This is book two of the so-far fourteen book Middle Falls Time Travel series. The main character in this second book, Michael Hollister, is the antagoThis is book two of the so-far fourteen book Middle Falls Time Travel series. The main character in this second book, Michael Hollister, is the antagonist from the first book, which is why I decided to read on. I had to find out what made this horrible person tick, and how he could possible be redeemed.
I liked this book better than the first book, the redemption was truly worth reading about and satisfying. There were a few happenings in the book that didn't make sense to me, though, and lessened my interest in Michael's story. During the course of the novel he was between eight and eighteen/nineteen and was living this life with full knowledge of his prior lives, world events, etc., but didn't seem to use this knowledge except in excelling in school. Also, his dad was a disgusting individual and sexually abusive to Michael but for some reason Michael didn't feel the need to reveal this horrific criminal behavior to anyone else. Michael decided to get him back in this life by vandalizing one of his beloved personal items. Huh? I just couldn't fathom this. He could've had this dangerous man put away.
Like in the first book there were short interludes with supernatural beings who were monitoring / guiding the lives of the characters. A little bit more was revealed about them in this novel and I'm guessing the purpose and motivations of them will be revealed eventually if I were to continue with the series but for now they were just an uninteresting distraction from the main plot. 2.5 stars. ...more
Great premise. I love books that question how you would live your life again if you had to do it all over, knowing what you know now. This is what hapGreat premise. I love books that question how you would live your life again if you had to do it all over, knowing what you know now. This is what happens to Thomas Weaver, who committed suicide in 2016 in the midst of a depressing life. He wakes up back in 1976, in the midst of his high school years.
I loved the first third of the book when Thomas was trying to find his way around life, trying to remember locker combinations, his schedule, and simply trying to live without cell phones, the internet, cable TV, and everything else we take for granted in the present. Knowing how many of his acquaintances turn out in life was interesting when it came to social interactions. And would trying to change things for the better result in a different future, or are life and world events going to happen regardless?
There were a number of things that turned me off in the middle to latter parts of the book. I just couldn't understand some of Thomas' irrational decisions, especially knowing what he knew. His motivation behind some of these actions was never explained.
Another thing that I didn't get were the short interludes with supernatural beings who were monitoring / guiding the lives of the characters. I'm guessing the purpose and motivations of these beings will eventually be explained if I continue on in the series? For me, it took away from narrative's flow.
What was cool was that Thomas brought back his 2016 point of view on homosexuality, high school bullying, treatment of women, seat belt wearing (ha, ha!) and other issues back to 1976. I remember that time being pretty gross and caveman-ish when it came to these and a number of other issues. Would never go back there myself.
Anyway, I found this to be an OK read. I might choose to read the next installment of this series as the main character is one of the antagonists in Thomas Weaver's life. The whole series is free in Audible if you like these types of books. ...more
I discovered this novel on Audible. It was a freebie and I needed an audiobook to read until my next credit appeared. The title caught my eye. I enjoyI discovered this novel on Audible. It was a freebie and I needed an audiobook to read until my next credit appeared. The title caught my eye. I enjoy time travel and multiple lives stories.
Charles Waters is diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer and dies 30 days later. He then wakes up in the doctor's office, receiving his diagnosis again. This cycle repeats, like Groundhog Day. How will Charles handle this, as he retains the knowledge of his past lives in each subsequent life? On the outside Charles appears to be very plain and boring. He is a homebody in his undecorated condo, he works as an actuary for an insurance company. He makes no effort to get to know people and keeps to himself. Every week he plans his daily meals, usually consisting of TV dinners.
During his repeated short lives, he gradually becomes a different person. I thought the story telling was really good, the author managed to keep it fresh despite some unavoidable repetition. I really enjoyed how it ended.
This was the twelfth novel in the series, and there are two more after it. Apparently, the novels stand alone and feature entirely different casts. However, there were several short interludes in this novel which featured two otherworldly women who appeared to be observers of some sort and I couldn't fully understand their motivations. The referenced "the machine". Were they on a space ship or something? I'm guessing they appeared in previous novels. Despite this confusion I still really enjoyed this novel and have downloaded several more of Inmon's Middle Falls novels from audible as they were also free.
Interestingly enough, Charles ends up reading the Ken Grimwood novel Replay, which I rated five stars. It was interesting to hear Charles experience with that book.
Four stars, despite my confusion over the strange interludes. ...more
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