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jenacidebybibliophile's review
5.0
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, J. L. Pattison, for an honest review.
Opinion: This is a wonderfully paced and written short story that surrounds the idea of what man might do if he was given a glimpse into the future. I am not huge on science fiction, and admittedly I do not read many short stories, but I found The Visitor rather entertaining and it left me with my mind reeling. I have found that if a story or book can keep you thinking after you have put it down, then there is something special to it.
This short story starts out with a farmer named Leroy coming into contact with a man in his cornfield, who claims he was from the future. He explains to Leroy that he had attempted to go back in time to warn the founding fathers of the mistakes that would be made in America in the ongoing years, in an attempt to change history. Years later, Leroy attempts to convince a local reporter by the name of Theodore of the events that happened the day he met the stranger and that many events that were listed in the letter had come true. After Leroy passes the letter on to Theodore, who hardly believes the claims that Leroy has made, Theodore must decide what to do.
We have all watched/read many works that deal with time travel and characters wanting to change events of history, but of course the main premise is always a variation of someone yelling “DON’T CHANGE THE PAST”. The idea of taking the standard Hollywood time travel plot and spinning it to make the reader think about the possibilities of how you can improve history is rather genius in its simplicity. Characters always want to change personal bad things that have happened or natural disasters, but it doesn’t seem like the focus is ever on changing history to improve mankind. I found this to be a new concept for this genre and actually left me pondering what I would change if I could go back and warn others.
Overall, a very thoughtful and entertaining read. The writing and pace was perfect, there wasn’t too much speeding through the story and there were no points where it was being dragged on. I enjoyed that instead of the author blatantly writing into the story how many years had passed (ex: 25 YEARS LATER…), he tied the information into the story so it flowed easily and kept the reader on their toes. I found this very enjoyable and though provoking, you guys should give it a try!
oliviaemily's review
5.0
Read this review along with others on my blog by following this link: https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/
Yesterday, I was e-approached by the wonderful author, J.L Pattison, of this short story. He is an independent author, who has spent the last 15 months working to publish his very first story, The Visitor. I am honoured to be approached by such a fantastic writer, and also very happy to know that he is a fellow blogger, also.
I have always been very interested in novels relating to time travel, especially those regarding historical aspects, too. However, I have never been very encouraged to pick up a novel of this genre, in fear it may not interest me as much as I'd hoped. Pattison's ability to craft a story like this in just 7000 words is astounding, captivating, and essentially everything you could ever want in a full novel, just shorter. This was perfect for me, because it is a short story, and thus supplies the premise and content of a lengthy time-travel book, without being too long, or boring at any moment. I read this is half an hour - half an hour well spent - and was completely engrossed in the storyline, that when I saw "The End." at the bottom of the page, my heart dropped, for I was truly sad the story had finished.
Generally, I love what Pattison has achieved through this short story; in just 30 pages, Pattison made me question society and it's ultimate naivety, as well as exemplifying the ever-present predatory nature of humanity. In basing this story around past events, he uses dramatic irony to display how dewy-eyed many people have been in the past, and will continue to be in the future. All characters do not believe the worst could happen, which is so baffling to us as the reader, for it already has.
I could lie and say 7000 words wasn't enough, yet, frankly, it was. This book is a short burst, a quick snippet into the lives of 3 people, almost like a behind-the-scenes video clip on past historical events. This book was the perfect length, for it succeeded in everything it set out to: it interested me, captivated me, and concluded on a cliff-hanger so as to ensure you leave with questions. Don't get me wrong here - it's good that I've left with questions. They are not questions about the book, or the character's fates, but are instead inner questions about my personal morals, and outer questions about the overall morals of society. I have no questions for the fates of the characters, for I don't care for them, nor do I think I should; this is less a short story crafted to invest you in the characters, and more a social calling for change, so as to prevent Pattison's predictions coming true.
Yesterday, I was e-approached by the wonderful author, J.L Pattison, of this short story. He is an independent author, who has spent the last 15 months working to publish his very first story, The Visitor. I am honoured to be approached by such a fantastic writer, and also very happy to know that he is a fellow blogger, also.
I have always been very interested in novels relating to time travel, especially those regarding historical aspects, too. However, I have never been very encouraged to pick up a novel of this genre, in fear it may not interest me as much as I'd hoped. Pattison's ability to craft a story like this in just 7000 words is astounding, captivating, and essentially everything you could ever want in a full novel, just shorter. This was perfect for me, because it is a short story, and thus supplies the premise and content of a lengthy time-travel book, without being too long, or boring at any moment. I read this is half an hour - half an hour well spent - and was completely engrossed in the storyline, that when I saw "The End." at the bottom of the page, my heart dropped, for I was truly sad the story had finished.
Generally, I love what Pattison has achieved through this short story; in just 30 pages, Pattison made me question society and it's ultimate naivety, as well as exemplifying the ever-present predatory nature of humanity. In basing this story around past events, he uses dramatic irony to display how dewy-eyed many people have been in the past, and will continue to be in the future. All characters do not believe the worst could happen, which is so baffling to us as the reader, for it already has.
I could lie and say 7000 words wasn't enough, yet, frankly, it was. This book is a short burst, a quick snippet into the lives of 3 people, almost like a behind-the-scenes video clip on past historical events. This book was the perfect length, for it succeeded in everything it set out to: it interested me, captivated me, and concluded on a cliff-hanger so as to ensure you leave with questions. Don't get me wrong here - it's good that I've left with questions. They are not questions about the book, or the character's fates, but are instead inner questions about my personal morals, and outer questions about the overall morals of society. I have no questions for the fates of the characters, for I don't care for them, nor do I think I should; this is less a short story crafted to invest you in the characters, and more a social calling for change, so as to prevent Pattison's predictions coming true.
zainabsheikh's review
5.0
Thanks to the author for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.
What if we knew everything or anything about our future? We would certainly try to alter and reconstruct it the way we want.
This short story has been compared to Twilight Zone a lot but I have never watched it or didn't even know it existed. I'm a lover of sci-fi books and I haven't read many of the books about time-travel but I have always been fascinated by the idea so when the author approached me to read his story, I couldn't refuse.
The story starts when Leroy Jenkins meets a man in his field who has appeared out of nowhere. According to him, he's a time traveler and is accidently transported to a wrong place at a wrong time. He knows everything that's going to happen in the future and he hands over the task of preventing all those events - including World Wars, the assassination of President Kennedy - from happening to Leroy.
This story has a lot of American History. Half of which I was already familiar with but I didn't know the exact history - I'm not an American. Anyway, it doesn't really matter if you're an American or not because you'll understand everything easily.
This story consists of 31 pages and it took me less than half an hour to finish it. I love how the author has captured everything so perfectly in only 30 pages. I was really surprised the way the author has penned the whole story in only 30 pages. The pace was moderate and the writing praise-worthy. I'm glad that I got the chance to read this book because I enjoyed immensely and I recommend it to everyone especially the fans of sci-fi and time travel books.
What if we knew everything or anything about our future? We would certainly try to alter and reconstruct it the way we want.
This short story has been compared to Twilight Zone a lot but I have never watched it or didn't even know it existed. I'm a lover of sci-fi books and I haven't read many of the books about time-travel but I have always been fascinated by the idea so when the author approached me to read his story, I couldn't refuse.
The story starts when Leroy Jenkins meets a man in his field who has appeared out of nowhere. According to him, he's a time traveler and is accidently transported to a wrong place at a wrong time. He knows everything that's going to happen in the future and he hands over the task of preventing all those events - including World Wars, the assassination of President Kennedy - from happening to Leroy.
This story has a lot of American History. Half of which I was already familiar with but I didn't know the exact history - I'm not an American. Anyway, it doesn't really matter if you're an American or not because you'll understand everything easily.
This story consists of 31 pages and it took me less than half an hour to finish it. I love how the author has captured everything so perfectly in only 30 pages. I was really surprised the way the author has penned the whole story in only 30 pages. The pace was moderate and the writing praise-worthy. I'm glad that I got the chance to read this book because I enjoyed immensely and I recommend it to everyone especially the fans of sci-fi and time travel books.
rebecavleal's review
3.0
I have a big thing for characters. They are probably one of the most important aspects of a book to me, I need to know them and feel like they’re real in order to truly appreciate a book.
Not in The Visitor though. We barely get to really know Leroy, Theo and Quade but that doesn’t matter at all. The strong point of J. L. Pattison’s short story resides in its plot.
The Visitor won’t bring you a new story like we are used to read. It will mostly tell you historical events you already know of pretty damn well. But they will be presented intricated with a sotryline that will make you think twice about the world you are currently living in.
My reading experience resulted more in a reflective post-reading state of mind than a fangirling reaction while reading the book (also probably because since this is a short story it is pretty quick to read…).
The writing style wasn’t my favourite but that is just a detail since it was due to really really subjective reasons.
I recommend The Visitor if you would like to enjoy a quick story with a pinch of Science Fiction and which takes place in the USA between 1899 and 1963.
Not in The Visitor though. We barely get to really know Leroy, Theo and Quade but that doesn’t matter at all. The strong point of J. L. Pattison’s short story resides in its plot.
The Visitor won’t bring you a new story like we are used to read. It will mostly tell you historical events you already know of pretty damn well. But they will be presented intricated with a sotryline that will make you think twice about the world you are currently living in.
My reading experience resulted more in a reflective post-reading state of mind than a fangirling reaction while reading the book (also probably because since this is a short story it is pretty quick to read…).
The writing style wasn’t my favourite but that is just a detail since it was due to really really subjective reasons.
I recommend The Visitor if you would like to enjoy a quick story with a pinch of Science Fiction and which takes place in the USA between 1899 and 1963.
blackash13's review
4.0
4.5 Stars!
The Visitor is well written and engaged me right from the beginning. Though short, the story was not at all rushed and it moved along at a nice, steady pace. The premise is interesting and I enjoyed how each character progressed from nonbeliever to believer in what the visitor had to say about the future of the USA. You could definitely relate to their initial skepticism, and you could really feel their anger as they came to believe in the information they received.
Enjoyable reading, and I look forward to more from the author.
The Visitor is well written and engaged me right from the beginning. Though short, the story was not at all rushed and it moved along at a nice, steady pace. The premise is interesting and I enjoyed how each character progressed from nonbeliever to believer in what the visitor had to say about the future of the USA. You could definitely relate to their initial skepticism, and you could really feel their anger as they came to believe in the information they received.
Enjoyable reading, and I look forward to more from the author.
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