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Time Framed
Timed Framed is a suspenseful paranormal/sci-fi novel about a revered American family pitted against each other in a vicious battle to determine who will be the victim of a ravaging multi-generational family curse dating back to the Mayflower. The fate and fortune of the family hangs in the balance.
Time Framed combines elements of The Witching Hour (a multigenerational family curse), Ready Player One (a virtual battle for self-preservation under the oppression of a political dystopia) and both Stephen King's The Dead Zone and 11.22.63 (an ominous urgency to deter the inevitability of a disastrous future). This thought-provoking, riveting work weaves together science, technology, and politico-economic fears, alongside timeless themes of hauntings, curses and the fragility of family pride.
Time Framed combines elements of The Witching Hour (a multigenerational family curse), Ready Player One (a virtual battle for self-preservation under the oppression of a political dystopia) and both Stephen King's The Dead Zone and 11.22.63 (an ominous urgency to deter the inevitability of a disastrous future). This thought-provoking, riveting work weaves together science, technology, and politico-economic fears, alongside timeless themes of hauntings, curses and the fragility of family pride.
654 pages, Paperback
Published August 7, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 18, 2018
This is an intelligent and fast-paced science fiction novel that keeps the reader’s attention right to its excellent conclusion. It reads like an action-filled detective story, but the narrative is full of interesting and well-formed ideas about life in the distant future. The interest circles around different time frames (hence the book’s title): 1963, 1996, 2007 and 2053 – periods of history which conflict and collide, following a family curse of centuries before. The characters are extremely well-formed. I particularly liked the diversity: Christopher Pennfield, the university professor; Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield, the technology genius of the future; Ed Swann, the investigator of paranormal events, for example. The social diversity is well constructed too: the difference between the sub-100s and the rest, for instance – giving a solid socio-political background and structure to the story.
This is a book about family loyalty and pride, paranormal apparitions, time travel, alternative existence, curses, the conflict between good and evil and bursts with good and memorable scenes. It’s perhaps a little long, but the narrative easily carries the reader, maintaining interest throughout. A really good book; well worth the read for those interested in science fiction – and perhaps for those who aren’t!
This is a book about family loyalty and pride, paranormal apparitions, time travel, alternative existence, curses, the conflict between good and evil and bursts with good and memorable scenes. It’s perhaps a little long, but the narrative easily carries the reader, maintaining interest throughout. A really good book; well worth the read for those interested in science fiction – and perhaps for those who aren’t!
September 18, 2018
What a fun book! I love time travel stories, but this one felt different and unique. The plot was realistic, which probably doesn't seem to make sense for a fantasy novel, but Chiocchi sets everything up with enough real world information that it makes the supernatural stuff seem believable. The story had great flow and moved along at a perfect pace, making it an easy entertaining read. I'm looking forward to reading more from Chiocchi.
May 31, 2019
Reading a book means stepping into a world the writer created, believing it, living it. You have to trust that the writer will take care of you. In this case, the writer failed—and failed within the first few pages. There is a scene where the boy’s parents visit him at the sanatorium. The doctor turns the catatonic boy around so his legs are dangling off the bed. He performs various reflex tests. The doctor spews some medical info and...THEN! THEN! The doctor approaches the boy’s bed where the boy is lying propped up on pillows.
WHAT?!?
Yep. All that trust just crumbled and blew away. It’s a shame as I love a good time travel book, and this sounded like it would be a good one.
WHAT?!?
Yep. All that trust just crumbled and blew away. It’s a shame as I love a good time travel book, and this sounded like it would be a good one.
October 12, 2019
I don't normally read sci-fi but received an audible copy and really enjoyed it. The author took a complex topic and made it interesting. He wrote in a way that the time hopping was easy to follow and the characters were well developed so you either cheered for them or hated them. Well done Mr. Chiocchi.
August 26, 2019
An intriguing blend of paranormal with science fiction, Chiocchi’s third book takes readers into the lives of two members of a prominent New England family from two different time period, who shrewdly use their wealth, position, and psychic abilities to manipulate past events in their own favor.
It was 1963 when seven-year-old Shippy Penfield’s sudden catatonic state forced his parents to send him to a psychiatric sanitorium for treatment. Convinced Shippy was a victim of a family curse, Chris Pennfield returns to the year 1963 to overturn past to save the former from a cursed fate, but there is another Pennfield from far-future who would like to manipulate past events to save his own skin from a vicious fate.
The narrative veers between supernatural, science fiction, politico-economic fears, alongside themes of psychic abilities, reincarnation, and the family curse. Despite complexity of plot, which consists of several storylines, Chiocchi successfully tackles the multiple scenarios, making it a tightly packed tale. Chiocchi’s writing is skillful as he sketches his protagonists’ multiple time travels jaunts and neatly ties all the loose ends together.
The intriguing narrative, swift prose, and deftly done plot twists keep the reader turning pages until the end. Chiocchi exhibits expert control over his settings and various themes, providing adequate detail to explain recurrent shifts into time frames without detracting from the steady pace of the story. The shocking twist in the last part of the book is adroitly done and leaves the reader highly satisfied.
This intelligent and satisfying blend of paranormal and science fiction is bound to capture readers' imaginations. Definitely recommended to science fiction lovers.
It was 1963 when seven-year-old Shippy Penfield’s sudden catatonic state forced his parents to send him to a psychiatric sanitorium for treatment. Convinced Shippy was a victim of a family curse, Chris Pennfield returns to the year 1963 to overturn past to save the former from a cursed fate, but there is another Pennfield from far-future who would like to manipulate past events to save his own skin from a vicious fate.
The narrative veers between supernatural, science fiction, politico-economic fears, alongside themes of psychic abilities, reincarnation, and the family curse. Despite complexity of plot, which consists of several storylines, Chiocchi successfully tackles the multiple scenarios, making it a tightly packed tale. Chiocchi’s writing is skillful as he sketches his protagonists’ multiple time travels jaunts and neatly ties all the loose ends together.
The intriguing narrative, swift prose, and deftly done plot twists keep the reader turning pages until the end. Chiocchi exhibits expert control over his settings and various themes, providing adequate detail to explain recurrent shifts into time frames without detracting from the steady pace of the story. The shocking twist in the last part of the book is adroitly done and leaves the reader highly satisfied.
This intelligent and satisfying blend of paranormal and science fiction is bound to capture readers' imaginations. Definitely recommended to science fiction lovers.
September 21, 2018
This story starts off in the 1960s at a Christmas party where an extremely intelligent young boy (Ship Pennfield) falls victim to a catatonic fit and never recovers. The narrative then focuses on his relative Chris Pennfield, a college professor, who has become a reclusive alcoholic after the student he’d been having an affair with committed suicide in a highly dramatic fashion, making him an object of notoriety among his former colleagues.
Chris simply believes he’s fallen victim to the family curse, one that dates back to the Mayflower, and ends up wallowing around his house for decades. He is subsequently in his seventies when an apparition of Ophelia tells him that he must help their son Ship before it’s too late. Chris naturally doesn’t know what she means since the boy never recovered but makes an attempt anyway.
Enter his arrogant great-nephew Jimmy, who lives several decades into the future. Jimmy has accidentally discovered a form of time travel and plans on using it to return Ship to normal so that he personally won't become a victim of the family curse. With the help their associates, Chris and Jimmy end up fighting over Ship’s fate from where they each stand in history.
This is a very thought-provoking tale, providing readers with a lot to think about. It's certainly not a light read in any sense of the term. There’s a lot going on in this story, sometimes a little too much. There’s a family curse, time travel, a physic gene that runs in the Pennfield family, a screwy global society headed by a tyrant, a missing woman, alternate realities, and what sounds a lot like reincarnation for starters. However, it wasn’t hard to keep track of the events as they happen in the book.
The story starts off strong, but nearly lost me as a reader when the author decided to focus on two of its more unlikable characters. Chris isn’t a particularly nice guy, nor does he seem to have ever learned from his mistakes or grown any as a result of them. Meanwhile, Jimmy quickly proves himself to be a disgusting creature. Replacing either of them with a more palatable narrator would have significantly improved the story.
Then there is the issue of the family curse. It’s woven pretty heavily into the narrative, working well as a motivator for Jimmy’s actions and a convenient excuse for Chris’. It also underscores the theme of the powerful versus the oppressed that’s seen throughout the book. However, the curse actually does affect what’s going on, resulting in women that are either reincarnated or temporarily possessed throughout the centuries. Although there are scientific explanations for the other paranormal events that affect what’s going on, the curse seems to exist without any logical reason as to how it can be real, which makes it strange in context.
Conservative readers should also be aware that there’s a graphic sex scene, drug use, and some profanity in this book.
Chris simply believes he’s fallen victim to the family curse, one that dates back to the Mayflower, and ends up wallowing around his house for decades. He is subsequently in his seventies when an apparition of Ophelia tells him that he must help their son Ship before it’s too late. Chris naturally doesn’t know what she means since the boy never recovered but makes an attempt anyway.
Enter his arrogant great-nephew Jimmy, who lives several decades into the future. Jimmy has accidentally discovered a form of time travel and plans on using it to return Ship to normal so that he personally won't become a victim of the family curse. With the help their associates, Chris and Jimmy end up fighting over Ship’s fate from where they each stand in history.
This is a very thought-provoking tale, providing readers with a lot to think about. It's certainly not a light read in any sense of the term. There’s a lot going on in this story, sometimes a little too much. There’s a family curse, time travel, a physic gene that runs in the Pennfield family, a screwy global society headed by a tyrant, a missing woman, alternate realities, and what sounds a lot like reincarnation for starters. However, it wasn’t hard to keep track of the events as they happen in the book.
The story starts off strong, but nearly lost me as a reader when the author decided to focus on two of its more unlikable characters. Chris isn’t a particularly nice guy, nor does he seem to have ever learned from his mistakes or grown any as a result of them. Meanwhile, Jimmy quickly proves himself to be a disgusting creature. Replacing either of them with a more palatable narrator would have significantly improved the story.
Then there is the issue of the family curse. It’s woven pretty heavily into the narrative, working well as a motivator for Jimmy’s actions and a convenient excuse for Chris’. It also underscores the theme of the powerful versus the oppressed that’s seen throughout the book. However, the curse actually does affect what’s going on, resulting in women that are either reincarnated or temporarily possessed throughout the centuries. Although there are scientific explanations for the other paranormal events that affect what’s going on, the curse seems to exist without any logical reason as to how it can be real, which makes it strange in context.
Conservative readers should also be aware that there’s a graphic sex scene, drug use, and some profanity in this book.
January 24, 2026
Time Framed is an ambitious, genre-blending novel that weaves together historical fiction, paranormal horror, science fiction, and alternate-universe theory into a sweeping, multigenerational saga.
At its core lies the Pennfield family curse, a supernatural reckoning born aboard the Mayflower, when an act of cruelty leads a servant girl to her death and binds her restless spirit to the family line. Rather than manifesting as random violence, the curse operates with chilling precision, reemerging every sixty to eighty years to sabotage the greatest ambitions of its chosen victim.
The novel opens in 1963 with young Arthur “Shippy” Pennfield witnessing a mysterious celestial phenomenon on a frozen dock, a moment that irrevocably fractures his mind and condemns him to lifelong institutionalization. This haunting beginning establishes the emotional center of the story: a child trapped in a fate he never chose.
The narrative expands in 1996 through Professor Christopher Pennfield, whose life collapses following the public suicide of his pregnant research assistant, a modern echo of the original servant girl’s death. His grief-driven exile to the family estate in Maine introduces themes of guilt, denial, addiction, and inherited responsibility. The paranormal visitations from his cousin Ophie add emotional depth while revealing long-buried truths about Shippy’s lineage.
The story’s scope broadens dramatically in 2053 with Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield, a tech mogul poised to revolutionize humanity through biotechnology, cryonics, and nanotechnology. Paranoid, brilliant, and deeply flawed, Jimmy represents the modern incarnation of ambition the curse was designed to destroy.
His attempt to rewrite history by intervening in Shippy’s childhood unleashes an alternate universe, one where Shippy becomes a celebrated doctor and philanthropist. Yet even this hopeful timeline is not immune, proving that destiny may bend but never break.
What distinguishes Time Framed is its intellectual confidence. The novel does not treat time travel as a gimmick, but as a moral battleground. Actions ripple across decades, altering lives while intensifying consequences rather than erasing them.
The final confrontation, spanning multiple eras and realities, becomes a battle not of weapons, but of intellect, ethics, and willpower. At stake is not only the life of Arthur Shipkin Pennfield, but the very question of whether humanity can outwit fate itself.
Dark, emotionally resonant, and conceptually bold, Time Framed is a thought-provoking exploration of generational trauma, ambition, and the terrifying persistence of unfinished justice.
At its core lies the Pennfield family curse, a supernatural reckoning born aboard the Mayflower, when an act of cruelty leads a servant girl to her death and binds her restless spirit to the family line. Rather than manifesting as random violence, the curse operates with chilling precision, reemerging every sixty to eighty years to sabotage the greatest ambitions of its chosen victim.
The novel opens in 1963 with young Arthur “Shippy” Pennfield witnessing a mysterious celestial phenomenon on a frozen dock, a moment that irrevocably fractures his mind and condemns him to lifelong institutionalization. This haunting beginning establishes the emotional center of the story: a child trapped in a fate he never chose.
The narrative expands in 1996 through Professor Christopher Pennfield, whose life collapses following the public suicide of his pregnant research assistant, a modern echo of the original servant girl’s death. His grief-driven exile to the family estate in Maine introduces themes of guilt, denial, addiction, and inherited responsibility. The paranormal visitations from his cousin Ophie add emotional depth while revealing long-buried truths about Shippy’s lineage.
The story’s scope broadens dramatically in 2053 with Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield, a tech mogul poised to revolutionize humanity through biotechnology, cryonics, and nanotechnology. Paranoid, brilliant, and deeply flawed, Jimmy represents the modern incarnation of ambition the curse was designed to destroy.
His attempt to rewrite history by intervening in Shippy’s childhood unleashes an alternate universe, one where Shippy becomes a celebrated doctor and philanthropist. Yet even this hopeful timeline is not immune, proving that destiny may bend but never break.
What distinguishes Time Framed is its intellectual confidence. The novel does not treat time travel as a gimmick, but as a moral battleground. Actions ripple across decades, altering lives while intensifying consequences rather than erasing them.
The final confrontation, spanning multiple eras and realities, becomes a battle not of weapons, but of intellect, ethics, and willpower. At stake is not only the life of Arthur Shipkin Pennfield, but the very question of whether humanity can outwit fate itself.
Dark, emotionally resonant, and conceptually bold, Time Framed is a thought-provoking exploration of generational trauma, ambition, and the terrifying persistence of unfinished justice.
October 2, 2019
TIME FRAMED by Roger Chiocchi explores the complex concepts of time travel, parallel realities, and a one-world-order. Since the arrival of the Mayflower into the New World, the Pennfield family has been cursed by a vengeful spirit. The curse claims its victim approximately every sixty years. But an unusual event alters the course of the curse, setting in motion a game of chess across time. Two branches of the Pennfield family, separated by almost 50 years, seek to realign this timeline in favor of their own respective goals. The fate of a seven-year-old boy hangs in the balance.
Honestly, the multitude of ideas in this one novel could span the length of four books. Not to say it wasn’t an interesting read, but the magnitude of each concept almost made my brain explode. The author demonstrates an impressive ability to weave various ideas into a cohesive plot; however, the impact of the story is lost within its seven hundred plus pages. The scattering of strong ideas throughout a novel doesn’t necessarily translate into a focused read.
Now, that being said, Time Framed is in a league of its own: imaginative, thought-provoking, and conceptually unique. The idea of psychic phenomena (ESP, clairvoyance, past life regression, out of body experiences, etc.) and psychiatric disorders (multiple personalities, schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.) emerging from superimposed realities is a brilliant notion. This idea deserves a book if not a series of its own.
Despite the novel revolving around time travel, the one-world-order dynamic intrigued me more. Chiocchi creates a futuristic society reminiscent of a medieval social hierarchy. There are no geographic determinants or boundaries but groupings designated by a person’s level of wealth and IQ. Each grouping is governed by its own tax system and laws, and stringent rules on procreation are implemented on those within this new hierarchy considered to be of a lower class. A fascinating representation of a very real possibility. The ability of the author to portray these concepts without hiccups is a testament to his writing strength. My brain is still trying to recover.
Disclaimer: NOT FOR READERS BOUND TO REALITY
Honestly, the multitude of ideas in this one novel could span the length of four books. Not to say it wasn’t an interesting read, but the magnitude of each concept almost made my brain explode. The author demonstrates an impressive ability to weave various ideas into a cohesive plot; however, the impact of the story is lost within its seven hundred plus pages. The scattering of strong ideas throughout a novel doesn’t necessarily translate into a focused read.
Now, that being said, Time Framed is in a league of its own: imaginative, thought-provoking, and conceptually unique. The idea of psychic phenomena (ESP, clairvoyance, past life regression, out of body experiences, etc.) and psychiatric disorders (multiple personalities, schizophrenia, bipolar, etc.) emerging from superimposed realities is a brilliant notion. This idea deserves a book if not a series of its own.
Despite the novel revolving around time travel, the one-world-order dynamic intrigued me more. Chiocchi creates a futuristic society reminiscent of a medieval social hierarchy. There are no geographic determinants or boundaries but groupings designated by a person’s level of wealth and IQ. Each grouping is governed by its own tax system and laws, and stringent rules on procreation are implemented on those within this new hierarchy considered to be of a lower class. A fascinating representation of a very real possibility. The ability of the author to portray these concepts without hiccups is a testament to his writing strength. My brain is still trying to recover.
Disclaimer: NOT FOR READERS BOUND TO REALITY
December 11, 2018
I really loved reading this book. It is such a good story and full of interesting and amusing characters. Obviously the author must have done a lot of research and must have a very good brain for physics- there is so much in here! But he manages to make it accessible and weave it seamlessly into a fun and rolling story line. Very much like a Stephen King book in that - yes- maybe it could use a wee bit of editing - but the story and the characters are so good that you don't mind. A well plotted race with chess like moves between characters of different times. Wow! Such a creative concept well executed. I still think about JMP and the other doomed relatives. Oh and there are then equally well developed theories of economics and political take overs. It is a story richly imbued with many ideas yet none of them run each other over nor distract too much from the non stop action and addictive story. Very well done.
May 6, 2020
I really didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I loved Ophelia's character and how she "talks to the darkness", It makes me want to start meditation again. All of the characters were interesting and well thought out. The only complaint I have is that at times it got very confusing, and I swear I'm not dumb! lol. But it took me a long time to listen to it because I had to rewind and listen to it again, sometimes more than once. IDK, maybe it was just me having a hard time focusing. But the premise of the book was fantastic. The narration was phenomenal. And the entire book was very thought provoking. I would love to read more from Roger Chiocchi. He seem like a very smart man. And I would LOVE to continue to review for him... if my lateness doesn't drive him nuts! lol Thanx again for an amazing read. .
This book was given to me at my request. I am providing a voluntary and Honest review.
This book was given to me at my request. I am providing a voluntary and Honest review.
February 18, 2020
Wow!What a great book!I have not listened to a book that hooked me like this in a long time.On a holiday family gathering at a vacation home,a boy is found sitting naked and staring.He is diagnosed as being n a catatonic schizoprenic.His life may or may not be helped or hindered by his fathers demands,his doctors 'treatments' etc.His family is cursed,and we go around and around until the end of the world,or is it?Is any of this real?You decide. Phillip Sacremento was a very good narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'
October 11, 2019
Excellent intelligent book with great characters which will keep you gripped from beginning to end. Roger uses the intricacies of time travel to weave a story across many layers without losing the great storytelling and characters contained within.
Totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantastic read.
Totally recommend this book to anyone looking for a fantastic read.
January 2, 2020
"An atypical time travel story...fascinating."
- Kirkus Reviews
Two members of a family--from different time periods--use psychic abilities to manipulate past events but with conflicting purposes in Chiocchi's (Baby Boomer Bust?, 2010, etc.) sci-fi tale.
There's a curse in the Pennfield family. Certainly, college professor Chris believes so, partially blaming his alcoholism and philandering ways on a ghost's centurieslong vendetta against the Pennfields. In 2007, he writes a letter for future descendants, warning them of the curse and convincing Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield in 2052 that he himself is cursed. Chris and Jimmy, like other Pennfield men throughout the years, have experienced "unexplained psychic incidents," namely seeing apparitions. Chris, however, uses his psychic ability to peek back at 1963, looking for a way to explain his relative's--then-7-year-old Shippy--catatonic state and consequent institutionalization. Chris surmises it's curse-related. Jimmy has a similar idea, only he hopes to alter the past to keep Shippy out of the sanatorium, theorizing that Shippy will be cursed later, which will, theoretically, reset events and allow Jimmy to save his own skin. Chris' vivid dream afterward shows him the altered past, and believing Shippy is now unquestionably cursed, he returns to '63 to undo the change. He and his scientist pals, rightly presuming they're up against a future Pennfield, may soon have to rescue Shippy from a fate worse than institutionalization. The novel is just as complicated as it sounds, but the author ably leads readers through the multiple storylines. He structures the narrative using two time periods--Chris in 2007 and Jimmy in 2052--generating an unhurried but absorbing pace. Jimmy's selfish motive makes him an unequivocal villain, but there are a few twists, including a surprise relationship and curious backdrops, like the future world ruled by a series of "virtual governments." Each time Shippy's fate changes, the plot is harder to follow, but explanations and subsequent resolutions are logical.
An atypical time-travel story as dense as it is fascinating
- Kirkus Reviews
Two members of a family--from different time periods--use psychic abilities to manipulate past events but with conflicting purposes in Chiocchi's (Baby Boomer Bust?, 2010, etc.) sci-fi tale.
There's a curse in the Pennfield family. Certainly, college professor Chris believes so, partially blaming his alcoholism and philandering ways on a ghost's centurieslong vendetta against the Pennfields. In 2007, he writes a letter for future descendants, warning them of the curse and convincing Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield in 2052 that he himself is cursed. Chris and Jimmy, like other Pennfield men throughout the years, have experienced "unexplained psychic incidents," namely seeing apparitions. Chris, however, uses his psychic ability to peek back at 1963, looking for a way to explain his relative's--then-7-year-old Shippy--catatonic state and consequent institutionalization. Chris surmises it's curse-related. Jimmy has a similar idea, only he hopes to alter the past to keep Shippy out of the sanatorium, theorizing that Shippy will be cursed later, which will, theoretically, reset events and allow Jimmy to save his own skin. Chris' vivid dream afterward shows him the altered past, and believing Shippy is now unquestionably cursed, he returns to '63 to undo the change. He and his scientist pals, rightly presuming they're up against a future Pennfield, may soon have to rescue Shippy from a fate worse than institutionalization. The novel is just as complicated as it sounds, but the author ably leads readers through the multiple storylines. He structures the narrative using two time periods--Chris in 2007 and Jimmy in 2052--generating an unhurried but absorbing pace. Jimmy's selfish motive makes him an unequivocal villain, but there are a few twists, including a surprise relationship and curious backdrops, like the future world ruled by a series of "virtual governments." Each time Shippy's fate changes, the plot is harder to follow, but explanations and subsequent resolutions are logical.
An atypical time-travel story as dense as it is fascinating
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews