Book – In Times Like These

In Times Like These (2013) by Nathan Van Coops

Five friends are thrown back in time by an accident at a research center. With no preparation and no idea what’s going on, they have to find a way back home. Without falling victim to the serial killer that came back with them!

Time travel stories create the most convoluted plot lines in science fiction. Unless it’s an “in and out” adventure (pretty dull) there is an infinite number of potential problems facing the protagonist. It’s not much simpler for the author. Because of a variety of issues, the five young adults have to bounce around in time as they work to get back home. All the issues of avoiding themselves, meeting people out of linear time order, and the question of a planet that is moving through time and space are covered very nicely.

That all of this is handled with such skill in a first novel is even more impressive. Van Coops keeps the threads of the story in careful order, weaving all of them together into a very satisfying story. Just about the time you think you have gotten a grip on what’s happening, he finds a new wrinkle for the story.  It created the kind of story you don’t want to put down.

Why You Will Like It:  Believable characters caught in an interesting storyline.

Rating:  **** Recommended