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ahinds's review against another edition
4.0
Walking by the shelves in the bookstore I was instantly drawn to this title. I have always loved reading sci fi books. This, combined with having time travel had me hooked.
Liam is 16 and works as a steward on the Titanic in 1912. Eighteen-year-old Maddy is on a plane in 2010. And Sal is 13 and lives in a house in India in 2026. Each of them is about to die until a mysterious old man appears and says that he can save them from death, and all they have to do is take his hand. When they do, there is a blinding flash of white light and they find themselves in a rundown building in New York in 2001. The man introduces himself as Foster and tells them they have two choices, they can either return to their deaths or they can become Time Riders. Time Riders are people who stop time travel from destroying the world. Now Liam, Maddy, Sal and their support unit Bob must stop Paul Kramer, a world renown scientist from the future, from changing history.
The first chapter of the book can be confusing because the book switches back and forth between explaining about the Time Riders and Paul Kramer’s plan to go back in time. I found myself having to go back and reread some of the first chapters with Kramer in it because I missed some key details about him. It was a lot of hassle trying to keep straight all the information that had been presented to me. In my opinion I felt it would be better if the author first concentrated on explaining The Time Riders and the history of time travel before introducing Kramer. This is my only complaint about the book for I think the rest of the book is excellent.
Time Riders is primarily a Science Fiction book, but the author also expertly blends in elements of dystopia and mystery into the book. Mr. Scarrow manages to create three in depth main characters. Even Sal, who at the beginning I thought was the weakest character, transforms into an interesting and relatable character in a few chapters. Kramer is the villain of the novel but you can’t help but understand why he sees himself as the good guy. The imagery is so vibrant in this novel that if you have a hyper active imagination you might want to skip over the description about the mutants. If you like Science Fiction books with a lot of mystery in them then this book is for you.
Liam is 16 and works as a steward on the Titanic in 1912. Eighteen-year-old Maddy is on a plane in 2010. And Sal is 13 and lives in a house in India in 2026. Each of them is about to die until a mysterious old man appears and says that he can save them from death, and all they have to do is take his hand. When they do, there is a blinding flash of white light and they find themselves in a rundown building in New York in 2001. The man introduces himself as Foster and tells them they have two choices, they can either return to their deaths or they can become Time Riders. Time Riders are people who stop time travel from destroying the world. Now Liam, Maddy, Sal and their support unit Bob must stop Paul Kramer, a world renown scientist from the future, from changing history.
The first chapter of the book can be confusing because the book switches back and forth between explaining about the Time Riders and Paul Kramer’s plan to go back in time. I found myself having to go back and reread some of the first chapters with Kramer in it because I missed some key details about him. It was a lot of hassle trying to keep straight all the information that had been presented to me. In my opinion I felt it would be better if the author first concentrated on explaining The Time Riders and the history of time travel before introducing Kramer. This is my only complaint about the book for I think the rest of the book is excellent.
Time Riders is primarily a Science Fiction book, but the author also expertly blends in elements of dystopia and mystery into the book. Mr. Scarrow manages to create three in depth main characters. Even Sal, who at the beginning I thought was the weakest character, transforms into an interesting and relatable character in a few chapters. Kramer is the villain of the novel but you can’t help but understand why he sees himself as the good guy. The imagery is so vibrant in this novel that if you have a hyper active imagination you might want to skip over the description about the mutants. If you like Science Fiction books with a lot of mystery in them then this book is for you.
wraithofbooksandbones's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mon_ique's review against another edition
1.0
There were many things I didn't like in this book; the religious overtones, the human mutants, the violence, etc. That's my opinion of this book, and reading a couple of reviews for the other books, it seems like it doesn't change. I like sci-fi, I really do, but this is the kinda of sci-fi I hate. The ones that try to bring God into it. Sci-fi is not real. You cannot apply something fake to something real. It seems a lot of Sci-fi things does this, to varying degrees tho. This book added a lot of their theories, trying to reconcile time-travel to real life. I read books that would be categorized as sci-fi for the adventure and the awesome things that happen that do not happen in real life. Like sci-fi formulas or time travel. Instead of this book, filled with religious applications and conspiracies, I would point to the much better option of The Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Not saying that Peterson doesn't have a fair share of human philosophies, but it takes a back seat to the awesome history time travel that entertains, excites and educates, yet you can still tell that the author has her mind on her shoulders and doesn't actually believe in time travel. Reading books like this could totally corrupt your mind into doubting the existence of everything.
I would not recommend nor continue this series.
I would not recommend nor continue this series.
sharonjangell's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. I was a little apprehensive initially because I always struggle with the concept of time travel but this was so well written and easy to follow. will definitely read the series.
anniemariek's review against another edition
4.0
First Look: I loved the premise of this, right from the first time I read the back cover. I just had to buy it. I'm rather fond of time travel stories. I hoped this one would follow through. This might be a shorter review, since I've gotten behind again.
Setting: The historical aspects of this were cool. Of course, setting your first scene in the sinking Titanic is always a fantastic idea. The other settings were interesting, too. The author definitely did a nice job making the altered history seem very believable.
Characters: This was the disappointing part of this book, in my opinion. The characters all fell flat. They had the potential to be interesting, likable characters, but I couldn't connect to them. None of them really had distinct personalities. Out of the three main characters, I'd have to say Liam was my favorite, though that's probably because he got the most time in the spotlight.
I'm really hoping the next book improves on this aspect. The thing I wanted to see, especially, was the growth of a bond between the three main characters. I didn't see much of this, but hopefully it gets better as the series goes on.
Plot: The plot was compelling. The premise was awesome, and it was carried out well. It's so easy for plots of books involving time travel to become either unbelievable, or hopelessly confusing. Or both. Fortunately, this book had neither. The believability of the plot is, in my opinion, the real gem of this book. Scarrow makes us think "Yeah, this could happen in our future." Then when history gets all twisted around, it's still convincing. It can be a bit spooky, to think of the things that might've happened had history taken a different path.
Uniqueness: It's a straight-up time travel book. No dithering about in paranormal.
Writing: This is one of those books where it's just so easy to blow through the entire thing and realize you hardly remember any of the writing. That's a good thing, in its own way. It's written in a manner that keeps you going through the story without letting the narration remind you of the fact that, hey, you're actually reading a book.
My only complaint was some of Liam's dialogue. Someone who was a teenager in 1912 isn't going to have "friggin" in their vocabulary. They aren't going to use "awkward" the way we use it today. It just didn't make sense for him.
Likes: Bob.
Not-so-great: Nothing that wasn't mentioned above.
Overall: 4/5 I enjoyed this book. It had a cool premise which, thankfully, followed through. The plot was compelling, and it offered some interesting thoughts on how history could have been different. It was full of action and suspense. It was a little lacking in the character development area, but I'd still recommend it, especially to people who like time travel books, or anyone who's looking for a distraction from all the recent paranormal or dystopian stuff that's being published lately.
Read even more reviews at http://anniesepicblog.blogspot.com
Setting: The historical aspects of this were cool. Of course, setting your first scene in the sinking Titanic is always a fantastic idea. The other settings were interesting, too. The author definitely did a nice job making the altered history seem very believable.
Characters: This was the disappointing part of this book, in my opinion. The characters all fell flat. They had the potential to be interesting, likable characters, but I couldn't connect to them. None of them really had distinct personalities. Out of the three main characters, I'd have to say Liam was my favorite, though that's probably because he got the most time in the spotlight.
I'm really hoping the next book improves on this aspect. The thing I wanted to see, especially, was the growth of a bond between the three main characters. I didn't see much of this, but hopefully it gets better as the series goes on.
Plot: The plot was compelling. The premise was awesome, and it was carried out well. It's so easy for plots of books involving time travel to become either unbelievable, or hopelessly confusing. Or both. Fortunately, this book had neither. The believability of the plot is, in my opinion, the real gem of this book. Scarrow makes us think "Yeah, this could happen in our future." Then when history gets all twisted around, it's still convincing. It can be a bit spooky, to think of the things that might've happened had history taken a different path.
Uniqueness: It's a straight-up time travel book. No dithering about in paranormal.
Writing: This is one of those books where it's just so easy to blow through the entire thing and realize you hardly remember any of the writing. That's a good thing, in its own way. It's written in a manner that keeps you going through the story without letting the narration remind you of the fact that, hey, you're actually reading a book.
My only complaint was some of Liam's dialogue. Someone who was a teenager in 1912 isn't going to have "friggin" in their vocabulary. They aren't going to use "awkward" the way we use it today. It just didn't make sense for him.
Likes: Bob.
Not-so-great: Nothing that wasn't mentioned above.
Overall: 4/5 I enjoyed this book. It had a cool premise which, thankfully, followed through. The plot was compelling, and it offered some interesting thoughts on how history could have been different. It was full of action and suspense. It was a little lacking in the character development area, but I'd still recommend it, especially to people who like time travel books, or anyone who's looking for a distraction from all the recent paranormal or dystopian stuff that's being published lately.
Read even more reviews at http://anniesepicblog.blogspot.com
nrgitha's review against another edition
4.0
http://nrgitha.blogspot.com/2013/12/resensi-time-riders.html
mthom25's review
5.0
This was a really intriguing read. I was mesmerized by the idea of time travelers fixing a world where Hitler won World War 2. I had never thought of what would happen, it was a great idea. The author really made you love Bob and everyone else. It was one of the best books I've ever read.
heather34's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
serenitysong's review against another edition
1.0
Could not finish. Setting your "home base in time" in a bubble surrounding 9/11 with a character who has personal ties to the date... Just doesn't sit right somehow and I can't push past it and the confusing writing style.