time, Arnesto Modesto gets to live his life over again. Of course, his much younger self may not be prepared to handle all that foreknowledge...
Encouraged by his friend Pete, Arnesto attempts to use his limited recall to do some good — and winds up stumbling through some of the biggest events of the past quarter-century.
Life isn't going to be easier the second time around.
By sending his memories back in time, Arnesto Modesto gets to live his life over again. Of course, his much younger self may not be prepared to handle all that foreknowledge...
Encouraged by his friend Pete, Arnesto attempts to use his limited recall to do some good — and winds up stumbling through some of the biggest events of the past quarter-century.
Life isn't going to be easier the second time around.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
October 23, 2018
An intriguing story this was. We've all asked ourselves the question, "If I knew now what I did back then, what would I do differently?" There are great things we could do, but there are consequences.
Arnesto and his friend Pete during the teenage years are the most amusing parts (I love coming of age stuff). So many instances of ethical dilemmas, humor, and touching moments fill throughout. This was a well written book. I started one chapter, and I really couldn't stop reading.
I hope there are more books to follow. I'll definitely read Mr. Johnson's other short stories for sure. Bravo!
Arnesto and his friend Pete during the teenage years are the most amusing parts (I love coming of age stuff). So many instances of ethical dilemmas, humor, and touching moments fill throughout. This was a well written book. I started one chapter, and I really couldn't stop reading.
I hope there are more books to follow. I'll definitely read Mr. Johnson's other short stories for sure. Bravo!
November 25, 2018
An enjoyable, quirky novel. The idea of what you would do if you went back to relive your life is intriguing and the ethical dilemmas are presented for each of us to consider what we would do in the same situation.
I’d like to read more about Arnesto and what happens next.
I’d like to read more about Arnesto and what happens next.
July 26, 2020
Ok, my first review in over 3 years but this book whispered to me "Now is the time." I love the imperfection Arnesto exhibits. He is a man/savior who stumbles through life even though he is from the future (sorta of). And his best intentions almost never fully work. But he shows that we are all human - good happenings and not so good. I really hope Darren writes a sequel or two - I'd buy them in a flash. Or maybe some side stories (of him accidentally effecting people's lives?) mixed in with Mr Modesto. And lastly, Read the book people!
December 6, 2018
Sometimes it's refreshing to take a break from literature and gobble up some candy. This profoundly silly book was a treat to pick up and read every time I had a few spare minutes.
Arnesto Modesto sends his memories back in time to live his life a second time, only this time he knows exactly what will happen at every turn! He arranges to meet his wife a few years early, prevents terrorist attacks, and warns citizens about deadly hurricanes and tsunamis saving countless thousands of lives.
It toyed with questions such as, "What responsibility do I have to make the world a better place" and "How might I inadvertently change the course of the future," but neither develops into the central theme of the book. The core of this book is a dude bumbling through history, saving lives when he can, playing video games in his spare time, and investing well so he can retire early.
And it was fun to read.
Arnesto Modesto sends his memories back in time to live his life a second time, only this time he knows exactly what will happen at every turn! He arranges to meet his wife a few years early, prevents terrorist attacks, and warns citizens about deadly hurricanes and tsunamis saving countless thousands of lives.
It toyed with questions such as, "What responsibility do I have to make the world a better place" and "How might I inadvertently change the course of the future," but neither develops into the central theme of the book. The core of this book is a dude bumbling through history, saving lives when he can, playing video games in his spare time, and investing well so he can retire early.
And it was fun to read.
December 16, 2018
I read this book in a day. I enjoyed the premise (time travel is always interesting to me; this is different in that the persons memories are sent back in time into his younger self).
There were a few minor quibbles i may have, but it's an enjoyable, interesting page-turner of a read. I found myself finishing this at 2 a.m., flashing through the pages.
I won't spoil it for anyone. Just read this if you get the chance; you won't be disappointed.
If time travel is your thing try Stephen King's "11.22.63"
There were a few minor quibbles i may have, but it's an enjoyable, interesting page-turner of a read. I found myself finishing this at 2 a.m., flashing through the pages.
I won't spoil it for anyone. Just read this if you get the chance; you won't be disappointed.
If time travel is your thing try Stephen King's "11.22.63"
April 18, 2020
Interesting premise. Much of the content was over-explained making it wordy in places. The prologue was interesting; however, I was disappointed that the story never really returned to ideas presented in the prologue.
August 27, 2018
"It's always an odd thing running into someone you used to know in a previous lifetime."
Arnesto Modesto is a contemporary Forrest Gump, a hapless hero trying to right the wrongs of the last three decades, all while programming videogames, looking for love, and avoiding capture.
It's almost as if 11/22/63 had a drunken affair with Ready Player One. Johnson's snarky humor brings to life a compelling, flawed protagonist and, as with Ken Grimwood's Replay, the book travels a road of bittersweet nostalgia.
What makes Arnesto Modesto stand out is the escapist satisfaction of watching him thwart tragedies that impacted our lives. Arnesto Modesto is quick, fun read that will leave you thinking.
December 5, 2018
Not bad
A time travel story that's fairly entertaining, mostly about one guy trying to avert past tragedies. Sadly it never really deals with how changing history should also change society. For instance, the protagonist is actively changing history from the nineties on, yet events that happen twenty years later mostly aren't affected. There's one part of the story that depends on a particular flock of geese appearing in the same time and place. All I could think of when I read that was "Really?".
Still, much better than most time travel stories.
A time travel story that's fairly entertaining, mostly about one guy trying to avert past tragedies. Sadly it never really deals with how changing history should also change society. For instance, the protagonist is actively changing history from the nineties on, yet events that happen twenty years later mostly aren't affected. There's one part of the story that depends on a particular flock of geese appearing in the same time and place. All I could think of when I read that was "Really?".
Still, much better than most time travel stories.
August 6, 2018
Lost in the story
Several times I found myself lost in the story. Totally immersed in Arnesto's life. The book got better and better as it went on. I definitely want to read the sequel!
Several times I found myself lost in the story. Totally immersed in Arnesto's life. The book got better and better as it went on. I definitely want to read the sequel!
September 7, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.... a fresh take on one of my favorite genres, Arnesto Modesto is the story of a man who, on his deathbed in 2130, engages in an experiment to send his memories back in time and into the mind of his younger self. Once young Arnesto figures out what's going on (which does take a fun while), he sets out to prevent as many unnecessary deaths as possible via a Gumplike tour through history's tragic events.
There were several reasons I loved this book. The idea was new and interesting, and Arnesto was born only one year after I was, so his age while trying to stop each disaster was the same age I remember being when it happened. That added a nice, (albeit coincidental) way for me to bond with him during his attempts. I also liked the fact that there was a nice mix of famous historical disaster thwarting, and smaller, personal disaster thwarting, as Arnesto wrestled with the decision to either relive or change certain happenings in his own life.
My only bit of constructive criticism is that the story takes a hard left at around 90% in, and I think it would have been more interesting to get to that point earlier in the book. But hey.... that's what sequels are for, right?
There were several reasons I loved this book. The idea was new and interesting, and Arnesto was born only one year after I was, so his age while trying to stop each disaster was the same age I remember being when it happened. That added a nice, (albeit coincidental) way for me to bond with him during his attempts. I also liked the fact that there was a nice mix of famous historical disaster thwarting, and smaller, personal disaster thwarting, as Arnesto wrestled with the decision to either relive or change certain happenings in his own life.
My only bit of constructive criticism is that the story takes a hard left at around 90% in, and I think it would have been more interesting to get to that point earlier in the book. But hey.... that's what sequels are for, right?
May 21, 2020
An Interesting First Novel
This book was good where you would expect it to be dull and dull where you would expect it to be good. Arnesto starts out as a boy with memories of the future and has to wait until he reaches adulthood to fully use them. The trouble is that he is more interesting as a struggling adolescent than as a time traveling hero. The middle of the book is an interminable series of chapters wherein our hero goes to the site of one disaster after another and prevents them with his knowledge of what happened the first time. There is little sense of a plot moving forward and the scale of the disasters prevented varies widely. He is actually quite effectual in his endeavors but rarely is affected by the outcome. Finally at the end of the book Arnesto has to face the music and persevere. I liked the characters and the writing was satisfactory but the plot lacked flow.
This book was good where you would expect it to be dull and dull where you would expect it to be good. Arnesto starts out as a boy with memories of the future and has to wait until he reaches adulthood to fully use them. The trouble is that he is more interesting as a struggling adolescent than as a time traveling hero. The middle of the book is an interminable series of chapters wherein our hero goes to the site of one disaster after another and prevents them with his knowledge of what happened the first time. There is little sense of a plot moving forward and the scale of the disasters prevented varies widely. He is actually quite effectual in his endeavors but rarely is affected by the outcome. Finally at the end of the book Arnesto has to face the music and persevere. I liked the characters and the writing was satisfactory but the plot lacked flow.
August 16, 2022
My reaction on finishing this book was "well... that was alright." Not the best conclusion but not terrible. I really liked the idea of this book and love a good time travel story. This one didn't flow well, and nothing really changed. It read like a series of short stories about a time traveler changing historic events rather than a cohesive story.
Spoilers in this paragraph:
The author didn't do much with showing how changing events changes the future. For example, he thwarts 9/11 and then later tries to alarm the police at the Boston Marathon by saying he heard the bombers say "Allahu Akbar." If 9/11 didn't happen, why Islamophobia still be effective enough a decade later? He showed that Arnesto accidentally changed his personal life, but there was no reflection on how society would change except one mention of going in an airport being easier.
The story was okay, but I wouldn't reread and likely won't pick up the author's other books.
Spoilers in this paragraph:
The author didn't do much with showing how changing events changes the future. For example, he thwarts 9/11 and then later tries to alarm the police at the Boston Marathon by saying he heard the bombers say "Allahu Akbar." If 9/11 didn't happen, why Islamophobia still be effective enough a decade later? He showed that Arnesto accidentally changed his personal life, but there was no reflection on how society would change except one mention of going in an airport being easier.
The story was okay, but I wouldn't reread and likely won't pick up the author's other books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2018
Arnesto Modesto: The World's Most Ineffectual Time Traveler is fast and fun tale of time travelling with a difference. Time travel is a well trodden path but the author manages to come up with something quite different in this book. While most tales of time travelling have the person physically going to a different time period - think Bill and Ted or Back to the Future - here only Arnesto's memories travel back. He doesn't have any advanced technology to help him just his often sketchy memories and his childhood buddy Pete.
While, generally light and fun the story does take a poignant look into Arnesto's personal life in places which make a great change of pace and really help to flesh out the characters helping to make them more three dimensional and memorable.
Arnesto Modesto: The World's Most Ineffectual Time Traveler is genuinely funny, occasionally poignant story that offers something a little different from your average time travelling tale and is well worth a your time.
While, generally light and fun the story does take a poignant look into Arnesto's personal life in places which make a great change of pace and really help to flesh out the characters helping to make them more three dimensional and memorable.
Arnesto Modesto: The World's Most Ineffectual Time Traveler is genuinely funny, occasionally poignant story that offers something a little different from your average time travelling tale and is well worth a your time.
April 20, 2020
Time Travel stories are a hit or miss genre for me. I don't have a preferred recipe, such as super-science-techy, or complex paradox puzzles, or primarily human interest. I just like a particular TT book, or I don't. I generally liked Arnesto M. it has minimal science and TT "rules". It has interesting characters, with some nice humor and pathos. I liked the thinking and decision process of the lead character. The only weakness was the ending. It seemed a little too rushed and light on substance. It appears that the author was going for a nicely wrapped up ending that could feed into one or more sequels. Just seemed a little incomplete and awkward.
July 9, 2019
This book was an enjoyable read throughout. Unlike many time travelers this one was different. Instead of being greedy and making hell lot of changes in the timeline, the protagonist decides to save lives. So, a novel and fun read till the end. However, there are many questions unanswered. The story ended quite abruptly. It would have been great if the author goes on to explain what happens till Arnesto grew old and how come he acquired so much knowledge about time travel. May be there's a sequel (who knows?). Can the author confirm?
December 22, 2020
Interesting, fun, nostalgic, occasionally irritating
Johnson (or Darren as he'd probably ask you to call him) does an enjoyable job of taking one on a somewhat nostalgic (for those of an appropriate age) trip through recent history with a "what if" twist.
Overall I thought it was well written and enjoyed it although I felt he did spend a little too many paragraphs at times describing (or venting?) about his time as a coder and tester. He also came across a little "holier than thou" with his political/social perspective.
Johnson (or Darren as he'd probably ask you to call him) does an enjoyable job of taking one on a somewhat nostalgic (for those of an appropriate age) trip through recent history with a "what if" twist.
Overall I thought it was well written and enjoyed it although I felt he did spend a little too many paragraphs at times describing (or venting?) about his time as a coder and tester. He also came across a little "holier than thou" with his political/social perspective.
November 27, 2018
A lot of fun.
I particularly enjoyed the fact that the author saw no reason to set up the time-traveling by going into detail about the technology that the protagonist invented to allow the transfer of memories in the first place.... and also saw no point in going into heavy descriptions about how the timeline might be altered by his actions. He went back in time, and fixed stuff.... period. Thumbs up!
I particularly enjoyed the fact that the author saw no reason to set up the time-traveling by going into detail about the technology that the protagonist invented to allow the transfer of memories in the first place.... and also saw no point in going into heavy descriptions about how the timeline might be altered by his actions. He went back in time, and fixed stuff.... period. Thumbs up!
February 24, 2019
Would you do your life over?
Ever wanted to turn back time and do over some event? I know I have. Arnesto is a time traveller who returns to his youth to live his life over and he has the memories of disasters big and small. With incomplete success, he attempts to prevent events such as 9/11 and warn of major earthquakes without getting caught. I would love to hear more of Arnesto’s adventures, please! Highly recommended, well written first novel by this author.
Ever wanted to turn back time and do over some event? I know I have. Arnesto is a time traveller who returns to his youth to live his life over and he has the memories of disasters big and small. With incomplete success, he attempts to prevent events such as 9/11 and warn of major earthquakes without getting caught. I would love to hear more of Arnesto’s adventures, please! Highly recommended, well written first novel by this author.
June 10, 2019
So intriguing!
I was drawn in so quickly by this book, and enjoyed the references to so many things, especially 80s nostalgia. I read this in one day, and would recommend. My only issue was that despite the tragedies touched on, the book was very lighthearted and fun, so I was jarred by the ending. It seemed out of place and hardcore in contrast to the rest of the story. I would love to see a sequel where I could enjoy more of this character and leave this ending behind!
I was drawn in so quickly by this book, and enjoyed the references to so many things, especially 80s nostalgia. I read this in one day, and would recommend. My only issue was that despite the tragedies touched on, the book was very lighthearted and fun, so I was jarred by the ending. It seemed out of place and hardcore in contrast to the rest of the story. I would love to see a sequel where I could enjoy more of this character and leave this ending behind!
August 4, 2020
Yay for me, I discovered a new fave author!
So great! Want more! Great premise, and well-executed through to the satisfying end. The best sort of indie discovery, and the short stories I devoured afterwards were excellent too. I can't wait to read the author's 2018&2019 shorts collections and see what he comes up with in what will surely be a wonderful career. Could use better editing, but it's certainly not off-putting, even though I'm a picky pedant.
So great! Want more! Great premise, and well-executed through to the satisfying end. The best sort of indie discovery, and the short stories I devoured afterwards were excellent too. I can't wait to read the author's 2018&2019 shorts collections and see what he comes up with in what will surely be a wonderful career. Could use better editing, but it's certainly not off-putting, even though I'm a picky pedant.
February 3, 2019
What a page turner!
I couldn’t read this book fast enough and read into the small wee hours some nights when I just couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next, I’m a girl who really needs her sleep so this is high praise indeed. A gripping story and must say I felt a small sense of losing a friend when I’d finished.
I couldn’t read this book fast enough and read into the small wee hours some nights when I just couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next, I’m a girl who really needs her sleep so this is high praise indeed. A gripping story and must say I felt a small sense of losing a friend when I’d finished.
July 19, 2019
A new take on time travel
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. The idea of only transmitting information, rather than matter seems more believable than in other stories. The difficulty in making changes and still remaining hidden also feels ,right, as well. I am afraid that I might not have been so unselfish and would have just become a rich hedonist.
I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. The idea of only transmitting information, rather than matter seems more believable than in other stories. The difficulty in making changes and still remaining hidden also feels ,right, as well. I am afraid that I might not have been so unselfish and would have just become a rich hedonist.
April 11, 2020
Arnesto is a good character
Liked the book! Excellent plot. Worth your time if your a picky reader. Minor political bias I didn't like, but that is just me being of a differing opinion. The suspense can get pretty intense and there are no grammatical errors, so kudos to the author. The question I pose to you is: would you do what Arnesto did?
Liked the book! Excellent plot. Worth your time if your a picky reader. Minor political bias I didn't like, but that is just me being of a differing opinion. The suspense can get pretty intense and there are no grammatical errors, so kudos to the author. The question I pose to you is: would you do what Arnesto did?
June 11, 2019
Good read!
Loved it! From the brief realistic depiction of the university to the very end, the story was quick witted, humorous, and left me wanting several sequels. A completely different perspective on time travel, but you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean.
Loved it! From the brief realistic depiction of the university to the very end, the story was quick witted, humorous, and left me wanting several sequels. A completely different perspective on time travel, but you'll have to read the book to find out what I mean.
June 12, 2019
Time travel? Maybe but a new twist.
The characters are deep and well dimensioned. The plot, satisfying.
It is a first in a series ending with a big hook, not full resolution but satisfactory.
All in all a good read, recommended.
The characters are deep and well dimensioned. The plot, satisfying.
It is a first in a series ending with a big hook, not full resolution but satisfactory.
All in all a good read, recommended.
April 8, 2020
A very entertaining novel of a man reliving his life and trying to prevent the disasters of the past.
Loved it, but the ending doesn’t land for me and I was expecting some sort of revelation at the end or a brilliant twist.
Loved it, but the ending doesn’t land for me and I was expecting some sort of revelation at the end or a brilliant twist.
April 8, 2020
4.5 Stars A Clever Masterpiece
A well-written entertaining ride through life a second time. What if you relived your life retaining the knowledge from your current life? You start as a child. You can't go back.
A well-written entertaining ride through life a second time. What if you relived your life retaining the knowledge from your current life? You start as a child. You can't go back.
April 11, 2020
Enjoyable,but no depth. About half of it was written from the perspective of a teenage boy, so you got all the commentary about sex and the use of profanity just for the sake of profanity. I am only a couple years older than Arnesto, so the events of his history are also mine. That was fun.
April 10, 2022
Fantastic Time Travel Tale
When I saw the title of this I knew I had to read it. I enjoyed every bit of it and felt it is perfect from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more of Darren Johnson's stories and hope we haven't seen the last of Arnesto Modesto.
When I saw the title of this I knew I had to read it. I enjoyed every bit of it and felt it is perfect from beginning to end. I look forward to reading more of Darren Johnson's stories and hope we haven't seen the last of Arnesto Modesto.
December 11, 2018
Lightweight fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews