Customer Reviews

Time Jump (Halcyon Gate)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I downloaded this book because it was free at the time and I'm so glad I did because its excellent. Its a really good story and very well written.

I'm not going to give the plot away but if your into SciFi and Time travel bookes then this guy is very good indeed.

Keep up the good work and write more soon, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of his work.

What starts as a simple mission through a newly formed time portal develops into a more complex situation as the story unfolds.

There are some thoughtful ideas within the story that are played out. Whilst at times it might seem a little slow paced and perhaps one of the main characters seems a bit underdeveloped or don't understand quite why that happened you find the reason why at the end which is an interesting twist.

Time is spent setting the scene/ exploring the characters/world where they came from and where they ended up after going through the portal but it still has a good amount of action and suspense in it ...... which is why I am trying to avoid giving too much of the plot away.

My only rant is that it is the first of what is likely to be a trilogy and it ends with only some of the questions answered ....something I would have liked to know before I started as I am impatient to know what happens next!

very good story. fast paced and exciting with a bit of humour thrown in. and the book is a good price as well. i look forward to the next in the series eugenic reprisal

Time Jump is an exciting look at time travel. It starts in the not too terribly distant future, giving me a look at changes ranging from technology to societal norms, just barely acquainting them with the "present" before I realize that Mason and Jacob are about to be sent back in time. The parameters of the project are clear, but some details are sketchy, and then what do you know, things do NOT go as planned.

The settings were well laid out, and the writing was very clear with the exception of a couple of small points (here is where I took off half a star) where the narrative jumps to first person, with not a lot of explanation as to why, or much connection to the plot at hand. Each time, I went back a page or so to make sure I didn't skip something. It doesn't seem like I did. I could have lived with the perspective change if those first person narratives were a bit more regular and explanatory, maybe written in italics or something to make it clear that it's thought or a dream. I still am not sure as to what the author was intending in those spots.

Aside from the small bits of confusion, the plot was excellent, the main characters were well developed, humor and levity shared the pages well, and there were enough twists in the story to keep me from figuring out what was going on overall for quite a while. It's possible that I will find in the next book that my hunches are completely off, but that's half the fun, isn't it? There's enough adventure to keep it thrilling, but not so much that one thinks that Mason and Jacob and Hector are indestructable.

I look forward to seeing what's in store for our heroes in the next installment of Halcyon Gate. Will they defeat the Elders? Will they prevent an all-out war? Get back to their own time? With such a strong first installment, I anticipate a robust story arc for the whole series.

Katherine X, Kindle Book Review.

Four and a half ENJOYABLE STARS! "Time Jump" by J.M. Preiss is the first book in the Halcyon Gate saga and details the adventures of the first humans to travel in time. In the future, the Halcyon project in Ireland is set to benefit mankind by sending a two-man team, Mason and Jacob, on its history-making mission, but the deployed team is immediately puzzled by what they find and who they meet. Then comes the shock of where they are in time and space. The team must sort out whether and how to complete their mission. Failure is not an option. Skillfully written with short chapters and minimal plot holes, the author quickly advances the plot line and bolsters it with baffling circumstances and interesting characters. This novel takes us beyond the usual 'time travel' fare. Highly Recommended. Four and a half ADVENTUROUS Stars (Review is based on a Kindle download of 257 KB ~159 pages)

This is a "Went on a time-travel journey and it all went squiffy" story.
Intending to journey into the past, the main characters find themselves drawn to an unfortunate future where the climate has dramatically cooled.
The reasons for this become clear at the end of the book where the protagonists are again sent back in time to fix things, which may involve them making sure one of them isn't born!
Looking forwards to Book2

Parts of this book was exciting but then dropped off. This book was not for me but on saying that I still enjoyed it.

Compelling reading that was spoilt slightly by a lack of proofreading. Random wrong words in the text interrupt the flow.

Sometimes I thought. the storyline was dragging a bit but overall this book has turned out to be very readable. Will be looking forward to the next volume.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would love to know when the next one is coming out. I was engrossed from start to finish. I thought the technology he created was original. Would recommend.