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Physics, Lust and Greed #2
Wasting Time
When time travelers fail test after test to significantly alter the past, most financial backers abandon the Global Research Consortium leaving veteran traveler Marta Hamilton to administer a vastly scaled-down project. She must protect the past from a greedy future, fend off political meddling, and foil a murder plot originating in a parallel universe. She presides over a conspiracy to hide the truth of her best friend’s death while coping with a confusing and discomforting romantic entanglement involving fellow traveler Marshall Grissom.
Marta, who has by professional necessity always distanced herself from emotional commitment, lapsed by allowing herself the luxury of friendship with Sheila Schuler and a night of wild sex with Marshall. Now, Sheila is probably dead, and—according to a genius physicists’ theory—Marshall soon will be. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, Marta must choose between the risks of loving someone, or the lonely safety of emotional solitude.
(No cats were harmed in the telling of this story.)
Marta, who has by professional necessity always distanced herself from emotional commitment, lapsed by allowing herself the luxury of friendship with Sheila Schuler and a night of wild sex with Marshall. Now, Sheila is probably dead, and—according to a genius physicists’ theory—Marshall soon will be. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, Marta must choose between the risks of loving someone, or the lonely safety of emotional solitude.
(No cats were harmed in the telling of this story.)
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
Unknown Binding
Published October 1, 2020
8 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Mike Murphey
11 books49 followersMike Murphey is a native of eastern New Mexico and spent almost thirty years as an award-winning newspaper journalist in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest.
Following his retirement from the newspaper business, he and his wife Nancy entered in a seventeen-year partnership with the late Dave Henderson, all-star centerfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. Their company produced the A’s and Mariners adult baseball Fantasy Camps. They also have a partnership with the Roy Hobbs adult baseball organization in Fort Myers, Florida.
At the age of 60, Mike stopped procrastinating and revived his life-long ambition to write a novel. His debut novel, a coming-of-age story called Section Roads—a coming of Age story set in the small town where he grew up—has been recognized by Indie Reader Discovery Awards, Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards, The IAN Book of the Year Awards, the Somerset Contemporary Fiction Awards, and the Independent Publishers Book Awards. His novel, The Conman … A Baseball Odyssey, has been recognized by the International Book Awards, the eLit Awards and the Manhattan Book Awards. He has also published his humorous science fiction Physics, Lust and Greed series, which includes Taking Time … a Tale of Physics, Lust and Greed, Wasting Time and Killing Time. “We Never Knew Just What It Was… The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio” is his first work of non-fiction. Mike loves fiction, cats, baseball and sailing. He splits his time between Spokane, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona where he enjoys life as a writer and old-man baseball player.
Following his retirement from the newspaper business, he and his wife Nancy entered in a seventeen-year partnership with the late Dave Henderson, all-star centerfielder for the Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners. Their company produced the A’s and Mariners adult baseball Fantasy Camps. They also have a partnership with the Roy Hobbs adult baseball organization in Fort Myers, Florida.
At the age of 60, Mike stopped procrastinating and revived his life-long ambition to write a novel. His debut novel, a coming-of-age story called Section Roads—a coming of Age story set in the small town where he grew up—has been recognized by Indie Reader Discovery Awards, Reader Views Reviewers Choice Awards, The IAN Book of the Year Awards, the Somerset Contemporary Fiction Awards, and the Independent Publishers Book Awards. His novel, The Conman … A Baseball Odyssey, has been recognized by the International Book Awards, the eLit Awards and the Manhattan Book Awards. He has also published his humorous science fiction Physics, Lust and Greed series, which includes Taking Time … a Tale of Physics, Lust and Greed, Wasting Time and Killing Time. “We Never Knew Just What It Was… The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio” is his first work of non-fiction. Mike loves fiction, cats, baseball and sailing. He splits his time between Spokane, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona where he enjoys life as a writer and old-man baseball player.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 4, 2021
When time travelers fail test after test to significantly alter the past, most financial backers abandon the Global Research Consortium leaving veteran traveler Marta Hamilton to administer a vastly scaled-down project. She must protect the past from a greedy future, fend off political meddling, and foil a murder plot originating in a parallel universe. She presides over a conspiracy to hide the truth of her best friend’s death while coping with a confusing and discomforting romantic entanglement involving fellow traveler Marshall Grissom.
Marta, who has by professional necessity always distanced herself from emotional commitment, lapsed by allowing herself the luxury of friendship with Sheila Schuler and a night of wild sex with Marshall. Now, Sheila is probably dead, and—according to a genius physicists’ theory—Marshall soon will be. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, Marta must choose between the risks of loving someone, or the lonely safety of emotional solitude.
Wasting Time (Physics, Lust and Greed #2) by Mike Murphey is a good follow up to its predecessor, Taking Time. I appreciated the first installment enough that I'm glad I decided to come back for this solid sequel. As with the first installment, there were elements that didn't quite work for me, but there were also elements here that I enjoyed a little bit more. Now that I've officially completed the novel, I would say I prefer it to the first book but not quite enough to bump it up to four stars. That said it is a must read if you're a fan of the science fiction genre and time travel like I am. I know I've said it before, but I can't resist well done time travel. Luckily, Murphey does a good job of pulling it off.
My favorite aspect of this novel is easily how the author presents the parallel universes. It's a lot of fun to see the differences between our cast's home world and the parallel worlds they find themselves coming into contact with. They get to do and see some very unexpected things on top of the standard time travel exploits that they've come to expect. I greatly appreciated that this is a much more action packed read in comparison as well. Honestly, I think I preferred the cast of characters a little more this time around. Originally, they could grate on me but I found that to be a little less so here. We get to look a little deeper this time around and that helped make up for some of the elements before. As for what I didn't care for this time around, much of it amounted to exactly the same thing as with the first novel in the series. The nudity doesn't bother me all that much, but I could have done with less of a focus on that element. There are some pretty cringey things that I could have totally done without to be honest. Basically, I'm in it for the time travel and parallel universe travel, not so much the other stuff.
Overall, Wasting Time (Physics, Lust and Greed #2) by Mike Murphey is a solid sequel that allows us to explore more with the characters in both in time and in parallel universes. It's quite creative and a must read for fans of the sci-fi genre, time travel, and the multiverse. Although, it isn't one of my favorites of the year, I still had a fun time exploring more of Murphey's world. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next in the future.
Marta, who has by professional necessity always distanced herself from emotional commitment, lapsed by allowing herself the luxury of friendship with Sheila Schuler and a night of wild sex with Marshall. Now, Sheila is probably dead, and—according to a genius physicists’ theory—Marshall soon will be. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, Marta must choose between the risks of loving someone, or the lonely safety of emotional solitude.
Wasting Time (Physics, Lust and Greed #2) by Mike Murphey is a good follow up to its predecessor, Taking Time. I appreciated the first installment enough that I'm glad I decided to come back for this solid sequel. As with the first installment, there were elements that didn't quite work for me, but there were also elements here that I enjoyed a little bit more. Now that I've officially completed the novel, I would say I prefer it to the first book but not quite enough to bump it up to four stars. That said it is a must read if you're a fan of the science fiction genre and time travel like I am. I know I've said it before, but I can't resist well done time travel. Luckily, Murphey does a good job of pulling it off.
My favorite aspect of this novel is easily how the author presents the parallel universes. It's a lot of fun to see the differences between our cast's home world and the parallel worlds they find themselves coming into contact with. They get to do and see some very unexpected things on top of the standard time travel exploits that they've come to expect. I greatly appreciated that this is a much more action packed read in comparison as well. Honestly, I think I preferred the cast of characters a little more this time around. Originally, they could grate on me but I found that to be a little less so here. We get to look a little deeper this time around and that helped make up for some of the elements before. As for what I didn't care for this time around, much of it amounted to exactly the same thing as with the first novel in the series. The nudity doesn't bother me all that much, but I could have done with less of a focus on that element. There are some pretty cringey things that I could have totally done without to be honest. Basically, I'm in it for the time travel and parallel universe travel, not so much the other stuff.
Overall, Wasting Time (Physics, Lust and Greed #2) by Mike Murphey is a solid sequel that allows us to explore more with the characters in both in time and in parallel universes. It's quite creative and a must read for fans of the sci-fi genre, time travel, and the multiverse. Although, it isn't one of my favorites of the year, I still had a fun time exploring more of Murphey's world. I'm looking forward to seeing what's next in the future.
February 8, 2021
“Wasting Time: Book 2 in the Physics, Lust and Greed Series” by Mike Murphey, is a highly entertaining science fiction time travel novel. Altering the past via time travel costs money, and the Global Research Consortium that funded such a project backs out, but Marta Hamilton is an experienced time traveler who plans to forge ahead with a smaller version of the original plan. Her goal is to keep the past out of the hands of a greedy future, prevent politics from mucking it up, and throw a curveball into a murder plan that began in a parallel universe. Marta has her hands full trying to deal with the death of her best friend and a romance with Marshal Grissom, who is also a time traveler. She indulges in a friendship with Sheila Schuler, which has normally been against Marta’s professional code, and she also has a rowdy one-night stand with Marshall. A brilliant physicist thinks Sheila could be dead now, and Marshall could be next. As Marta navigates the time travel agenda, she has a decision to make: Take a chance on love or play it safe with emotional distance.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi adventure with something different, your search is over with this book. Murphey has developed an interesting and enjoyable read that combines elements of sci fi, time travel, romance, and humor. He breathes life into each character, and the intriguing plot will have you wondering how it will play out.
I like that this isn’t a predictable book, and the characters seem to have a life of their own. Marta is multi-faceted and a well-drawn character. She maneuvers through the plot and deals with supporting characters with a mind of her own. Sheila, who was murdered by being sent back in time before she was born, is a great character as well.
More romance than physics, with a dash of humor and attitude, this would be a good one to read to put you in a good mood or provide some escapism. The physics is there, but isn’t heavy-handed, and you can trust that this author knows what he’s doing when it comes to constructing a story that thoroughly entertains. There is an offbeat thread of TV show theme music, but I won’t spoil it here. “Wasting Time: Book 2 in the Physics, Lust and Greed Series”, by Mike Murphey, is a breath of fresh air for the sci-fi genre.
If you’re looking for a sci-fi adventure with something different, your search is over with this book. Murphey has developed an interesting and enjoyable read that combines elements of sci fi, time travel, romance, and humor. He breathes life into each character, and the intriguing plot will have you wondering how it will play out.
I like that this isn’t a predictable book, and the characters seem to have a life of their own. Marta is multi-faceted and a well-drawn character. She maneuvers through the plot and deals with supporting characters with a mind of her own. Sheila, who was murdered by being sent back in time before she was born, is a great character as well.
More romance than physics, with a dash of humor and attitude, this would be a good one to read to put you in a good mood or provide some escapism. The physics is there, but isn’t heavy-handed, and you can trust that this author knows what he’s doing when it comes to constructing a story that thoroughly entertains. There is an offbeat thread of TV show theme music, but I won’t spoil it here. “Wasting Time: Book 2 in the Physics, Lust and Greed Series”, by Mike Murphey, is a breath of fresh air for the sci-fi genre.
September 26, 2020
Murphey’s swiftly paced second installment in the Physics, Lust and Greed series is an invigorating and emotionally satisfying SF drama.
After the time travelers failed to significantly alter the past, Global Research Consortium is in danger of disintegrating with its financial backers threatening to pull out. With Sheila Schuler transported to another dimension, the vastly significant time travel project on the brink of collapse, and a temporary fling with the handsome Marshall Grissom becoming a full-fledged emotional affair, threatening to break the lonely safety of her emotional solitude, the veteran time traveler Marta Hamilton has her hands full. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, she must do everything in her power to protect the past from a greedy future while fending off political meddling and foil a murder plot originating in a parallel universe.
With characters’ backstories thoroughly explored in the first installment, Murphey shifts focus to the slick, lightweight SF plot in this installment. The clever, futuristic setting with its concept of multitude of time dimensions and parallel universes is crafted with skill and aptitude. The smoothly paced narrative is filled with dark humor, high tension, constructing and settling a major conflict in the past while creating more complex story arcs.
A generous dose of witty dialogue and hilarious situations (the Happy Home Companion software designed to take care of residents’ psychological well-being with its hilarious interpretations of everyday human interactions; the old dear Nadine’s solution to her own dilemma of time traveling without her cloths, “I worked my way through college as a stripper, honey. Just stick a pole on that platform, tell everyone to bring two-dollar bills and I‘ll feel right at home.”) keep the reader turning pages.
Murphy’s deeply realized characters populate a thoroughly realistic world, and the gradually budding bond between Marta and Marshall is a pleasure to watch unfold. Murphy skillfully balances Marta’s occasional sentimentality by her hardheaded calculation. Marshall with his strict code of ethics and gullibility is endearing. The Old Bob Buttons, the golf cart driver, and Nadine, the lunchroom lady, don’t get much space but they are absolute darlings.
A sinister web of corporate and political corruption lends mystery and a stark realism to a thrilling setting of multiple time dimensions and parallel universes. Despite its hard SF theme, the novel’s tone stays lighthearted.
This entertaining novel will intrigue and entertain lovers of humorous time travel.
After the time travelers failed to significantly alter the past, Global Research Consortium is in danger of disintegrating with its financial backers threatening to pull out. With Sheila Schuler transported to another dimension, the vastly significant time travel project on the brink of collapse, and a temporary fling with the handsome Marshall Grissom becoming a full-fledged emotional affair, threatening to break the lonely safety of her emotional solitude, the veteran time traveler Marta Hamilton has her hands full. As she assumes her role as administrator of the time travel program, she must do everything in her power to protect the past from a greedy future while fending off political meddling and foil a murder plot originating in a parallel universe.
With characters’ backstories thoroughly explored in the first installment, Murphey shifts focus to the slick, lightweight SF plot in this installment. The clever, futuristic setting with its concept of multitude of time dimensions and parallel universes is crafted with skill and aptitude. The smoothly paced narrative is filled with dark humor, high tension, constructing and settling a major conflict in the past while creating more complex story arcs.
A generous dose of witty dialogue and hilarious situations (the Happy Home Companion software designed to take care of residents’ psychological well-being with its hilarious interpretations of everyday human interactions; the old dear Nadine’s solution to her own dilemma of time traveling without her cloths, “I worked my way through college as a stripper, honey. Just stick a pole on that platform, tell everyone to bring two-dollar bills and I‘ll feel right at home.”) keep the reader turning pages.
Murphy’s deeply realized characters populate a thoroughly realistic world, and the gradually budding bond between Marta and Marshall is a pleasure to watch unfold. Murphy skillfully balances Marta’s occasional sentimentality by her hardheaded calculation. Marshall with his strict code of ethics and gullibility is endearing. The Old Bob Buttons, the golf cart driver, and Nadine, the lunchroom lady, don’t get much space but they are absolute darlings.
A sinister web of corporate and political corruption lends mystery and a stark realism to a thrilling setting of multiple time dimensions and parallel universes. Despite its hard SF theme, the novel’s tone stays lighthearted.
This entertaining novel will intrigue and entertain lovers of humorous time travel.
November 4, 2020
This was a fabulous follow up to Taking Time. We met the characters, learned about the world and ins and outs in Taking Time and Mike Murphey picks Wasting Time up right where he left off while building on both the characters, their relationships, and the drama and suspense. It's a fabulous and action-packed story.
The relationships are well crafted and really pull you in. The characters are so well written. They are my favorite part of this book.
Mike Murphey has done it again, I LOVE his writing! Want more!
The relationships are well crafted and really pull you in. The characters are so well written. They are my favorite part of this book.
Mike Murphey has done it again, I LOVE his writing! Want more!
October 22, 2020
I absolutely love Mike Murphey's imagination and how he weaves his stories. They are always well balanced and intriguing themes. This one is no different.
It's a great continuation to the series. I like how Murphey manages to deepen our understanding of the characters and the world.
More action and drama, but the same wonderful characters and world.
It's a great continuation to the series. I like how Murphey manages to deepen our understanding of the characters and the world.
More action and drama, but the same wonderful characters and world.
November 5, 2020
What a fabulous follow-up that delivers the same things as book 1, but only amplified.
I am loving this series and these characters. Mike Murphey is a master of melding the Fantasy/Sci-Fi aspects.
I can’t wait for more.
I am loving this series and these characters. Mike Murphey is a master of melding the Fantasy/Sci-Fi aspects.
I can’t wait for more.
November 13, 2020
This is the second in series and here is what I found… this too is an intriguing tale which will draw you in, twist you round, and round again and ultimately push you out the other side.
Give this a go, you won’t be disappointed! I read this book in two days, couldn’t put it down!
Give this a go, you won’t be disappointed! I read this book in two days, couldn’t put it down!
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January 5, 2021This is the 2nd book of a series after Taking Time: a Tale of Physics, Lust and Greed. I immediately got this 2nd book after I saw it on Edelweiss because I really enjoyed the first book. But unfortunately, after 3 months of trying to finish this one, I'm still stuck at 44% of this book.
So I decided thar for now, I'll put this on my dnf shelf. Hoping that one day, I'll be able to resume reading this book.
This is a science fiction novel with time travel on it. In case anyone's interested, you might want to start with the first book: Taking Time: a Tale of Physics, Lust and Greed.
***Thanks to the publisher and author for making this book available for review via Edelweiss.***
So I decided thar for now, I'll put this on my dnf shelf. Hoping that one day, I'll be able to resume reading this book.
This is a science fiction novel with time travel on it. In case anyone's interested, you might want to start with the first book: Taking Time: a Tale of Physics, Lust and Greed.
***Thanks to the publisher and author for making this book available for review via Edelweiss.***
August 10, 2021
Wasting Time by Mike Murphey surprised me. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to. The characters were unique and captivating, and I liked almost all of them. The story was interesting - many ups and downs, with plenty of drama and detail. The physics was decently easy to follow, and an interesting take on time travel.
My favorite thing about Wasting Time is that it made me laugh out loud. Not just once, but several times. Murphey kept me engaged and amused throughout the whole book.
There were some issues with the plot, and not a clear singular problem and solution, but the ones that were presented would make me interested in reading more.
While this is the second book in the series, I have not read the first, and I honestly did not feel like I was missing anything by not doing so. Everything was well-explained, the story didn't seem dependent upon a previous book, and there is a nice lead-off at the end for another one.
My favorite thing about Wasting Time is that it made me laugh out loud. Not just once, but several times. Murphey kept me engaged and amused throughout the whole book.
There were some issues with the plot, and not a clear singular problem and solution, but the ones that were presented would make me interested in reading more.
While this is the second book in the series, I have not read the first, and I honestly did not feel like I was missing anything by not doing so. Everything was well-explained, the story didn't seem dependent upon a previous book, and there is a nice lead-off at the end for another one.
March 16, 2022
Wasting Time was a great addition to the Physics, Lust & Greed Series. I liked that I was able to get to know the characters in both time parallels and to dive a little deeper into the world. The characters are witty and interesting. The story is intriguing and unique!The characters are what I have enjoyed the most from this series so far. I have come to like most of them! This is definitely a book for the sci-fi lovers. There's a touch of humor and romance with time travel with parallel universes.
September 19, 2021
Time Travel and Ethics
I liked the concept of the story. The characters and their personalities really drive the narrative. If you enjoy watching the series Travelers or Legion you would enjoy reading this story as a different take on time travelers.
I liked the concept of the story. The characters and their personalities really drive the narrative. If you enjoy watching the series Travelers or Legion you would enjoy reading this story as a different take on time travelers.
September 21, 2023
Wasting Time is a great sci-fi read that explores the complex issue of the implications of time travel in an entertaining, imaginative way.
Murphey has a quirky, dry sense of humour and writes great character descriptions and humorous dialogue which made me chuckle in places. I particularly liked the ‘personality’ of the ‘happy home software.’
In this, book 2 of the series, there is a lot of intrigue and politics, and the reader does have to keep their mind on which ‘version’ of the characters is talking, because it can get a little confusing.
The book is in the ‘Physics, Lust and Greed’ series. And that’s exactly what readers get.
Murphey has a quirky, dry sense of humour and writes great character descriptions and humorous dialogue which made me chuckle in places. I particularly liked the ‘personality’ of the ‘happy home software.’
In this, book 2 of the series, there is a lot of intrigue and politics, and the reader does have to keep their mind on which ‘version’ of the characters is talking, because it can get a little confusing.
The book is in the ‘Physics, Lust and Greed’ series. And that’s exactly what readers get.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews