Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Joshua Bannon has harbored a secret crush on renowned physicist Patrick Riley ever since high school. Now fresh out of college, Joshua has landed a job at the Eloi Institute, assisting Patrick in his work producing time fluctuations in the massive particle accelerator they've affectionately dubbed “Saturn.”

As they work, a strong bond develops between the two men—a bond that takes on romantic overtones even though Patrick is concerned by their twenty-five-year age difference. The project and their relationship make slow progress until a startling discovery about Patrick convinces Joshua to take a leap of faith to prove the technology—and their relationship—can work.

Book Review

This is an amazing story; one of the fairly rare time travel stories that takes quantum physics (well, the bits we have figured out so far) and makes a sensible extrapolation of what might happen if we were able to use its concepts as a basis for developing time travel. I was impressed not only with how ‘real’ it all sounded, but how Jamie added the human side of the equation to the story to create a fascinating account of what MIGHT happen once someone figures out how to make virtual particles work for us.

Joshua is young, ambitious and a gifted physicist. He cannot believe that his job application at the lab run by Patrick is accepted. His crush on the scientist is only partly physical, and it was interesting to see how much of their attraction comes from admiration and respect for the other’s intellectual abilities. Of course, Joshua’s impatience is part of the equation as well, and for once that works out to everyone’s advantage. The fact that he is truly in love with Patrick, and those feelings only deepen as they work together, is a huge part of the puzzle.

Patrick is a bit of an enigma. He is a brilliant scientist, the main driver behind experiments that promise to make time travel a reality, and a reasonable and supportive boss in the lab. He is definitely tempted by Joshua and doesn’t say much, but clearly struggles with the concept of falling for a man who is 25 years his junior. His initial resistance is admirable, but when it becomes impossible for him to maintain his distance, he gives in gracefully. They come together and almost burn up the sheets!

The story built very nicely. There are quite a few hints as to what is going to happen (most of which I figured out, but not all). Despite that, I loved watching the story unfold and following the details of how Patrick and Joshua arrived at where they needed to be. As for the big surprise at the end? That was truly shocking, yet no less logical. If you like time travel stories with a scientific slant, if two men separated by 25 years wanting to be together sounds like an interesting problem to solve, and if you like the slight headaches caused by trying to think in temporal circles, I am pretty sure you will love this story.



DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

 

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 88 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	01-June-2012
Price
Buy Link	OUT OF PRINT