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strad78's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
lunaseline's review
2.0
Tidsresor är svåra. Att berätta om, inte minst.
Logic lapses, onödigt komplicerade förklaringar, saker du inte förstår, saker du själv kunde ha tänkt ut bättre själv, o.s.v.
Ibland funkar det ändå - om du får karaktärer du gillar (Endgame), mysiga miljöer (Back to the Future) eller massor av kärlek (About Time). När det gäller böcker behövs utöver detta ett sofistikerat berättande och ett snyggt språk (det närmsta vi kommer är Life After Life - inte en verklig tidsrese-historia, men å andra sidan b-ä-s-t).
Mike Chen lyckas tyvärr inte med något av det här. Pacing och djup saknas, så jag kan inte känna för karaktärerna, miljön är non-descript, kärleksdelen kan inte riktigt bestämma sig för var känslan ska ligga och snarare än sofistikerad är texten slarvig; den hoppar mellan försök till snygga meningar och simpla förklaringar.
Lite synd, för tidsresor ÄR en dramaturgisk drivkraft, och det finns också försök till andra poänger (främst om de två kvinnornas personliga utveckling, vilket författaren ska ha cred för!).
Nåja, boken är snabbläst och oförarglig - inget en behöver önska sig en tidsmaskin för att ha ogjort.
Logic lapses, onödigt komplicerade förklaringar, saker du inte förstår, saker du själv kunde ha tänkt ut bättre själv, o.s.v.
Ibland funkar det ändå - om du får karaktärer du gillar (Endgame), mysiga miljöer (Back to the Future) eller massor av kärlek (About Time). När det gäller böcker behövs utöver detta ett sofistikerat berättande och ett snyggt språk (det närmsta vi kommer är Life After Life - inte en verklig tidsrese-historia, men å andra sidan b-ä-s-t).
Mike Chen lyckas tyvärr inte med något av det här. Pacing och djup saknas, så jag kan inte känna för karaktärerna, miljön är non-descript, kärleksdelen kan inte riktigt bestämma sig för var känslan ska ligga och snarare än sofistikerad är texten slarvig; den hoppar mellan försök till snygga meningar och simpla förklaringar.
Lite synd, för tidsresor ÄR en dramaturgisk drivkraft, och det finns också försök till andra poänger (främst om de två kvinnornas personliga utveckling, vilket författaren ska ha cred för!).
Nåja, boken är snabbläst och oförarglig - inget en behöver önska sig en tidsmaskin för att ha ogjort.
misha_ali's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I love a good time travel story. This one is not an angle I've seen before and it's really interesting to explore. Kin is a time traveller who got trapped in the past (about a hundred years before his own time) on a mission. As he is trapped in the past, his memories of his own time fade and he meets a woman, falls in love, marries, and has a daughter that they raise together into a 14-year-old before his associates track him down in time and bring him back, effectively abandoning his family in the past to go back to his fiance in his own time. The rest of the story is about Kin reconciling his old life with his new life and the complications resulting from his inability to quite let go of his family in the past.
There are some fun twists and turns and all the characters are engaging and the time travel shenanigans are fun without the excessive complications that usually come with the territory. A fantastic ride and at heart, a book about love and family.
There are some fun twists and turns and all the characters are engaging and the time travel shenanigans are fun without the excessive complications that usually come with the territory. A fantastic ride and at heart, a book about love and family.
lady_mair's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.0
A cool concept, but very poorly executed.
The characters are flat. Their emotions were constantly “told” to me, not shown, and so I barely felt a connection to them, nor cared deeply what happened to them. The story stakes are presented as high, but the hero never truly faces difficulty or resistance. The issues crop up briefly and then melt away before the conveniences of the plot.
A big disappointment, as I thought the prologue was excellent and intriguing.
The characters are flat. Their emotions were constantly “told” to me, not shown, and so I barely felt a connection to them, nor cared deeply what happened to them. The story stakes are presented as high, but the hero never truly faces difficulty or resistance. The issues crop up briefly and then melt away before the conveniences of the plot.
A big disappointment, as I thought the prologue was excellent and intriguing.
lesserjoke's review against another edition
4.0
There's a little bit too much telling over showing in the beginning of this novel about a futuristic time-traveler who creates a new life for himself after getting stranded in 1996. Luckily the plot picks up once the protagonist is belatedly extracted back to the 22nd century, and his efforts to remain in secret contact with the family his agency has forced him to abandon are both clever and sweet. Debut author Mike Chen has written a fun sci-fi adventure with some amusing Doctor Who references, and although it never feels especially original, the story zips along quickly enough that I can't complain.
bouchard_braille's review
4.0
Kin Stewart is on a mission, similar to many missions he's undertaken before: Travel back in time to prevent someone else who travelled back in time from interfering with history. This time, something goes wrong and he isn't able to return to the present. The rules are very clear; he must minimize contact with others, make as little impact on the world around him as he can, and otherwise not do anything that will significantly alter the happenings around him. But as days turn into weeks and weeks turn into years, it's become clear to him that he's stranded, and he begins to forget about his past (future?) life... well, what would you do?
18 years later, his whereabouts are finally discovered, and he is rescued and returned to the future. Except he's left a family behind, and his sudden disappearance has had predictable and devastating consequences for them, particularly his daughter. The rules are very clear; communicating with people from the past is strictly prohibited. But being separated by more than a century is no match for a father's love and feelings of loss, and he just so happens to have the skills and technology to try to help her... well, what would you do?
This story is primarily about family and how one man will do anything to protect his, no matter the impossibility of the task, the well-meaning people who would nevertheless prevent him from doing so, and the risk to his own life. Add to that the burden of having to conceal his true occupation from them, and the struggles to understand one's teenage children common to so many, and you get an emotional tale with a sci-fi setting as a backdrop. The story felt a little rushed in places, and I think getting to spend more time with Heather and Miranda at the beginning of the book would have contributed to a deeper emotional connection, but there are plenty of emotional moments, both uplifting and sad, to relate to.
18 years later, his whereabouts are finally discovered, and he is rescued and returned to the future. Except he's left a family behind, and his sudden disappearance has had predictable and devastating consequences for them, particularly his daughter. The rules are very clear; communicating with people from the past is strictly prohibited. But being separated by more than a century is no match for a father's love and feelings of loss, and he just so happens to have the skills and technology to try to help her... well, what would you do?
This story is primarily about family and how one man will do anything to protect his, no matter the impossibility of the task, the well-meaning people who would nevertheless prevent him from doing so, and the risk to his own life. Add to that the burden of having to conceal his true occupation from them, and the struggles to understand one's teenage children common to so many, and you get an emotional tale with a sci-fi setting as a backdrop. The story felt a little rushed in places, and I think getting to spend more time with Heather and Miranda at the beginning of the book would have contributed to a deeper emotional connection, but there are plenty of emotional moments, both uplifting and sad, to relate to.
chatomarmont's review
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jrosenstein's review against another edition
2.0
I wasn't very into it. The time travel mechanics were very poorly developed and they kept talking about timeline corruption but then kept violating timelines left and right. I like the theme of parental love but Kin is not super believable as a highly trained time traveling secret agent because he keeps doing stupid stuff and acting without thinking. Also, for a top-secret agency the TCB seems to have terrible security.
hellococo927's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen has a great central premise: a time travel agent stuck in the past wrestles with the life he's built and the one he left behind. The characters are relatable, but the emotional impact is lessened by overly detailed explanations of the time travel mechanics. If you enjoy time travel fiction, this is still a worthwhile read, but be prepared for some info dumps that pull you out of the story.