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The Temporal Knights
The first victims died on the fourteenth of June and before the month was out every human female, young boy and non-virile male was dead. Five billion people in all. In the wake of the tragedy came unbridled grief, disease and chaos…and finally Martial Law.
Extinction was staring Mankind in the face. It took over a year to stabilize what was left of society, and then another full year before the first test tube baby girl was born. The entire world rejoiced! The Laws of Nature bent to the brilliance of the human mind. Mankind, that bizarre species of primate, had somehow managed to cheat death and endure…and then the aliens fell upon the planet in force.
Countless hordes of enemy soldiers poured down from the heavens. The invaders attacked and killed without hesitation, but they also died by the millions. The remaining human beings fought back desperately, but the enemy came in endless waves, relentlessly killing and destroying everything that was human. For five long years the battle raged on, until once again humanity was threatened with extinction. All appeared to be lost. Less than a thousand human beings lingered on earth, when a strange and bizarre solution presented itself. Discovered deep within the alien technology was the key to life, the key to time and the key to victory. The last of Mankind would move back through the ages to the year 893, to England, during the reign of King Alfred the Great. There, they would drag the dark ages into the light, speed up the process of enlightenment, and prepare Mankind for the coming battle. With luck, they would truly be ready when the alien invaders finally came again.
Those still alive would risk everything and cross over; it was that, or oblivion.
“We’re like Twain’s Yankee,” Major Thane commented.
“Who?”
“You know, Twain’s Yankee, ‘The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.’ If we succeed in going back, our situation will be very similar.” Thane explained.
Colonel Lemay grunted. “Yes, but this time we’ll be bringing along machine guns and hand grenades.”
“And don’t forget the flamethrowers,” Moore added with a laugh.
Extinction was staring Mankind in the face. It took over a year to stabilize what was left of society, and then another full year before the first test tube baby girl was born. The entire world rejoiced! The Laws of Nature bent to the brilliance of the human mind. Mankind, that bizarre species of primate, had somehow managed to cheat death and endure…and then the aliens fell upon the planet in force.
Countless hordes of enemy soldiers poured down from the heavens. The invaders attacked and killed without hesitation, but they also died by the millions. The remaining human beings fought back desperately, but the enemy came in endless waves, relentlessly killing and destroying everything that was human. For five long years the battle raged on, until once again humanity was threatened with extinction. All appeared to be lost. Less than a thousand human beings lingered on earth, when a strange and bizarre solution presented itself. Discovered deep within the alien technology was the key to life, the key to time and the key to victory. The last of Mankind would move back through the ages to the year 893, to England, during the reign of King Alfred the Great. There, they would drag the dark ages into the light, speed up the process of enlightenment, and prepare Mankind for the coming battle. With luck, they would truly be ready when the alien invaders finally came again.
Those still alive would risk everything and cross over; it was that, or oblivion.
“We’re like Twain’s Yankee,” Major Thane commented.
“Who?”
“You know, Twain’s Yankee, ‘The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.’ If we succeed in going back, our situation will be very similar.” Thane explained.
Colonel Lemay grunted. “Yes, but this time we’ll be bringing along machine guns and hand grenades.”
“And don’t forget the flamethrowers,” Moore added with a laugh.
634 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 5, 2013
26 people are currently reading
164 people want to read
About the author
Richard D. Parker
8 books9 followersRichard D. Parker is the independent author of The Temple Islands Series, a four part romp through a parallel universe which intersects with our own. He fell in love with reading at an early age, devouring the likes of Robert A. Heinlein and Edgar Rice Burroughs and has been hooked on books ever since. He currently lives in St. Louis Missouri with his wife Kathy, his daughter Alex, their cat Tasha, and last but not least, Tonya the turtle, who has the run of the house.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 21, 2015
There were a few proofing errors which truly irritated me in this one, things like ad nausea, sweat meats, and use of the word accent instead of ascent. Then there were the picky issues with technology; Their computers are idiotic, or perhaps the men just get a kick out of saying computer as it seems to hear them just fine when they omit the word.
The second thing to really get my goat was the dialect of the locals. Forsooth was used quite often (34 times, to be precise). Na, Thee, ye and tis abound, even when the locals are thinking, which is a bonus for authenticity but there's no evidence provided to show that Parker's done any research on the speech of the period the book visits.
But, all that aside, I cannot get the sanctimonious, riding in on a white horse attitude of the Americans out of my head. Clearly, Parker implies that any impact from a future US visitor is going to immediately take ninth century England into a "cultured" state of affairs. This is compounded by the absolutely ridiculous ending to the book, which repeats the assumption on a grander scale, and then a stranger appears (literally, a group of characters we've not seen just pop up in the epilogue) and mention the title, word-for-word, of another of Parker's books.
I came away laughing at the sheer inanity of the whole thing. Parker did a really good prologue; I'll give him that, but I kept reading for the historical, technological and psychological flimflam.
The second thing to really get my goat was the dialect of the locals. Forsooth was used quite often (34 times, to be precise). Na, Thee, ye and tis abound, even when the locals are thinking, which is a bonus for authenticity but there's no evidence provided to show that Parker's done any research on the speech of the period the book visits.
But, all that aside, I cannot get the sanctimonious, riding in on a white horse attitude of the Americans out of my head. Clearly, Parker implies that any impact from a future US visitor is going to immediately take ninth century England into a "cultured" state of affairs. This is compounded by the absolutely ridiculous ending to the book, which repeats the assumption on a grander scale, and then a stranger appears (literally, a group of characters we've not seen just pop up in the epilogue) and mention the title, word-for-word, of another of Parker's books.
I came away laughing at the sheer inanity of the whole thing. Parker did a really good prologue; I'll give him that, but I kept reading for the historical, technological and psychological flimflam.
May 7, 2019
This book was a struggle to get through. I could have overlooked the poor grammar and countless wrong-word mistakes if the story had been any good. It wasn't.
First of all, the author no real knowledge of the Middle Ages. He seems to have built his entire book on popular misconceptions, and things he saw in Hollywood movies that are written to be entertaining rather than realistic. The plot itself was put together by grabbing a scene from this movie, a line from that one, the outline of a character from somewhere else. It's like a bad photoshop job; you can see all the edges where the pieces were cut out. And none of the characters ever developed any personality or depth.
The reactions of the locals often don't make sense. One example (NO spoilers, just trying to keep my review tidy):
And the story *really* dragged in the middle. Still, the original premise was interesting, and I had paid for the damned thing, so I wanted to see how it would all turn out. The ending was cheap and completely illogical. So that's that, I guess.
If you want to read about modern humans going back in time, do yourself a favor and read 1632 by Eric Flint. 1632 is a REALLY good book; Flint knows his history, his characters are actual three-dimensional people instead of cardboard cutouts (I love his characters!), and the writing itself is excellent. Temporal Knights kind of reads like a ripoff of 1632 anyway, except the year and country are changed. And 1632 doesn't have an alien invasion; THAT part of Parker's story seems to be a ripoff of the Buggers' invasion in Ender's Game, maybe mixed with bits of other alien movies. It really does seem like Parker just watched a lot of movies and wrote down descriptions of what was happening on screen, and then put them all together into a book.
Which brings me to this key point: Parker writes like someone who's seen a lot of movies, but doesn't possess the life experience to give him that insider's understanding of what any of those things really feel like. He writes about people grieving, but he clearly doesn't understand grief. He writes about trauma and loss and death, but he doesn't understand any of those things, so it feels like a child pointing an imaginary gun at you and laughing about killing you, because he doesn't understand what that means. He just thinks it's "cool" or whatever. It makes the author seem totally devoid of empathy. And to me, an author's lack of empathy spells the death of the book. He writes about all kinds of cruelty, and treats it like it doesn't matter. I have read about villains that were much more vile than anything found in this book, so it's not the heinous characters I object to, but the fact that cruelty and torture and human suffering don't mean anything to the author. I'm willing to allow that he's just an unskilled writer as opposed to someone who's completely indifferent to human suffering, but the fact that he writes without empathy really drives home how much he is lacking in skill.
That lack of skill/understanding also extends to the English language, including grammar, expressions, and even the definitions of some words and terms. (No spoilers, just examples.)
Then there's all the historical misconceptions:
(Still no spoilers, just quotes from other books / articles, and some recommended books.)
I tried to find some positive quality in the book, but I can't think of a single one. If I hadn't paid money for it, I would have given up a quarter of the way through. I hoped the ending might save it, and give it at least 2 stars, but the ending we got blew any chance of that straight to hell. What a disappointment.
First of all, the author no real knowledge of the Middle Ages. He seems to have built his entire book on popular misconceptions, and things he saw in Hollywood movies that are written to be entertaining rather than realistic. The plot itself was put together by grabbing a scene from this movie, a line from that one, the outline of a character from somewhere else. It's like a bad photoshop job; you can see all the edges where the pieces were cut out. And none of the characters ever developed any personality or depth.
The reactions of the locals often don't make sense. One example (NO spoilers, just trying to keep my review tidy):
And the story *really* dragged in the middle. Still, the original premise was interesting, and I had paid for the damned thing, so I wanted to see how it would all turn out. The ending was cheap and completely illogical. So that's that, I guess.
If you want to read about modern humans going back in time, do yourself a favor and read 1632 by Eric Flint. 1632 is a REALLY good book; Flint knows his history, his characters are actual three-dimensional people instead of cardboard cutouts (I love his characters!), and the writing itself is excellent. Temporal Knights kind of reads like a ripoff of 1632 anyway, except the year and country are changed. And 1632 doesn't have an alien invasion; THAT part of Parker's story seems to be a ripoff of the Buggers' invasion in Ender's Game, maybe mixed with bits of other alien movies. It really does seem like Parker just watched a lot of movies and wrote down descriptions of what was happening on screen, and then put them all together into a book.
Which brings me to this key point: Parker writes like someone who's seen a lot of movies, but doesn't possess the life experience to give him that insider's understanding of what any of those things really feel like. He writes about people grieving, but he clearly doesn't understand grief. He writes about trauma and loss and death, but he doesn't understand any of those things, so it feels like a child pointing an imaginary gun at you and laughing about killing you, because he doesn't understand what that means. He just thinks it's "cool" or whatever. It makes the author seem totally devoid of empathy. And to me, an author's lack of empathy spells the death of the book. He writes about all kinds of cruelty, and treats it like it doesn't matter. I have read about villains that were much more vile than anything found in this book, so it's not the heinous characters I object to, but the fact that cruelty and torture and human suffering don't mean anything to the author. I'm willing to allow that he's just an unskilled writer as opposed to someone who's completely indifferent to human suffering, but the fact that he writes without empathy really drives home how much he is lacking in skill.
That lack of skill/understanding also extends to the English language, including grammar, expressions, and even the definitions of some words and terms. (No spoilers, just examples.)
Then there's all the historical misconceptions:
(Still no spoilers, just quotes from other books / articles, and some recommended books.)
I tried to find some positive quality in the book, but I can't think of a single one. If I hadn't paid money for it, I would have given up a quarter of the way through. I hoped the ending might save it, and give it at least 2 stars, but the ending we got blew any chance of that straight to hell. What a disappointment.
January 4, 2017
I really liked the idea for the plot. As other reviewers have said, the author has poor use of punctuation, poor grammar, and does not always use the correct word. My biggest issue, though, it with the interactions between the modern soldiers and the residents of 893 AD.
1) Almost everyone from the past just takes them at their word when they say they come from the future. The few people who think the soldiers are angels or demons are mocked by everyone. The book is set at a much more superstitious time than today. And even today, 400 men claiming to be time travelers would not be believed.
2) With little effort, the modern Americans and the 9th Century English can understand each other. Language changes a lot in 1100 years. Read "The Canterbury Tales" (written almost 600 years after the Americans arrived) and compare it to modern English.
3) Everyone pairs off. I understand a little bit of romance developing, but it felt like all the Americans had to find a wife.
In addition, there's too many characters. I could keep track of most of the Americans and some of the English. Sadly, with so many similar names (realistic for the time), it was hard to remember who was who. Fewer named characters would have gone a long way to make this book easier to read.
And then there is the ending, which is just weird. I feel like the author is setting us up for a sequel.
1) Almost everyone from the past just takes them at their word when they say they come from the future. The few people who think the soldiers are angels or demons are mocked by everyone. The book is set at a much more superstitious time than today. And even today, 400 men claiming to be time travelers would not be believed.
2) With little effort, the modern Americans and the 9th Century English can understand each other. Language changes a lot in 1100 years. Read "The Canterbury Tales" (written almost 600 years after the Americans arrived) and compare it to modern English.
3) Everyone pairs off. I understand a little bit of romance developing, but it felt like all the Americans had to find a wife.
In addition, there's too many characters. I could keep track of most of the Americans and some of the English. Sadly, with so many similar names (realistic for the time), it was hard to remember who was who. Fewer named characters would have gone a long way to make this book easier to read.
And then there is the ending, which is just weird. I feel like the author is setting us up for a sequel.
June 5, 2014
What a great story. Humans taking their technology back into the past into the time of Alfred the Great to save themselves in the future.
The writing just made everything come to life, i.e. the old language, the smells and the people and their times in history.
Great ending which could be carried on into a series.
Will definitely read again slower at a later date so I get even more out of it.
The writing just made everything come to life, i.e. the old language, the smells and the people and their times in history.
Great ending which could be carried on into a series.
Will definitely read again slower at a later date so I get even more out of it.
August 12, 2013
This is the best one of Ricks books so far. I wanted to write before, but my time was spent reading so I couldn't review it. I'll review it better when I finish it. Until then, it's grabbed me to much.
June 28, 2014
Strange journey
I found this book to be absorbing and it held my interest until the very end. I found the end to be inconsistent with the rest of the book. Still a fun read.
I found this book to be absorbing and it held my interest until the very end. I found the end to be inconsistent with the rest of the book. Still a fun read.
May 1, 2019
Fun historical time travel
I can't put my finger on why I like this so much. I just do. Wonderful, fantastic blend of sci-fi and historical fiction. Read this as I started watching the TV series Vikings and was delighted by the similar time frame. Would have given 5 stars but the editorial errors were too many for me to ignore.
I can't put my finger on why I like this so much. I just do. Wonderful, fantastic blend of sci-fi and historical fiction. Read this as I started watching the TV series Vikings and was delighted by the similar time frame. Would have given 5 stars but the editorial errors were too many for me to ignore.
June 21, 2023
Scifi in the 9th century, fun!
Excellent storyline weaving the old world and the new. Apocalyptic aliens, space travel, vikings, kings and queens all neatly tied into a unique tale.
Excellent storyline weaving the old world and the new. Apocalyptic aliens, space travel, vikings, kings and queens all neatly tied into a unique tale.
December 30, 2014
*** 3.5 Stars. ***
Temporal Knights has to be one of the cleverest science fiction concepts I have ever come across. There is sheer genius and a cunning plot of modern day soldiers who have watched the slaughter and destruction of their twentyfirst century world despite their skill and best efforts to prevent it. In desperation they use stolen alien technology to go back in time hoping to prepare more effectively for the inevitable future alien invasion; whilst also subsequently using the alien ship to fly to the aliens' home planet at lightyear speed and launch a counter attack from the distant past.
The storyline has almost 400 soldiers making it back into 9th century Britain with the hope of forming an alliance with King Alfred (the Great). Brilliant.
So why only 3 stars? The storyline is interesting but it dragged and I found myself dipping in and out of the book and reading other stories in between for a bit of respite. Temporal Knights is a great concept but the execution in my opinion lacks the craft of a story teller that would keep me gripped from the first to the last page. The pace was a little laboured for my tastes apart from the ending which was too rushed.
I think the story would benefit greatly from either some editing midway or the expansion of the ending to match the pace set in the rest of the book. The final twist was both amusing and clever and I would have welcomed it to have been explored in some more detail rather than a tease in the epilogue; but perhaps this leaves an opportunity for a second book.
Whilst the research for the time period is great there are some glaring errors such as the us of pumpkins and melons for target practice in ancient Britain. (Pumpkins were rare in Britain in the twentieth century) and in the 9th century would have been unheard of - having been introduced much later to Europe by Columbus. My other gripe shared by some reviewers is poor syntax editing - personnel instead of personal etc and some mangled use of English (railed is to complain vehemently, not to rally support)...I know this no doubt sounds petty but it jarred for me and impacted on my overall enjoyment. Added to this is the confusing similarity of ancient names without quite enough description of the personality traits of the characters to make them more readily distinguishable from one and other.
My last quibble is that a spectrum of behaviour is shown amongst the native ancient Britains, whilst all the twentyfirst century visitors ate depicted as honourable and upstanding. How realistic this may be in a group of almost four hundred soldiers travelling back through time, and all behaving impeccably is debatable. They seemed remarkably psychologically stable and well adjusted, despite having lived through unimaginable trauma and currently adapting to a new culture. Perhaps this would be the case, but I have my doubts and would have preferred some character flaws and personal vendettas in the 'Americaans' which would have been more balanced and realistic than the glamorised Holywood version of American valour which perhaps some Americans may buy into, but the rest of the world does not.
All in all, a good story a few tweaks and this could be outstanding.
The last one hundred pages or so were excellent and flew by (hence the additional half star) if only the rest of the book could have matched this it would most certainly have warranted a full five out of five stars for a wonderful mix of space age adventure and historical daring do with a sprinkle of romance as well.
If you are prepared to overlook a little, this book offers a lot. I was given a free copy of Temporal Knights in exchange for an honest review.
Temporal Knights has to be one of the cleverest science fiction concepts I have ever come across. There is sheer genius and a cunning plot of modern day soldiers who have watched the slaughter and destruction of their twentyfirst century world despite their skill and best efforts to prevent it. In desperation they use stolen alien technology to go back in time hoping to prepare more effectively for the inevitable future alien invasion; whilst also subsequently using the alien ship to fly to the aliens' home planet at lightyear speed and launch a counter attack from the distant past.
The storyline has almost 400 soldiers making it back into 9th century Britain with the hope of forming an alliance with King Alfred (the Great). Brilliant.
So why only 3 stars? The storyline is interesting but it dragged and I found myself dipping in and out of the book and reading other stories in between for a bit of respite. Temporal Knights is a great concept but the execution in my opinion lacks the craft of a story teller that would keep me gripped from the first to the last page. The pace was a little laboured for my tastes apart from the ending which was too rushed.
I think the story would benefit greatly from either some editing midway or the expansion of the ending to match the pace set in the rest of the book. The final twist was both amusing and clever and I would have welcomed it to have been explored in some more detail rather than a tease in the epilogue; but perhaps this leaves an opportunity for a second book.
Whilst the research for the time period is great there are some glaring errors such as the us of pumpkins and melons for target practice in ancient Britain. (Pumpkins were rare in Britain in the twentieth century) and in the 9th century would have been unheard of - having been introduced much later to Europe by Columbus. My other gripe shared by some reviewers is poor syntax editing - personnel instead of personal etc and some mangled use of English (railed is to complain vehemently, not to rally support)...I know this no doubt sounds petty but it jarred for me and impacted on my overall enjoyment. Added to this is the confusing similarity of ancient names without quite enough description of the personality traits of the characters to make them more readily distinguishable from one and other.
My last quibble is that a spectrum of behaviour is shown amongst the native ancient Britains, whilst all the twentyfirst century visitors ate depicted as honourable and upstanding. How realistic this may be in a group of almost four hundred soldiers travelling back through time, and all behaving impeccably is debatable. They seemed remarkably psychologically stable and well adjusted, despite having lived through unimaginable trauma and currently adapting to a new culture. Perhaps this would be the case, but I have my doubts and would have preferred some character flaws and personal vendettas in the 'Americaans' which would have been more balanced and realistic than the glamorised Holywood version of American valour which perhaps some Americans may buy into, but the rest of the world does not.
All in all, a good story a few tweaks and this could be outstanding.
The last one hundred pages or so were excellent and flew by (hence the additional half star) if only the rest of the book could have matched this it would most certainly have warranted a full five out of five stars for a wonderful mix of space age adventure and historical daring do with a sprinkle of romance as well.
If you are prepared to overlook a little, this book offers a lot. I was given a free copy of Temporal Knights in exchange for an honest review.
October 24, 2014
(I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a review).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I felt this book was a particularly intriguing one. When I first read the blurb, I found the idea of humanity trying to survive in the face of utter slaughter of women and children a really interesting one. Also, the book had time travel... and to the Dark Ages, which I feel is an interesting period of our history... perhaps because so little is known about that time.
I got pulled into the plot pretty much straight away. Even though I got a bit confused with some of the characters at times, I still found this really easy to follow. There was a lot I liked about this book.
I was particularly drawn into the plot when the characters went back in time. The differences between the two different times were really obvious and I felt the author did a good job of showing the contrast. I was a little confused about how the computers were able to run, though, when they went back in time.
I also felt the author did a really good job of showing the different characters, both in the men who went back in time and in those people from the past. There were some parts in the past that were brutal... but then again, humanity has always been capable of hideous atrocities.
One of the things I found really intriguing was the 'Americans' attitude towards women. The way they treated and looked at them was really quite moving and I felt that made sense, given what they'd experienced before.
There were quite a lot of the characters I liked in this book... and a fair amount that I hated. I did get a bit confused with some of the names at times... there were too many that began with 'E'.
I really did care about what happened to the characters and I could realistically get behind the romances, even if I felt there was a bit too much 'pairing off'. At times, there did seem to be a lot of glossing over of various events, but Matt and Ellyn's relationship was one I could really get behind.
The book itself was really well-written and I was drawn really easily into the world and its characters. If there was a sequel to this book, I would definitely check it out. And I wouldn't be averse to reading other books by this author in the future.
(This review may contain spoilers).
I felt this book was a particularly intriguing one. When I first read the blurb, I found the idea of humanity trying to survive in the face of utter slaughter of women and children a really interesting one. Also, the book had time travel... and to the Dark Ages, which I feel is an interesting period of our history... perhaps because so little is known about that time.
I got pulled into the plot pretty much straight away. Even though I got a bit confused with some of the characters at times, I still found this really easy to follow. There was a lot I liked about this book.
I was particularly drawn into the plot when the characters went back in time. The differences between the two different times were really obvious and I felt the author did a good job of showing the contrast. I was a little confused about how the computers were able to run, though, when they went back in time.
I also felt the author did a really good job of showing the different characters, both in the men who went back in time and in those people from the past. There were some parts in the past that were brutal... but then again, humanity has always been capable of hideous atrocities.
One of the things I found really intriguing was the 'Americans' attitude towards women. The way they treated and looked at them was really quite moving and I felt that made sense, given what they'd experienced before.
There were quite a lot of the characters I liked in this book... and a fair amount that I hated. I did get a bit confused with some of the names at times... there were too many that began with 'E'.
I really did care about what happened to the characters and I could realistically get behind the romances, even if I felt there was a bit too much 'pairing off'. At times, there did seem to be a lot of glossing over of various events, but Matt and Ellyn's relationship was one I could really get behind.
The book itself was really well-written and I was drawn really easily into the world and its characters. If there was a sequel to this book, I would definitely check it out. And I wouldn't be averse to reading other books by this author in the future.
October 21, 2014
On the edge of your seat Science Fiction that reminds you of the Golden Age.
A group of male military men who have survived about 6 long years after an alien invasion has decimated the rest of civilization, has created a possible chance for survival. Of course some must die (what good story wouldn't have hero's left behind) and nothing has been tested but what choice is there for these brave men but to die trying or die fighting? And so a door to the past is created and the men move through to a far distant past in England where the scientists hope to convert the people of the time to a modern way of thinking and living so that when the time comes for the alien invasion Earth will be ready and able to fight back - only this time being victorious.
What they don't anticipate are the feelings they have for the women (which I had to admit I thought at first were going to be stereotyped women of old science fiction stories) who are brave, strong and smart. They also don't anticipate the need for power which is even more in demand then in their time.
Really enjoyed the story, the only thing that I didn't enjoy was the ending that seemed rushed almost as if the author forgot that he was continuing the story and had to end it before giving away the second plot. I do hope there's more.
A group of male military men who have survived about 6 long years after an alien invasion has decimated the rest of civilization, has created a possible chance for survival. Of course some must die (what good story wouldn't have hero's left behind) and nothing has been tested but what choice is there for these brave men but to die trying or die fighting? And so a door to the past is created and the men move through to a far distant past in England where the scientists hope to convert the people of the time to a modern way of thinking and living so that when the time comes for the alien invasion Earth will be ready and able to fight back - only this time being victorious.
What they don't anticipate are the feelings they have for the women (which I had to admit I thought at first were going to be stereotyped women of old science fiction stories) who are brave, strong and smart. They also don't anticipate the need for power which is even more in demand then in their time.
Really enjoyed the story, the only thing that I didn't enjoy was the ending that seemed rushed almost as if the author forgot that he was continuing the story and had to end it before giving away the second plot. I do hope there's more.
September 25, 2015
I'm of two minds about this one. The plot is interesting, even though it is just a new twist on an old premise. As many people have mentioned, the spelling and grammatical errors are legion, enough to make you believe that it was never proof-read or edited. All that aside, I wanted to like this book. While I enjoyed the story, and unlike some, thought the ending was clever, I just couldn't get over the way the author had the locals overwhelmingly accepting these people and their technology, albeit with some brief hesitations. I kept waiting for the big plot wrinkle of something sinister occurring because of the use of their technology, which would force the King to not trust them, but it never happened. Instead we have good deed after good deed, and the inevitable conclusion that follows. This was a time of great religious fervor and a subservience of science to religious dogma. Somehow I just cant see people of that time being able to accept and use technology that is so far beyond them as to appear magical, and therefore, evil.
I still think it is a good book, and I enjoyed reading it, I just don't think the author made it as "believable" as he could have. And that's a shame, as it could have been a great read.
I still think it is a good book, and I enjoyed reading it, I just don't think the author made it as "believable" as he could have. And that's a shame, as it could have been a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 14, 2015
(
I received a copy of this eBook from the Goodreads group Read It & Reap in exchange for an honest review.
)
3.5 Stars
This was well written
But
I'm a little sad.
This books has such a strong opening, and it really drew me in. It was fast pace, and you can feel the sense of urgency. You can feel the surviving soldiers desperation and the need for survival.
After they "went back in time" It actually got a little boring for me. It tapered off and at times I felt like their main mission was getting placed on the, get to it later, self.
That and I didn't think it was going to take as long as it did, for them to finally get to the mission. And that's what made me sad. :(
In all this book is kind of amazing. It has that hidden look into a world we hardly know anything about, that hidden time that is still a mystery. Just getting that easter egg is what saves this read.
Though I am sad, I am happy about this book, and I recommend it to all that is curious.
Happy Day
Emily
3.5 Stars
This was well written
But
I'm a little sad.
This books has such a strong opening, and it really drew me in. It was fast pace, and you can feel the sense of urgency. You can feel the surviving soldiers desperation and the need for survival.
After they "went back in time" It actually got a little boring for me. It tapered off and at times I felt like their main mission was getting placed on the, get to it later, self.
That and I didn't think it was going to take as long as it did, for them to finally get to the mission. And that's what made me sad. :(
In all this book is kind of amazing. It has that hidden look into a world we hardly know anything about, that hidden time that is still a mystery. Just getting that easter egg is what saves this read.
Though I am sad, I am happy about this book, and I recommend it to all that is curious.
Happy Day
Emily
August 9, 2014
The only thing stopping this book from getting 5 stars were the atrocious spelling and grammar errors that plague it. For instance, it's "personal," not "personnel." "Personnel" refers to people, like staff. "Personal" refers to someone's stuff--personal feelings, personal beliefs, etc. This is just one example. There were too many others to list here.
Aside from that, the story was awesome. Great plot, great characters, all of it. I was sucked in and couldn't put this book down. Seriously, this book is one of the best I've read. If it hadn't been for the aforementioned horrible (and highly aggravating and distracting grammar and spelling errors), I would have given this book 5 stars while wishing I could give it 10.
Hire a professional editor/proofreader, get those errors fixed, and I'll gladly add the fifth star to my rating.
Aside from that, the story was awesome. Great plot, great characters, all of it. I was sucked in and couldn't put this book down. Seriously, this book is one of the best I've read. If it hadn't been for the aforementioned horrible (and highly aggravating and distracting grammar and spelling errors), I would have given this book 5 stars while wishing I could give it 10.
Hire a professional editor/proofreader, get those errors fixed, and I'll gladly add the fifth star to my rating.
September 15, 2014
I enjoyed this tremendously. It has my favorite things in it: space travel and time travel. The story is very good and the characters so well drawn that I felt that I knew them. Strange thing is that one morning I woke up way early and was thinking about this story as I woke -- I wonder if I was dreaming about it (I was tired all day).
I skipped ahead when I had read about 60% of the book to see if what I thought would happen did indeed happen and I was right in my guess and found some unexpected twists also. But I enjoyed the story so much that I went back to where I left off and read the whole book, every word.
I skipped ahead when I had read about 60% of the book to see if what I thought would happen did indeed happen and I was right in my guess and found some unexpected twists also. But I enjoyed the story so much that I went back to where I left off and read the whole book, every word.
May 3, 2015
Hide within Time
The title caught my attention. I read the prologue and first chapter which gave me pause in the author's skill to weave a story to hook me as the reader. However, by Chapter Three I was captured and the story is a wild ride to meet humans from our past, convince them we are there to help in order to protect our future as a species.
The title caught my attention. I read the prologue and first chapter which gave me pause in the author's skill to weave a story to hook me as the reader. However, by Chapter Three I was captured and the story is a wild ride to meet humans from our past, convince them we are there to help in order to protect our future as a species.
August 4, 2016
While the idea behind this story was great it fell short for me. It was written so that the reader got into the head of every character that was introduced, hero or villain. That left no suspense at all for the plot line. And while there were occasional set backs the whole thing was resolved too easily. Add in numerous typos and grammatical errors and I'll pass on any future books.
December 21, 2014
I rather enjoyed this variation of "A connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court." Fun SF read. Thankfully the language was minimal with just a couple parts of sex that were borderline TMI. Though thankfully those parts served the storyline rather than just thrown in.
November 24, 2016
Loved the story - wish someone would make a miniseries of the entire saga
December 22, 2016
Excellent
Great writing. Pulls the reader in to another world. I found myself excited to keep reading and riveted to the end.
Great writing. Pulls the reader in to another world. I found myself excited to keep reading and riveted to the end.
January 8, 2017
Made it 45% of the way through, after putting it down for long periods of time, multiple times. Just didn't catch me.
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