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Impossible Times #3
Dispel Illusion
Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.
Nick Hayes’s genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time. But the worst part is that he knows how his story will end. He’s seen it with his own eyes. And every year that passes, every breakthrough he makes, brings him a step closer. Mia’s accident is waiting for them both in 2011. If it happens then he’s out of choices.
Then a chance 1992 discovery reveals that this seeker of truth has been lying to himself. But why? It’s a question that haunts him for years. A straw he clings to as his long-awaited fate draws near.
Time travel turns out not to be the biggest problem Nick has to work on. He needs to find out how he can stay on his path but change the destination. Failure has never been an option, and neither has survival. But Nick’s hoping to roll the dice one more time. And this new truth begins with a lie.
Nick Hayes’s genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time. But the worst part is that he knows how his story will end. He’s seen it with his own eyes. And every year that passes, every breakthrough he makes, brings him a step closer. Mia’s accident is waiting for them both in 2011. If it happens then he’s out of choices.
Then a chance 1992 discovery reveals that this seeker of truth has been lying to himself. But why? It’s a question that haunts him for years. A straw he clings to as his long-awaited fate draws near.
Time travel turns out not to be the biggest problem Nick has to work on. He needs to find out how he can stay on his path but change the destination. Failure has never been an option, and neither has survival. But Nick’s hoping to roll the dice one more time. And this new truth begins with a lie.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 14, 2019
541 people are currently reading
4719 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lawrence
99 books55.9k followersMy books vary a LOT - so
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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.
[My new book The Book That Broke The World is out now!]
Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/marklawrencea...
Blog here: http://mark---lawrence.blogspot.co.uk/
I'm on Youtube now! *excitement!*
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIrB...
Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/MarkLawrence...
https://www.instagram.com/mark___lawr...
Threads
https://www.threads.net/@mark___lawrence
Blue Sky
https://bsky.app/profile/marklawrence...
Three-emails-a-year newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/cimnK1 #Prizes #FreeContent
I'm even on Tumblr!
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/marklawre...
Pintrest!
https://uk.pinterest.com/princeofthor...
Plus I have free stuff on Wattpad!
https://www.wattpad.com/user/MarkLawr...
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.
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February 15, 2025The whole trilogy is free on Kindle Unlimited!
++++++++++++
I have copies!
Wobble is guarding this one fiercely.
"Chapter 1 - 1992
The two saving graces of explosions are that from the outside they’re pretty and from the inside they’re quick. The one I was in was taking forever though and had none of the fiery goodness of the typical Hollywood offering. When time explodes it tends not to create exciting fireballs, and most of the shrapnel inside the Winston Laboratory was crawling through the air at a pace that makes snails look zippy."
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
++++++++++++
I have copies!
Wobble is guarding this one fiercely.
"Chapter 1 - 1992
The two saving graces of explosions are that from the outside they’re pretty and from the inside they’re quick. The one I was in was taking forever though and had none of the fiery goodness of the typical Hollywood offering. When time explodes it tends not to create exciting fireballs, and most of the shrapnel inside the Winston Laboratory was crawling through the air at a pace that makes snails look zippy."
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
October 11, 2023
My complete review of Dispel Illusion is published at Before We Go Blog.
“The universe doesn’t care about time. We care about time. Because we remember.”
Dispel Illusion is the third and final volume of Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy, which chronicles the life and times (and more times) of Nick Hayes, the mathematical genius who invents time travel.
Dispel Illusion begins several years after the conclusion of the previous book, Limited Wish. By this time, time travel into the future has become almost routine. But time travel into the past is a much more complicated problem with the ability to create paradoxes that could destroy the physical world.
Mark Lawrence lives up to all of his very high standards in Dispel Illusion, with excellent character development, worldbuilding, and emotional and intellectual engagement. The Impossible Times trilogy has it all and can be enjoyed by young adults and adults alike.
Even from the first few pages, readers will know that they are in the hands of a masterful writer. Let me give you a taste for Lawrence’s writing from Dispel Illusion, as Nick reflects on his life and how we never really grow up:
“Perhaps it would be the same even if I lived to be eighty. Perhaps it’s the same for everyone, no matter how many years they’re trailing behind them. Always the child standing there wearing an old man’s clothes, an old skin hanging from old bones, and wondering where the days went, remembering how marvellous it had been to fritter away so many slow and sunny days. And wanting more.”
All three books of the trilogy are full of 1980s nostalgia that are a special treat for people who grew up during that era. Mark Lawrence earns bonus points in Dispel Illusion for his spot-on Scooby-Doo reference.
Dispel Illusion also plays a critical role for understanding the greater universe of Mark Lawrence’s body of work. In several of my reviews, I’ve noted the presence of Dr. Elias Taproot, a mysterious character who appears in each of his trilogies. Guess what? He is here too in Dispel Illusion, in the flesh. All of Mark Lawrence’s books are connected, in a very David Mitchell-esque way, and Dr. Taproot is the key. He is akin to the Hoid character who appears throughout Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.
Dispel Illusion features another one of Mark Lawrence’s most enigmatic characters, Boris, who may or may not actually exist. The question is: Do you trust your friends?
Overall, Dispel Illusion is a delightful surprise, full of unexpected revelations about both the Impossible Times trilogy and Mark Lawrence’s universe as a whole. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the bigger picture of what Mark Lawrence has created across his full body of work.
“The universe doesn’t care about time. We care about time. Because we remember.”
Dispel Illusion is the third and final volume of Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy, which chronicles the life and times (and more times) of Nick Hayes, the mathematical genius who invents time travel.
Dispel Illusion begins several years after the conclusion of the previous book, Limited Wish. By this time, time travel into the future has become almost routine. But time travel into the past is a much more complicated problem with the ability to create paradoxes that could destroy the physical world.
Mark Lawrence lives up to all of his very high standards in Dispel Illusion, with excellent character development, worldbuilding, and emotional and intellectual engagement. The Impossible Times trilogy has it all and can be enjoyed by young adults and adults alike.
Even from the first few pages, readers will know that they are in the hands of a masterful writer. Let me give you a taste for Lawrence’s writing from Dispel Illusion, as Nick reflects on his life and how we never really grow up:
“Perhaps it would be the same even if I lived to be eighty. Perhaps it’s the same for everyone, no matter how many years they’re trailing behind them. Always the child standing there wearing an old man’s clothes, an old skin hanging from old bones, and wondering where the days went, remembering how marvellous it had been to fritter away so many slow and sunny days. And wanting more.”
All three books of the trilogy are full of 1980s nostalgia that are a special treat for people who grew up during that era. Mark Lawrence earns bonus points in Dispel Illusion for his spot-on Scooby-Doo reference.
Dispel Illusion also plays a critical role for understanding the greater universe of Mark Lawrence’s body of work. In several of my reviews, I’ve noted the presence of Dr. Elias Taproot, a mysterious character who appears in each of his trilogies. Guess what? He is here too in Dispel Illusion, in the flesh. All of Mark Lawrence’s books are connected, in a very David Mitchell-esque way, and Dr. Taproot is the key. He is akin to the Hoid character who appears throughout Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe.
Dispel Illusion features another one of Mark Lawrence’s most enigmatic characters, Boris, who may or may not actually exist. The question is: Do you trust your friends?
Overall, Dispel Illusion is a delightful surprise, full of unexpected revelations about both the Impossible Times trilogy and Mark Lawrence’s universe as a whole. It is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the bigger picture of what Mark Lawrence has created across his full body of work.
July 1, 2020
The usual Caveat: Mark Lawrence and I are friends who have never met, courtesy of the internet. I do not think that affects my review of this book. After all, I bought it!
Dispel Illusion is an eminently satisfying conclusion to the Impossible Times trio. Friendships are revisited, threads are pursued to their logical conclusion, all while remaining true to the characters introduced in One Word Kill.
This is solid story-telling.
No spoilers. I will say that there were moments in this that I hadn't known I was hoping for, and that made them all the more enjoyable.
The trio of books that make up Impossible Times are much shorter than most Mark Lawrence books. If you haven't bought any of them, I recommend purchasing all three, as you will immediately want to go on to the next part of the story.
Dispel Illusion is an eminently satisfying conclusion to the Impossible Times trio. Friendships are revisited, threads are pursued to their logical conclusion, all while remaining true to the characters introduced in One Word Kill.
This is solid story-telling.
No spoilers. I will say that there were moments in this that I hadn't known I was hoping for, and that made them all the more enjoyable.
The trio of books that make up Impossible Times are much shorter than most Mark Lawrence books. If you haven't bought any of them, I recommend purchasing all three, as you will immediately want to go on to the next part of the story.
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August 7, 2024A work of unhinged genius!
-- This is not a YA trilogy, it's a set of books written by a man in his 50s for people of all ages, and since it draws on my own youth, it may resonate with other children of the 80s.
There are - if you look for them - links in these books to all of my other trilogies, culminating in 2022's The Girl and the Moon.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
..
-- This is not a YA trilogy, it's a set of books written by a man in his 50s for people of all ages, and since it draws on my own youth, it may resonate with other children of the 80s.
There are - if you look for them - links in these books to all of my other trilogies, culminating in 2022's The Girl and the Moon.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year mailing list #prizes
..
February 22, 2020
Final review, co-written with Kat, and first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Dispel Illusion is the final book in Mark Lawrence’s IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy. (Readers will need to finish One Word Kill and Limited Wish before beginning Dispel Illusion, so we’ll assume you’ve done that.) Kindly, Mark Lawrence provides a recap of previous important events at the beginning of this book. (Thank you, Mr. Lawrence!) Then the story begins, literally, with an explosion. It’s a singular explosion, though: time itself is exploding in their lab, affecting various things in different ways. Dangerously sharp metal shards hang in the air and slowly creep outward, while Nick and other people in the lab are moving on a far faster internal clock. This isn’t as helpful as it might seem; Nick observes that the “air doesn’t want to get out of your way … running at 300 miles an hour is just as hard as standing still in a super-tornado with 300-mile-an-hour winds trying to knock you down.”
At this point in the story, it’s 1992 and Nick is 22 years old. He’s at Cambridge, working on inventing time travel. He knows he has to accomplish this by 2011, the year that he was visited by his future self when he was a teen in One Word Kill. Nick dreads the accident that will inspire his 40-year-old self to go back in time to safeguard Mia’s memories. He also knows that when he goes back to the 1980s, he will die. So at the same time that Nick is inventing time travel and setting events in motion to be able to travel back to 1986 if necessary to save Mia’s memories, he’s also doing his best to help Mia avoid her near-fatal accident in 2011. Those efforts are complicated by the re-emergence of their old nemesis Charles Rust. Rust’s job with Miles Guilder, the unscrupulous business tycoon who has been financing Nick’s time travel research for years for his own reasons, put Nick and Charles at odds once again.
The timeline in Dispel Illusion shifts back and forth between 1992 and 2011, with a few stops along the way in other time periods. Guilder introduces a game-changer when he brings Nick and his girlfriend Mia to a hidden cave that Guilder has discovered, where a shocking, tangible evidence of time travel has been found.
Dispel Illusion is fun. We like Nick and his friends, who are still playing the same game of Dungeons & Dragons that they were playing six years ago. Throughout the trilogy, their D&D game, in which they use spells called Power Word Kill, Limited Wish, and Dispel Illusion, has subtly paralleled the events happening in Nick’s life.
To his credit, Mark Lawrence pays more attention than most authors to the scientific problems and paradoxes that time travel causes, including the complication of the Earth traveling through space. One of the more intriguing complications that Nick and his fellow researchers face is an experiment that causes a time loop. Nick’s handsome, somewhat superficial friend John is forced to rise to the occasion, which leads to an amusing joke referencing the film Groundhog Day. The visible evidence of someone traveling forwards or backwards in time was a unique twist to standard time travel lore. And as Nick and Mia eventually turn time travel into a highly secret enterprise, the psychological motives of the time travelers and the mental effects on Nick were intriguing as well.
Unfortunately, we have to report that we are still not convinced. It’s been a while since we read the first two books, so it’s possible that there are facts we’re missing or misremembering, but it seems like there was a much simpler way for adult Nick in 2011 to attempt to save Mia’s life. And, while we’re discussing this, we’re also not convinced that
A few other nitpicks: Lawrence keeps telling us that when Nick goes back in time, he has to do everything exactly like he remembers or it will cause a branch in the timeline. But the human memory is remarkably fallible and there’s no way that Nick remembers every event and conversation (or even most events and conversations) accurately. The text suggests that when Nick doesn’t remember the exact words he tends to naturally say the same thing he said before, but that seems a bit of a stretch. Maybe it doesn’t matter as long as Nick’s memories match, but what about the memories of all the other people involved?
It is possible that we misremember, misunderstood, or simply missed the answers to our questions. If so, we apologize. But even with its flaws, we enjoyed the IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy. Nick and his friends are appealing and it’s easy to sympathize with their plights. The story is fun and after much tension it ends satisfactorily. Who cares that we didn’t always believe it?
Dispel Illusion contains a thoughtful treatment of time travel, moments of brilliance, and the running Dungeons & Dragons subplot supplying several metaphors for the main plot and for life generally. And more (to paraphrase The Princess Bride): Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Friendship. Strong hate. True love. It’s a fitting end to this time travel saga.
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!
Content note: Scattered F-bombs.
Dispel Illusion is the final book in Mark Lawrence’s IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy. (Readers will need to finish One Word Kill and Limited Wish before beginning Dispel Illusion, so we’ll assume you’ve done that.) Kindly, Mark Lawrence provides a recap of previous important events at the beginning of this book. (Thank you, Mr. Lawrence!) Then the story begins, literally, with an explosion. It’s a singular explosion, though: time itself is exploding in their lab, affecting various things in different ways. Dangerously sharp metal shards hang in the air and slowly creep outward, while Nick and other people in the lab are moving on a far faster internal clock. This isn’t as helpful as it might seem; Nick observes that the “air doesn’t want to get out of your way … running at 300 miles an hour is just as hard as standing still in a super-tornado with 300-mile-an-hour winds trying to knock you down.”
At this point in the story, it’s 1992 and Nick is 22 years old. He’s at Cambridge, working on inventing time travel. He knows he has to accomplish this by 2011, the year that he was visited by his future self when he was a teen in One Word Kill. Nick dreads the accident that will inspire his 40-year-old self to go back in time to safeguard Mia’s memories. He also knows that when he goes back to the 1980s, he will die. So at the same time that Nick is inventing time travel and setting events in motion to be able to travel back to 1986 if necessary to save Mia’s memories, he’s also doing his best to help Mia avoid her near-fatal accident in 2011. Those efforts are complicated by the re-emergence of their old nemesis Charles Rust. Rust’s job with Miles Guilder, the unscrupulous business tycoon who has been financing Nick’s time travel research for years for his own reasons, put Nick and Charles at odds once again.
The timeline in Dispel Illusion shifts back and forth between 1992 and 2011, with a few stops along the way in other time periods. Guilder introduces a game-changer when he brings Nick and his girlfriend Mia to a hidden cave that Guilder has discovered, where a shocking, tangible evidence of time travel has been found.
Dispel Illusion is fun. We like Nick and his friends, who are still playing the same game of Dungeons & Dragons that they were playing six years ago. Throughout the trilogy, their D&D game, in which they use spells called Power Word Kill, Limited Wish, and Dispel Illusion, has subtly paralleled the events happening in Nick’s life.
To his credit, Mark Lawrence pays more attention than most authors to the scientific problems and paradoxes that time travel causes, including the complication of the Earth traveling through space. One of the more intriguing complications that Nick and his fellow researchers face is an experiment that causes a time loop. Nick’s handsome, somewhat superficial friend John is forced to rise to the occasion, which leads to an amusing joke referencing the film Groundhog Day. The visible evidence of someone traveling forwards or backwards in time was a unique twist to standard time travel lore. And as Nick and Mia eventually turn time travel into a highly secret enterprise, the psychological motives of the time travelers and the mental effects on Nick were intriguing as well.
I was no longer the Nick Hayes who first met Demus a few streets from Simon’s mum’s house. I had left that boy behind in my wake, just as we all abandon the children we were. Slow or fast, the years pull us apart from them, sometimes in one savage yank, sometimes by degrees, like the hour hand of the clock, too stealthy for us to perceive its motion and yet when you look again it is no longer where you left it. That night I looked in the mirror, not wanting to meet my own gaze, and it was Demus who looked back at me and smiled a bitter little smile.In our review of Limited Wish, we said, “We are wondering what illusions will be dispelled…” and, indeed, Lawrence pulls the curtain aside and gives us several surprises. The climactic scene sheds a new and unexpected light on some prior events. But in that review we also said, “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.”
Unfortunately, we have to report that we are still not convinced. It’s been a while since we read the first two books, so it’s possible that there are facts we’re missing or misremembering, but it seems like there was a much simpler way for adult Nick in 2011 to attempt to save Mia’s life. And, while we’re discussing this, we’re also not convinced that
A few other nitpicks: Lawrence keeps telling us that when Nick goes back in time, he has to do everything exactly like he remembers or it will cause a branch in the timeline. But the human memory is remarkably fallible and there’s no way that Nick remembers every event and conversation (or even most events and conversations) accurately. The text suggests that when Nick doesn’t remember the exact words he tends to naturally say the same thing he said before, but that seems a bit of a stretch. Maybe it doesn’t matter as long as Nick’s memories match, but what about the memories of all the other people involved?
It is possible that we misremember, misunderstood, or simply missed the answers to our questions. If so, we apologize. But even with its flaws, we enjoyed the IMPOSSIBLE TIMES trilogy. Nick and his friends are appealing and it’s easy to sympathize with their plights. The story is fun and after much tension it ends satisfactorily. Who cares that we didn’t always believe it?
Dispel Illusion contains a thoughtful treatment of time travel, moments of brilliance, and the running Dungeons & Dragons subplot supplying several metaphors for the main plot and for life generally. And more (to paraphrase The Princess Bride): Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Friendship. Strong hate. True love. It’s a fitting end to this time travel saga.
I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Thank you!
Content note: Scattered F-bombs.
June 5, 2020
This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷
One Word Kill ★★★ 3/4
Limited Wish ★★★★
Dispel Illusion ★★★★ 1/2
I am in awe of this series because every book was better than the last one and I would have never asked for a different finale. I am usually disappointed with trilogies as I feel closure is something difficult to get but not with this series! A perfect ending to a great series which is actually now my favorite sci-fi series of all time.
The pros are the same as cons when it comes to this book and it was that the book was so smart. Technically speaking, I think it is the most complicated of all three and as someone who wanted to get the scientific aspect of what was happening, I was confused and frustrated but at the end everything made much sense and my nerdy heart was so happy! The good thing is that it is a Novella so even if you feel a bit confused just keep going because everything will make sense in a short amount of time (I think it took me barely 3 hours to finish it).
The writing is great as the rest of the series is, I like how Mark uses relatable examples and is actually up-to-date with the current pop culture lol! The book has been planned meticulously from book 1 and all the details come together beautifully in this finale. As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to start the series all over again to pick up all the hints given. I still can’t get over how smart it was!!!
Summary: This was a perfect finale and I am so satisfied. I highly recommend for fans of sci-fi books and specially time-travel enthusiasts! This made me want to check the authors other works which I will be doing very soon!
You can get more books from Book Depository
“The two saving graces of explosions are that from the outside they’re pretty and from the inside they’re quick.”
One Word Kill ★★★ 3/4
Limited Wish ★★★★
Dispel Illusion ★★★★ 1/2
I am in awe of this series because every book was better than the last one and I would have never asked for a different finale. I am usually disappointed with trilogies as I feel closure is something difficult to get but not with this series! A perfect ending to a great series which is actually now my favorite sci-fi series of all time.
The pros are the same as cons when it comes to this book and it was that the book was so smart. Technically speaking, I think it is the most complicated of all three and as someone who wanted to get the scientific aspect of what was happening, I was confused and frustrated but at the end everything made much sense and my nerdy heart was so happy! The good thing is that it is a Novella so even if you feel a bit confused just keep going because everything will make sense in a short amount of time (I think it took me barely 3 hours to finish it).
The writing is great as the rest of the series is, I like how Mark uses relatable examples and is actually up-to-date with the current pop culture lol! The book has been planned meticulously from book 1 and all the details come together beautifully in this finale. As soon as I finished the book, I wanted to start the series all over again to pick up all the hints given. I still can’t get over how smart it was!!!
“It is a lot easier to prevent time travel than to achieve it.”
Summary: This was a perfect finale and I am so satisfied. I highly recommend for fans of sci-fi books and specially time-travel enthusiasts! This made me want to check the authors other works which I will be doing very soon!
You can get more books from Book Depository
May 14, 2024
The stage of destiny
A great ending to a great trilogy. I really enjoyed every book of the trilogy. This is the best time travel story I have read so far. Mark's background gives the science of the story extra authenticity.
Nick and Mia have come through a number of trials and tribulations of both time and life. Now Nick must faces his greatest challenge, to change his fate of becoming Demus, which will lead to his own death.
This book takes place in 1992, 1985, and 2011. The different eras of Nick's life. Though somethings are constant like Simon, John, and their ever evolving Dungeons & Dragons games. It is amazing how many life clues/lessons can come from this game.
A great story linking everything together, everything must come full circle. It is great when I high hopes for a book and it delivers. So when a whole series is like that, it is even better. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone.
A great ending to a great trilogy. I really enjoyed every book of the trilogy. This is the best time travel story I have read so far. Mark's background gives the science of the story extra authenticity.
Nick and Mia have come through a number of trials and tribulations of both time and life. Now Nick must faces his greatest challenge, to change his fate of becoming Demus, which will lead to his own death.
This book takes place in 1992, 1985, and 2011. The different eras of Nick's life. Though somethings are constant like Simon, John, and their ever evolving Dungeons & Dragons games. It is amazing how many life clues/lessons can come from this game.
A great story linking everything together, everything must come full circle. It is great when I high hopes for a book and it delivers. So when a whole series is like that, it is even better. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone.
July 11, 2022
We are all of us endless.
Dispel Illusion brings it all together. The entangled timelines, the time travel, the paradoxes, the secrets and the lies and the half-truths. (I’m being deliberately vague because this book is vital and the revelations throughout change everything.) Nick looks into the mirror and sees more of Demus in his face with every passing day. The time is approaching when he will have to travel to his own past, take on the role of Demus, terrify his younger self, and pull himself up by his bootstraps. What scares him the most is Mia’s seemingly inevitable fate and the accident in 2011 that will erase her memories.
Time is just a different kind of illusion. Though one seems fundamental and the other a human conceit, they are in fact deeply connected. Memory and time, time and memory. The universe doesn’t care about time. We care about time. Because we remember.
Reading Dispel Illusion feels like experiencing intense déjà vu on a loop. Which makes a lot of sense, actually. We get to see many of the events from the first book from a different perspective (although that isn’t literally true, if you know what I mean). With more context and a better-informed narrator, everything seems to take a different tilt. But it all ties back to One Word Kill. I found it incredibly satisfying, although I understand why some readers say the plot twists ruined the emotional impact of the first book’s ending. Personally, I was blown away by the difference between what was presented to us as true and what actually happened. A simple change of perspective uncovers the true threads of the plot.
Mark Lawrence’s connected universe is epic. The way he bridges these stories from vastly different time periods and main characters with various degrees of emotional instability is genius. This is the framework for something truly incredible. The little details added to the main narrative, the subtleties and light-handed clues—the reading experience without these connections is already engaging and exciting, but with them sprinkled in? Mark Lawrence has reached a level I have never seen before. And playing I Spy a Taproot is very entertaining.
But do you know who’s even better than Taproot? Boris.
Boris is the new hot conspiracy theory. Forget about the moon landing controversy. That’s so 1969. Boris is the Schrödinger's cat of the 21st century. Does he have a physical presence, or does he only exist in our minds? You’ll never know until you cast Dispel Illusion. Boris is the third Gaslight. For the last time, he’s right in front of you. Don’t you see him? Are you going mad?
5 stars
March 12, 2020
Well well welllllll.
This series has been a wild ride of weirdness, geekiness, violence, and wtf'ery. That last mostly in the sense of "I have no idea what's happening, I'm so dumb, this book is hella smart, why am I reading this." But this final installment?
W o w.
Not only is this my favourite of the set, it also wraps everything so.. perfectly. The cleverness of the author, of bringing all these convoluted strands of time, events, people, and more, together, is just unreal. Again, I stumbled my way through the first two, but this one -- even though, again, my brain couldn't keep up sometimes -- actually made sense. It worked. And it worked because of everything that came before.
This is definitely a series I recommend that you binge but, if not, Lawrence was kind enough to include a "previously, on.." at the beginning of this third novella. I won't say it helped to make things any clearer than it felt to actually read said previous books but it got me upto speed on some of the finer details I've forgotten since finishing book two. Which, again, meant I was still the tortoise in this hare race. But this time it was way more enjoyable overall.
But, yeah, this isn't a series I would necessarily recommend because, again, complicated, and weird, and nerdy, but if you like time travel, if you like characters that play D&D, if you enjoy twisty turny, timey wimey, and aren't afraid of being confused (or maybe you're smarter than the average duck), you should give these a try. For all that your brain needs to invest a bit in the details, you aren't really investing your time (hahahah I didn't do that on purpose) because these novellas aren't long. But a lot does happen. So, figure that one out.
Once again, this has cemented my need to read more from this author -- something I haven't done since finishing the last installment of this book, whoops -- and I can't wait to explore his epic fantasy series'.
** 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.
This series has been a wild ride of weirdness, geekiness, violence, and wtf'ery. That last mostly in the sense of "I have no idea what's happening, I'm so dumb, this book is hella smart, why am I reading this." But this final installment?
W o w.
Not only is this my favourite of the set, it also wraps everything so.. perfectly. The cleverness of the author, of bringing all these convoluted strands of time, events, people, and more, together, is just unreal. Again, I stumbled my way through the first two, but this one -- even though, again, my brain couldn't keep up sometimes -- actually made sense. It worked. And it worked because of everything that came before.
This is definitely a series I recommend that you binge but, if not, Lawrence was kind enough to include a "previously, on.." at the beginning of this third novella. I won't say it helped to make things any clearer than it felt to actually read said previous books but it got me upto speed on some of the finer details I've forgotten since finishing book two. Which, again, meant I was still the tortoise in this hare race. But this time it was way more enjoyable overall.
But, yeah, this isn't a series I would necessarily recommend because, again, complicated, and weird, and nerdy, but if you like time travel, if you like characters that play D&D, if you enjoy twisty turny, timey wimey, and aren't afraid of being confused (or maybe you're smarter than the average duck), you should give these a try. For all that your brain needs to invest a bit in the details, you aren't really investing your time (hahahah I didn't do that on purpose) because these novellas aren't long. But a lot does happen. So, figure that one out.
Once again, this has cemented my need to read more from this author -- something I haven't done since finishing the last installment of this book, whoops -- and I can't wait to explore his epic fantasy series'.
** I received a finished copy from the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
October 23, 2019
I told (her) that this had been the time I was going to allocate to catching up on all those great fantasy books I never managed to get round to reading. She told me that they were still publishing great fantasy books, with more coming out each week than I could read in a year. I told her to shut up.
---
“Every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part we call ‘the Prestige,” claims Christopher Nolan’s script in his 2006 film of the same name. This third act of an illusion must rely on the strength of its premise and the faith of its audience for the prestige to succeed. For fans of Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy, the concluding novella Dispel Illusion delivers the prestige with the precision of a master storyteller at the top of his game. It is a shrewd, skillfully constructed, and wholly fulfilling conclusion to a tale that defies comparison.
I was a seeker of truth. By nature and by profession. Lies, falsehood, ignorance. These were my enemies. The idea that a lie could be a savior… that was a new and alien concept to me.
I enjoy books that challenge the reader, and this series raises as many questions as it answers. While the first two books have Nick scrambling to figure out the logistics behind time travel, Dispel Illusion deals with the consequences of time manipulation once you have it under your control. If you go back in time, are your actions still predestined even if you know you could avoid them? What if you choose instead to fork into a new future but risk a reality-shredding paradox? What is your moral responsibility to the universe against your own personal needs?
But this story isn’t all time-manipulation and reality-forking. While the book drops a few head-spinning bombshells like “the complex pattern of reinforcing feedback cycles feeding energy in at a rate calibrated to the elasticity of local space-time should have built relentlessly to reach the target level,” it knows when to switch gears and explore a new mystery, or amp up the fraught tension and humor.
A reoccurring theme in this trilogy is how real-life challenges are juxtaposed with the Dungeons and Dragons scenarios our group finds themselves facing. (It just goes to show that D&D doesn’t rot the brain, but inspires creativity and lateral thinking, Mom and Dad!! ) These chapters offer excellent breathers between the heady time trails and philosophical head-scratchers while infusing plenty of character depth and a healthy dose of snark.
‘What’s the longest this might take?’
‘Well, on the assumption that protons decay, we can expect the heat death of the universe to occur in around… well, it’s a one followed by about a hundred zeros years. And after that the concept of time becomes somewhat problematic. So before then.'
What I find most impressive about Dispel Illusion is how every mystery presented in One Word Kill--even the nearly-forgotten, offhand references—had their explanations revealed. This story felt as if it were a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle in which you could mostly see what the overall picture was, but by the time the book ended, every single piece slotted into place. The final intersection of plot threads and timelines within the story was enough to convince me that this trilogy is secretly an autobiography. I’m not sure how else Lawrence was able to cross all his ‘t’s and dot all his ‘i’s without having to go back in time once or twice to correct a few inevitable inconsistencies. (I’m onto you, Lawrence. DM me some upcoming sports results and I’ll make sure that this paragraph is just a funny thing for readers to skim over and forget about by dinnertime.)
I could ramble on about all the brainy twists, the tenderness, love, sacrifice, adventure, and exceedingly intelligent ‘what if’ ideas that were followed through to the end of this novella. Perhaps I already did and decided to jump back for a re-do. If I did it right, you’ll never know. What you should know is that Dispel Illusion is a brilliant finish to the Impossible Times trilogy, rife with unpredictability, nostalgia, and ceaseless imagination.
ARC via author. On sale November 14, 2019.
---
“Every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part we call ‘the Prestige,” claims Christopher Nolan’s script in his 2006 film of the same name. This third act of an illusion must rely on the strength of its premise and the faith of its audience for the prestige to succeed. For fans of Mark Lawrence’s Impossible Times trilogy, the concluding novella Dispel Illusion delivers the prestige with the precision of a master storyteller at the top of his game. It is a shrewd, skillfully constructed, and wholly fulfilling conclusion to a tale that defies comparison.
I was a seeker of truth. By nature and by profession. Lies, falsehood, ignorance. These were my enemies. The idea that a lie could be a savior… that was a new and alien concept to me.
I enjoy books that challenge the reader, and this series raises as many questions as it answers. While the first two books have Nick scrambling to figure out the logistics behind time travel, Dispel Illusion deals with the consequences of time manipulation once you have it under your control. If you go back in time, are your actions still predestined even if you know you could avoid them? What if you choose instead to fork into a new future but risk a reality-shredding paradox? What is your moral responsibility to the universe against your own personal needs?
But this story isn’t all time-manipulation and reality-forking. While the book drops a few head-spinning bombshells like “the complex pattern of reinforcing feedback cycles feeding energy in at a rate calibrated to the elasticity of local space-time should have built relentlessly to reach the target level,” it knows when to switch gears and explore a new mystery, or amp up the fraught tension and humor.
A reoccurring theme in this trilogy is how real-life challenges are juxtaposed with the Dungeons and Dragons scenarios our group finds themselves facing. (It just goes to show that D&D doesn’t rot the brain, but inspires creativity and lateral thinking, Mom and Dad!! ) These chapters offer excellent breathers between the heady time trails and philosophical head-scratchers while infusing plenty of character depth and a healthy dose of snark.
‘What’s the longest this might take?’
‘Well, on the assumption that protons decay, we can expect the heat death of the universe to occur in around… well, it’s a one followed by about a hundred zeros years. And after that the concept of time becomes somewhat problematic. So before then.'
What I find most impressive about Dispel Illusion is how every mystery presented in One Word Kill--even the nearly-forgotten, offhand references—had their explanations revealed. This story felt as if it were a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle in which you could mostly see what the overall picture was, but by the time the book ended, every single piece slotted into place. The final intersection of plot threads and timelines within the story was enough to convince me that this trilogy is secretly an autobiography. I’m not sure how else Lawrence was able to cross all his ‘t’s and dot all his ‘i’s without having to go back in time once or twice to correct a few inevitable inconsistencies. (I’m onto you, Lawrence. DM me some upcoming sports results and I’ll make sure that this paragraph is just a funny thing for readers to skim over and forget about by dinnertime.)
I could ramble on about all the brainy twists, the tenderness, love, sacrifice, adventure, and exceedingly intelligent ‘what if’ ideas that were followed through to the end of this novella. Perhaps I already did and decided to jump back for a re-do. If I did it right, you’ll never know. What you should know is that Dispel Illusion is a brilliant finish to the Impossible Times trilogy, rife with unpredictability, nostalgia, and ceaseless imagination.
ARC via author. On sale November 14, 2019.
February 20, 2020
What a fantastic end to this time-travel SF trilogy!
Each volume gives us a firm grounding in these friends' cool D&D sessions and twists the events into very clever plots full of deception, imperfect memory, and time-paradox filled with the possibility of entire lost universes. Of course, it's not a good D&D session without REALLY high stakes, right?
But as this particular title implies, there may... or may not... be a lot of deception going on within the pages. Of course, revealing the spell, the purpose of this spell, or the number of people involved in this spell is forbidden, and not least because of the master illusionist at the top of the Tower of Trickery...
Muahahahahaha
I love the way this novel brings together all the pages of all three novels and gives us all a much more complete and delicious wrap-up and explanation for all the events.
It's definitely one of the best time-travel paradox-defying novels I've read. And it is DEFINITELY one of the most fun.
Each volume gives us a firm grounding in these friends' cool D&D sessions and twists the events into very clever plots full of deception, imperfect memory, and time-paradox filled with the possibility of entire lost universes. Of course, it's not a good D&D session without REALLY high stakes, right?
But as this particular title implies, there may... or may not... be a lot of deception going on within the pages. Of course, revealing the spell, the purpose of this spell, or the number of people involved in this spell is forbidden, and not least because of the master illusionist at the top of the Tower of Trickery...
Muahahahahaha
I love the way this novel brings together all the pages of all three novels and gives us all a much more complete and delicious wrap-up and explanation for all the events.
It's definitely one of the best time-travel paradox-defying novels I've read. And it is DEFINITELY one of the most fun.
June 16, 2020
Let's say that most of the questions regarding time travel are pretty much covered, and yet I still had some left: the first time Demus traveled back in time, how did he become bald in 1986, so that his memory is always this of the bald man? If Demus stimulates medical research so the science advances more rapidly, how does the timeline not fork?
"In real life, when you miss a target you tend to be able to assume that you will at least get somewhere near what you were aiming at. If I aim at the bullseye I may miss, but I can be fairly sure my dart will hit somewhere on the board, and even if I’m having a particularly off day I can still pretty much guarantee that it will at least hit something in the pub. When mathematics goes wrong the consequences can be more severe, rather like the dart missing the bullseye, the board and the pub, and hitting a three-toed sloth instead, somewhere in the Bolivian jungle. Or perhaps drifting away through interstellar space off the shoulder of Orion."
"In real life, when you miss a target you tend to be able to assume that you will at least get somewhere near what you were aiming at. If I aim at the bullseye I may miss, but I can be fairly sure my dart will hit somewhere on the board, and even if I’m having a particularly off day I can still pretty much guarantee that it will at least hit something in the pub. When mathematics goes wrong the consequences can be more severe, rather like the dart missing the bullseye, the board and the pub, and hitting a three-toed sloth instead, somewhere in the Bolivian jungle. Or perhaps drifting away through interstellar space off the shoulder of Orion."
December 13, 2022
Un final perfecto para una trilogía fascinante.
.
A perfect ending to a fascinating trilogy.
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A perfect ending to a fascinating trilogy.
February 20, 2020
We are, all of us, endless.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! What a mind fuck. Of course, it's a timey wimey story so you need to have at least one knot in your brain by the time you finish it. ;)
For this third and final volume we're back with Nick, Mia, John and Simon. Actually, we are back with several versions of them, at a number of different point in time. We're also back with the D&D since that is such a great influence on Nick and his friends.
Nick has become a Nobel Prize winner and famous scientist. He's also Married to Mia. But even a scientist like him needs funding and thus the baddies come into play.
In the end, they mattered relatively little, surprisingly, as the actual crux was ensuring a great future for everyone with as little deaths as possible ().
Instead, we have a mysterious cave and several other time travellers and one hell of a complicated plan to prevent that sword of Damocles from dropping on Nick's head. But does it really have to be this complicated?
The pay-off in this novel was immense and I was so there for it. Like that quote I highlighted, it's all about perception, about paying attention, about realizing just what a great power you have at your disposal.
Of course, I found it incredibly sad that . But I once again loved the incorporation of all the answers in teh D&D session(s) and that nothing was off limits (as is only realistic considering this trilogy's version of the time travel theory (yes, there are several different ones).
Another fast-paced romp that had me whooping from joy several times and that celverly played with the r eaders' expectations as much as with those of the characters. Never take anything for granted or presume it is written in stone!
Very nice indeed.
July 18, 2023
Tercer título de la trilogía "Impossible Times". Novela de cierre interesante y correcta.
Mis impresiones.
Como en las dos anteriores, el título está sacado de las partidas de “Dungeons & Dragons", juego que, como ya he dicho anteriormente, no es el eje central de la novela ni hay que conocerlo para seguir la trama.
Esta última entrega se desarrolla en varios planos temporales que se alternan de manera aleatoria. Comienza en 1992, seis años después de los hechos acaecidos en el libro anterior. Junto con este plano, nos movemos a distintas fechas del siglo XXI, 2002, 2006 y sobre todo 2011, año crucial en esta trilogía. Todas estas fechas apostan datos importantes para desentrañar el puzle hasta llegar al desenlace. El ritmo sigue siendo ágil y me ha tenido igual de enganchada que las dos anteriores.
Los protagonistas ya son adultos. La trama se desenvuelve desde que tienen 22 años hasta cumplidos los 40. Se nota la evolución en todos ellos.
Curiosa la manera en la que el autor plantea los viajes en el tiempo, la idea de los rastros temporales es cuando menos interesante, así como las razones por las que considera que de existir esta tecnología, los gobiernos llegarían a impedir su uso.
El final, que enlaza con los acontecimientos del primer libro me ha gustado en general. La parte positiva es que completa el círculo y cierra de manera aceptable. La negativa que tiene cosillas, sobre todo las referentes a los amigos de Nick, en las que me parece que Lawrence ha rizado un pelín el rizo.
En conclusión. Un más que correcto cierre de la trilogía, como las dos anteriores engancha y se lee bien. Recomendable.
Mis impresiones.
Como en las dos anteriores, el título está sacado de las partidas de “Dungeons & Dragons", juego que, como ya he dicho anteriormente, no es el eje central de la novela ni hay que conocerlo para seguir la trama.
Esta última entrega se desarrolla en varios planos temporales que se alternan de manera aleatoria. Comienza en 1992, seis años después de los hechos acaecidos en el libro anterior. Junto con este plano, nos movemos a distintas fechas del siglo XXI, 2002, 2006 y sobre todo 2011, año crucial en esta trilogía. Todas estas fechas apostan datos importantes para desentrañar el puzle hasta llegar al desenlace. El ritmo sigue siendo ágil y me ha tenido igual de enganchada que las dos anteriores.
Los protagonistas ya son adultos. La trama se desenvuelve desde que tienen 22 años hasta cumplidos los 40. Se nota la evolución en todos ellos.
Curiosa la manera en la que el autor plantea los viajes en el tiempo, la idea de los rastros temporales es cuando menos interesante, así como las razones por las que considera que de existir esta tecnología, los gobiernos llegarían a impedir su uso.
El final, que enlaza con los acontecimientos del primer libro me ha gustado en general. La parte positiva es que completa el círculo y cierra de manera aceptable. La negativa que tiene cosillas, sobre todo las referentes a los amigos de Nick, en las que me parece que Lawrence ha rizado un pelín el rizo.
En conclusión. Un más que correcto cierre de la trilogía, como las dos anteriores engancha y se lee bien. Recomendable.
Read
May 6, 2022It has been over a year since I last followed Nick and the crew in this sci-fi expedition from Mark Lawrence. I thoroughly enjoyed the tone and story of the first two instalments in this series, and there was no change there.
Dispel Illusion wraps up this series really well, achieving a lot in just a few hundred pages. It provided such a satisfying conclusion, as well as keeping the heart of the story. Most of my favourite scenes were the D&D sessions that Mark Lawrence wrote so well. They were immersive, and funny and so engaging. I have never played D&D, but this made me want to.
Full Review to Come
Dispel Illusion wraps up this series really well, achieving a lot in just a few hundred pages. It provided such a satisfying conclusion, as well as keeping the heart of the story. Most of my favourite scenes were the D&D sessions that Mark Lawrence wrote so well. They were immersive, and funny and so engaging. I have never played D&D, but this made me want to.
Full Review to Come
April 26, 2020
There were like multiple timelines that followed the same characters and everyone was travelling all over the place since it’s about time travel and it really messed with my brain which is barely functioning at this point. Since I haven’t been bothered to write full reviews on any of these books in this trilogy(sorry about that, just wasn’t in the mood for it), I will say that it is very smart with lots of scientific stuff about it that I don’t understand but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride. The characters are loads of fun and the D&D game that lasts through all three books is like the best part of everything… well not really, nah who I am kidding.
April 17, 2022
I thought the second volume in this trilogy was a bit too twisty-turny for its own good. However this final book was a return to form and a really satisfying conclusion.
Some reviewers have described this series as young adult, whatever that is. The whole series deals with some grown-up subjects (friendship, ageing, memory) in a grown-up way. It’s also hugely nostalgic. Which makes it perfect for middle aged adolescents like me.
Some reviewers have described this series as young adult, whatever that is. The whole series deals with some grown-up subjects (friendship, ageing, memory) in a grown-up way. It’s also hugely nostalgic. Which makes it perfect for middle aged adolescents like me.
October 23, 2023
Esta trilogía es una pasada. 👌
Cada libro es más complicado que el anterior. Esta tercera parte es liosilla
Se alternan capítulos de varios años distintos hasta 2011, año en el que Nick viajó a 1986 como Demus y contactó con el Nick de 16 años. Nick es Nicodemus en el juego de D&M.
Otra vez hay similitudes con lo que ocurre en la partida de D&M.
Conocemos la evolución de Nick y Mia durante estos años. Y pasa de todo, con situaciones límite. Nick avanza mucho en sus investigaciones y gana un premio Nobel. Continúan juntos y se hacen muy ricos con los viajes en el tiempo. La panda de amigos sigue siendo igual, a lo largo de los años, unos amigos más unidos todavía.
El final no lo esperaba y es perfecto.
Me ha encantado esta trilogía, pero diría que me he dado un atracón tremendo de viajes en el tiempo, en muy poco tiempo!! 🤭
Cada libro es más complicado que el anterior. Esta tercera parte es liosilla
Se alternan capítulos de varios años distintos hasta 2011, año en el que Nick viajó a 1986 como Demus y contactó con el Nick de 16 años. Nick es Nicodemus en el juego de D&M.
Otra vez hay similitudes con lo que ocurre en la partida de D&M.
Conocemos la evolución de Nick y Mia durante estos años. Y pasa de todo, con situaciones límite. Nick avanza mucho en sus investigaciones y gana un premio Nobel. Continúan juntos y se hacen muy ricos con los viajes en el tiempo. La panda de amigos sigue siendo igual, a lo largo de los años, unos amigos más unidos todavía.
El final no lo esperaba y es perfecto.
Me ha encantado esta trilogía, pero diría que me he dado un atracón tremendo de viajes en el tiempo, en muy poco tiempo!! 🤭
January 7, 2020
Dispel Illusion is the third book in the Impossible Times series.
For almost all of it I tried to solve the time travel puzzle that Lawrence has set up, and for almost all of it I didn't manage.
Then, however, just before the climax, I understood where this was headed, and here's why I'm torn: it's a time travel series that makes sense (at least to me) and ends up with a satisfying conclusion BUT wasn't it all just a tiny bit too convenient by the end? (It felt like part of the conclusion took away some of the first book's impact, but then again: it also made me happy...)
I do think, overall, that this is possibly the best time travel story I've ever read, and everything came full circle.
I recommend the entire series to, well, basically, everyone. This is a superb series by one of the best fantasy authors.
For almost all of it I tried to solve the time travel puzzle that Lawrence has set up, and for almost all of it I didn't manage.
Then, however, just before the climax, I understood where this was headed, and here's why I'm torn: it's a time travel series that makes sense (at least to me) and ends up with a satisfying conclusion BUT wasn't it all just a tiny bit too convenient by the end? (It felt like part of the conclusion took away some of the first book's impact, but then again: it also made me happy...)
I do think, overall, that this is possibly the best time travel story I've ever read, and everything came full circle.
I recommend the entire series to, well, basically, everyone. This is a superb series by one of the best fantasy authors.
May 9, 2022
Excellent series! 4.5 stars
Again, how awesome is a story about D&D plus time travel??
This final book covers several time periods. First, Nick and the gang are in 1992, when time travel is getting under way as a feasible technology. In 2011, Nick seems himself turn into Demus and has to face the fate waiting for him in 1986. And then ... Read and find out. There is a lot of suspense and humor and surprises and a cool D&D game. Really, this series is just about perfect.
I also love how time travel works in the series. In most stories, you vanish from one time and show up in another. But I’ve always believed that you wouldn’t just disappear from space when traveling through time. We naturally travel through time and space as it is. We have more control over our movement through space. So if you could have more control over moving through time, as in time travel, you’d have less control over movement through space but never disappear from either. Lawrence has had this same thought, and I really appreciate it.
I wanted that back. I wanted those days back. And even though I was standing in them, letting them flow by me hour after hour, I knew that could never happen. We get one shot. However you play it out. Fast forward it, rewind, it’s still the same: a single shot.
The universe doesn’t care about time. We care about time. Because we remember.
Language: Occasional strong language
Sexual Content: Implied/off-page
Violence: A stabby psycho chases and attacks the heroes.
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
Again, how awesome is a story about D&D plus time travel??
This final book covers several time periods. First, Nick and the gang are in 1992, when time travel is getting under way as a feasible technology. In 2011, Nick seems himself turn into Demus and has to face the fate waiting for him in 1986. And then ... Read and find out. There is a lot of suspense and humor and surprises and a cool D&D game. Really, this series is just about perfect.
I also love how time travel works in the series. In most stories, you vanish from one time and show up in another. But I’ve always believed that you wouldn’t just disappear from space when traveling through time. We naturally travel through time and space as it is. We have more control over our movement through space. So if you could have more control over moving through time, as in time travel, you’d have less control over movement through space but never disappear from either. Lawrence has had this same thought, and I really appreciate it.
I wanted that back. I wanted those days back. And even though I was standing in them, letting them flow by me hour after hour, I knew that could never happen. We get one shot. However you play it out. Fast forward it, rewind, it’s still the same: a single shot.
The universe doesn’t care about time. We care about time. Because we remember.
Language: Occasional strong language
Sexual Content: Implied/off-page
Violence: A stabby psycho chases and attacks the heroes.
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
January 4, 2020
Rating: 9.0/10
Thanks to the author for an advance reading copy of Dispel Illusion (Impossible Times #3) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
The stories of our lives don’t behave themselves; they don’t have clear
beginnings, and even death isn’t a clear end. We just do what we can, we take what kindness and joy we find along the way, we ride the rapids as best we’re able.
If anyone could write a novel that grabs the threads from the previous installments, weave them seamlessly together to perfect the bow which is the finale, and provide one of the best reading experiences of 2019, Lawrence is your guy. Authors, take note. This is how you finish a series and give your readers exactly what they crave.
Again, like the previous novels, the focus is on the main character, Nick Hayes. It has been quite an adventure following ole Nicky throughout his journey, especially with the, you know, time traveling genius who had cancer and gets the girl vibe. While Lawrence continues to make maths as sexy as possible, he doesn’t allow the theories and actual science to float over your head like an anvil, waiting to mush your brains as the rope beings to fray. It is like seeing someone rear back to punch you in the face, only to give you the gentlest of touches. Mark does a fantastic job of continuing to mix up the science with mystery, fast-paced action, and plenty of D&D goodness.
What I liked most about Dispel is that we are done focusing on how time travel is possible and more how it will affect the past/current/future timelines. Do your actions really have consequences? If you choose to go to the past to fix a mistake, how does that alter your reality? What exactly are the risks of changing one thing vs multiple? Lawrence really pushes the reader to think, which may or may not be your thing when reading a book. For me, I love a good challenge.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first two (2) books in the Impossible Times trilogy, chances are you have already purchased and/or read Dispel Illusion. Props to you. For those of you who haven’t given this series a chance, it is about time you did.
Thanks to the author for an advance reading copy of Dispel Illusion (Impossible Times #3) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
The stories of our lives don’t behave themselves; they don’t have clear
beginnings, and even death isn’t a clear end. We just do what we can, we take what kindness and joy we find along the way, we ride the rapids as best we’re able.
If anyone could write a novel that grabs the threads from the previous installments, weave them seamlessly together to perfect the bow which is the finale, and provide one of the best reading experiences of 2019, Lawrence is your guy. Authors, take note. This is how you finish a series and give your readers exactly what they crave.
Again, like the previous novels, the focus is on the main character, Nick Hayes. It has been quite an adventure following ole Nicky throughout his journey, especially with the, you know, time traveling genius who had cancer and gets the girl vibe. While Lawrence continues to make maths as sexy as possible, he doesn’t allow the theories and actual science to float over your head like an anvil, waiting to mush your brains as the rope beings to fray. It is like seeing someone rear back to punch you in the face, only to give you the gentlest of touches. Mark does a fantastic job of continuing to mix up the science with mystery, fast-paced action, and plenty of D&D goodness.
What I liked most about Dispel is that we are done focusing on how time travel is possible and more how it will affect the past/current/future timelines. Do your actions really have consequences? If you choose to go to the past to fix a mistake, how does that alter your reality? What exactly are the risks of changing one thing vs multiple? Lawrence really pushes the reader to think, which may or may not be your thing when reading a book. For me, I love a good challenge.
All in all, if you enjoyed the first two (2) books in the Impossible Times trilogy, chances are you have already purchased and/or read Dispel Illusion. Props to you. For those of you who haven’t given this series a chance, it is about time you did.
January 27, 2020
This is the first book I’ve ever “read” as an audiobook! I read and very much enjoyed the first two parts of the trilogy last year, but somehow missed seeing this come up on NetGalley so bought it, then saw that for a couple of extra $ I could get the audio version. I have just started an audible subscription, mainly for running, but thought that this might also be something my husband would enjoy too, even though he hasn’t read the previous two, so we tried it out for a long car journey and both liked it. There is a convenient summary of the first two novels at the beginning which was a useful recap for both both of us. I would still recommend reading all three in order but he was able to pick up the story quite easily.
Set in various years, this is told from time-travelling mathematical genius Nick Hayes’ grown-up perpective as he recounts his development of the technology that will allow him to one day go back to 1986 as Demus to find his 16-year old self and complete the mission to restore his beloved wife Mia’s memories after a terrible accident. Knowing he can’t change the past without creating a potentially universe-ending paradox or splitting off into a different time course, Nick must ensure that everything goes exactly according to plan - but maybe he can still fix his past mistakes?
This was another enjoyable time-bending fantasy with plenty of fun geek references, from Doctor Who to Scooby Doo! The D&D sequences went on a bit long for my taste, and I confess I did doze off during one of them (luckily it wasn’t me driving!) but the plot does eventually all make sense by closing the time loop and the trilogy in a satisfying way. I found the narration a bit ponderous and wasn’t able to speed it up on the Kindle audio as you can with Audible, and didn’t love the accents, but will be investigating more audiobooks for the car in future on the strength of this as it certainly helped speed up our journey.
Set in various years, this is told from time-travelling mathematical genius Nick Hayes’ grown-up perpective as he recounts his development of the technology that will allow him to one day go back to 1986 as Demus to find his 16-year old self and complete the mission to restore his beloved wife Mia’s memories after a terrible accident. Knowing he can’t change the past without creating a potentially universe-ending paradox or splitting off into a different time course, Nick must ensure that everything goes exactly according to plan - but maybe he can still fix his past mistakes?
This was another enjoyable time-bending fantasy with plenty of fun geek references, from Doctor Who to Scooby Doo! The D&D sequences went on a bit long for my taste, and I confess I did doze off during one of them (luckily it wasn’t me driving!) but the plot does eventually all make sense by closing the time loop and the trilogy in a satisfying way. I found the narration a bit ponderous and wasn’t able to speed it up on the Kindle audio as you can with Audible, and didn’t love the accents, but will be investigating more audiobooks for the car in future on the strength of this as it certainly helped speed up our journey.
March 16, 2021
Loved the characters.
Loved the opening.
Loved the emotion.
Especially loved the Dungeons and Dragons game.
Loved so many chapters in particular.
I am not one to go looking for logic holes in time travel stories and don't care if anyone can cite any for this series; the science at a glance sounds perfectly valid and doesn't get in the way of the story, which is the correct priority.
I thought the resolution was rather schmaltzy, but I'll take it.
Loved the opening.
Loved the emotion.
Especially loved the Dungeons and Dragons game.
Loved so many chapters in particular.
I am not one to go looking for logic holes in time travel stories and don't care if anyone can cite any for this series; the science at a glance sounds perfectly valid and doesn't get in the way of the story, which is the correct priority.
I thought the resolution was rather schmaltzy, but I'll take it.
June 10, 2020
A really great ending to an incredibly fun trilogy. Mark Lawrence must have plotted this out meticulously because he wraps it all up with a bow, albeit not a very neat one. I had an absolute blast with this SF series and will definitely be checking out the author's other work.
November 15, 2019
Nailed it.
February 14, 2021
My review for the trilogy:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
June 21, 2020
Review now Live at Grimdark Magazine.
“Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.” That’s a great lead on the blurb for this book, and only makes sense after the experience has completed. Dispel Illusion is the third and final installation of the Impossible Times trilogy, and it truly brings everything full circle.
I reviewed Book One, One Word Kill and Book Two, Limited Wish last year at Grimdark Magazine. I was blown away by how Lawrence pulled me into the story and kept surprising me throughout. Book Three is no different, and I simply had to read it and line it up on the site behind the others.
Dispel Illusion takes us and our characters some six years forward from where we left off in Limited Wish. No, we haven’t shifted in time; that’s just how long it’s passed since the conclusion of Book Two. Our heroes have all “grown up” and started careers, though they still get together periodically to play their Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Mia is the Dungeon Master. John and Simon are the stalwart companions to our main protagonist, Nick, who is also once again the narrator of our tale.
Nick’s cancer seems to be gone. The time hammer used in Book Two seems to have “fixed” the timeline and they’ve avoided paradox. Nick and Mia are together, with the teen angst which plagued them at the beginning of their relationship lost in the past. Nick is working in a science lab, continuing on his quest to invent time travel, as his future self came back to tell him he would.
All’s great, or so it seems at first. But we soon learn that Nick and his friends are closing in on the time where it all started, or will start. Mia’s future accident, which prompted Nick to go “back” to fix her, is coming. There are many things that have to happen before they get there, such as creating a way to actually travel back in time.
Then a major discovery happens, and Nick is called in. A breakthrough in suspending time and moving forward has them all excited. Then his sponsor reveals a hidden cavern where more than a hundred people are suspended in time, presumably on their way “back” in time. What does all this mean? Nick has to puzzle that out, and with the help of his close friends, make sure everything stays on course.
This book shifts a little more than the first two, in that while we start out in 1992, we soon get point of view chapters from years down the line, 2009 and 2011. It’s all coming together, and the events of these different years tie it up as we connect the dots. As with the first two books, our party’s D&D adventures run parallel, with yet another new theme being applied in the game and translating beautifully into the present/past/future narratives. Dispel Illusion is a powerful spell in D&D, much more complicated in its application than its name implies. But as things often are, the name of the spell is also the function. Nick just has to decide when to use it, when to break through the perceptions of what is real and work out the implications of knowing the truth.
I won’t give away how it all comes together, but I was pulled in even more as the story unfolded and these different storylines came to one. Things aren’t always as they seem, and Lawrence is a master at obfuscating and then dropping the reveal with perfect timing. Dispel Illusion was every bit as satisfying as the first two books in the series and brought the trilogy to the perfect spot to complete a grand story as they link together over time. Of course, time.
“Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.” That’s a great lead on the blurb for this book, and only makes sense after the experience has completed. Dispel Illusion is the third and final installation of the Impossible Times trilogy, and it truly brings everything full circle.
I reviewed Book One, One Word Kill and Book Two, Limited Wish last year at Grimdark Magazine. I was blown away by how Lawrence pulled me into the story and kept surprising me throughout. Book Three is no different, and I simply had to read it and line it up on the site behind the others.
Dispel Illusion takes us and our characters some six years forward from where we left off in Limited Wish. No, we haven’t shifted in time; that’s just how long it’s passed since the conclusion of Book Two. Our heroes have all “grown up” and started careers, though they still get together periodically to play their Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Mia is the Dungeon Master. John and Simon are the stalwart companions to our main protagonist, Nick, who is also once again the narrator of our tale.
Nick’s cancer seems to be gone. The time hammer used in Book Two seems to have “fixed” the timeline and they’ve avoided paradox. Nick and Mia are together, with the teen angst which plagued them at the beginning of their relationship lost in the past. Nick is working in a science lab, continuing on his quest to invent time travel, as his future self came back to tell him he would.
All’s great, or so it seems at first. But we soon learn that Nick and his friends are closing in on the time where it all started, or will start. Mia’s future accident, which prompted Nick to go “back” to fix her, is coming. There are many things that have to happen before they get there, such as creating a way to actually travel back in time.
Then a major discovery happens, and Nick is called in. A breakthrough in suspending time and moving forward has them all excited. Then his sponsor reveals a hidden cavern where more than a hundred people are suspended in time, presumably on their way “back” in time. What does all this mean? Nick has to puzzle that out, and with the help of his close friends, make sure everything stays on course.
This book shifts a little more than the first two, in that while we start out in 1992, we soon get point of view chapters from years down the line, 2009 and 2011. It’s all coming together, and the events of these different years tie it up as we connect the dots. As with the first two books, our party’s D&D adventures run parallel, with yet another new theme being applied in the game and translating beautifully into the present/past/future narratives. Dispel Illusion is a powerful spell in D&D, much more complicated in its application than its name implies. But as things often are, the name of the spell is also the function. Nick just has to decide when to use it, when to break through the perceptions of what is real and work out the implications of knowing the truth.
I won’t give away how it all comes together, but I was pulled in even more as the story unfolded and these different storylines came to one. Things aren’t always as they seem, and Lawrence is a master at obfuscating and then dropping the reveal with perfect timing. Dispel Illusion was every bit as satisfying as the first two books in the series and brought the trilogy to the perfect spot to complete a grand story as they link together over time. Of course, time.
October 22, 2019
This review was originally posted on my blog RockStarlit BookAsylum!
I've got an uncorrected proof copy through Netgalley. Thanks to 47North and Mark Lawrence for the opportunity.
Everything has to come to an end, and so with Dispel Illusion, we have to say goodybe to the Impossible Times trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I know I said this before, but I seriously didn't expect to get hooked on this series so much. It's YA(ish), has a lot of sci-fi elements, one plotline is about these kids playing D&D. Nothing here says YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ THIS and still, here I am, trying to get my thoughts together, but I don't think I'm ready to let Nick, Mia, Simon, John, Elton and Demus' hand go. It doesn't happen often lately that I actually finish a series, so I totally forgot how bittersweet it is to do so.
I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but if you are not familiar with the events in One Word Kill or Limited Wish then it might spoil those books for you. So, read with caution, as I want you to experience this story for yourselves.
We are six years after the events in Limited Wish, just as Nick, Mia, John and Simon start their adult lives with their first jobs - well, for Nick he is still in his first job, working alongside Dr Creed and Professor Halligan to make time travel possible in the very very near future. They are on the verge of a break through, and Mr Guilde - supported by Charles Rust - is really adamant with getting on with the experiments. For which they have their own reasons of course. While One Word Kill and Limited Wish only focused on a narrow timeframe, in Dispel Illusion we jump forward in time to 2006 and then the dreaded year 2011. These glimpses into the future help to understand how Nick reached some of his decisions and generally how his and his friends' lives went. And of course those episodes where they play D&D give depth to "real life" events as they happen.
As I hardly ever finish a series lately, I forgot how it feels nearing the end. I wasn't ready for it, even though I was eagerly waiting to read Dispel Illusion to be released. I was curious how the story will end. I mean, we kind of now that - or at least those who read One Word Kill do - but I was also sure that a twist is waiting for us somewhere. And even though I did expect it, I still wasn't ready for the hit. When a book makes me tear up, then that means the author did something right, because damn, that's hard to accomplish. But Lawrence is generally good at balancing the serious moments with some humor or emotional moments, which helps you feel less helpless while you try to wrap your mind around the scientific stuff going on - I have a hard time with this, but I never been into sciences, so there is that.
I only wish that Simon, John and Elton didn't get more spotlight in the final book of the trilogy. I know that strictly speaking this wasn't their story, but they gave the life and heart to it. Actually, Elton caused the most emotional moments for me and he had the least role in the books.
Dispel Illusion brings a most satisfying ending to the Impossible Times trilogy. The threads are closed seamlessly and there aren't unanswered questions left. Maybe a few smaller ones, but in general, you can't have much complains. I had high expectations for Dispel Illusion, and it didn't disappoint. Just as full of heart, and life lessons as the previous books. I highly recommend the whole trilogy if you'd like to dive into a tale about time travelling, love, friendship, decisions and second chances.
I've got an uncorrected proof copy through Netgalley. Thanks to 47North and Mark Lawrence for the opportunity.
"I had left that boy behind in my wake, just as we all abandon the children we were. Slow or fast, the years pull us apart from them, sometimes in one savage yank, sometimes by degrees, like the hour hand of the clock, too stealthy for us to perceive its motion and yet when you look again it is no longer where you left it."
Everything has to come to an end, and so with Dispel Illusion, we have to say goodybe to the Impossible Times trilogy by Mark Lawrence. I know I said this before, but I seriously didn't expect to get hooked on this series so much. It's YA(ish), has a lot of sci-fi elements, one plotline is about these kids playing D&D. Nothing here says YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ THIS and still, here I am, trying to get my thoughts together, but I don't think I'm ready to let Nick, Mia, Simon, John, Elton and Demus' hand go. It doesn't happen often lately that I actually finish a series, so I totally forgot how bittersweet it is to do so.
I will try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but if you are not familiar with the events in One Word Kill or Limited Wish then it might spoil those books for you. So, read with caution, as I want you to experience this story for yourselves.
We are six years after the events in Limited Wish, just as Nick, Mia, John and Simon start their adult lives with their first jobs - well, for Nick he is still in his first job, working alongside Dr Creed and Professor Halligan to make time travel possible in the very very near future. They are on the verge of a break through, and Mr Guilde - supported by Charles Rust - is really adamant with getting on with the experiments. For which they have their own reasons of course. While One Word Kill and Limited Wish only focused on a narrow timeframe, in Dispel Illusion we jump forward in time to 2006 and then the dreaded year 2011. These glimpses into the future help to understand how Nick reached some of his decisions and generally how his and his friends' lives went. And of course those episodes where they play D&D give depth to "real life" events as they happen.
"How that sense of belonging had felt, of discovering that there were in the world people whose minds were like mine, open to something more than reality, ready to follow imagination wherever it went."
As I hardly ever finish a series lately, I forgot how it feels nearing the end. I wasn't ready for it, even though I was eagerly waiting to read Dispel Illusion to be released. I was curious how the story will end. I mean, we kind of now that - or at least those who read One Word Kill do - but I was also sure that a twist is waiting for us somewhere. And even though I did expect it, I still wasn't ready for the hit. When a book makes me tear up, then that means the author did something right, because damn, that's hard to accomplish. But Lawrence is generally good at balancing the serious moments with some humor or emotional moments, which helps you feel less helpless while you try to wrap your mind around the scientific stuff going on - I have a hard time with this, but I never been into sciences, so there is that.
"Sometimes knowledge isn't power. Sometimes it's just a burden."
I only wish that Simon, John and Elton didn't get more spotlight in the final book of the trilogy. I know that strictly speaking this wasn't their story, but they gave the life and heart to it. Actually, Elton caused the most emotional moments for me and he had the least role in the books.
"Memory and time, time and memory. The universe doesn't care abou time. We care about time. Because we remember."
Dispel Illusion brings a most satisfying ending to the Impossible Times trilogy. The threads are closed seamlessly and there aren't unanswered questions left. Maybe a few smaller ones, but in general, you can't have much complains. I had high expectations for Dispel Illusion, and it didn't disappoint. Just as full of heart, and life lessons as the previous books. I highly recommend the whole trilogy if you'd like to dive into a tale about time travelling, love, friendship, decisions and second chances.
February 3, 2020
I loved it, the whole trilogy but this last one best. I loved the way it ended and I loved how the characters feel like friends now.
I didn't really try to understand the time travel stuff, just took it for granted and I loved that I could and still thoroughly enjoy the story.
I would recommend this series to, well, ehm... everyone!
I didn't really try to understand the time travel stuff, just took it for granted and I loved that I could and still thoroughly enjoy the story.
I would recommend this series to, well, ehm... everyone!
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