The String Rider: A Time Travel Story About Love, Betrayal, and String Theory

by John Espie

Trevor jumps 20 years forward to steal lotto numbers for his dream girl Rubie. Except, in this future, Rubie has been murdered... and Trevor instantly adores the daughter he's raising with another woman. Never mind his missing thumb or the fact that he drives a minivan… with eyelashes. So, upon his return, Trevor must ask: how can he save Rubie? And does saving her mean his daughter won’t be born, or can he—should he—have both?

Genres: Time Travel

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 29, 2020

About the author

John Espie holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Creative Writing and publishes young adult novellas, as well as full-length novels for adults. He has roamed the corridors of Hollywood, broken his left arm on a snowboard, gotten lost while alone above The Devil’s Punchbowl during a freak lightning storm, broken his right arm on a mountain bike, tried to bring peace between two rival street gangs a moment before they clashed into battle, had one of said street gang members loosen three of his teeth, helped a girl avoid a demon so that she wouldn’t have to go through yet another exorcism, and won an award for saving a newborn baby’s life. So, yeah, pretty humdrum.

Reviews

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read, rating and review to follow

So upfront, I have to state that John, the author, provided me free of charge with a copy of this book from the Time Travel Group.

That said, because I'm in the UK and John in the US, we had to jump through hoops for his book to arrive in my Kindle, well John had to jump through hoops, I just read the book, thank you John.

So this wonderful time travel story involving a 20 year olds view of true love, includes a manic woman who always wears a knife, a mad scientist and our hero, a young 19 year old who experiences 3 heart attacks, a broken leg and an accident that ends up with him loosing a thumb.

A cleverly written and crafted book that includes some great sounding science and clearly demonstrates cause and effect. It has the hero darting backwards and forwards in time to initially try and rescue his relationship, but then his focus changes as what is really true is shown through his travels.

A short but perfectly formed time travel novel, that I thoroughly enjoyed, thanks John.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I spent most of my Sunday afternoon reading this book to the satisfying end, so I guess that means it's a page-turner.

Trevor's temptress girlfriend presents him with a time-travel watch on his birthday. Rubie stole the watch from her ex-boyfriend and insists that Trevor use it to help them win the lottery. Only, instead of traveling one year in the future, he travels 20 years forward and finds a future life he'd like to become a reality.

I like how twisty this time travel book is. I feel like I can't say too much more without revealing large parts of the plot. There was definitely a lot of forethought on the author's part to get everything to connect just perfectly. All the loose ends I thought were going to be forgotten all tie up nicely in the end.

I also like how real the characters in this novel are. They're not perfect, and their imperfections drive the plot forward.

I've read tons of time travel novels, and I'm always amazed when I find yet another novel form of time travel. This one feels like it's more likely ... kind of like the truth of what would really happen if we tried teleportation. Michael Crichton did something similar in Timeline, but it's always interesting to see a new spin on it from a very, very different point of view (and better done).

If you want a nice, satisfying time travel novel that's going to keep you turning the pages, this is definitely worth reading.

[Alex Fürstenau · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read. Interesting characters and an interesting story.

[Diane Dupree-Dempsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of:
The String Rider: A Time Travel Story About Love, Betrayal, and String Theory
By John Espie
The book description reads:

Trevor jumps forward to steal lotto numbers for his dream girl Rubie. Except, in the future, Rubie has been murdered … and Trevor instantly adores the daughter he’s raising with another woman. Never mind his missing thumb or the fact that he drives a minivan … with eyelashes. So, upon his return, Trevor must ask: How can he save Rubie? And does saving her mean his daughter won’t be borne, or can he — should he — have both?

I should mention I did get this book free in a Goodreads Giveaway, but It was a book I would have read anyway.

I enjoyed this book, so let’s start with that. The time travel format, where an individual can travel their own “string” into their past or future is an interesting one. It is similar to one I have used quite differently in an as yet unpublished manuscript, so I am clearly on board with the idea. This book presents an intriguing question - if you go into the future and find it seems to be a happy one, yet cherished people from your present are missing, do you try to change the future? I found it an interesting question to ponder.

Trevor is a well-developed character, who continues to grow throughout the story. His story arc is a satisfying one and he feels like a complete person. I will say, he occasionally acts like an idiot. It may be simply his immaturity, but I was puzzled by the way he dealt with some of the situations he found himself in. Maybe it’s just me, but if you find yourself in an unknown future, maybe don’t call attention to yourself before you figure out what’s going on.

The other characters in the book were less filled out character-wise, which is too bad since they were interesting people. I would like to have gotten a little deeper into who they really were. This brings me to my only real complaint about the book — it felt too short, and a bit rushed. Granted, it took place in a short period of (collective) time and the pacing was probably deliberate because it was a fast-paced book. My personal preference is for something a little slower with a deeper dive into the details. If you like something to move quickly, this book will suit your tastes.
There was plenty of action as well as some thoughtful moments. The conclusion of the tale itself was satisfying. Yet I wanted something more from the ending. I can’t honestly say what more I wanted, but once again it felt rushed to me. It could just be I was simply sorry to be done with the book since I really did enjoy it.

I am giving this book four stars. It is well worth reading and I suspect the things that bothered me, will actually appeal to others who want that fast pace.

Now, take a moment to ask yourself, what would you do if you found out you had an apparently happy future coming, but not with the person you loved most in your present. Would you try to avert that future? It is an interesting question, isn’t it?

[Happy Booker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The string rider is a beautiful story about Trevor, who happens to travel 20 years in the future by clicking on a device button his girlfriend Rubie insists on trying on. Trevor’s initial plan is just to grab a lottery ticket and travel back. He only has two hours, so he has to rush; however, he notices some changes and his old self while he is there. Things aren’t the same when he returns.
He not only has forgotten the lottery ticket, his girlfriend realizes that the device works. There is a catch, though, and that is the effects of coming back come with his heart-stopping. I found the story to be really enjoyable to read. I didn’t want to stop. Trevor’s character kept developing, and his want to change his future now that he knew how good it could be was lovely to see.

I have read and seen many movies discussing time travel whereby going backwards or forwards, you change the narrative of your own life, and for this reason, the concept of the storyline wasn’t novel to me. Yet, Trevor’s personality really pulled the story together. I liked the added twists to the story and really lost myself in the book.

I recommend this story to anyone who likes to read stories about time travel.

[Pallavi Sareen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Time travelling is such a concept which can make even a boring book interesting. But if the author has put a lot of mind in creating a plot that is a page turner and also blows your mind, then the book has got to become one of the favourites. If you haven’t guessed already, this book is about Trevor who ends up time travelling to make some quick money except for the fact that when he sees that his girlfriend is dead, he wants to try to save her. Now how can you save a woman who will be dead in the next twenty years?
Well that’s what the book is all about. And it is hilarious, enthralling, action-packed and very entertaining.
The problem with time travelling is that you never know if you’re doing more harm than good. And dear Trevor ends up time-travelling while he’s drunk. Well good thing is that his drunken body doesn’t travel, just his metaphysical self... but still. Wouldn’t you like to be sober for a one-in-a-lifetime experience even of there’s only a 0.00001% chance that the time machine actually works?
Not gonna say anything more about the story. For that, you can read the book yourself. Just know that you’re gonna be in for one hell of a ride.

[Karlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a full novel size book but no unnecessary frills to the story which I like. Time travel authors n get lost in details sometimes, this one stays on point. I love all time travel for the most part and if it’s a unique twist it throws it up a star for me. Wish it were a longer read all the same. I felt like I was just getting into it as it wrapped up. Loved the last couple sentences!

[Colin Parfitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable time travel romp.

There’s a little too much exposition at points of high action for me, but this is quite a page turner, and the questions are all neatly answered by the end.

Would love to see this world explored further.

My kind thanks to John for providing me with a proof copy of the book, and jumping through some international hoops to get me a readable copy.

[Amanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great time travel read!

A well-written story on the hard to tackle subject of time travel. The author does a great job delving the reader into his world, while also explaining the science behind the story in a likeable, easy way. You know it's good when you finish with a smile.

[debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok that was fun!

Fast paced and fun! Let yourself in on the ride this story gives you! Hard to write a review without laughing!