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wanjiii's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ryanpfw's review
4.0
A solid second book in the series (It's written as a stand-alone but the universe is so dense you may be a bit lost not starting from the beginning.) that offers a unique and complicated take on time travel, but where the rules hold together and are consistently applied throughout the book.
I will say that the fast-moving plot does take first fiddle to character development. I feel like we don't get to know Ben nearly well enough, despite living in his head, and there are so many secondary characters to keep track of that we don't get a good sense of all of them. I'd agree with other reviews that the earlier rounds of the chronothon are slow and it doesn't become a page turner until later on in the story. One character's change of heart late in the story is a bit convenient and unlikely (there's little catalyst and it would have happened sooner if at all), although the foreshadowing of Ben's next adventure was truly exceptional on the plot front. I eagerly look forward to Book 3.
I will say that the fast-moving plot does take first fiddle to character development. I feel like we don't get to know Ben nearly well enough, despite living in his head, and there are so many secondary characters to keep track of that we don't get a good sense of all of them. I'd agree with other reviews that the earlier rounds of the chronothon are slow and it doesn't become a page turner until later on in the story. One character's change of heart late in the story is a bit convenient and unlikely (there's little catalyst and it would have happened sooner if at all), although the foreshadowing of Ben's next adventure was truly exceptional on the plot front. I eagerly look forward to Book 3.
reidymartin's review
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jobatkin's review against another edition
4.0
I loved the concept of a Chronothon - kind of an Amazing Race for time travellers - and thought it was very well executed. The way that Ben is coerced into the race in the first place was a little weak, but the race itself and the characters involved were really interesting to read about and kept me hooked for the whole story. There were enough bad guys for a good amount of tension and conflict, and also some really good guys and some plain misguided ones. Although the initial tension between Ben and Mym was created and resolved with very little explanation, I did enjoy seeing their relationship progress throughout the race as well. The conclusion was also a great way to end the book and kept me up way past my bedtime. I thought this book was better than the first, and hope the next book is better yet!
krakentamer's review against another edition
5.0
Ok, so here's what I think happened: the author had a great idea for an interesting time travel book, but realized that the world-building necessary to explain the mechanics of time travel would add too much front-end to that interesting time travel book. So he split out that boring-but-necessary info dump from the good story and made a separate book out of it. Fleshing out that boring pre-story book into a full novel length gave us this book's predecessor, [b:In Times Like These|18653188|In Times Like These (In Times Like These, #1)|Nathan Van Coops|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1455640169s/18653188.jpg|26465949]. Now, that book was, as I stated, just "OK"; a serviceable, rather pedestrian time travel book. But it wasn't exciting, and it wasn't anything that we hadn't seen before.
That brings us to THIS book, which I believe was the author's intended story all along. Amazing Race through time! THIS book is so much more interesting and engaging than the first one that if my theory is not correct, then at the very least, the author had a MAJOR level-up in storytelling ability. Even the audiobook narrator seems to have upped his game a bit (although I eventually had to look at the ebook to determine if he was saying "Dr. Quickly" or "Dr. Quiggly" - it sounded like the quotes in the chapter bumpers were always Dr. Quiggly, but the story character was Dr. Quickly).
All in all, a very enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the next one.
That brings us to THIS book, which I believe was the author's intended story all along. Amazing Race through time! THIS book is so much more interesting and engaging than the first one that if my theory is not correct, then at the very least, the author had a MAJOR level-up in storytelling ability. Even the audiobook narrator seems to have upped his game a bit (although I eventually had to look at the ebook to determine if he was saying "Dr. Quickly" or "Dr. Quiggly" - it sounded like the quotes in the chapter bumpers were always Dr. Quiggly, but the story character was Dr. Quickly).
All in all, a very enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to the next one.
amynbell's review against another edition
5.0
In the 2150s, time travel has become commonplace enough that it has become boring. Time travelers know the basic rules of time travel such as how to not to get themselves fused with objects in the past, etc. It seems inevitable in such a society that time travel would eventually develop into an extreme sport. Benjamin Travers doesn’t know it yet, but he’s about to be recruited from the future to join in a Chronothon whether he wants to or not. And it’s not until the end of the game that he begins to understand why and just how important his participation is to the world.
Even reality television is more extreme in the future as millions watch as Ben and the other contestants race each other through time in search of hidden objects. The race starts in present day Ireland and wends its way through ancient Egypt, Rome, medieval France, the pirate-infested Carribean, the Old West, pre World War II Germany, and beyond. There’s never a dull moment as Ben encounters everything from pirates to zombies to cyborgs in his travels. But from the beginning, something seems to be going terribly wrong. The game isn’t what it seems, and Ben is determined to discover what’s happening before he’s eliminated in the worst possible way.
This novel is heavy on adventure and begs to be on the big screen one day. While reading is mainly a rip-roaring experience, there are some heavier topics as well. One that I especially enjoyed was the evolving concept of civil rights in the future as extends to bionically enhanced humans. There is also a very tastefully- developed love story in the midst of all the adventuring. And the ending leaves a huge opening for a much deeper storyline as Ben goes down a forbidden rabbit hole of time travel. I get the feeling that there’s a Messaiah-level storyline to develop in the next book of the series. And there MUST be a next book. The author has also written a prequel to this novel featuring some of the same characters, but it’s not necessary to read it in order to enjoy this one.
This should be a must-read of 2015 among lovers of time travel and speculative fiction adventure. It’s not necessarily written as a YA book, but I think it will appeal to that subset as well. I was lucky enough to get to be a Beta reader for this book which is set to roll out on February 2nd (just in time for Groundhog Day), but it’s available for pre-order now at http://www.amazon.com/Chronothon-Nathan-Van-Coops-ebook/dp/B00QHIYBZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422332700&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chronothon&pebp=1422332700642&peasin=B00QHIYBZ4 with a lovely giveaway launch party set up that day at https://www.facebook.com/events/1554500964790630.
Even reality television is more extreme in the future as millions watch as Ben and the other contestants race each other through time in search of hidden objects. The race starts in present day Ireland and wends its way through ancient Egypt, Rome, medieval France, the pirate-infested Carribean, the Old West, pre World War II Germany, and beyond. There’s never a dull moment as Ben encounters everything from pirates to zombies to cyborgs in his travels. But from the beginning, something seems to be going terribly wrong. The game isn’t what it seems, and Ben is determined to discover what’s happening before he’s eliminated in the worst possible way.
This novel is heavy on adventure and begs to be on the big screen one day. While reading is mainly a rip-roaring experience, there are some heavier topics as well. One that I especially enjoyed was the evolving concept of civil rights in the future as extends to bionically enhanced humans. There is also a very tastefully- developed love story in the midst of all the adventuring. And the ending leaves a huge opening for a much deeper storyline as Ben goes down a forbidden rabbit hole of time travel. I get the feeling that there’s a Messaiah-level storyline to develop in the next book of the series. And there MUST be a next book. The author has also written a prequel to this novel featuring some of the same characters, but it’s not necessary to read it in order to enjoy this one.
This should be a must-read of 2015 among lovers of time travel and speculative fiction adventure. It’s not necessarily written as a YA book, but I think it will appeal to that subset as well. I was lucky enough to get to be a Beta reader for this book which is set to roll out on February 2nd (just in time for Groundhog Day), but it’s available for pre-order now at http://www.amazon.com/Chronothon-Nathan-Van-Coops-ebook/dp/B00QHIYBZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422332700&sr=8-1&keywords=the+chronothon&pebp=1422332700642&peasin=B00QHIYBZ4 with a lovely giveaway launch party set up that day at https://www.facebook.com/events/1554500964790630.
adamdavidcollings's review against another edition
5.0
The Chronothon builds on the world established in the first book and takes it a number of steps further. Our hero embarks on an exciting race through time, competing in a Chronothon. But this is a lot more going on here than a simple race.
A thrilling time-travel adventure.
A thrilling time-travel adventure.
lyndiane's review against another edition
5.0
Oh WOW! Indiana Jones meets the Amazing Race, with a visit and a tango with Ripley's "Alien" in this thrills-a-minute romp through history.
I started this sequel straight after completing "In Times Like These"; I was instantly hooked. I made the mistake of trying to do a bit of reading this morning and nearly made myself late for work!! I had to leave the book at home so that I could actually get some work done - have book, will read!
I'll update the review once I have completed the novel.
2 November: Updated review - quite possibly the best of the series (so far). The author demonstrates a sheer streak of genius in keeping this convoluted plot coherent. The romantic bit is tastefully done, without providing unneccessary graphic descriptions which have been the downfall of so many potentially good novels.
I started this sequel straight after completing "In Times Like These"; I was instantly hooked. I made the mistake of trying to do a bit of reading this morning and nearly made myself late for work!! I had to leave the book at home so that I could actually get some work done - have book, will read!
I'll update the review once I have completed the novel.
2 November: Updated review - quite possibly the best of the series (so far). The author demonstrates a sheer streak of genius in keeping this convoluted plot coherent. The romantic bit is tastefully done, without providing unneccessary graphic descriptions which have been the downfall of so many potentially good novels.
missiemay's review
5.0
I read this months ago, and I still think about it like once a week at least. The first book in the series is good, at least for setting up the concept of time travel. But this book. This book is incredible. A race through history, full of interesting characters and a sinister plot lurking behind the scenes - does it get any better? Fans of science fiction, adventure, and exciting literature should give Nathan Van Coops a try. I highly recommend it.
danlewisfw's review against another edition
5.0
This is where things get really fun in the series. I absolutely inhaled this book, I just could not put it down and read it so quickly that I was depressed that it was over when I finished it. If you like time travel do yourself a favor and read this series, You should start with the 1st book and I will warn you the first 100 pages are a bit slow (of book 1 not this one) but the payoff is huge.
I need more books like this one in my life. I am not kidding, this is what I am looking for in more time travel not a billionth woman goes back in time to meet a guy from Scotland. How many single men were there in Scotland in the middle ages because there have got to be 10,000 books about that.
I need more books like this one in my life. I am not kidding, this is what I am looking for in more time travel not a billionth woman goes back in time to meet a guy from Scotland. How many single men were there in Scotland in the middle ages because there have got to be 10,000 books about that.