The Third Rule of Time Travel by Philip Fracassi

 

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. Done well, it captures the imagination and can be thought-provoking. Based on the description of this book, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, it was light on time travel and heavy on Beth's tumultuous life, which wasn't all that interesting.

Beth and her husband, Colson, were developing a time travel machine when they sold their work to a corporation to allow them the funding and facilities necessary to continue. Colson then dies in a car crash, and Beth is left to continue their work and raise their daughter. When the company's CEO begins pushing Beth to accelerate the amount of time travel, Beth starts to notice anomalies in her current circumstances. Alarmed, Beth tries to figure out what is happening with the machine, only to face pushback from the CEO. Feeling isolated and realizing she cannot trust those around her, Beth struggles to find answers, fighting for her career and her daughter.

The book started interestingly, but quickly became bogged down in Beth and her struggles. Additionally, Beth is not the most sympathetic character, and I skimmed long passages of introspection and soul-searching. Again, the premise is good, but the execution is flawed. 

3/5 stars.

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The Memory Collectors by Dete Meserve

Time travel is one of my favorite genres. I have my favorite authors, standalone books, and time travel series. I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the genre, so although I was intrigued by this book, I was not prepared to be blown away by The Memory Collectors--but I was. This book is an interesting take that still has me wondering what I'd do if I were in a similar situation as the four characters in this book.

In 2028, Aeon Expeditions develops technology that allows people to spend an hour in their past without changing the future. The company says a person cannot travel to a specific point in time, but four strangers find themselves together four days before August 25, 2025--a date that changed each of their lives. Something goes wrong, and the four find themselves trapped in the past. As their lives intersect, they realize that if they work together, they may be able to change the events of that fateful day.

I read this book in record time. It was thought-provoking, and while it was a bit overly sentimental toward the end, it was still an excellent story. I was caught in the characters' lives and rooted for them to change the events of that August day. Alternating between each character's POV, the author did an excellent job of weaving the lives together and tying the story together. If you want a different take on time travel without the usual hard science that accompanies it, I highly recommend this book. 

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is May 20, 2025.

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