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ryanpfw's review against another edition
4.0
Spoilers to follow.
So keeping with past Nathan Van Coops stories, the Chronothon series, if we’re calling it that, is light on characterization and very heavy on plot. I once remarked that I spent 80% of a previous book in Ben Travers head and still didn’t feel I knew much about him. The first in the series introduced a lot of characters who had similar traits and it took a while to get them all down.
Each book is very different, and I remarked that the last so impressed me I gave it 5 stars and added it to my all-time favorites list.
This adventure was about half the size and stripped us down overwhelming to one major existing character that we’ve spent 1,500 pages with. The angle was fresh. I will admit it the low-priority characterization didn’t keep me glued to the page, although where the author excels is mastering time travel. There’s one time travel loop so complicated that for the first time in forever there was literally an author’s note directing you to a postscript where the author took three pages explaining the resolution to the plot because if you don’t really focus and down some Tylenol, you will miss it.
It’s probably not a plus that you can’t understand the book from just reading the book, but I have to give credit for taking that much care getting your plot right. That probably actually added the fourth star.
Where I did struggle with the plot was the warp clock itself. So handing over the warp clock shuts down chronometers. It effectively neuters ASCOT (I think I got that right) and lets the criminals have full control over the timelines. But we’re dealing with characters who are literally time travelers. Ben went from 2009 to 2016 to the 2200s and to outer space. He’s all over the map. If the warp clock shut down the chronometers, it wouldn’t shut them down from just this book on? Why were they working in the first three books? Doesn’t the concept of the warp clock create a paradox where it can’t allow the time travel that’s already happened?
The author seems to comment on this by stating that there are other warp clocks in other universes that would still be working. If so, that seems to negate a lot of the impact of stealing this warp clock. Couldn’t another Ben Travers who hopes into this time stream continue to function throughout time and bypass the time gates? I don’t know if this all happened in our time stream, although the guys messing with the Revolution seemed to be the ones with knowledge of the warp clock being handed over so I’m just not clear how all that was supposed to impact Ben in the November stream. I think I’m tying myself in knots.
So keeping with past Nathan Van Coops stories, the Chronothon series, if we’re calling it that, is light on characterization and very heavy on plot. I once remarked that I spent 80% of a previous book in Ben Travers head and still didn’t feel I knew much about him. The first in the series introduced a lot of characters who had similar traits and it took a while to get them all down.
Each book is very different, and I remarked that the last so impressed me I gave it 5 stars and added it to my all-time favorites list.
This adventure was about half the size and stripped us down overwhelming to one major existing character that we’ve spent 1,500 pages with. The angle was fresh. I will admit it the low-priority characterization didn’t keep me glued to the page, although where the author excels is mastering time travel. There’s one time travel loop so complicated that for the first time in forever there was literally an author’s note directing you to a postscript where the author took three pages explaining the resolution to the plot because if you don’t really focus and down some Tylenol, you will miss it.
It’s probably not a plus that you can’t understand the book from just reading the book, but I have to give credit for taking that much care getting your plot right. That probably actually added the fourth star.
Where I did struggle with the plot was the warp clock itself. So handing over the warp clock shuts down chronometers. It effectively neuters ASCOT (I think I got that right) and lets the criminals have full control over the timelines. But we’re dealing with characters who are literally time travelers. Ben went from 2009 to 2016 to the 2200s and to outer space. He’s all over the map. If the warp clock shut down the chronometers, it wouldn’t shut them down from just this book on? Why were they working in the first three books? Doesn’t the concept of the warp clock create a paradox where it can’t allow the time travel that’s already happened?
The author seems to comment on this by stating that there are other warp clocks in other universes that would still be working. If so, that seems to negate a lot of the impact of stealing this warp clock. Couldn’t another Ben Travers who hopes into this time stream continue to function throughout time and bypass the time gates? I don’t know if this all happened in our time stream, although the guys messing with the Revolution seemed to be the ones with knowledge of the warp clock being handed over so I’m just not clear how all that was supposed to impact Ben in the November stream. I think I’m tying myself in knots.
tobia's review against another edition
3.0
As always I found the book entertaining to read again - I love the whole time travel series. Unfortunately it was the least favorite of the four for me.
Maybe because it was a father-daughter focus. Also the last 10% weren’t my favorite that unraveled the story. However the time knot was really mind blowing and very well thought out.
Over all if your read the previous books keep on reading!
Maybe because it was a father-daughter focus. Also the last 10% weren’t my favorite that unraveled the story. However the time knot was really mind blowing and very well thought out.
Over all if your read the previous books keep on reading!
mirandakate's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Each book in this series was progressively worse.
paperbacksandpaws's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5/5 🌟
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"It’s a strange feeling to know a time traveler is nowhere to be found in the universe at a present moment, but to have faith that they’ll be back one day. –Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 2087"
....................
"Death doesn’t frighten me. I fear living a life unworthy of the many opportunities I’ve been gifted. That, and bears. -Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 1910."
....................
"If time travel doesn’t confuse you from time to time, you’re probably doing it wrong. -Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 2109"
....................
The Warp Clock is the 4th book in the "In Times Like These" series by Nathan Van Coops. It follows time-traveling Ben through another adventure. This time a little girl who says she's his daughter asks him for help in finding and saving her Dad (an older version of Ben). It has a lot of action and the locations of the scenes are pretty epic and some creepy (one was an old, abandoned amusement park in a desolate future with creepy solar-powered robots and any humans around).
In Times Like These is still one of my favorite books and I'll always recommend it! I also really enjoyed the Chronothon and The Day After Never (the 2nd and 3rd in the series). The reason for my 3.5 star rating is because, just like most books(& movies) seem to go... the first ones seem to be the best and the rest in the series just can't be as good. It's true for this series too. I loved the first few books (reviews further back on my page) but this one just felt like it repeated or was very similar to the second & third book. Also, the mc's love, now wife, was barely in this one and I missed her in it. Though they did have his "daughter" which was fun.
Like I've said before I will always recommend this series for anyone who likes time travel books or sci-fi. Such a fun series.
....................
"It’s a strange feeling to know a time traveler is nowhere to be found in the universe at a present moment, but to have faith that they’ll be back one day. –Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 2087"
....................
"Death doesn’t frighten me. I fear living a life unworthy of the many opportunities I’ve been gifted. That, and bears. -Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 1910."
....................
"If time travel doesn’t confuse you from time to time, you’re probably doing it wrong. -Journal of Dr. Harold Quickly, 2109"
....................
The Warp Clock is the 4th book in the "In Times Like These" series by Nathan Van Coops. It follows time-traveling Ben through another adventure. This time a little girl who says she's his daughter asks him for help in finding and saving her Dad (an older version of Ben). It has a lot of action and the locations of the scenes are pretty epic and some creepy (one was an old, abandoned amusement park in a desolate future with creepy solar-powered robots and any humans around).
In Times Like These is still one of my favorite books and I'll always recommend it! I also really enjoyed the Chronothon and The Day After Never (the 2nd and 3rd in the series). The reason for my 3.5 star rating is because, just like most books(& movies) seem to go... the first ones seem to be the best and the rest in the series just can't be as good. It's true for this series too. I loved the first few books (reviews further back on my page) but this one just felt like it repeated or was very similar to the second & third book. Also, the mc's love, now wife, was barely in this one and I missed her in it. Though they did have his "daughter" which was fun.
Like I've said before I will always recommend this series for anyone who likes time travel books or sci-fi. Such a fun series.
krakentamer's review against another edition
4.0
It's been a couple of years since I'd read the previous books in the series and I was a little rusty with the specifics of it all. Once I started this book, it came back to me - specifically, how I was unimpressed with the mechanics of the anchors, etc. Fortunately, this story pulled me in quickly (HA!) enough that that wasn't an issue.
In the end, this was a fun book that got perhaps a little too time-twisty for it's own good, but I still enjoyed it.
In the end, this was a fun book that got perhaps a little too time-twisty for it's own good, but I still enjoyed it.
danlewisfw's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of my all time favorite time travel books. Every book in this series is great. If you like time travel and have not read the In Times Like These series put whatever you are reading down and go get book 1.
How do I know you have not read book 1? If you had read book one you would have already bought book two inhaled it, then book three and then went out and bought this book and started reading it because the others are so awesome. This one is too so stop messing around with my review go get it! Why are you still here?
How do I know you have not read book 1? If you had read book one you would have already bought book two inhaled it, then book three and then went out and bought this book and started reading it because the others are so awesome. This one is too so stop messing around with my review go get it! Why are you still here?
mylhibug's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
liantener's review against another edition
5.0
Con la misma dinámica y entretenimiento que las tres novelas anteriores, pero con una historia menos estructurada, con más cabos sueltos y un poco menos de interés.
Van Coops nos divierte con conceptos que ya había tocado antes, pero que no había explotado lo suficiente en los libros anteriores: Modificar la historia, las paradojas de la convivencia de dos versiones de ti mismo, las capacidades de las puertas del tiempo.
Me divirtió igual que los otros, pero no me tuvo tan atrapado. Aún así, su manejo de los Viajes en el Tiempo y la aventura lo hace una excelente lectura.
Van Coops nos divierte con conceptos que ya había tocado antes, pero que no había explotado lo suficiente en los libros anteriores: Modificar la historia, las paradojas de la convivencia de dos versiones de ti mismo, las capacidades de las puertas del tiempo.
Me divirtió igual que los otros, pero no me tuvo tan atrapado. Aún así, su manejo de los Viajes en el Tiempo y la aventura lo hace una excelente lectura.
addie_larue's review against another edition
4.0
Nathan Van Coops is officially one of my favorite time travel authors. I just loved the world he built with believable characters and time travel mechanism that's not too complicated but rich enough to explore the consequences and possibilities of it. The addition of Piper adds a new layer for the Traver's family that just warms my heart. Love this book so much and highly recommend it!
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