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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
Fun well written time travel novel with enough humor to keep me entertained. Like the characters. The plot wraps up nicely and a sequel is definitely not necessary.
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I hit the middle, I couldn't help but rush through to see what happened. Both Harry and Eli are really likable characters and the history travel idea is interesting and portrayed in a fun, engaging way. The settings, from the Founder's House and Sanders to Hourglass and its three bars, are just as vibrant and engaging as the characters. This is just a fun, unique read all around.
Eli and Harry are chasing the American Dream thru time and space in the literal sense, in turn they are being chased by the faceless men. Shades of Jack Vance! An oddball novel and a decent read.
The premise of this novel had me really intrigued and excited to read this novel. However, my actual experience with this book was ... underwhelming. The story revolves around Harry, the mysterious stranger that Eli meets, as well as a host of other characters who are all looking for a very important thing: the American dream. And to do this, they are going through different time points in American history to find it. Now, I love a good time travel story, especially since the concept of time travel is not the easiest to write about. I quite enjoyed the jumps in time and how it forced the reader to pay attention to all of the little details in the book. However, I wasn't so impressed with the characters. They were all just so bland and they really didn't hold any interest. With such a whimsical story idea, I expect really fantastic characters that leave an impression on the reader. Even the villains weren't as villainous as I was hoping. The entire time I was reading this novel, it felt like everything stopped just shy of being amazing. The pace was just short of gripping and edgy, the thrills and dangers were just short of being scary, the characters were just short of being charismatic, and the ending was just short of being satisfactory. While the premise and concept was interesting, I don't think the execution was the best. This definitely wasn't a memorable story, but it could have been. For that reason, I'm giving this a 2.5/5 stars.
Thanks to Blogging for Books, NetGalley, and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to Blogging for Books, NetGalley, and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Title: Paradox Bound
Author: Peter Clines
Publication Date: Sep 2017
Genre: Time travel
Score: 4/5
A satisfying time travel book from Clines. The story is a clever take on the American Dream. It posits that the Dream is a real object that’s been stolen. Searchers from all through American history are combing the years to find the thief. The main character is caught up in the search accidentally. Good stuff. Recommended.
Author: Peter Clines
Publication Date: Sep 2017
Genre: Time travel
Score: 4/5
A satisfying time travel book from Clines. The story is a clever take on the American Dream. It posits that the Dream is a real object that’s been stolen. Searchers from all through American history are combing the years to find the thief. The main character is caught up in the search accidentally. Good stuff. Recommended.
This was a slightly frustrating mythos for me. The original notion of the founding of the American Dream bothers me, and while I enjoyed the interweaving causality threads (and the geeky references), there were a few hanging plot points that I wish had been better resolved (or resolved at all, in the case of the 300-year cap). All told, pretty fun, but just frustrating enough to drop it to 4 stars.
Paradox Bound is a disappointment for a number of reasons.
One reason is relative. Clines' previous novel, the Fold, was inventive, fun, and great science fiction.
But Paradox is lousy, convoluted, with characters you are unable to like.
One reason is relative. Clines' previous novel, the Fold, was inventive, fun, and great science fiction.
But Paradox is lousy, convoluted, with characters you are unable to like.
Tyyyyyyyyyyypically I’m not much for time travel plots. I know they are a fave in science fiction, but for me, they have always seemed like an easy way to break the rules. Something not going the way you want it to happen? Whoops, slip right across time and there you go–Hakuna Matata.
However, Peter Clines hooked me with his dimension folding in The Fold, and he’s done it again in Paradox Bound with “history traveling.” Not quite time traveling–his searchers are on a quest to find the American Dream, skimming over slick spots in all the biggest points in this nation’s history.
This book begs the question: What if the American Dream were a tangible object? Imagine Nicholas Cage finding THAT out. National Treasure: American Dream. Ben Gates on the run from Faceless Men?
Sorry, the thought got away from me a bit. This book really is nothing like National Treasure, not even a little bit. It’s more sci-fi western, if I had to pick a genre. There’s a whole cast of vaguely familiar characters–or at least people we SHOULD know. You’ll at least recognize two. Imagine a Ready Player One for history buffs, and you’ll have this book–only without the overwhelming reference diarrhea.
Can I say diarrhea in a book review? That’s probably frowned upon. I bet Amazon doesn’t accept it. Crap.
I seem to remember my review of The Fold having a lot of snarky humor in it too. I wonder if it is the effect of Peter Clines’ writing. His characters do not lack snarky wit, and I tend to get wrapped up in his stories. For a girl who used to not like sci-fi…well, I think I was just reading the wrong writers of sci-fi.
This isn’t the wrong writer of sci-fi. Go read Peter Clines.
However, Peter Clines hooked me with his dimension folding in The Fold, and he’s done it again in Paradox Bound with “history traveling.” Not quite time traveling–his searchers are on a quest to find the American Dream, skimming over slick spots in all the biggest points in this nation’s history.
This book begs the question: What if the American Dream were a tangible object? Imagine Nicholas Cage finding THAT out. National Treasure: American Dream. Ben Gates on the run from Faceless Men?
Sorry, the thought got away from me a bit. This book really is nothing like National Treasure, not even a little bit. It’s more sci-fi western, if I had to pick a genre. There’s a whole cast of vaguely familiar characters–or at least people we SHOULD know. You’ll at least recognize two. Imagine a Ready Player One for history buffs, and you’ll have this book–only without the overwhelming reference diarrhea.
Can I say diarrhea in a book review? That’s probably frowned upon. I bet Amazon doesn’t accept it. Crap.
I seem to remember my review of The Fold having a lot of snarky humor in it too. I wonder if it is the effect of Peter Clines’ writing. His characters do not lack snarky wit, and I tend to get wrapped up in his stories. For a girl who used to not like sci-fi…well, I think I was just reading the wrong writers of sci-fi.
This isn’t the wrong writer of sci-fi. Go read Peter Clines.
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For a better look into my review. The book was given to me by Blogging For Books!
For a better look into my review. The book was given to me by Blogging For Books!
This was such a twisty book and I loved it! The idea was interesting and well-executed (and that must have been quite the challenge!), and I loved the characters. Plus I listened to the audiobook, and Ray Porter is my favorite narrator, so all around this was a win for me.