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The Time Travelling Tourist #1
The Time Travelling Tourist
If you had the power to change things in the past for the betterment of yourself, your family, or the world, what would you do? Brian Partridge is a fan of all things science fiction, especially when a book or film is about time travel. One day after buying all of his favourite authors personal effects in an estate sale following the man’s death, he finds out just how this man of words managed to write about the past with such passion and detail. The truth was he had visited all those places using his very own time machine. Soon enough Brian follows in his hero’s footsteps, living both the dream and the nightmare. From travelling to see Dinosaurs, to keeping one step ahead of FBI agents who are tasked to track the individual who has been playing God.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 10, 2020
474 people are currently reading
597 people want to read
About the author
Nick James
19 books55 followersNick James is the author of books covering many genres.
From ‘The Misplaced Man Trilogy’ and ‘The Victorian Vampire’ to ‘What Zombie Apocalypse’.
He has now hit the ground running with science fiction titles; ‘The Time Travelling Tourist’
and his recent release ‘They Stand Among Us’, an alien invasion story.
All are written in his easy-to-read style, with action and humor.
He has countless other stories and sequels in the planning stages.
From ‘The Misplaced Man Trilogy’ and ‘The Victorian Vampire’ to ‘What Zombie Apocalypse’.
He has now hit the ground running with science fiction titles; ‘The Time Travelling Tourist’
and his recent release ‘They Stand Among Us’, an alien invasion story.
All are written in his easy-to-read style, with action and humor.
He has countless other stories and sequels in the planning stages.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
August 10, 2021
Hmmmm.
Story fair, execution poor.
Story fair, execution poor.
March 27, 2021
I was interested in reading a fairly light hearted time-travel novel, but this one ended up disappointing.
Brian Partridge manages to acquire a time machine in an estate sale and decides to become a tourist through past history. He starts his adventures by going back in time to see the Back in the Future movies when they are released, then he visits the dinosaurs, sails on the Titanic, and explores the pyramids when they were new. And then things go wrong. Despite the fact he knows he risk of changing history, he decides to prevent Kennedy's assassination, but two shadowy figures show up to stop his plan. Of course, there is a secret government time-travelling agency whose job it is to stop any changes in past history.
Up to this point, the book is very entertaining. And then, the story seems to go wrong. An old girlfriend turns up and is amazingly clever and devious in the planning of their future. Even after Brian is seriously injured in a trip back to watch D Day happen, and later learning, that he could have potentially destroyed civilization by this move, they continue their time travelling ways, even risking a trip to the future to acquire a fertility drug. The author ends the book with the time traveller and his now wife living happily-ever-after, having not learned a thing.
The story is entertaining enough, but the writing style is disappointing. The straight forward declarative style of narration gets quite boring and descriptions of what should be fascinating events was much less than it could have been. There are a number of grammatical and spelling errors. This book would have benefited from a good editor.
Brian Partridge manages to acquire a time machine in an estate sale and decides to become a tourist through past history. He starts his adventures by going back in time to see the Back in the Future movies when they are released, then he visits the dinosaurs, sails on the Titanic, and explores the pyramids when they were new. And then things go wrong. Despite the fact he knows he risk of changing history, he decides to prevent Kennedy's assassination, but two shadowy figures show up to stop his plan. Of course, there is a secret government time-travelling agency whose job it is to stop any changes in past history.
Up to this point, the book is very entertaining. And then, the story seems to go wrong. An old girlfriend turns up and is amazingly clever and devious in the planning of their future. Even after Brian is seriously injured in a trip back to watch D Day happen, and later learning, that he could have potentially destroyed civilization by this move, they continue their time travelling ways, even risking a trip to the future to acquire a fertility drug. The author ends the book with the time traveller and his now wife living happily-ever-after, having not learned a thing.
The story is entertaining enough, but the writing style is disappointing. The straight forward declarative style of narration gets quite boring and descriptions of what should be fascinating events was much less than it could have been. There are a number of grammatical and spelling errors. This book would have benefited from a good editor.
April 1, 2021
Nick James will have you think of your past, the things that you have done and what you would wish to see changed. The author is articulate in his writing and knows how to capture the reader’s attention with interesting details. I like Nik James’ style of writing as everything flows naturally. The author does not struggle to narrate nor does the reader have a hard time when following the stories.
‘The Time Travelling Tourist: They say a stitch in time saves nine, but who will save the Traveller’ is about a man who gets a time machine from an estate sale and decides to travel back in time. This journey is interesting as you can imagine. He gets to meet people and other things in the past that no longer exist today. How would you react if you came across a dinosaur? Many people would have wanted to see the titanic and other things in the past. What I loved about this man’s journey was not just how he chronicled his events. The author makes one feel like they are virtually present in the book. Reading ‘The Time Travelling Tourist’ will make you curious about history and certain things in life.
This book is refreshing to read. The vivid description, development of the plot and strong characters in the book made the reading experience worthwhile. The characters are uniquely formed and have distinct traits that help distinguish them. The author is engaging and uses friendly terms and phrases familiar to average readers. One also gets to learn new terms and draw comparisons between the past and the present. Nick James is also a witty author. The reader gets to enjoy comical texts in between the narration. I appreciate the author for this charming educative and thrilling book.
‘The Time Travelling Tourist: They say a stitch in time saves nine, but who will save the Traveller’ is about a man who gets a time machine from an estate sale and decides to travel back in time. This journey is interesting as you can imagine. He gets to meet people and other things in the past that no longer exist today. How would you react if you came across a dinosaur? Many people would have wanted to see the titanic and other things in the past. What I loved about this man’s journey was not just how he chronicled his events. The author makes one feel like they are virtually present in the book. Reading ‘The Time Travelling Tourist’ will make you curious about history and certain things in life.
This book is refreshing to read. The vivid description, development of the plot and strong characters in the book made the reading experience worthwhile. The characters are uniquely formed and have distinct traits that help distinguish them. The author is engaging and uses friendly terms and phrases familiar to average readers. One also gets to learn new terms and draw comparisons between the past and the present. Nick James is also a witty author. The reader gets to enjoy comical texts in between the narration. I appreciate the author for this charming educative and thrilling book.
October 20, 2021
Ok but often embarrassingly bad.
I enjoyed the time travel/Butterfly Effect aspects of this book which kept me going, but the dialog was mostly bad bordering on embarrassingly terrible. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you are a total time travel junkie.
I enjoyed the time travel/Butterfly Effect aspects of this book which kept me going, but the dialog was mostly bad bordering on embarrassingly terrible. Wouldn’t really recommend unless you are a total time travel junkie.
December 21, 2020
Wow
I really enjoyed this story. It was well thought out and was a very entertaining read. I hope this story continues.
I really enjoyed this story. It was well thought out and was a very entertaining read. I hope this story continues.
April 3, 2022
I received a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
This is an interesting book, with a good story, that is held back by some bad dialog and poor research.
This book has an interesting concept. What if the average person got hold of a time machine? What would you choose to see, how much trouble could you get into?
The book makes a good attempt to follow along with a guy, in that situation. His steps and missteps, and adventures.
The plot is fairly straight forward, however takes a little bit to get going. It's framed in a bit of an odd way, where it starts with a guy and his wife checking up on the house of the main character. They find his diary, and a note saying to read it. Then it kicks off the story of the main character, told from the main character's pov, suggesting that this is the diary of the main character. In the beginning, it even sounds like the main character recounting the events of his life. However, at one point it switches to the pov of the FBI, 2 agents and the director, himself. Also, a secondary character is introduced and given a POV introduction. So, not the diary. Then back the first guy again, and his father, etc. In the end, it seemed like a premise that was established, only to be dropped along the way. It doesn't ruin the story, but if you are expecting the story to be the diary that was introduced in chapter 1, it's a bit odd.
What does more harm to the story is the dialog. I have not met anyone, ever, who talks like the characters in this book. Every character as part of a couple addresses each other as 'love', 'my love' and the occasional cringe inducing 'lover'. Parents constantly use 'my son' when addressing adult children. Even the FBI agents constantly address each other as 'my friend'. I don't mean once in a while, or once or twice per scene. I mean almost every single line of dialog. The couple in chapter 1 speak back and forth and call each other 'love' at the end of each sentence, like they are addressing some romantic drill Sgt or something. It is also hard to become numb to it, because the narrator over pronounces it and the dialog is so few and far between.
The book is mostly narration. It is mostly the recounting of events around the main character and his travels. This is where the book shines. The prep work, the back story of why the main character what's to visit, etc. The more narration in this book the better.
However, the other issue with this book is that the author could have done a bit more research. I've read so many fantastic time travel books, which feel like they were written by a historian, that this book stood out as not. The issues weren't game breaking, but things like the T-Rex having movement based vision (that was just made up for a movie) and the Egypt Pyramids being built by slaves (it is build by skilled tradesmen), are so easy to fact check that it feels lazy to have them in there. They didn't add anything to the story, so changing them to be more accurate would have made more sense.
However, the characters were well written. A d felt believable, for the most part. Their motivations were believable and the never felt 1 dimensional. Apart from the dialog the characters were handled well. The FBI felt a bit off, though. The characters felt a bit too much like boy scouts, but overall it was OK.
The settings were engaging, for the most part. The Titanic, Dallas and Normandy were all well done and nothing felt too off about them. Most of the book takes place in the main characters house, or the apartment that the FBI agents stayed in. A bit dull bit it made the time travel environments pop more.
The voice narration, by Gordon R Smith, was OK. His narration was good, and he connected the characters with me. His female voices were not bad and his stoner voices was strong. His Latin American accent was a little weak, but good enough. The only issue I had was the way he read the dialog. It was already bad enough, but he emphasized the article use (love, my friend, etc) and that stuck out of the story like a sore thumb.
All in, this was a very interesting book with a few flaws. The characters, plot and setting were all very interesting and enjoyable. The voice narration was good, for the most part and only needs some polish. The book stumbled from 4 stars with its dialog. This is not how anyone I've ever met, heard of or seen on a screen.a few historical issues aside, this was a fun story.
===
Spoilers
I had a problem with the ending. The solution to the agent wanting to kill the main character, as retribution for an accent the main character that made the agent kill an enemy soldier, is to make the agent think he killed the main character in a fit of rage. How does this help the agent and not push him off the deep end. If he had demons before he will many more now. That made no sense to me
This is an interesting book, with a good story, that is held back by some bad dialog and poor research.
This book has an interesting concept. What if the average person got hold of a time machine? What would you choose to see, how much trouble could you get into?
The book makes a good attempt to follow along with a guy, in that situation. His steps and missteps, and adventures.
The plot is fairly straight forward, however takes a little bit to get going. It's framed in a bit of an odd way, where it starts with a guy and his wife checking up on the house of the main character. They find his diary, and a note saying to read it. Then it kicks off the story of the main character, told from the main character's pov, suggesting that this is the diary of the main character. In the beginning, it even sounds like the main character recounting the events of his life. However, at one point it switches to the pov of the FBI, 2 agents and the director, himself. Also, a secondary character is introduced and given a POV introduction. So, not the diary. Then back the first guy again, and his father, etc. In the end, it seemed like a premise that was established, only to be dropped along the way. It doesn't ruin the story, but if you are expecting the story to be the diary that was introduced in chapter 1, it's a bit odd.
What does more harm to the story is the dialog. I have not met anyone, ever, who talks like the characters in this book. Every character as part of a couple addresses each other as 'love', 'my love' and the occasional cringe inducing 'lover'. Parents constantly use 'my son' when addressing adult children. Even the FBI agents constantly address each other as 'my friend'. I don't mean once in a while, or once or twice per scene. I mean almost every single line of dialog. The couple in chapter 1 speak back and forth and call each other 'love' at the end of each sentence, like they are addressing some romantic drill Sgt or something. It is also hard to become numb to it, because the narrator over pronounces it and the dialog is so few and far between.
The book is mostly narration. It is mostly the recounting of events around the main character and his travels. This is where the book shines. The prep work, the back story of why the main character what's to visit, etc. The more narration in this book the better.
However, the other issue with this book is that the author could have done a bit more research. I've read so many fantastic time travel books, which feel like they were written by a historian, that this book stood out as not. The issues weren't game breaking, but things like the T-Rex having movement based vision (that was just made up for a movie) and the Egypt Pyramids being built by slaves (it is build by skilled tradesmen), are so easy to fact check that it feels lazy to have them in there. They didn't add anything to the story, so changing them to be more accurate would have made more sense.
However, the characters were well written. A d felt believable, for the most part. Their motivations were believable and the never felt 1 dimensional. Apart from the dialog the characters were handled well. The FBI felt a bit off, though. The characters felt a bit too much like boy scouts, but overall it was OK.
The settings were engaging, for the most part. The Titanic, Dallas and Normandy were all well done and nothing felt too off about them. Most of the book takes place in the main characters house, or the apartment that the FBI agents stayed in. A bit dull bit it made the time travel environments pop more.
The voice narration, by Gordon R Smith, was OK. His narration was good, and he connected the characters with me. His female voices were not bad and his stoner voices was strong. His Latin American accent was a little weak, but good enough. The only issue I had was the way he read the dialog. It was already bad enough, but he emphasized the article use (love, my friend, etc) and that stuck out of the story like a sore thumb.
All in, this was a very interesting book with a few flaws. The characters, plot and setting were all very interesting and enjoyable. The voice narration was good, for the most part and only needs some polish. The book stumbled from 4 stars with its dialog. This is not how anyone I've ever met, heard of or seen on a screen.a few historical issues aside, this was a fun story.
===
Spoilers
I had a problem with the ending. The solution to the agent wanting to kill the main character, as retribution for an accent the main character that made the agent kill an enemy soldier, is to make the agent think he killed the main character in a fit of rage. How does this help the agent and not push him off the deep end. If he had demons before he will many more now. That made no sense to me
September 19, 2022
Great story, horrible editing
The good: This is a really interesting time traveling concept. The main characters are intriguing, the points in history are captivating. I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Brian and Dana and the rest of the crew.
The one thing I’m a bit confused about is that we’re listening to Adam and Tabatha reading Brian’s journal. I’m not sure if that changed at some point, but I don’t remember it happening. It could just be that I missed it.
The bad: There are so, so many editing issues. Without exaggeration, there’s at least one on every page. It’s typically missing words, so you’re left to fill in the blank with what the author meant to say. I expect a few things like that in a book, but when it’s every few paragraphs it becomes mentally exhausting and frustrating. It’s not something spell check is going to catch, it needs an actual human editor to see things like “we’re” instead of “were.”
This would be a really enjoyable read if the editing issues were addressed. If you can look past those, the story really is worth reading.
The good: This is a really interesting time traveling concept. The main characters are intriguing, the points in history are captivating. I’m very much looking forward to the next book to see what happens to Brian and Dana and the rest of the crew.
The one thing I’m a bit confused about is that we’re listening to Adam and Tabatha reading Brian’s journal. I’m not sure if that changed at some point, but I don’t remember it happening. It could just be that I missed it.
The bad: There are so, so many editing issues. Without exaggeration, there’s at least one on every page. It’s typically missing words, so you’re left to fill in the blank with what the author meant to say. I expect a few things like that in a book, but when it’s every few paragraphs it becomes mentally exhausting and frustrating. It’s not something spell check is going to catch, it needs an actual human editor to see things like “we’re” instead of “were.”
This would be a really enjoyable read if the editing issues were addressed. If you can look past those, the story really is worth reading.
May 7, 2021
This was a fairly easy read, I wouldn't say that this is your standard beach read - but with the ease of it, it could be considered that way for sci-fi fans. At first I thought this would go 1 of 2 ways - a "Back to the Future" vibe or a more nominal 'editing the course of events' time travelling book.
I found it interesting that Brian was doing his research on traveling to different time periods rather than just jumping in and going. Making sure he had the proper measures to blend it really satisfied the traveler in me to want to blend it to where you're going.
It also made me happy that he was going just to observe events and not try to alter things as one might want to do and he respects the rules of travelling. I wasn't surprised that this only lasts so long before curiosity gets the best of him and he tries to push the limits of what he can do.
Although - if he knows that he's going to fall down each time he travels, why doesn't he just buy some knee pads. In all of his adventuring he couldn't figure out a way to make the landing easier?
I did find it interesting that the Agents only had to fix 1 time error and not all 3. You would think that they would need to reset all the lights before the mission is satisfied otherwise the next traveler would have less instances to make changes before the Men are summoned to work.
I also found it interesting that the time moved slower in the room the Men were working in. I guessed it was so they would be able to stop the traveler before another mistake happens, but it would be nice to have had a little more insight to that.
I found it sweet that a childhood friend was able to reconnect with Brian and their friendship was rekindled and turned into something more. I was worried that it would turn into a love story, but oh so glad that it didn't. I really liked Dana's strong character and was more abiding by the rules and sure to enforce them. I'll give her a pass for almost breaking them at the end because of her intent behind it - to be fair I also give Brian a pass for his almost breaking the rules, but hers didn't triggered any lights.
The ending had me really worried for a minute but I'm not sure why I was with Dana behind the scenes. I liked the way that Nick James wrapped everything together. He tied the bow just right where if he wanted to write a second book in the future - Brian's nephew's kids or even Brian and Dana travelling more - you could unwrap the bow. I am curious about what happened with the agents though, but I'm not mad that I don't know. 3
I look forward to reading another book from Nick in the future.
I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
I found it interesting that Brian was doing his research on traveling to different time periods rather than just jumping in and going. Making sure he had the proper measures to blend it really satisfied the traveler in me to want to blend it to where you're going.
It also made me happy that he was going just to observe events and not try to alter things as one might want to do and he respects the rules of travelling. I wasn't surprised that this only lasts so long before curiosity gets the best of him and he tries to push the limits of what he can do.
Although - if he knows that he's going to fall down each time he travels, why doesn't he just buy some knee pads. In all of his adventuring he couldn't figure out a way to make the landing easier?
I did find it interesting that the Agents only had to fix 1 time error and not all 3. You would think that they would need to reset all the lights before the mission is satisfied otherwise the next traveler would have less instances to make changes before the Men are summoned to work.
I also found it interesting that the time moved slower in the room the Men were working in. I guessed it was so they would be able to stop the traveler before another mistake happens, but it would be nice to have had a little more insight to that.
I found it sweet that a childhood friend was able to reconnect with Brian and their friendship was rekindled and turned into something more. I was worried that it would turn into a love story, but oh so glad that it didn't. I really liked Dana's strong character and was more abiding by the rules and sure to enforce them. I'll give her a pass for almost breaking them at the end because of her intent behind it - to be fair I also give Brian a pass for his almost breaking the rules, but hers didn't triggered any lights.
The ending had me really worried for a minute but I'm not sure why I was with Dana behind the scenes. I liked the way that Nick James wrapped everything together. He tied the bow just right where if he wanted to write a second book in the future - Brian's nephew's kids or even Brian and Dana travelling more - you could unwrap the bow. I am curious about what happened with the agents though, but I'm not mad that I don't know. 3
I look forward to reading another book from Nick in the future.
I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
April 19, 2021
The Time Traveling Tourist is a book by Nick James which involves the hijinx of Brian, a man who bought a time-travel machine at an estate sale. He then pursues the venture of working towards traveling to as many different time periods as he could.
He learns about each time period and provides his own descriptions of each. At first he simply travels a decade or two back, but then he keeps going further and further back. We get to see a lot of sci-fi action, and the author provides a really nice view into the past.
I like how our main character interacts and grows with each time travel moment he goes through. The author shows him as growing with each moment, and acts as an organic character that doesn’t feel forced or just there.
We also get to see side characters that add a nice spice to the story, and it makes the book better! I really loved the sci-fi elements and I found the book really well-written. I give the Time Travelling Tourist a solid 5/5 stars!
He learns about each time period and provides his own descriptions of each. At first he simply travels a decade or two back, but then he keeps going further and further back. We get to see a lot of sci-fi action, and the author provides a really nice view into the past.
I like how our main character interacts and grows with each time travel moment he goes through. The author shows him as growing with each moment, and acts as an organic character that doesn’t feel forced or just there.
We also get to see side characters that add a nice spice to the story, and it makes the book better! I really loved the sci-fi elements and I found the book really well-written. I give the Time Travelling Tourist a solid 5/5 stars!
December 19, 2022
It could have been better
When a British author writes about Americans, he has to know the idioms and colloquial terms. Taking a swipe at the President was bad form. There was sexism going both ways. Typos and mistakes in grammar were abundant. All of those things detract from what I thought was a very interesting story.
When a British author writes about Americans, he has to know the idioms and colloquial terms. Taking a swipe at the President was bad form. There was sexism going both ways. Typos and mistakes in grammar were abundant. All of those things detract from what I thought was a very interesting story.
October 31, 2021
Couldn't finish it. The writing style was too clumsy and awkward for me.
July 28, 2022
This is one of those times when I wish we could award half stars. If that were the case, I would have been generous to have given this 3-1/2. Let me explain why --
---- [*HUGE* SPOILER ALERTS BELOW] --- :)
The book became painfully obvious that it was written by a Brit within moments of starting to read. While I am happy to have non-Americans write American-based fiction (and can ignore British spelling), I am snatched from the prose, when British idioms are used by Americans speaking (or thinking).
A couple of egregious examples: Americans do not take "kips"; we do not "unwind" a car window; we do not refer to New England cities as CITY, COUNTY, STATE, "NEW ENGLAND" (as if that were a country, rather than a region made up of several northeastern states); we do not constantly refer to common American items or Americanisms as if they need to be remarked upon. We live here; we know what things are; they are not remarkable; they are commonplace.
[I repeatedly thought of Elizabeth George's Britain-based novels. Years ago, I was well into the 10th in the Inspector Lynley series, before I discovered that she was actually an American! I had just finished the 21st, before beginning "The Time Traveling Tourist" (note how we use one 'l' in American English) and was amazed at how I was totally engaged in Ms. George's prose and how "stop and go" and a bit annoyed I was at Mr. James'.]
While I realize this was a time travel book and that there *may* have been changes to the timeline done before the book began (I can only assume), one thing really stood out: The Washington DC "Marriott Hotel" did not exist in 1926.
One quick Google search can actually provide historical facts that bely that premise (Spoiler Alert: The FIRST Marriott hotel was built in 1957, in Arlington, Virginia. The first "J.W. Marriott Hotel" in Washington DC, was inaugurated in 1984).
I can only assume that by changing some of the timeline on the Titanic (of course!) J. Willard Marriott built a hotel earlier -- when he was a lad of 26, still in college, and not yet married (however it's not likely he or anyone else from Utah was ON the Titanic and whose now-survival moved up the hotel-building timeline LOL).
Now, to the story itself. I enjoyed the time travel aspect, but constantly questioned why Brian would put himself into danger. Seriously, the JFK assassination, dinosaurs, the Pearl Harbor attack *and* D-Day?
I know they teach in book-writing school that one has to have drama and an antagonist or two so that things can be resolved by the end, but this seemed like overkill. Surely there were other historical events that could have been visited with impunity (and that had not already been covered by hundreds of other time travel novels).
The two FBI agents were essentially stereotypical British detectives -- with guns and access to a time machine. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why they were selected by the FBI Director. Were they really the best you have? The one ["real" American] was dangerously annoying and the other ["adopted" American], almost too perfect.
Oh -- and do we constantly need to have the Mexican-American agent referred to as "Mexican" and oft-times with a physical description to drive it home? That was certainly already well-established in the bio provided when his character was introduced. And yes, the "real" American agent was blonde, as we were reminded every time he appeared.
One last word: "DANA". Why was she introduced half-way through? She was tougher than Brian, smarter than Brian, sneakier than Brian, more educated than Brian, had more real-world and battle experience than Brian. It would have just been easier to make a single protagonist that had all of the requisite skills (see Jack Reacher). A love story this book was not, but it tried to be for a minute.
Overall, the book was okay. The denouement was not a surprise, but also not disappointing.
I will read the sequel, if for nothing else than to assuage my OCD-ness.
---- [*HUGE* SPOILER ALERTS BELOW] --- :)
The book became painfully obvious that it was written by a Brit within moments of starting to read. While I am happy to have non-Americans write American-based fiction (and can ignore British spelling), I am snatched from the prose, when British idioms are used by Americans speaking (or thinking).
A couple of egregious examples: Americans do not take "kips"; we do not "unwind" a car window; we do not refer to New England cities as CITY, COUNTY, STATE, "NEW ENGLAND" (as if that were a country, rather than a region made up of several northeastern states); we do not constantly refer to common American items or Americanisms as if they need to be remarked upon. We live here; we know what things are; they are not remarkable; they are commonplace.
[I repeatedly thought of Elizabeth George's Britain-based novels. Years ago, I was well into the 10th in the Inspector Lynley series, before I discovered that she was actually an American! I had just finished the 21st, before beginning "The Time Traveling Tourist" (note how we use one 'l' in American English) and was amazed at how I was totally engaged in Ms. George's prose and how "stop and go" and a bit annoyed I was at Mr. James'.]
While I realize this was a time travel book and that there *may* have been changes to the timeline done before the book began (I can only assume), one thing really stood out: The Washington DC "Marriott Hotel" did not exist in 1926.
One quick Google search can actually provide historical facts that bely that premise (Spoiler Alert: The FIRST Marriott hotel was built in 1957, in Arlington, Virginia. The first "J.W. Marriott Hotel" in Washington DC, was inaugurated in 1984).
I can only assume that by changing some of the timeline on the Titanic (of course!) J. Willard Marriott built a hotel earlier -- when he was a lad of 26, still in college, and not yet married (however it's not likely he or anyone else from Utah was ON the Titanic and whose now-survival moved up the hotel-building timeline LOL).
Now, to the story itself. I enjoyed the time travel aspect, but constantly questioned why Brian would put himself into danger. Seriously, the JFK assassination, dinosaurs, the Pearl Harbor attack *and* D-Day?
I know they teach in book-writing school that one has to have drama and an antagonist or two so that things can be resolved by the end, but this seemed like overkill. Surely there were other historical events that could have been visited with impunity (and that had not already been covered by hundreds of other time travel novels).
The two FBI agents were essentially stereotypical British detectives -- with guns and access to a time machine. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why they were selected by the FBI Director. Were they really the best you have? The one ["real" American] was dangerously annoying and the other ["adopted" American], almost too perfect.
Oh -- and do we constantly need to have the Mexican-American agent referred to as "Mexican" and oft-times with a physical description to drive it home? That was certainly already well-established in the bio provided when his character was introduced. And yes, the "real" American agent was blonde, as we were reminded every time he appeared.
One last word: "DANA". Why was she introduced half-way through? She was tougher than Brian, smarter than Brian, sneakier than Brian, more educated than Brian, had more real-world and battle experience than Brian. It would have just been easier to make a single protagonist that had all of the requisite skills (see Jack Reacher). A love story this book was not, but it tried to be for a minute.
Overall, the book was okay. The denouement was not a surprise, but also not disappointing.
I will read the sequel, if for nothing else than to assuage my OCD-ness.
September 30, 2025
This was a disappointing book. I'm going to be really critical of it.
The characters were strange. I like distinct characters who are different from one another and interesting and understandable from their own perspective. These characters are strange because they had unique characteristics (history and life situation) but they all seemed to speak with the same voice, even when they had different "tics" the author put in. The female characters were even worse. Everyone had the same set of foul language vocabulary. I'm not being a prude, but don't make everyone cuss the same way as everyone else. That only happens in a close knit environment.
There were few things to like. The historical descriptions were at least okay. ... and that's about it.
The various plot elements kept stretching believably. Yeah, I know, there's a time machine involved. But unless you tell me we're in a different universe with different human nature I expect the rest to work normally.
The more I write this review the more I think this is just an awful book.
The characters were strange. I like distinct characters who are different from one another and interesting and understandable from their own perspective. These characters are strange because they had unique characteristics (history and life situation) but they all seemed to speak with the same voice, even when they had different "tics" the author put in. The female characters were even worse. Everyone had the same set of foul language vocabulary. I'm not being a prude, but don't make everyone cuss the same way as everyone else. That only happens in a close knit environment.
There were few things to like. The historical descriptions were at least okay. ... and that's about it.
The various plot elements kept stretching believably. Yeah, I know, there's a time machine involved. But unless you tell me we're in a different universe with different human nature I expect the rest to work normally.
The more I write this review the more I think this is just an awful book.
December 15, 2023
First off, I really enjoyed this. It has action and humor. There's no real science, but I'm okay with that if they don't try to fake it. There were 2 things that put me off.
First are the three love interests, Dana, Loretta and Samantha. All were portrayed as having a hair trigger temper. They all threatened or inflicted bodily harm. Basically, borderline psycho. This doesn't say a lot for the author's view of women. A strong female character doesn't have to be like that. Having three characters with the same traits was too much.
The other issue is American characters that spoke like they are British. Words like "bloody", "bloke", "Mum", "fancy", "lift", etc. just aren't the way an American would talk. I think the author should stick with British characters.
Those issues didn't spoil the book for me, but I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head after seeing both issues throughout the book.
First are the three love interests, Dana, Loretta and Samantha. All were portrayed as having a hair trigger temper. They all threatened or inflicted bodily harm. Basically, borderline psycho. This doesn't say a lot for the author's view of women. A strong female character doesn't have to be like that. Having three characters with the same traits was too much.
The other issue is American characters that spoke like they are British. Words like "bloody", "bloke", "Mum", "fancy", "lift", etc. just aren't the way an American would talk. I think the author should stick with British characters.
Those issues didn't spoil the book for me, but I was rolling my eyes and shaking my head after seeing both issues throughout the book.
December 13, 2020
If you don't end up rooting for Karl, the real hero of this book then there's something wrong with you.
Tourist is a completely different book to what Nick has previously given us and it took me completely by surprise but in a very good way. As a scifi fan, and certainly a Back To The Future fan, it was funny to see so many little nods and references to the film in this book, but all done in a loving fan way and not being rammed down your throat.
The story centres around Brian or Doc as he is affectionately called, his struggles with his past and his clumsy adventures through time.
A really good read which has left me wanting more from these characters and especially the adventures of Karl
Tourist is a completely different book to what Nick has previously given us and it took me completely by surprise but in a very good way. As a scifi fan, and certainly a Back To The Future fan, it was funny to see so many little nods and references to the film in this book, but all done in a loving fan way and not being rammed down your throat.
The story centres around Brian or Doc as he is affectionately called, his struggles with his past and his clumsy adventures through time.
A really good read which has left me wanting more from these characters and especially the adventures of Karl
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2021
Time Travel
This book is about a guy that acquires a time machine from an estate sale and decides to travel back in time to obvious destinations, like to see the dinosaurs and the titanic, just to name a couple.
This book was interesting, don't usually read books about time travel and it kept my interest enough for me to want to find out how it ends, sometimes it seemed juvenile, but interesting.
I gave this book three stars for holding my interest but because I'm an older reader, at certain points it seemed juvenile and didn't care to much for the swear words ( personal preference).
I can only partly recommend this book due to reasons already stated, but if this kind of book interests you than enjoy.
Good Reading
This book is about a guy that acquires a time machine from an estate sale and decides to travel back in time to obvious destinations, like to see the dinosaurs and the titanic, just to name a couple.
This book was interesting, don't usually read books about time travel and it kept my interest enough for me to want to find out how it ends, sometimes it seemed juvenile, but interesting.
I gave this book three stars for holding my interest but because I'm an older reader, at certain points it seemed juvenile and didn't care to much for the swear words ( personal preference).
I can only partly recommend this book due to reasons already stated, but if this kind of book interests you than enjoy.
Good Reading
June 4, 2021
I did enjoy reading this but I felt that it was aimed at young adults rather than me. The brief forays into the past might have been researched on Google and the characters seemed rather predictable.
Writing time travel stories must be hard since not many have carried it off really well. Meeting yourself is an obvious problem, but even innocuous things like buying stock in Apple or saving a life that should not have been saved can have unforeseen effects. Any sensible traveller would foresee that making significant changes (like killing Hitler) could be disastrous.
If you want to see how some at least of the problems can be handled try one of Jodi Taylor's St Mary chronicles.
Writing time travel stories must be hard since not many have carried it off really well. Meeting yourself is an obvious problem, but even innocuous things like buying stock in Apple or saving a life that should not have been saved can have unforeseen effects. Any sensible traveller would foresee that making significant changes (like killing Hitler) could be disastrous.
If you want to see how some at least of the problems can be handled try one of Jodi Taylor's St Mary chronicles.
December 31, 2022
Sloppy editing
While the characters were more interesting a few chapters in , they could all use more character development. One of the FBI agents was really interesting and the logical manner in which he
negotiated with Brian spoke to a high level of maturity.
I really resented the authors mention of President Trump as a war-monger and the disrespect shown to him by referencing"Trump". That did not add to the storyline either.
The editing was terrible . I found three errors such as "knew" instead of "new." Would I read one of the authors books again.....I honestly cannot say.
While the characters were more interesting a few chapters in , they could all use more character development. One of the FBI agents was really interesting and the logical manner in which he
negotiated with Brian spoke to a high level of maturity.
I really resented the authors mention of President Trump as a war-monger and the disrespect shown to him by referencing"Trump". That did not add to the storyline either.
The editing was terrible . I found three errors such as "knew" instead of "new." Would I read one of the authors books again.....I honestly cannot say.
February 22, 2021
Not bad! But not a hit, either.
I genuinely liked few things. I did not like some other things.
It's relatively simple to ingest, so if you are a non-English-native, it is quite good for improving your language skills, and will also keep you entertained most of the time.
The time travel mechanism is described superficially and is definitely not the main reason to reach out for the book.
Overall, I'd say 8 out of 10 but I'm heavily biased towards time travel genre so the numbers are probably slightly inflated :)
If there's ever a sequel though, I'll gladly read it.
I genuinely liked few things. I did not like some other things.
It's relatively simple to ingest, so if you are a non-English-native, it is quite good for improving your language skills, and will also keep you entertained most of the time.
The time travel mechanism is described superficially and is definitely not the main reason to reach out for the book.
Overall, I'd say 8 out of 10 but I'm heavily biased towards time travel genre so the numbers are probably slightly inflated :)
If there's ever a sequel though, I'll gladly read it.
May 1, 2021
Rollicking good time-travel tale
If you like action packed, fast paced, time travelling tales then I'd recommend this story by Nick James. There is little of the science of time travel in here, preferring instead to concentrate on the consequences of playing with time. And there are plenty of those. The story jumps from the Jurassic era to the beaches of Normandy, from The Titanic to Bonnie and Clyde. I found I got myself immersed and invested in the story and it's a great way, if you can excuse the pun, to spend some time. Huge fun.
If you like action packed, fast paced, time travelling tales then I'd recommend this story by Nick James. There is little of the science of time travel in here, preferring instead to concentrate on the consequences of playing with time. And there are plenty of those. The story jumps from the Jurassic era to the beaches of Normandy, from The Titanic to Bonnie and Clyde. I found I got myself immersed and invested in the story and it's a great way, if you can excuse the pun, to spend some time. Huge fun.
November 6, 2021
This book started very good and just got worse and worse as you kept reading. It went in the toilet when Dana came on board - probably due to her constant use of the f*** word and her nasty attitude. The dialog between Dana and Brian became embarrassing. Their pet words for each other was nauseating and obviously very British. Americans just don't talk that way. And the stupid things Brian did was just annoying. Who would go back to Normandy to watch hundreds of people die??? I love time travel books. This was one of the worst.
October 19, 2022
Back and forth- you pick
What can one say about a novel that is constantly moving, has great characters, and makes one read a history book. Author James nailed this by not pointing to the reasons why we don't know how to time travel, but what would you do if you could. Starting out with mistakes, such as trying to change something,, Usually you make it worse never better. It's like a cruise ship tour (just for the sights) not to make a mark. Athens in 490 BC, Rome etc etc
What can one say about a novel that is constantly moving, has great characters, and makes one read a history book. Author James nailed this by not pointing to the reasons why we don't know how to time travel, but what would you do if you could. Starting out with mistakes, such as trying to change something,, Usually you make it worse never better. It's like a cruise ship tour (just for the sights) not to make a mark. Athens in 490 BC, Rome etc etc
January 15, 2024
The book felt like it was written by or for an adolescent. The story was slow to develop and once it did, it was just ok. I found the places / times visited and the traveler's experiences to be dull. His bizarre romantic relationship appeared about halfway through the book. There were enough good moments (FBI) to make it worth reading the second book in the series, but if I had known how lightweight and immature the writing was in the beginning , I would have passed. If you're looking for a real time traveling adventure, this isn't it.
March 2, 2025
I had such expectations for this book. Time travel and a four star book with over 900 reviews. How could you go wrong? Apparently, you can go very wrong.
This book feels like it was written by an AI with the prompting of an teenage Sci-fi fanboy. The characters are flat, the humor is groan inducing, and the plot is so lame that it feels like fanfiction of the lowest kind. And don't get me started on the audiobook with its flat performance and actress with a single accent making every female character sound like its the Nanny from Brooklyn.
Avoid unless you are stuck on a lonely island.
This book feels like it was written by an AI with the prompting of an teenage Sci-fi fanboy. The characters are flat, the humor is groan inducing, and the plot is so lame that it feels like fanfiction of the lowest kind. And don't get me started on the audiobook with its flat performance and actress with a single accent making every female character sound like its the Nanny from Brooklyn.
Avoid unless you are stuck on a lonely island.
October 4, 2022
audible:I enjoyed this book. The main character left me frustrated with his messing with history ,but that IS the book. We all would go back in time if we could,but would we chose to alter it? Luckilly there is a shadow CIA section to deal with it.Of course,they are a bit over zealous. It is a fun book to listen to. Gordon R Smith was a fine narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
January 21, 2023
A traveler who's touring and tripping into the past hoping to change a few things.....
This is an interesting book with strange choices to try to make the outcome of the world for the better. I was surprised by the outcome and can say that it was a fun ride. It makes you think about where you might choose to travel in time... I'm ready to start the next story by Nick James.
Essie
This is an interesting book with strange choices to try to make the outcome of the world for the better. I was surprised by the outcome and can say that it was a fun ride. It makes you think about where you might choose to travel in time... I'm ready to start the next story by Nick James.
Essie
June 9, 2023
I didn't expect much from this book, especially from its title. A shocking pleasure to find it just got better and better. I've not read a time travel book where time travellers were chasing each other in all sorts of situations. There were many surprises and twists. Except for H.G. Well's original I've not read many where the travel went to both past and future. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by this book too.
January 30, 2025
The Time Travelling Tourist.
I have Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for the second time. It is an excellent story, Time travel but not very hi tech. Humour, interesting characters and interesting historical events revisited. Tucker Dally Johnston, and Kitty Perrelli do a wonderful job of the narration. A very highly recommended listen. Oh! and Carl the Rhode Island Red Cockerel is still on fine form!
I have Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book for the second time. It is an excellent story, Time travel but not very hi tech. Humour, interesting characters and interesting historical events revisited. Tucker Dally Johnston, and Kitty Perrelli do a wonderful job of the narration. A very highly recommended listen. Oh! and Carl the Rhode Island Red Cockerel is still on fine form!
Read
April 6, 2021Excellent tale with a great sense of humour mixed
Engaging from the first sentence to the last. How do you keep track of a story that has already happened? A very interesting concept of writing about the past as if it's the future but already happened, confused? So am I but love it.
Engaging from the first sentence to the last. How do you keep track of a story that has already happened? A very interesting concept of writing about the past as if it's the future but already happened, confused? So am I but love it.
February 8, 2025
I wanted to really like the book
I started this with high hopes. The first 15 chapters read like a history book. I did find myself caring about the characters, but it just never reached the level of intrigue that made me want to push through. I keep looking at how far I was so I could finish and move to the next book
I started this with high hopes. The first 15 chapters read like a history book. I did find myself caring about the characters, but it just never reached the level of intrigue that made me want to push through. I keep looking at how far I was so I could finish and move to the next book
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