Scan barcode
amanda1793's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyed! Bit confused at times due to converging storylines and "mind/body shraing" just to call it something. Good way of examining the science and technology of the future.
_reading_with_kate_'s review against another edition
Was enjoying this book until John took over AND THEN when true love saved the day I was just thoroughly over it.
alondra_98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
lilehmoo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
jess_mango's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 out of 5 stars
A sci-fi light novel about time travel but more about learning about what you value in life. Tom Barren lives on Earth in 2016 in a world that is straight out of Jetsons and other 1960's visions of the future. There are flying cars, clothing recycling/generating machines, teleporters, and more.
Tom's father invents a time machine and let's just say that Tom goes a bit rogue and goes back in time and ends up altering the timeline and when he comes back to 2016 it is the one we live in. Tom views it as a sad dystopian society.
A sci-fi light novel about time travel but more about learning about what you value in life. Tom Barren lives on Earth in 2016 in a world that is straight out of Jetsons and other 1960's visions of the future. There are flying cars, clothing recycling/generating machines, teleporters, and more.
Tom's father invents a time machine and let's just say that Tom goes a bit rogue and goes back in time and ends up altering the timeline and when he comes back to 2016 it is the one we live in. Tom views it as a sad dystopian society.
welkinvault's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Thoroughly enjoyed this time travel science fiction novel
carinadiaz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Went on for far too long.
michelekendzie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
one of the most unique and fascinating novels I’ve ever read
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Self-referential, smart, science-y... an eminently readable time travel comedy of errors and horrors
I'm at a bit of a loss to summarise this book any more succinctly than above. I thought it was a fairly sraightforward "alternative future utopia" tale, with a rather lacklustre failure of a man set to travel back in time. But almost immediately that is turned on its head.
He opens with a narration you know is a hooker:
"Maybe the first person is the wrong way to tell this story. Maybe if I take refuge in the third person I'll find some sort of distance or insight or at least peace of mind. It's worth a try."
So you are aware from the start of Tom Barren's awareness of us, his readers, and you know he's going to be telling us his own story: "but I'm not the microscope, I'm the thing on the slide."
Great start. And yes, I was definitely hooked. I love books that aim for something different, give their narrator a unique tag. This is Mastai's first book and I was already excited about his writing from the first chapter.
There follows a little world-building as Tom's apparent Utopic society ("imagine that the last five decades happened with no restrictions on energy") is described - a world of "universal plenty". Though of course, ads can now be marketed to your specific tastes and even your mood, hunger and time to spare. Food synthesizers, clothing recyclers - everybody's fantasy of a future paradise where want is unknown.
But of course, Tom has already prepared us for the worst... he's not exactly a success in life, even in this world of opportunity and pleasure. Some wrong choices, some chance encounters, some life events all combine to place him at the heart of the world's first time travel experiment... going back to the moment the world started to become the Utopia he knows. And yes - he manages to screw it up.
From this point onward, concentration is required, as it often is with time travel stories. The author even helps out a little, by inserting occasional summaries of previous chapters into the narrative (though I didn't quite see the need).
I LOVED what happened next, and not least because the story just wouldn't stay still. It jumped around like three time travel plots combined, though seamlessly meshed together. Mastai's plot is incredibly well constructed, and Tom himself is an impressive character who grows (I won't say how, as it isn't quite as you'd expect!) through the story.
Hugely entertaining, mind-bending stuff. Both inside the genre and outside at the same time, I've never read anything quite like it. Wonderful narration, eye-widening ideas (sorry, mustn't explain!), and very, very assured writing for a debut novelist.
Please say you've got more ideas for future books, Mr Mastai. I can't wait to read them.
And PLEASE someone, make this a mini-series. Too much material for a film, it would spoil it to cut it down. This needs to be on television.
Wonderful choice for a book group, and for anyone who likes time travel/dimension-swapping stories, or just likes to try out new writers - this is now my top read of the year so far.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.
I'm at a bit of a loss to summarise this book any more succinctly than above. I thought it was a fairly sraightforward "alternative future utopia" tale, with a rather lacklustre failure of a man set to travel back in time. But almost immediately that is turned on its head.
He opens with a narration you know is a hooker:
"Maybe the first person is the wrong way to tell this story. Maybe if I take refuge in the third person I'll find some sort of distance or insight or at least peace of mind. It's worth a try."
So you are aware from the start of Tom Barren's awareness of us, his readers, and you know he's going to be telling us his own story: "but I'm not the microscope, I'm the thing on the slide."
Great start. And yes, I was definitely hooked. I love books that aim for something different, give their narrator a unique tag. This is Mastai's first book and I was already excited about his writing from the first chapter.
There follows a little world-building as Tom's apparent Utopic society ("imagine that the last five decades happened with no restrictions on energy") is described - a world of "universal plenty". Though of course, ads can now be marketed to your specific tastes and even your mood, hunger and time to spare. Food synthesizers, clothing recyclers - everybody's fantasy of a future paradise where want is unknown.
But of course, Tom has already prepared us for the worst... he's not exactly a success in life, even in this world of opportunity and pleasure. Some wrong choices, some chance encounters, some life events all combine to place him at the heart of the world's first time travel experiment... going back to the moment the world started to become the Utopia he knows. And yes - he manages to screw it up.
From this point onward, concentration is required, as it often is with time travel stories. The author even helps out a little, by inserting occasional summaries of previous chapters into the narrative (though I didn't quite see the need).
I LOVED what happened next, and not least because the story just wouldn't stay still. It jumped around like three time travel plots combined, though seamlessly meshed together. Mastai's plot is incredibly well constructed, and Tom himself is an impressive character who grows (I won't say how, as it isn't quite as you'd expect!) through the story.
Hugely entertaining, mind-bending stuff. Both inside the genre and outside at the same time, I've never read anything quite like it. Wonderful narration, eye-widening ideas (sorry, mustn't explain!), and very, very assured writing for a debut novelist.
Please say you've got more ideas for future books, Mr Mastai. I can't wait to read them.
And PLEASE someone, make this a mini-series. Too much material for a film, it would spoil it to cut it down. This needs to be on television.
Wonderful choice for a book group, and for anyone who likes time travel/dimension-swapping stories, or just likes to try out new writers - this is now my top read of the year so far.
With thanks to Netgalley for the advance reading copy.