Limited Wish

Impossible Times #2

by Mark Lawrence

One choice. Two possible timelines. And a world hanging in the balance. It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a boy-genius cancer survivor who’s already dabbled in time travel. When he crosses paths with a mysterious yet curiously familiar girl, Nick discovers that creases have appeared in the fabric of time, and that he is at the centre of the disruption. Only Nick can resolve this time paradox before the damage becomes catastrophic for both him and the future of the world. Time is running out―literally. Wrapped up with him in this potentially apocalyptic scenario are his ex-girlfriend, Mia, and fellow student Helen. Facing the world-ending chaos of a split in time, Nick must act fast and make the choice of a lifetime―or lifetimes. Game on.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Fiction, Young Adult, Audiobook, Urban Fantasy

215 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2019

About the author

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Mark Lawrence is married with four children, one of whom is severely disabled. Before becoming a fulltime writer in 2015 day job was as a research scientist focused on various rather intractable problems in the field of artificial intelligence. He has held secret level clearance with both US and UK governments. At one point he was qualified to say 'this isn't rocket science ... oh wait, it actually is'.

Mark used to have a list of hobbies back when he did science by day. Now his time is really just divided between writing and caring for his disabled daughter. There are occasional forays into computer games too.

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence]

My scifi-fantasy-D&D trilogy. One of the best things I've done. Links to all my other books. Watch out for Dr Taproot's origin story!



My Maine Coon, Wobble, is being a clock for you.


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[Robin Hobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much did I like One Word Kill? Enough that I actually paid real money to get a copy of Limited Wish. And yes, the third one Dispel Illusion has been ordered.

I love puzzles. And most books that involve time travel are something of a puzzle for me, as I handle the story and turn it this way and that looking for the flaw in the tale. But, just as happened with One Word Kill, I could not find a place to dig in my fingernails and say, "There it is. The mistake in the plot."

But before I got to the 'take it apart and see if he made a mistake' part, there was an engrossing tale to read. Some of my favorite elements in this book: Intelligent characters who make sensible choices, crises of loyalty, explorations of time and the universe, and large slices of human nature on display.

This is a quick read. Only 214 pages. It has now joined the other Mark Lawrence books on my shelf.

For maximum enjoyment, read One Word Kill before Limited Wish.

[Teodora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm intrigued by a book that it's making me feel even dumber than I am. Not that I complain or anything.

[John Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

My complete review of Limited Wish is published at Before We Go Blog.

“It’s easy to come up with conspiracy theories if you only look at the evidence that supports your idea.”

Curiouser and curiouser. In Limited Wish, Mark Lawrence continues the story of Nick Hayes, the teenaged mathematical prodigy from One Word Kill, who is now sixteen years old and working with a leading researcher at Cambridge University on the mathematics of parallel universes and the nature of time.

In this second volume of the Impossible Times trilogy, Mark Lawrence digs deeper into the implications of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, in which every decision we make initiates a fork in the universe, spawning off new possible timelines. Although we as individuals select only one of these timelines along which to live our life, the number of possible timelines—and the number of possible lives we can live—is essentially infinite.

In Limited Wish?, Nick Hayes is presented with a unique paradox: two divergent timelines of his life have converged in the present day. The timelines entail two possible futures for Nick himself, but they are mutually incompatible. The actions that Nick takes to resolve the paradox require him to reject at least one of these timelines. Either way he decides, he will also be rejecting someone he loves.

Amidst this drama, Nick discovers a copy of a mathematics book, Curiosa Mathematica: A New Theory of Parallels, by the mysterious Charles L. Dodgson, whom you might recognize under a different name. Compared to the unpredictability of his personal life, Nick finds comfort in the certainty of mathematics:

“Mathematics is its own language. The language of everything. It doesn’t need someone to explain it. It explains itself and leaves almost no room for ambiguity.”

As in One Word Kill, Mark Lawrence strikes a perfect balance between stimulating the mind (mathematics, quantum physics, and philosophy) and the heart (Nick’s character development, personal relationships, and battle with leukemia). All of this leads up to a perfectly executed conclusion that left me simultaneously weeping and smiling.

Limited Wish also has plenty of subtle connections to Mark Lawrence’s other trilogies. The mysterious key that one character possesses here seems like it could be the same as the titular item from The Liar’s Key. The time echoes experienced by Nick are similar to magical elements from several of Lawrence’s fantasy books, including the Book of the Ancestor series. In a nice touch, some of Nick’s favorite music is by the 1980s goth rock band, Sisters of Mercy, which serves as a subtle nod to the Sisters of Sweet Mercy in the Book of the Ancestor. I am expecting that the enigmatic Dr. Elias Taproot, who links all of Mark Lawrence’s series, will also make an appearance by the end of the series.

Till then, crank up the volume on Sisters of Mercy and get ready to have your mind blown with Limited Wish, this excellent second book in Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy.

[Maryam Rz. · Rating 5 out of 5]

5×10ⁿ STARS! This book will make you go round and round and round in a never-ending loop of paradox...and fall down dead; a “head-twister” is what I like to call it :)

“Time heals all wounds.” Sam offered the old cliché.
“Time causes a lot of them, too.”

J.D. Salinger wrote, “What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.” but when it does, it's an author who feels fabulously familiar, who understands you in a wondrous way, who you know you would have the most terrific talk with...and every time, every time, I turn the last page of a book by Mark Lawrence, that wish descends upon me like a vicious falcon, that cunning cruel creature, would upon its vulnerable prey.

Limited Wish is the best sequel for One Word Kill I, this mulish maniacal meretricious mortal who would read anything the malefic munificent meritorious Mark would write—even pure poignant poetry (which he actually has and which are azure, ardent, and amazing), could have hoped for!
(Note: did I seriously just do that??)

We humans care about what is, about what’s in front of us. Untouchable realities are too academic. If a man is starving to death on our street we empty the larder to feed him. Move him to a country a thousand miles away and our compassion shrinks a hundredfold.

With his exquisite, flowing, and memorable writing that utterly traps you in its tale, throwing away the key (yay I stopped doing it!), and his glamorous gratifying grasp on anything from love, cancer, and humanity, to mathematics, physics, and paradox, and his incredible ingenious imagination to shape a singular strong story (nope...didn't stop), and with his tremendous talent in teaching to simplify the most complex concepts, Mark Lawrence has created magic in this book—more than ever before!

And I know that is a paragraph of praise, but it's true.

A good mathematical proof is a gem. It sparkles in the same way, and like a diamond it’s impervious to time. It takes and multiplies the light of understanding, refracting it through many facets.

There is the likely possiblity that this book might give you a headache, but in a good way! One Word Kill was much simpler and stood as an introduction to accustom the reader to the concept, aiming to explore its more complicated and fascinating side in the sequel(s); and thus there is more science in Limited Wish, and it's a unique book to truly challenge your mind, but you shouldn't worry—the author makes it all impossibly easy!

As Jane Austen said, “if a book is well written, I always find it too short.” and in this case it is too short :(
So I strongly suggest you pre-order it right now, because you are in for a ride unlike anything before.

Full review to come :)


Companions

Books in series:
• One Word Kill (Impossible Times, #1) ★★★★★

Book playlist:
• “Disfigured” by Rag'n'Bone Man
• “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics
• “Daydream” by Ruelle
• “Dream Is Collapsing” by Hans Zimmer [Instrumental]
• “Life in Her Yet” by Rag'n'Bone Man
• “Bitter End” by Rag'n'Bone Man

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 4 out of 5]

More time travel craziness mixed with a little less D&D and a little more paradox. Final review (a joint review with Kat Hooper at FanLit) first posted on Fantasy Literature:

As Limited Wish begins, Nick Hayes, the 16-year-old math genius that we met in One Word Kill (you need to read it first) is being pursued by a pack of drunken Cambridge students bent on beating him up. It’s 1986 and Nick has just been enrolled at Cambridge, thanks to the notice of Professor Halligan, a brilliant mathematician who recognizes Nick’s potential. What Prof Halligan doesn’t know is that Nick has to invent time travel so that when he’s older he can come visit his teenage self in the late 1980s and, in so doing, save Mia, the girl he thinks he loves and has a future with.

But there are several major problems with this scenario. Worst: (1) Nick has no idea how the mathematics of time travel might work, especially when you throw in the time paradoxes he’s experiencing, and (2) Mia has dumped Nick. Other significant problems include the hazing that Nick is undergoing at Cambridge, the weird instances where he seems to perceive time fragmenting to create multiple potential futures, the fact that he’s met another girl, Helen, who he’s very much attracted to, and some dire news he receives from his oncologist. At this point, Nick is fairly confused and realizing that he may have screwed up his future entirely. He needs to get it back on track if he hopes to survive to save himself and Mia.

Some visitors from the future ― one familiar character and one new one, Eva, who has a surprising connection to Nick ― complicate this process further, especially since they’re from incompatible futures. If that’s not bad enough, another vicious enemy appears who’s tasked by a shadowy investor with keeping Nick on task with his scientific research, and who begins to take an unhealthy interest in Nick because of certain events from One Word Kill. And have we mentioned that the universe is trying to kill Nick? (It’s nothing personal, Eva assures Nick, “just physics.”)

Mark Lawrence’s IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy is reminiscent of (and possibly a celebration of?) 1985’s best movie, Back to the Future. It’s full of time paradoxes and competing versions of the past, present and future that shouldn’t be examined too closely; you’ve just got to deal with it. The number of hard-to-swallow coincidences, like a second villainous Rust brother, and the overload of problems and challenges faced by Nick, are hand-waved away as all part of Nick becoming a lightning rod for changes and paradoxes that the universe wants to prevent. Logically it’s hard to swallow, but if you can roll with it, it does make the story more exciting.

We’re still concerned about the plot issue that Tadiana mentioned in our review of One Word Kill ― we’re simply not convinced that the first instance of time-travel, the one that created all these problems for Nick and his friends, ever needed to happen in the first place. So far, the suffering and confusion that has resulted doesn’t seem worth it. We’re hoping Lawrence is going to convince us otherwise by the end of the trilogy but at this point we’re doubting it, and will reluctantly chalk it up to some extremely unadmirable selfishness or blinkered thinking on Nick’s part.

Fans of One Word Kill will surely enjoy Limited Wish. Other than the change in setting and the addition of a few new characters, it is an expansion of the story in One Word Kill and the prose, characterization, and dialog continue to impress us. We love how Nick talks about the way mathematics underlies the structure of the universe.

[T]here are fabulous beasts that swim in the seas of mathematics. Multidimensional behemoths of incredible beauty that even the best of minds struggle to glimpse. The equations we battle with, the proofs that we use to nibble at the edges of such wonders: these are the shadows cast by those we hunt.

We also love the retro feel of the novel and Kat, especially, can relate to these characters since she was also starting college in the fall of 1986. (And she will admit to occasionally, like Nick, wallowing in teenage misery while listening to Sisters of Mercy ― though she didn’t have as compelling reasons as Nick.)

The titles of the IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy cleverly blend Nick’s personal life with the Dungeons & Dragons game he plays with his friends on the weekends. The title of the first book, One Word Kill, refers to Nick’s cancer diagnosis. Limited Wish, another spell used in Nick’s D&D game, reflects Nick’s realization that he can’t have everything he wants in life. Some things are going to have to be sacrificed. It’s also a metaphor for the idea that sometimes a small wish, or change, can have a major impact, which plays out in an intriguing way in the plot.

The final book is titled Dispel Illusion and will be released in November. We are wondering what illusions will be dispelled…

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Content note: scattered F-bombs and violence.

[preoccupiedbybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride! 'Limited Wish' was full of adventure, mystery and adrenaline!
​
'Limited Wish' hooked me in hard and fast from the very first page, in fact I think I even enjoyed it more than its predecessor, 'One Word Kill,' which I also loved. Nick's story continued, and not content with battling cancer, and being a maths genius, he also started Cambridge University at the tender age of 16! That's not even the strangest thing that happened! This book took me on a whirlwind adventure, involving time travel, paradoxes, creepy villains, (like seriously that train scene 😮)creases in the fabric of time, and the possible destruction of the universe! Oh is that all you say?! ​

​
My heart was racing throughout the whole of this book, I was on constant alert, with the shocking twists and revelations. My head did nearly explode with all of the maths and science, but it was done really well so that even non geniuses like me could follow and understand!​ Although, I often felt like this,

​
'Limited Wish' still had the great feel that the first book had, centred around Nick and his friends, and they still played D+D! I loved the friendships, and the love and support they had for each other! Amongst the action, science and maths, there was the usual teenage angst and relationship dramas. There was some great dark humour too, mostly from Nick, as he had to deal with his ongoing cancer, violence and the universe, well trying to kill him.​
​
I actually lost all my highlighted quotes, but one that stood out to me was when Nick said, "My dad used to say that he didn't love my mum because she was perfect, he loved her because her imperfections were a good match for his."​😍 😍 😍
​
​
Truly I was captivated by this mind bending tale, and found myself simultaneously wanting to race through it, and yet wanted to take my time so that it didn't end too soon! Now I just have to wait desperately for the final book!!! Highly recommend 👍

Many thanks to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK and 47North for the opportunity to read the ARC ahead of the release!

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfectly awesome time-travel tale served up on a platter of fun D&D mirroring, future-knowledge angst, time-ghosts, paradox, and mathematical hijinx that does more than skirt the edges of a heist novel.

Again.

But don't worry! While this may have a lot of the same elements of the first book in broad strokes, the story ramps up with some rather awesome snags that aren't just romantic. And even the other kinds of encounter-mirroring is fully explained in the recesses of the paradox. :) Very cool stuff, well thought-out, delightfully fast read.

And it is fully taking advantage of our recent loves of Stranger Things (80's geekdom!) and quick-paced thrillers. Only, this is a math-genius cancer-sufferer going to college a bit early and falling face-first into a ton of critical-failure rolls. :)

Well worth it. I'm absolutely loving the hell out of these.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

The paradox

A great book, and great continuation of the story. I am not a great fan of time travel books, but I think this is one of the stories that got things right.

Since the last story a lit has happened. Nick is looking to make his mark on the world, but also looking to fulfill his destiny and mission from the last book. However now all his relationships are different. Can knowing you future bring it about or make it harder and less likely.

A great story, very emotional in parts hilarious in others but enjoyable all the way through. Nick explores more of the aspects of time travel as well as the consequences. I guessed who a couple of the new characters were, but the book did keep me guessing on what was to happen next till the last page. Excellent book, I can't wait for the conclusion.

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷

“Hope,’ said Demus, ‘is an essential tool in any torturer’s kit bag. Hope is the thing that we will torture ourselves with after he’s knocked off and gone home for the night.”

I have been exposed to more D&D since I read book 1 and I am more familiar with it now. Growing up D&D was never a thing where I lived but the beauty in this book is that it is still a great one even if you don’t know much about it.

The writing is great! I actually can’t wait to finish this series and then jump into Mark’s other series. I am a sucker for a good sci-fi story because there is just a different sort of satisfaction when you understand the nerdy details! This books made me feel equally smart and dumb if that makes sense. I feel dumb because I have never thought of those things but I feel smart when I understand them. I like to pause on the technicalities in the book and think about them but even if I did not do that (I am pretty sure some readers don’t want to) it is still a satisfying read. I did not understand everything but at least I understood all the main and bold outlines! The writing just tells me that Mark is an expert on the subjects he is writing, whether that is physics and time-travel or even the general atmosphere in a hospital! I am pretty sure this quote stems from the author’s personal experience with hospitals:

“I glanced around. I’d spent more time than I wanted to on hospital wards, and the main thing about them is that they are boring as hell. A good book helps,”

There are new characters in this one but also most of the characters from book 1 are still here. It still amazes me how much was packed into those 220 pages, from story-telling to character-development to world-building. I know there are similarities to book 1 since it is still a time-travel story and there are bound to be some… well, you guessed it… Time travel! But the addition of the paradox was refreshing!

“we humans care about what is, about what’s in front of us. Untouchable realities are too academic. If a man is starving to death on our street we empty the larder to feed him. Move him to a country a thousand miles away and our compassion shrinks a hundredfold. Move a child to another universe and we cease to care.”

Summary: I enjoyed book 2 even more than I did with book 1, I enjoyed the characters, world-building and plot. I don’t have much to criticize to be honest. I think it is a very smart (I mean Lady Gaga reference!) book!!

You can get more books from Book Depository

[Mel (Epic Reading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure what it was but I never got into this one like I did book one. I only didn’t DNF because many of my Goodreads buddies liked it (and I trust them) and because it’s Mark Lawrence and due to some unknown loyalty I felt I should finish it.

[Mª Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Segundo título de la trilogía "Impossible Times". Si la primera de la serie me pareció más bien dirigida al público juvenil, con esta segunda, tengo claro que es para lectores de cualquier edad.

Mis impresiones.

Como en la primera de la saga, el título está sacado de un acontecimiento de las partidas de “Dungeons & Dragons" a las que juegan Nick y sus amigos. Que nadie se asuste, el juego es algo colateral. La novela no va de eso ni lo tiene como eje central a la hora de desarrollar la trama, es más bien un elemento que integra en ella.

Para ser la segunda novela de la trilogía, la de transición, esa de la que siempre esperamos un poco menos que de la primera o la tercera, me ha sorprendido para bien. No solo me ha tenido enganchada (me la leí de dos sentadas), sino que incluso me ha gustado más que la primera.

En esta entrega nos situamos en junio de 1986. Nick, adolescente de altas capacidades, lleva meses en Cambridge, desarrollando las matemáticas necesarias para implementar los viajes en el tiempo. A causa de un acontecimiento que desconoce se ha producido una paradoja que ha entrelazado dos líneas temporales. Durante toda la novela, el protagonista junto con sus amigos intentará resolver el lío.

Me ha gustado mucho como plantea Lawrence el tema de las paradojas. Se aleja de lo convencional. Nada de qué ocurriría si mataras a tu padre antes de nacer o algo por el estilo, sino que se centra en los posibles efectos que tendrían en el continuo espacio - tiempo. No puedo decir más sin caer en un spoiler. Se nota que el autor es hombre de ciencias, campo en el que trabaja. Los fundamentos científicos que pone en juego están bien contados sin ser prolijos.

La prosa del autor sigue la línea del libro anterior, es directa, clara y va al grano. Nada sobra, ni siquiera las partidas de "D&D", que proporcionan algunas claves para lo que va a pasar en esta entrega y en la siguiente. El ritmo es vivo, engancha y se lee fácil.

Vamos a encontrarnos con los personajes que ya conocíamos, Nick, John, Simón y Mia, y con nuevas incorporaciones como Helen, Eva, los dos profesores de Cambridge con los que colabora Nick, el millonario que los financia y sus matones, que no tienen desperdicio y alguna que otra aparición con la que ya no contábamos. Se aprecia la evolución que han experimentado Nick y sus amigos, que poco a poco van dejando la adolescencia para integrarse en el mundo de los adultos en el que se desarrollará la última de la saga.

El final me dejó con ganas de empezar la tercera en ese mismo momento. Menos mal que la tenía a mano.

En conclusión. Una novela de Ciencia Ficción centrada en el tema de los viajes en el tiempo, que engancha y se lee bien, de ritmo ágil y bien desarrollada. Recomendable para los amantes del género.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Limited Wish, book two of the Impossible Times trilogy, is a highly-enjoyable and heady sci-fi adventure with heavy emotional beats. Although this book takes a bit longer than One Word Kill to have its full scope be revealed, the mind-bending paths that we’re being led through becomes a twisty and challenging puzzle that deepens as the story progresses. Exploring the implications of the characters' actions and their ripple effects through various timelines is as impressive as it is complex. Yet Lawrence does an admirable job interpreting these rule-breaking time-travel theories and making them quite clear for the reader to follow.

The book itself is a paradox in a sense, as it is simultaneously a light and heavy read. Romance, role-playing games, and challenges at school help to shape Nick’s coming of age tale, yet it also asks the reader to contemplate advanced mathematics and physics theories, time loops, paradoxes, universal energies, and the potential existence-destroying possibilities that stem from it all. Although Lawrence outlines some of the bigger concepts in as clear a way as possible, I still recommend spending a bit of extra time to think about and absorb each new fold before continuing. Like any good book, you get out of it as much as you put in, and I found myself pausing and doing a bit of extra research to consider some new angles of where the story might be headed. And if any book makes me want to research math and physics on my own time -- for fun! -- then that’s a pretty damn good compliment to the author.

Limited Wish shares a fair amount in common with its predecessor which, considering the plot, is entirely expected, but also serves as a bit of a detriment. Once again, the D&D game emulates Nick’s real-life dilemmas… or perhaps his dilemmas are emulating the game. A few of the story's beats feel familiar, which may be an unfair dig at a story that involves time loops and paradoxes. But it's a small gripe when weighing it against how damn entertaining this story is. These books are relatively short, but make the most of their pages by creating strong characters that leave a lasting impact on the reader, and a furious pace that will force you to want to read this story in just a sitting or two. With only one book to go, and many more questions raised than answered, I can't wait to see what Lawrence has in store for the conclusion.

[☾❀Apple✩ Blossom⋆｡˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank NetGalley for sending me and advanced digital copy of this book.

In this second chapter to the Impossible Times trilogy, we follow the characters of the previous book going through more math, more paradoxes and more nerdiness. The plot unfolds from where the first one had stopped, answering many questions but also asking for more...

I was pleasantly surprised by this book, and by this whole series in general. Although I don't necessary like new young adult books, I love a good sci-fi trilogy, especially when it has a good amount of scientific lingo. The d&d part is just a bonus 😉



I don't want to give up too much about this one, as it would spoil the first book; but I love the writing style and the story line, even though I still think there is some potential that has not been completely developed in this series. I wonder how is the third book going to continue the story, since this one seemed pretty much the ending 🤣🤣

Overall, a very enjoyable read. I went through both book one and two in three days! Defensively not easy to put down.

[Micperk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure Mark Lawrence wrote these books just to let us know that he has figured out time traveling or is very close to doing so. I was nervous coming into this book because I loved the first book so much I was worried this one might not live up to it. I'm glad to say that my fear was unfounded and this book was a great installment.

The story picks up pretty much right where the other one left off, within a couple of pages I found myself drawn back into this world and eating up the pages. It introduces a couple of new characters which were well written and great additions, I hated one of the bullies in this book with everything in me. The story does a good job of keeping the magic of the previous book but also feeling unique from it at the same time. The pacing wasn't as strong as the first book for me but it was in no way a hindrance to the story. The theories behind time travel and paradoxes also felt a little harder to wrap my mind around in this one, I did manage to follow the explanations in the end though so I would consider it more of a personal problem than any problem with the writing. If anything it should be praise to the writing that it made me understand it at all. The ending was very well written and had me glued to the pages. In the same format as the previous book he builds up the tensity and drama until it all boils over in a very climatic ending.

This was definitely a great follow up and if you read the first you should 100% read this one. I read the entire book in one sitting and enjoyed it. I'll be patiently waiting for the final book.

[Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part two of the Impossible Times trilogy. And I liked this even better than the first one.

Probably because, with its cross-referencing of events between book one and two, this reminded me a lot of Back to the Future, which is still my favorite film trilogy ever. Just like the movies this gets more complicated for the protagonists as events in different timelines are influencing each other more and more, but remains easy to follow and enjoy for the reader, because Mark Lawrence avoids to make the time travel concept too complicated. He focuses more on moving the plot forward instead of losing himself (and potentially the reader) in overlong explanations of time travel mumbo jumbo and the inevitable paradoxes. And like BttF he's treating his audience to that nice feeling of recognition and excitement wraped into a delicious plot pastry.

At its core this is a love story. But one that actually got me pretty excited. And one that offers huge amounts of fast-moving action, stimulating time-loop scenarios, thoughts on friendship and family and illness (the main protagonist is suffering from leukemia) and some nice 80's references. The latter being not quite as prominent as in the first book. But some music, movies and the protagonists' D&D sessions still made me think of times past. Even Chernobyl makes an appearance, sort of. That was pretty eerie actually.

I like the 80's setting, but at the same time, the plot almost exclusively remaining in the year 1986 is probably what holds this back from getting a full five stars from me. Love story or not, this is still a time-travel book, and I would like to see a bit more of the future or the past at this point. Maybe in the next one?

4.5 stars, rounded up.

And once again, a little personal soundtrack for book two as well:

Marillion - Garden Party
YouTube
Marillion - Kayleigh
YouTube
Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark
YouTube
New Order - Blue Monday
YouTube
The Rolling Stones - You can't always get what you want
YouTube
The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love
YouTube
Pink Floyd - Time
YouTube
Oasis - Wonderwall
YouTube
Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode
YouTube
Lachi James - Midnight
YouTube
Bandcamp
GUNSHIP - Rise the Midnight Girl
YouTube
Bandcamp
Celldweller - The Great Divide
YouTube
Bandcamp
Aviators - Find me
YouTube
Bandcamp

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/06/15/...

I’m loving the quick release schedule for these books, because it meant I was able to jump right into Limited Wish almost immediately after finishing One Word Kill and I was definitely looking forward to continuing the story of Nick Hayes and his friends. Following the events of book one, our protagonist has beaten his diagnosis of cancer and is now enrolled in the prestigious Mathematics program at Cambridge, following in his brilliant late father’s footsteps. It is 1986 and Nick is looking forward to beginning a new chapter in his life as a university student, but still he maintains close ties to his mother and his group of D&D friends at home. Of course, things haven’t exactly been the same between them anymore, not since their brush with time travel, and considering what they’ve all been through, that’s not too surprising.

As it turns out though, Nick’s adventures are far from over. At school, he meets a fellow student who seems strangely familiar, though he’s pretty sure he’s never seen her before. Comprehension dawns as he realizes that his past shenanigans must have caused several disruptions through time, and now life as he knows it is in danger of unraveling unless he can get the gang together again to fix the very fabric of reality—with the help of some unexpected and impossible allies to boot.

Oh, reviewing a time travel book is always so frustrating, because how do you explain the best parts without spoiling things? Multiple possibilities, mind-bending paradoxes, uncanny precognition, communications from the future…this book has it all. I think it’s safe to say if you enjoyed One Word Kill, then Limited Wish will appeal to you for all the same reasons, but with the stakes even higher this time, the difference is that you will likely get hooked much faster and much harder. No small amount of credit is also due to Mark Lawrence for this, for as always, he writes in a style that is easy for readers to grasp and to grow addicted to, so you just can’t help but keep turning the pages. Even the driest and most complex of theories seemed straightforward and superbly, unendingly fascinating in his hands, and as a result, I finished Limited Wish in about a day. It’s also a fast-paced and rather short novel, so that helped as well.

Again, the characters stole the show in this one. Nick Hayes as a protagonist is likeable and sympathetic, to the point where you almost have to resent the author a little for putting this sweet kid through the wringer. Though if you’ve read Mark Lawrence, chances are you already know his characters are no strangers to hardship, given his penchant to throw seemingly impossible obstacles before them. It’s what makes reading his books so worth it. Limited Wish hooked me in because I already felt close to Nick, and it was both joyous and heartbreaking to see him be presented with another challenge. Like One Word Kill, this sequel strikes a fine balance between the entertaining action and the emotional, poignant gut-punch moments. It makes you really feel for Nick, simultaneously making him a character you want to cheer for, as well as to wrap around in protective arms in order to shield him from all the pain and uncertainties of life. At the same time, the story is also full of these wild and incredible scenarios that make you wonder what you would do if you were in the protagonist’s shoes, coming face-to-face with people from his past and present. That is to say, despite its moodier moments, this is a really fun read that contains plenty of lightness to balance out some of the life-altering confusion and angst.

So what else is there left to say, besides I can’t wait to see what else this series has in store for us! I’ve been a fan of Mark Lawrence for a long time, but the last couple of years has seen his writing and storytelling evolve to a whole new level, with the proof of that happening right before us in the Impossible Times trilogy. Bring on the third book, I say, because I’m loving it. With Dispel Illusion due out before the end of the year, I’m just glad the wait won’t be too long!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in a truly cool trilogy.

We meet Nick. Again. And again. And then we meet two Nicks. And some supposed relation(s) of his. After the quite tragic events from book 1, the D&D group is one man boy short. And while I missed the gang as they were, I understood the decision. I therefore went all the more "aaawww" when ALL of them showed up in the hospital after finding out that Nick's cancer is back.
So we're a few months after the events from book 1 and Nick is now a student at Cambridge University. But as if that wasn't difficult enough even for a boy-genius, he also discovers that he is an anomaly. Or at least at the heart of one. You see, all that timey-wimey stuff from a few months ago (plus some he doesn't yet know about) has resulted in creases in the fabric of time. So Nick needs to find out what exactly is causing those ghosts and echos and literally shocking apparitions to solve the time paradox before the world ends.
Oh, and then he has to come to terms with Mia having dumped him.

So yeah, this was as delightful as the first romp. Despite the gang having slightly shrunken, there were a few new characters that made up for it (though in a different way) and I cheered for the quirkiness of some (incl. Nick's mother). The bad guys were bad, the fights very dangerous and the whole scenario was made all the more real by the fact that, once again, not everyone made it. And we thus also got the answer to a question from the previous volume.

Your head might hurt from all the different versions of the past, present and future converging and fighting for dominance here, but the author again created a charming and thrilling adventure that is totally worth any possible initial confusion. Besides, he always clears it up. Just remember: we're all infinite. ;)

On to the finale!

[Jon Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't think it was possible but Mr. Lawrence topped the first book. The weaving of timelines is done to perfection. As is always the case, his prose is second to none. Bring on book three!

I received this via Netgalley and I can't wait for the hardcover to come in so I can add it to my collection.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: In the interest of getting caught up on my humongous pile of reviews that need writing while I’m fighting with a half broken keyboard I’ve decided to combine the first two books of this series together. I actually read book one quite a while ago but wasn’t quite blown away so I had been putting off book two but finally made it through.

One Word Kill and Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence are the first two books of the Impossible Times series. This one is a young adult science fiction fantasy series that revolves around time travel and is set back in the 1980’s.

The story begins in 1986 with Nick Hayes who had been diagnosed with cancer but despite that Nick was pretty much a regular teen hanging with friends. However, when Nick and his Dungeons & Dragons playing friends welcome a new girl to the group things begin to get pretty strange.

Now, I am normally a sucker for anything 80s so that alone should have had me loving this series like a lot of other readers seem to except one of the biggest 80s things you find going into this is Dungeons & Dragons which I know nothing about. Putting that to the side though I’m sometimes up or down with time travel novels too and while I thought some of the ideas here were interesting most seemed obvious along the way so in the end I was just so-so with this series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Anton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to Publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC ahead of the release!

Limited Wish is a fine story, it pulls you in from the first page and keeps you on the edge of your seat as a good thriller should. It is a perfect follow-up to One Word Kill and shares all the strengths with the Book 1.

In fact, it shares so much that it reminded me of the problem with Hangover and Hangover II movies. Both are great and deliver the laughs - but it is essentially the same movie. Different context, same plot devices. This is my only grumble with 'Limited Wish'. I liked it, but I also felt like I read this already (kind of...).

Fans of D&D, Stranger Things and Dark Matter - should really give it a go. The easy flowing story, plot thrills, cute characters - it got it all for a good escapism session. Suitable for both lovers and haters of YA genre.

[William Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Limited Wish is a fantastic sequel to One Word Kill in Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy.

“I was elbow-deep in my ultimate comfort read. The Lord of the Rings”

I mean, can you get cooler than that?

Limited Wish is similar to Stranger Things in that it is set in the 80s and the main cast are a bunch of geeks. Which I love! But everything else is new and original.

After the shocking events of One Word Kill, Nick has a goal in mind. But he has a small problem. The world is trying to kill him. A small inconvenience that surprisingly manages to delay Nick at times.

Anyone who has read my reviews of Mark Lawrence books will know my feelings on the prose. But I’m going to say it again. The prose is efficient and immersive. Poetic with a magical simpleness to it. It creates a fast pace with perfect page time for character development and tension to be created. Just wonderful!

“It’s easy to come up with conspiracy theories if you only look at the evidence that supports your idea.”

As briefly mentioned already, the characters are mostly geeky teenagers who love D&D. What’s not to love? Their sessions together are hilarious and just so realistic. Their dialogue often made me laugh out loud and have some of the best interactions in any books I have read.

What I really like about this series is that while they are certainly a series and joint together, they also work quite well as a standalone. Both One Word Kill and Limited Wish nicely wrap up their conclusions, with a few small things left open that I imagine will lead on perfectly to the finale to this trilogy, Dispel Illusion.

So, Limited Wish makes up the sixth Lawrence book that I am giving 5-stars. He is one of the few authors that I know I will give a maximum rating to, no matter which book I pick up. Six books down, six five-star ratings.

During surreal and terrifying times like this, Limited Wish was a wonderful book to read. With a light tone, core theme of friendship and immersive story, this is a story everyone should get their hands on.

5/5 STARS

[Petros Triantafyllou · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mind-bending masterpiece that serves as a love letter to all fans of Time Travel.

It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a boy-genius cancer survivor who’s already dabbled in time travel.
When he crosses paths with a mysterious yet curiously familiar girl, Nick discovers that creases have appeared in the fabric of time, and that he is at the centre of the disruption. Only Nick can resolve this time paradox before the damage becomes catastrophic for both him and the future of the world. Time is running out—literally.
Wrapped up with him in this potentially apocalyptic scenario are his ex-girlfriend, Mia, and fellow student Helen. Facing the world-ending chaos of a split in time, Nick must act fast and make the choice of a lifetime—or lifetimes.

“The universe is trying to kill you.” The girl stepped fully into view. “And we need to get out of here.”

It’s no secret that I am a big fan of Mark Lawrence’s work. Prince of Thorns was the book that got me back into fantasy after a long-term absence, and I’ve remained loyal to his work ever since. From The Broken Empire trilogy, to The Red Queen’s War, and lately to the Book of the Ancestor, I would read & review each book as soon as I could get my hands on it, and I would end up loving it just a little bit more than the previous one. By the end of the second trilogy, Mark became my favorite author. By the end of the third one, I considered Mark one of the greatest Fantasy authors of our times. Now, two thirds through his fourth trilogy, The Impossible Times, I realized I still didn’t give him enough credit. Mark Lawrence is not only one of the greatest Fantasy authors, but one of the greatest story-tellers around, regardless of genre or medium.

While in the first book Mark gave ample time for the other characters to shine, in Limited Wish he focused more on our protagonist, Nick Hayes. Between Dungeons & Dragons, romance, scientific projects, and a race against time to survive and save the universe, Nick, and, subsequently, the reader, are in for a crazy ride. The plot was enthralling and entertaining, the prose was leaner and fresher that what we’re used to in Mark's books, and the pace was well maintained, steady throughout the book and rising towards the finale. Finally, while the time travel aspect in One Word Kill was complex but well explained, with the right amount of depth and complexity without sacrificing clarity, in Limited Wish it is weirder, more contemplative, and it screws with the reader’s mind.

The hammer’s aftershocks filled both the flashes of brilliance and the darkness between them with possibilities. New tomorrows streamed away from every moment, a billion billion versions of me, each heading into the next heartbeat on slightly different trajectories. I walked through it all, spawning an infinity of futures, just as all of us do every second of our lives.

In One Word Kill, Mark Lawrence gave us a puzzling, intriguing & fast-paced Science Fiction story. In Limited Wish, he turned that story into thought-provoking literature.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 "Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world" Stars

Limited Wish wasn’t quite as enjoyable to me as One Word Kill but it still carries some of the same magic I found in the first book. There is a paradox as two possible time lines are too close together and our Nick seems to be in both of them. He is the key to fixing things but since he is also the source of the paradox the universe is trying to kill him.

Nick and company are great again. I really like how most of this group of friends sticks together through thick and thin. Even Nick going off to university early is not going to mess up the Saturday D&D game, although the new Paladin might. Sam is Mia’s new boyfriend, yes you heard that right Mia has a new boyfriend and she invited him to the D&D game. I guess when the universe tells you, you’re going to be with a certain person sometimes you still fight it.

But now, it’s like… It’s like me and Mia are fated to be together. It’s like there’s no choice and we know where we’re heading.’
‘Pressure, dude!’
John always said ‘dude’ as if he were trying it on for size. But he was right. Romance and love can endure external pressure to end them. Being told no just made Romeo and Juliet get serious. But those emotions don’t do so well if that pressure is trying to make them happen instead of trying to make them stop. It’s like having a gun to your head and being told to laugh convincingly at a joke or you get a bullet.

So Nick is dealing with University, the girl he is supposed to be with fighting it, another girl who looks familiar popping up at strange times, a bully or two at school and just to round it all out a do-gooder Paladin.

The struggle I had with this book is that the tie in to the D&D game didn’t go along quite for me. Also, the dueling time lines starting to get a little confusing. The impending paradox and everything that entailed along with some of the other events like busting into a Nuclear Power plant did seemed a bit far out there too. But it was all entertaining, even if I possibly over thought some things.

Eva was a great character addition to the story and I was happy to see Demus again. I did like how this all hinged on Nick being in the right place at the right time to do ‘something’ to set both timelines right again

‘Hope,’ said Demus, ‘is an essential tool in any torturer’s kit bag. Hope is the thing that we will torture ourselves with after he’s knocked off and gone home for the night. That, sadly, is one of the lessons standing between you and me.’

One Word Kill had more of a Stranger things vibe to it. Still a decent second book to a series and enjoyable, but didn’t quite hold my attention as much. Looking forward to seeing what other time shenanigans our questing party will have in the next book of the series.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This does not affect my unbiased review of the book.

[Amalia (◍•ᴗ•◍)❤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esta historia es un no parar de acción, tensión y de giros totalmente inesperados e impactantes. Me ha gustado un pelín más que la primera parte y estoy deseando conocer cómo termina esta trilogía 🤗.
Muchas gracias a la editorial por el envío del ejemplar.
.
This story is non-stop action, tension and totally unexpected and shocking twists. I liked it a bit more than the first part and I'm looking forward to knowing how this trilogy ends 🤗.
Many thanks to the publisher for sending the copy.

[Marc *Dark Reader with a Thousand Young! Iä!* · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read a book about a boy who is probably going to die painfully, with plenty of bodily suffering along the way, and you still wish that you were him, you've found a winner. Mostly I regret that I lacked the specific peer group for regular twelve-hour Dungeons and Dragons sessions when I was the main character's age. I love Nick's interactions with his friends, especially Simon. The muted heartache he lives with, and his social outsider status, are things that, when portrayed authentically like they are here, are things that have resonated with me ever since my teen reading years. I think this series will stick with me the same way.

I don't know why I am often surprised when I come across something poetic in a Mark Lawrence novel, because it has happened it every series of his that I have read so far. Perhaps it's simply that this is not what draws me to fantasy and sci-fi in the first place, so to discover it is a pleasant bonus. Here, this passage struck me with its unadorned beauty and truth:

Simon came out to watch me unchain my bike. Shadows filled the street; the summer sun lingered only on the rooftops. I had one of those moments when you become suddenly hyper-aware of your surroundings. A car went past and birdsong filled the space it left behind, a sharp complexity of tweets and trills, pretty little threats levelled against all the world. The wind in the leaves, ten thousand almost separate sounds. All of it underwritten by the ever-present rumble of distant traffic. I stood with the chain in my hand, noting every gleam and glint from the cars lining the street, seeing the green flutter of the stunted cherry trees planted at twenty-yard intervals, and the houses themselves, bland 1940s terraced homes slowly succumbing to double glazing and central heating.

I rarely want a book to be longer, but here there were parts in the second half that I would love to spent more pages with, in particular Nick's allies' off-screen interactions.

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I didn't for one second believe that Mark Lawrence could surpass the standard of the first book but he has! This second novel in the Impossible Times series is a fantastic and fiercely compelling tale of time travel, gaming, maths, paradoxes, action and excitement. The cast happens to be exquisitely drawn with complex, multi-dimensional personalities and the plot well constructed with tension aplenty. We learn so much more about Nick in this instalment as this was a lot more introspective than Limited Wish. Nick is incredibly real and relatable as he's quite awkward and introverted just like me and it can cause a few issues in life which he experiences throughout this book.

It is an excellent piece of fun, epic, speculative fiction with a plethora of original and intriguing ideas which come together in a flurry of different threads and eventually merge. I was expecting a cliffhanger given that it is leading into and setting up for the final book but Lawrence manages to craft a satisfying conclusion to it too; I certainly wasn't expecting that so it was a welcome surprise. The humour the author interspersed throughout was a stroke of genius and appears at just the right moments to provide a little light relief. This is a detailed, immersive world and a story that moves at a decent clip. Focusing on the issues surrounding time travel, this episode explores paradoxes and multiple universes, timelines, realities and is a real adventure. Many thanks to 47North for an ARC.

[h o l l i s · Rating 3 out of 5]

LIMITED WISH was both a little bit deja vue, though slightly out of alignment from the first book, and also.. way more timey wimey wibbly wobbly than book one. We have converging timelines, paradoxes, choices, divergences.. honestly I didn't understand half of it. At least half of it.

But everything that intrigued me from book one was still present, there was even more D&D, and things fell into place that allowed for some events from book one to come about. Yes, it's confusing, I think that's sorta the deal when you have time travel on the board.

There was a bit of a Sliding Doors-esque choice for our main protagonist to make in this installment. Each book has been named for a key piece of the plot and in this case it's a wish. You won't get everything you want and you might not get it for long, because the wish is limited. And that's kind of where we are at the end of this one. I'm curious to see where we end up in the final book. Shockingly this whole trilogy is being released in one calendar year so I only have to wait until November to find out!

Meanwhile, these books have definitely solidified my interest in reading Lawrence's other series, the Book of the Ancestor. So maybe I'll get going on that while I wait.


** I received a finished copy from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun time travel story which picks up where One Word Kill left off. For the tabletop gamers among the readers, the D&D element is still prominent and adds a flavor of fantasy to the sci-fi, however the Stranger Things feel has been taken down a notch with this story focusing more on Nick, rather than the group as a whole. Overall a fun form of escapism which opens the door to endless possibility for future stories.

[Zitong Ren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this was good, but like why am I so interested in this D&D game that the characters are playing in the book. Like yes they take up a big chunk of the book which is a complaint since the book is already quite short but at the same time it’s also oddly interesting?