2 out of 4 stars
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I find the premise of A Journey In Time by Peter Baines quite fascinating. Time travel has long been a holy grail of sorts for scientists. However, the ethical and moral ramifications of having the ability to go through time are quite intense. What would happen if.... ? Is it possible to change history, to avert mass disasters? The author effectively presents these quandaries and more with a compelling plot.
A group of scientists out in San Diego have been working on a top secret project, funded by the federal government for years. Approximately five years ago, they hit an insurmountable wall which hindered the project's completion. However, instead of throwing in the towel, they continued on in what was essentially a farce. Unfortunately for the group of scientists who have been living the high life at the expense of taxpayers, it is discovered that the director of the oversight committee has been embezzling funds. Bo Olsen is called in to fix the mess. Meanwhile, tragedy strikes on an international level. While reviewing the many projects that had been the responsibility of the now defunct oversight committee, Bo discovers one project that fascinates him. What if that project really could be completed?! This might just be the answer the nation is looking for.
What follows is a story of international intrigue. Agents, counter agents, scientists, the United States Vice President, the British Prime Minister, and M16, the British spy agency, all have their own agendas and will stop at nothing to ensure success. Who are the "good guys" and "bad guys"? What you learn in one chapter may be upended in the next.
I loved the plot and the characters. Character development was overall not as deep as I like; however, due to this being more of an action/spy novel and the fact that there were too many characters to count, I easily forgive the author. I consider the pace to be on the level of a high action movie. It was difficult for me to put the book down. I feel that this book would be acceptable to anyone who enjoys action, drama, conspiracy theories, spy books, and even a bit of science fiction.
Even though there is much good to say about A Journey In Time, I have several issues with the book. First, the book was not thoroughly edited. Commas are seemingly placed helter skelter with little regard to grammatical accuracy, and dashes are used indiscriminately throughout. My second complaint is an issue with the prologue and first chapter. The prologue presents one snippet of a story, as a good prologue often does. However, although the situation presented in the prologue could relate to the setup of book's plot, the main character is never again referenced throughout. Additionally, chapter one of the book, while fascinating, also had nothing to do with the rest of the book so far as I could tell. I also found that the transitions were rough. Several times, I had to slow down and re-read in order to discover whose perspective was being presented. My last complaint involves the ending. Near the end, it felt as though the author was rushing to the ending. Not only did I have to read various sections many times to understand what was going on, but the actual ending left too many loose ties, rather than merely setting up a sequel. Due to these issues I will have to give this 2 out of 4 stars.
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'A Journey in Time'
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After some convo with the author, I learned why the first chapter was in there, but I still feel it's a bit obscure. I did find the overall concept and plot to be brilliant, just needs a good bit of clean-up!
