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The Sapling Method
What would you ask your future self if you had the chance?
Young James Lewis finds a way to do it and builds something in his garden shed to make it happen.
But messing around with the constructs of time usually has unintended consequences. Information is only ever meant to flow forwards. When paradoxes appear, there are forces in nature that seek to redress the balance, by whatever means necessary.
Young James Lewis finds a way to do it and builds something in his garden shed to make it happen.
But messing around with the constructs of time usually has unintended consequences. Information is only ever meant to flow forwards. When paradoxes appear, there are forces in nature that seek to redress the balance, by whatever means necessary.
127 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 21, 2022
3 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Huw Langridge
10 books19 followersThanks to his English teacher at school, Huw Langridge realised that writing (and reading) was actually pretty fun, but it wasn’t until the late 1990s that he realised that he could bring out his own literary voice.
He grew up in London and, during his years working as a global IT troubleshooter for an oil exploration company, Huw travelled to a number of places that enabled him to find inspiration and tone for his stories. More recently he has visited many parts of the world working on an operations team delivering high-calibre investment conferences.
In 2003 Huw attended an Arvon Foundation novel-writing course at the residential retreat at Lumb Bank in Yorkshire. The course was tutored by Martyn Bedford ("The Houdini Girl" and "Acts of Revision") and Phil Whitaker ("Triangulation" and "The Face"). The guest author was Louise Welsh ("The Cutting Room"). Also in attendance was Ian Marchant ("Parallel Lines"). Huw has cooked for all of them, and was glad they survived.
Huw's first short story publication was the science fiction piece "The Ceres Configuration", published in Issue 4 of Jupiter SF Magazine, released in 2004. The story was described by Adrian Fry of Whispers of Wickedness as "A good old fashioned (yet high-tech) tale of approaching apocalypse, [which] served to remind me just what unpretentious science fiction can do when written by someone who clearly relishes every word."
Further published short works have appeared in The Ranfurly Review, Reflection's Edge, Jupiter SF, 365tomorrows and Supernatural Tales.
His short story "Last Train to Tassenmere" received an Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror 2009, and featured in his collection The Train Set, released in 2012.
In 2010 he released his short story collection The Axiom Few, featuring three previously published stories and five stories new to the collection. His Axiom Few stories have received praise from a number of online SF review websites, such as SF Signal, SF Site and SF Crowsnest.
Since 2020 he has written three short novels that, in their own way, pay homage to the cosy catastrophies of John Wyndham. The Tolworth Beacon and its sequel The Tolworth Resonance, The Sapling Method and Hoodwink's Folly see a mundane suburban setting turned upside down by something far outside of the ordinary.
Huw gets his inspiration from music, travel and the seasons. He lives by the sea in North Wales with his wife and two children.
He grew up in London and, during his years working as a global IT troubleshooter for an oil exploration company, Huw travelled to a number of places that enabled him to find inspiration and tone for his stories. More recently he has visited many parts of the world working on an operations team delivering high-calibre investment conferences.
In 2003 Huw attended an Arvon Foundation novel-writing course at the residential retreat at Lumb Bank in Yorkshire. The course was tutored by Martyn Bedford ("The Houdini Girl" and "Acts of Revision") and Phil Whitaker ("Triangulation" and "The Face"). The guest author was Louise Welsh ("The Cutting Room"). Also in attendance was Ian Marchant ("Parallel Lines"). Huw has cooked for all of them, and was glad they survived.
Huw's first short story publication was the science fiction piece "The Ceres Configuration", published in Issue 4 of Jupiter SF Magazine, released in 2004. The story was described by Adrian Fry of Whispers of Wickedness as "A good old fashioned (yet high-tech) tale of approaching apocalypse, [which] served to remind me just what unpretentious science fiction can do when written by someone who clearly relishes every word."
Further published short works have appeared in The Ranfurly Review, Reflection's Edge, Jupiter SF, 365tomorrows and Supernatural Tales.
His short story "Last Train to Tassenmere" received an Honorable Mention in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror 2009, and featured in his collection The Train Set, released in 2012.
In 2010 he released his short story collection The Axiom Few, featuring three previously published stories and five stories new to the collection. His Axiom Few stories have received praise from a number of online SF review websites, such as SF Signal, SF Site and SF Crowsnest.
Since 2020 he has written three short novels that, in their own way, pay homage to the cosy catastrophies of John Wyndham. The Tolworth Beacon and its sequel The Tolworth Resonance, The Sapling Method and Hoodwink's Folly see a mundane suburban setting turned upside down by something far outside of the ordinary.
Huw gets his inspiration from music, travel and the seasons. He lives by the sea in North Wales with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 26, 2025
This speculative sci-fi tale follows one man’s foray into time travel and the perilous paradoxes that come with meddling with fate. Huw’s prose is as masterful as ever: clever, precise, and brilliantly layered. I especially enjoyed his novel way of maintaining continuity—a feat that’s never easy with time travel.
Imagine The Time Traveler’s Wife written by Stephen King.
Imagine The Time Traveler’s Wife written by Stephen King.
December 18, 2022
I will start this off by saying that I am a very picky sci-fi reader, there are many that I just cannot get to grips with and it's always a very hit-or-miss situation for me, but in this case, I was pulled in to the story from the get-go.
The story begins with Jim receiving a mysterious letter with strange dates and times but the story gets weirder when you find out exactly who sent this letter. Jim has always had a fascination with time and space, but he the remarkable James Lewis manages to find a way to travel time and distance right from his garden shed.
The structure and pacing of the tale is impressive, it perfectly weaves sci-fi with the supernatural leaving you with the delicious taste of terror. As with most time travel tales, the butterfly effect plays an important part in this story which Jim is incredibly aware of and does his very best to ensure not to mess up the past or the future, however, there is one thing he does have the power to change but at what expense? Well, you yourself must find that one out!
I would have loved to know a little more about those pesky sinister creatures that tore their way through the pages and left you looking over your shoulder. I feel like this part of the story could have been a little more filled out with a fleshier back story, however, I know I am a person who loves a lengthy bit of story and sometimes that just isn't the right fit for the plot.
Seriously, if you are a sci-fi or supernatural lover, this story will be a hit. It has a little bit of everything to keep you entirely entertained throughout. It's very different to most of the sci-fi novels I have read and it's refreshing to read something so unique but entirely plausible.
I just hope you don't have a time travelling machine in the back of your garden!
The story begins with Jim receiving a mysterious letter with strange dates and times but the story gets weirder when you find out exactly who sent this letter. Jim has always had a fascination with time and space, but he the remarkable James Lewis manages to find a way to travel time and distance right from his garden shed.
The structure and pacing of the tale is impressive, it perfectly weaves sci-fi with the supernatural leaving you with the delicious taste of terror. As with most time travel tales, the butterfly effect plays an important part in this story which Jim is incredibly aware of and does his very best to ensure not to mess up the past or the future, however, there is one thing he does have the power to change but at what expense? Well, you yourself must find that one out!
I would have loved to know a little more about those pesky sinister creatures that tore their way through the pages and left you looking over your shoulder. I feel like this part of the story could have been a little more filled out with a fleshier back story, however, I know I am a person who loves a lengthy bit of story and sometimes that just isn't the right fit for the plot.
Seriously, if you are a sci-fi or supernatural lover, this story will be a hit. It has a little bit of everything to keep you entirely entertained throughout. It's very different to most of the sci-fi novels I have read and it's refreshing to read something so unique but entirely plausible.
I just hope you don't have a time travelling machine in the back of your garden!
February 4, 2023
great story well told
I was born and grew up not far from this town so this book brought back some great memories, particularly the Cross Foxes pub! It’s an important reminder that one should take one’s medication or else…
I was born and grew up not far from this town so this book brought back some great memories, particularly the Cross Foxes pub! It’s an important reminder that one should take one’s medication or else…
April 10, 2023
About Time but for grown ups
Langridge has done it again with another wonderfully human and nostalgic slice of very British small town Sci Fi. Intelligent, understated and just very, very good. 5 time travel trees out of 5.
Langridge has done it again with another wonderfully human and nostalgic slice of very British small town Sci Fi. Intelligent, understated and just very, very good. 5 time travel trees out of 5.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews