Patton's Spaceship by John Barnes

This is another time travel, multiple universe novel.  That is not a criticism merely an observation.   This story introduces the Closer's a multiverse villain and the Athenians a counter balancing time space police force.   Mark Strang is introduced as a professional bodyguard who acquires a very personal reason for a vendetta.

Home grown terrorists are the lead in of the story.   Mark Strang is the thread that weaves through the story.  The story leads through parallel universes and ends up with a world where  Hitler won WWII.   There is even a young protégé in the wings of the name Porter.  Porter is important to multiple universes.   I smell the influence of the Terminator series.   In all fairness there are so many time traveler, multiverse, parallel world books that it would be pretty difficult not to see so similarities between plots.  That does not denigrate this book.

The plot was reasonably complex, the action was robust and interesting.   I always enjoy the named personalities and their alter egos in the alternate universes.   Patton in this book, appeared to be much more likeable than he was in our universe. 

I liked the book and hope to read further in the series.

Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Barnes_(author)

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

Black Book by Dylan Jones

This story is a tale of a enhanced warrior caught in a time loop.

Jones writes great action scenes.  His protagonist, Jack, appears to have memory losses each time his time loop occurs.  This transfers into a bit of confusion in the story line. 

The world of Jack's origin is grimly reduced to mere survival due to a nuclear holocaust of indeterminate origins.  I deduce that Jack has been sent back in time to "fix" whatever needs fixed to prevent the destruction of Earth.   I don't think this is a spoiler since it is just a deduction and I could be wrong.

Regardless of the minor confusion as to the exact direction of the story, Jack is being pursued by someone else from the future for some undetermined reason.  The pursuit and ensuing vignettes provide the entertainment of the book.

I liked the book.

Web site:  none found

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Skinmap by Stephen Lawhead

 The title gives away part of the plot.   What and who might the skinmap refer to?  That is a question in a time traveling mystery.

This is a coming of age for the protagonist as he grows into a more formidable person.   Kit and Mina were insipid people at best.  Kit changes all that by meeting his grandfather. 

Time travel and magic intertwine in this story where paradoxical encounters abound.   The characters were colorful and the plot was open ended.   I would guess a sequel is in the works.  

I liked the flavor of the story and the way Mr. Lawhead crafted his plot.

I recommend the book.

Body of work of Body of  work of <a type="amzn" > Stephen Lawhead </a>

Web Site: http://www.stephenlawhead.com/

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Time travel in a Victorian motif describes this book populated with well known icons of the genre.  

I found myself seeking less verbosity and yet I still had to finish the book.   The characterization of such well known legends such as Arthur Conan Doyle, Bram Stoker and H.G. Wells made the book nearly irresistible.   Some reviews have characterized the story as Steam Punk, I didn’t get that flavor.   It seemed more historic than Steam Punk. 

The book plodded at times.   The characters appear to be crafted with a great deal of attention but still were not real memorable.   I really wanted to like the book and found myself very lukewarm in my response.

Body of work of Felix J. Palma

Web site: http://www.felixjpalma.es/   (in Spanish)

The Bronze and The Brimstone by Lory S. Kaufman

The trio of pending juvenile find the real past is dramatically different than the sanitized version shown in History Camp. 

Mr. Kaufman’s has hit the mark again.   This book is very entertaining and captivating while showing the gritty realities of previous centuries.   This is  possibly a very sneaky way of introducing real history.  Having taught history I always was dismayed how difficult it was to get kids excited about it.   Mr. Kaufman is providing a dose of history disguised as just fun reading.

Historic condition being what they were, the author even shows some insight as to why the nobles may have been so despotic in their behavior.  That was quite well done.  

In my opinion, Lory S. Kaufman has got game! 

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Lory S. Kaufman

Web Site: http://www.history-camp.com/

The Lens and the Looker by Lory S. Kaufman

A trio of pending juvenile delinquents is posted to a alternative school.  This takes place in the not too distant future where the alternative school is a representation of a past history.   It is designed to show difficult students how good current life is compared to what the world suffered in previous generations.   A reasonable premise that is disrupted by a time traveling history buff from the future results in the trio taking an unwanted trip to the real past. 

Mr. Kaufman’s premise for the History Camp series is close to my heart.   I taught history for a few years and was always shocked at the frequency that history repeated itself primarily because we human beings refused to learn from history.   History camp was a safe sanitized method of helping kids learn from history.  

The characters are likeable, realistic and believable.   Intellectually I have to wonder how modern kids would truly fare if thrust into a prior time.   I have seen how tremendously resilient kids are and Kaufman’s postulating doesn’t seem too out of line with what kids could do. 

It is inspiring to see how three less than stellar children rise to the challenge and survive in a dramatically different environment.   I think the book will be an enjoyable read for a wide range in ages and may even get kids to ponder a bit upon life.

I highly recommend the book.

Body of work of Lory S. Kaufman

Web Site: http://www.history-camp.com/

Lincoln’s Sword by Debra Doyle and James D. MacDonald

This is a time skipping novel depicting incidents that impacted the Civil War and influenced Abraham Lincoln.

I intended to really enjoy this book as I was enamored with the Mage World Series done by the same authors. The book is billed as an alternate history of the Civil War. This book was as satisfying as a tofu burger, much ado but little or no substance. My first inclination is to blame the editors as the book bounces hither and thither through time with very little clear connection between events. It read as more of an outline than a book. You recognize the skill of the story tellers and it is as if they are teasing you by wafting the aromatic inklings of a good book and failing to deliver. This book is a disappointment.

If you consider this a short story as opposed to a novel I recommend it but this truly is Doyle and MacDonald light as opposed to the fulfilling work you probably expect from them.

Body of work of of Debra Doyle

Body of work of of James D. MacDonald
Web Site