| Title | : | The Day After Never (In Times Like These, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audible Audio |
| Number of Pages | : | 20 |
| Publication | : | First published July 12, 2016 |
Returning home from his harrowing adventures through time, Ben just wants a normal life with the girl he loves, but tying up the loose threads of his fragmented existence is proving more difficult than he ever suspected. Someone is attacking time travel labs—threatening the safety of the Quickly family—and Ben is getting messages from a version of himself that he thought was dead.
When a strange cult of consciousness-shifting time travelers called The Eternals begins to worm its way into the past—endangering the very nature of time and space—Ben will have to solve the mystery of his own disappearance to stop them. He’ll journey farther into time than he’s ever been before, to protect the family and friends he has come to love, and to discover his own inevitable destiny.
Join Ben and Mym in this third novel in the In Times Like These time travel adventure series.
Life as a time traveler is never easy, but sometimes it’s free. You can get the first eBook in this series FREE right now on Amazon. Get it next!
The Day After Never (In Times Like These, #3) Reviews
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I read a lot of time travel novels, and it's rare that I encounter truly new concepts, but this one has two that really stand out. The first is a the concept of a Neverwhere--a strange and dreamlike world that time travelers go to when they make failed time travel jumps. The second is the inclusion of Zurvan, the twin-spirited god of infinite time and space, popular in the years 226 to 651 CE. While this is the 3rd book in the series, I think all of the books stand well alone and have ideas unique to the genre.
The time travel concept in this series allows for the existence of parallel worlds created by time travelers. Thus, in one world, Ben is fine. However, another version of Ben has landed himself in the Neverwhere through a time travel mishap. One of the parts I looked forward most while experiencing this novel was exploring the concept of the Neverwhere. However, to explain it here would be to spoil this experience for future readers. The two Bens learn to communicate with each other in order to search for their kidnapped girlfriend and to fight against Zurvan whose actions and plans threaten the existence of the galaxy.
I always enjoy Van Coops' vision of the future. My favorite gadget of his imagined future world is a type of virtual glasses that nearly everyone wears which allows wearers to see the world in a different way. A common person can appear as whatever avatar they would like. Drab buildings can be transformed into palatial paradises. But, of course, the world is also filled with virtual advertisements. Again in this novel, Van Coops has explored the idea of a world where there is a stark contrast between people who are fully human and those with technological modifications (synths). The ideas of social relations between these groups is explored quite imaginatively.
This novel is truly a 4.5-star novel, but GoodReads doesn't allow for half stars. The missing half star is mainly for the wordiness of the ruminations that interject themselves into action scenes and slows down the reading a bit. Really, it's a great read. Just like in his previous novel where the original idea of a time race (or chronothon) sticks in the reader's mind, the idea in this novel of a Neverwhere where misplaced time travelers go will be in the reader's mind for a long time after reading. This is the perfect ending to a great time travel series. All's well that ends well.
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This book is a finale. This book is a time travel adventure novel. This book is a love story. This book is all of these things, and more.
The Day After Never is a worthy finale to Nathan Van Coops’ time travel trilogy. The novel has an intricately woven plot that includes multiple point of view characters (who all happen to be versions of the trilogy’s protagonist, Ben Travers.)
The book begins where the second novel in the series ends - immediately after Ben Travers has sacrificed his life to save the woman he loves. Ben is still in the room where he died, but there’s a catch. He’s not dead. Or is he? That’s precisely what he needs to figure out, and the only way to do it is to ask Ben Travers. The other one.
The other Ben Travers is back in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a harrowing race through time in The Chronothon. He just wants to tinker with his beloved motorcycle and spend some quality time with his best girl, Mym.
And there is the crux of Ben’s story. Because in the world of time travel, it’s possible to die and still be alive (at least some version of you.) Ben just wants to get back to a normal life but as usual in Ben’s world, normal isn’t what he gets.
The novel moves back and forth between Ben in the Neverwhere (a fascinating place of otherness that both mystifies and moves the plot forward) and Ben in the present, trying as usual to accept and act on the distinctly weird turns his life is taking.
Van Coops masterfully weaves in characters and plot lines from the two previous books in the series as he brings us along on yet another fast-paced Ben Travers adventure. And don’t forget Mym, who is, after all, the reason these books exist. Ben’s love for her transcends time, and this book admirably reflects that (for all you folks out there who have been waiting for the culmination of the Ben/ Mym romance, you won’t be disappointed.)
The novel moves fluidly back and forth between ancient cult rituals and a future world where synthetic humans are fighting for their rights, and Ben Travers (both of them) must find a way to make sense of it all without losing themselves and the girl they love, in the process.
Like all of the books in this series, The Day After Never can be read alone, but do yourself a favor and start at the beginning, with In Times Like These. You’ll really appreciate the places and people who are brought back to help Ben navigate his final adventure. -
Bigger better more complex and just plain brilliant
If you like a good time travel story buy this book because it's brilliant BUT you really need to read the previous books in the series for a better understanding of the characters and the underlying plot. The story is strong and the characters remain interesting, sympathetic and believable. -
In this third installation in the In Times Like These series, Ben and Mym are making a solid go of their relationship, which is a FINALLY moment for everyone. But as always in time travel, things are never as easy as we want them to be. Kudos to
Nathan Van Coops for the painstaking effort he put into authoring the entire trilogy, because getting all the intricacies right must have been soul-sucking.
Ben's travels in the previous two books have complicated his existence, and he continues to encounter versions of himself, each of whom has their own idiosyncrasies. One Ben is gone, "dead"?, stuck in the Neverwhere, a time purgatory no one would wish on their worst enemy. And to add to the confusion, there are these (Stargate-styled) "Eternals" complicating the way things are, by mucking with how they were. Altogether, Ben has his work cut out for him, trying to avoid paradoxes and to set things right. Or not as wrong.
I have a special place in my heart for futuristic ideas that show a more graceful existence for humanity. This is why Star Trek has always been a favorite of mine. This book showed a less apocalyptic future than we see in most speculative fiction, and even showed some hopeful advancements. There were also examples of tech-gone-overboard, like some of the more intensive synth options for "people", that were incredibly realistic.
Overall I give this series five stars and will continue to keep
Nathan Van Coops flagged as a favorite author, no matter what genre he delves into next. -
When I read the first book in Nathan Van Coops’ time travel series, I found it excellent and didn’t see how the second book could possibly be as good. Then I read the second book, The Chronothon, and found it even better than the first and decided that the third book could not possibly surpass it. I was wrong. The third book in the series, The Day After Never is the best yet. Each one of these books can stand on its own, but I think it is far better to read them in order. The Day After Never continues from the ending of The Chronothon and presents us immediately with a fascinating paradox in which two Bens occupy the same timeline but one of those Bens has died. But is he dead? Aware of his deceased state, he seeks a way to communicate with his living version by invading his dreams. Living Ben finds this disturbing and attempts to suppress that communication, but in doing so, he fails to heed the warnings of a danger that Deceased Ben knows of and tries to impart. This situation creates a tension that builds throughout the novel, as events in Surviving Ben’s life threaten to spiral out of control. Both Bens are sent through time into the past and into the future, travels that plunge the living Ben into grave dangers. Although his desire is to merge with Living Ben and thus regain life, Deceased Ben is driven away from this goal by Living Ben’s resistance and thus drawn closer to fading into oneness with the cosmos that is true death. Meanwhile the world is spiraling toward a future destruction that will end all timelines. Van Coops pulls out all the stops to keep the reader in a state of suspense that makes it impossible to put this book down. In the novel’s pages the reader will find humor, thrills, philosophy, both hopeful and bleak looks at possible futures of the human race, and well-developed characters that the book will leave you eager to read more about in future volumes. I highly recommend this novel to readers of thrillers, of time travel adventures, and of books that challenge the mind.
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The Day after Never
My favorite character is a goofy, embarrassing, overzealous kook. He adds so much to the story.
The surprises in this book are eye popping. I had a sneaky suspicion about one thing and I was right. How fun. The humor is my humor. Made me laugh so many times.
I feel Dr. Quickly's quotes from his journal at the beginning of the chapters is enough to make this book with reading. They are funny and sometimes heart stopping beautiful.
The complexities in this book had me in awe of Nathan's imagination and ability to write and put it all down on paper. The descriptions are so easy to visualize.
The style where you read two parallel stories works well because Nathan interweaves them. He cleverly connects the two with cool techniques. I've read some books where it did not work easily and I was frustrated. In this book it is smooth and flows beautifully.
I have read many time travel books especially after reading Nathan's first one, In Times Like These. None can compare. I love how Nathan has created a world where time travel is a way of life. It is dangerous and not everyone is successful. So many thrilling events happen too.
I love the climax of this story. So clever. I was yelling YES, when one super important scene unfolded.
There are funny parts, scary parts and just plain exciting parts. Do yourself a favor and read this book but make sure you read all three. I mean, why not? The journey is amazing. -
Did you ever wonder about parallel universes, and what happens to the other you when you avoid a bad decision? Have you ever wondered how you'd cope if you began to haunt yourself? There's no escape from the past in the third of the Ben Travers time travel trilogy.
Ben is back, trying to re-establish his normal life in the Sunshine City. But there are more than a few dark clouds hanging over him as a result of all his time-travel: lives not lived (or died), roads not travelled, questions not answered.
After an explosive adventure like The Chronothon, you wonder where Nathan Van Coops can go with the series. As I intimated above, choices have consequences for survivors, and his past literally comes back to haunt him. Add to that a mysterious death cult who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal, and you've got a high-stakes thriller. Nathan Van Coops is the absolute master of creating time-line conflicts.
What I loved about this novel was that there's also another dimension. As a sometime philosopher and armchair metaphysician, I found rich food for thought here, which made for a very satisfying read on a number of levels. Truly wonderful stuff - read it! -
I’ve now read all three books (to date) in the “In Times Like These” series, and I continue to be impressed. Each is unique in its storyline and could stand on its own, but they share some favorite characters and the author’s accessible and entertaining writing style. Great stuff.
What I enjoyed most about “The Day After Never,” is the world the author has imagined along with the fast-paced adventure and engaging Time Travel labyrinth. It’s an incredible vision of the future. Except it actually is credible, and might one day exist. A world of humanized technology and future society, inhabited by natural born humans and synthetic ones who seem to get along as well if not better than diverse groups in our present day. And there are other technologies that seem real enough to make you wonder, why couldn’t the future be like that? I found myself grinning as I read these descriptions. I encourage the author to visit a patent office straightaway.
A totally enjoyable read. I hope there'll be a Book Four. -
This book took me a long time to read. I'd start then stop, start then stop. But, I trusted in the author to get me through and, I wasn't disappointed. This may have been slower than the others in the series for me but, it's still a really good read. Full of adventure, danger, friendship, and TONS of imagination. It's colorful and vivid and wholly unique. I LOVE these characters and concept. This author never disappoints.
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This book is third in a series and to be honest I really struggled through it. I listened via Audible, like the first two, but this one seemed so confusing and all over the place.
It could be that I was not 'in the mood' for sci-fi fantasy and my brain was not in the right place.
I did see other reviews and there were high rating.
So don't judge by my experience. I just couldn't get into this one. -
'There is certainly no way I’ll be asked to come in to work. I’ve called in dead.'
Fantastic! Ben, Mym and Harold are caught up in a religious time travelling Resurrection that could end the world. Spanning the breadth of man kind itself.
This is seriously the best time travel series ever!
'The Neverwhere may linger on the edge of eternity, but it’s an edge I’ve gotten too close to.' -
A good story, but maybe not the strongest of the series. This was a more dark tale and I did miss some of the whimsy that was in the book of the series. Still a strong time travel book..
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A fun romp through space and time
This is the third book in the Times Like These series. I must say right at the start that this is my favorite book in the series.
The action is fast paced and smooth. The jumps from one POV to the other are entertaining, and as always, the journal entries are amusing and give subtle hints about what comes next.
Lastly,this is a love story with appeal to both adults young and old. The writer knows how to bring the reader's imagination into the story in a way that writing out the explicit details never will. This is a sweet and engaging story. -
I received an advance copy of the book in order to review it prior to release. I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The excitement and adventure with the well known characters of Ben and Mym as well as some new characters, both good and bad, made it hard to put down. I was looking forward to the next chapter of Ben and Mym and I was definitely not disappointed. I give this book five stars. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Strong ending to the trilogy.
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The third book in the In Times Like These series. A further exploration of the time travel multiverse created by Nathan Van Coops, featuring Ben Travers and a now familiar cast of associates, plus the expected introductions of new characters to further the new plot along and a further exploration of the multiverse and nuances of time travel and the future as Van Coops envisions.
Ben Travers is fresh off his "victory" in the Chronothon, covered in the previous book, and spending some quality time with Mym, daughter of Dr. Quickly, the founder of the whole time travel thing in this series and whose journal excerpts intro every chapter.
Ben Travers is also freshly awakened to find himself dead in the Neverwhere just after said Chronothon, the result of his noble sacrifice to thwart ... well, read book two if you care about the details. They aren't crucial to understanding this book. Suffice to say, time travelers need to be grounded to something when they do a time travel jump or they could end up in this "neverwhere" and that's believed to be as good as death. Van Coops gives us a first-person account of Travers' experiences there in parallel with the Travers who didn't go to the Neverwhere - the whole multiverse thing - and along the way their paths will cross.
And have crossed. So maybe you should go back and read the Chronothon.
If you don't, here's a quick spoilery rundown. In this version of time travel, when you go back in time, you can jump back a few minutes and meet yourself. This is discouraged, because at that point you are two people knowingly experiencing the same moment twice. You can go back a few minutes and hide from yourself and that doesn't cause a paradox, because in a few minutes the first person will jump back in time and disappear and you can get on with your business. If the paradox occurs, you end up with a new time-traveling twin, identical to a point, and then you are unique.
This becomes important because in this book, Ben meets...other Bens. Back in the first book, the big challenge was getting back home to 2009 from 1985. Back to THEIR 2009. They made it back to a 2009 that wasn't theirs, and other thems were already there, not having been time traveled in the first place. So they had to make another long journey to return to the proper timestream. One of the things they did in that first book was change history, and (SPOILER!) save Dr. Quickly, who gave them a shortcut lift home.
But thanks to that whole alternate timestreams thing, there were outcomes where things didn't turn out so well, and it took a while but another Ben Travers, older and more jaded and sick of time travel, rolls into town. He conveniently doesn't mind doing the job Ben no longer needs/likes, and takes a liking to an old/young ex girlfriend, who chirpily calls him Benji. There's no telling how many other alt-Bens might show up next, or in what condition.
And in the Neverwhere, our dead Ben encounters an older, jaded, scruffy version of himself who has figured out a bit of how to get around their new home, including their childhood home. For convenience' sake, he's taken to calling himself Benny, as he was called as a child.
Throw in Tucket, the nerdy uber-fan of the 20th century from the previous book, who shows up dressed to fit in (complete with Michael Jackson glove) to hang out and try to convince Ben and friends to get with the time travel bureaucracy, and Dr. Quickly, whose lab was vandalized and burgled, and Ben's friends and Benji, and it's an overcrowded party at Ben's apartment.
All this is setting and setup. A mysterious stranger in the Neverwhere is somehow connected to the attacks on Dr. Quickly, and soon Ben...and Ben...are in a race through time and memory and politics and religion to put the pieces together and save the day...and the multiverse itself.
You know. The usual.
If I have a complaint, it's "too many notes." There's an awful lot stuffed into this story. it's all interesting, and the author does a good job of letting it work through the characters, who are genuinely compelling. At the root of it all is Ben's devotion to his girlfriend, his strength and his Achilles' heel. Also his curiosity - where Dr. Quickly has invented time travel, Ben has furthered it in many ways by asking practical questions and either coming up with practical solutions or getting the eggheads to develop it for him. Having started with the Paradox PI series, a lot of the things I see Travers' grandson taking for granted, we see the grandfather saying "hey, why can't we...?"
Even the minor characters get a chance to shine. Tucket, the nerdy recent graduate of the time travel university and devotee of the music group Avocado Problems, is easy to laugh off at first but the roles he plays go deeper than first suspected. Much deeper, in fact, by the final reveal. No spoilers given.
Anyway. it's a fun romp through the future, a satiric take on the extendio ad absurdum of augmented reality in the 22nd century, a surprisingly sensitive consideration of the nature of life and afterlife and the soul, too many Ben Travers for comfort, and ... well, it felt like a very long read. Enjoyable, but long. -
This series is Time Travel done right! The action is brisk, the background building is incredibly detailed and imaginative, the character development is perfectly dynamic, and the banter? The banter is both witty and giggle out loud funny!! What more could you ask for?? Nathan Van Coops is easily one of my favorite authors in this genre and if you've read any of my prior reviews you'll know that that is a mammoth compliment because I'm a HUGE, ginormous, gargantuan fan of Time Travel!! Mr. Van Coops' writing is not only consistently solid it's addictive too... he always has me fiending for the next book like a literary junkie. Is the physics behind the Time Travel heavy on scientific jargon? No, and I don't seem to mind that here...His books are so good that I don't even mind the wait AND with my horrible memory forcing me to reread the prior books all over again (as each new book comes out) just to refresh the ole squishy brain...THAT'S saying a LOT!
What makes a book a Favorite for me? 9/10 it's the characters! In this book/series the characters are extremely well crafted and, if I was pressed to pick a favorite, I find that I can't, in good conscience, choose only 1! I do ship Ben & Mym with all of my heart though! Every sticky spot the duo finds themselves in I find that I can't help but root for them... out loud... to no one in particular WHICH happens often and is very embarrassing in public. Speaking of poor public etiquette I may or may not (spoiler alert: I certainly did) have Squeeeed aloud when my suspicions were confirmed regarding the identity of who the ultimate hero was... again, an extra dollop of public humiliation plopped on top of the pile but sooo worth it! There's just SO much to adore here (and in the series as a whole). Not only does Nathan crush the Trifecta of Awesomeness ( Character Development + World Building + Writing Quality = The Trifecta of Awesomeness), but his books just keep getting better, somehow outshining the ones before... it's impressive!
Overall:
I enjoyed this as an audiobook and not only did the premise, execution, and effect kick butt but the orator brought the book to life seamlessly as well SO if you're searching high and low for your next read and high-octane Time Travel, with super creative/imaginative/detailed backdrops and a perfectly paced plot is your Thing then I highly recommend you pick this series up... BUT be warned... start with book #1- In Times Like These- or else you'll be missing vital information and you won't have the great appreciation for the nuanced characters that you'll undoubtedly have if you do this in sequential order... go on... whatcha waiting for? Hurry up and dive into this series... you'll thank me later!!
~Enjoy -
I needed a book to close out 2019 with and two days to read, so I spun the wheel of to-read books and The Day After Never came up. I was immediately concerned because while it’s only 500 pages, these books are dense. The time travel rules are elaborate, consistent, and require slow reading and conscious thought to follow, so I wasn’t sure I’d make it in 48 hours.
I did, with time to spare, and this was easily my favorite of the three. It’s strange that such a detail oriented trilogy is meant to be read as a stand-alone, and while I think you’d be very lost if you jumped into the second or third book, people do it and enjoy it.
I will say that if there’s any time gap between books for me, I usually need a primer or a refresher or a helpful author to lightly recap where we were. Van Coops doesn’t do that, and it’s complicated, detail specific material, and I felt that I was able to pull it all together. I only had to look up on event late in the book. That’s outstanding, especially for a reader like me who can’t remember where his car keys are half the time.
I won’t spoil here, which is sad for me because in five years I’ll be trying to recall those details. This is the story of two Bens (technically up to 4) who are dealing with the fallout from the end of the second book while trying to deal with a villain backing up the time stream. Plots here remind me of Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter, as well as The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August, but who is to say what originated where. It works very well here. Moments, especially in the first third, seemed quite cinematic. While I felt buried under exposition and too many characters in early books, I felt on the edge of my seat here.
So much of reading is the mood you’re in when you picked up the book. If that’s the case, my initial concern was unwarranted, and I picked the right day to read The Day After Never.
Tucket wins a ribbon.
This one is absolutely on my favorites list. -
The Day After Never is book three in Nathan Van Coops' time-traveling series. I loved In Times Like These, the first book in the series and, while I didn’t like The Chronothon (Book 2) quite as much, its Amazing Race-style plot and pacing held my attention.
I can’t say the same about The Day After Never. It was a slog to get through - it truly took me years to finish it. I picked it up in 2018, and read the first fifty pages but kept choosing other books instead of picking it back up. Thinking it may have been timing, I restarted from the beginning a few months ago and it still wasn’t as strong as the first two.
Like previous books, each chapter opens with words of wisdom from Dr. Harold Quickly, who invented time travel. It also features Mym from the first two books, though she is relegated to the background for most of the book, and other familiar faces like Francesca.
The best parts of the story are when Ben Travers struggles against himself. The book had an interesting premise and it comes back around in the end, but it was longer than it needed to be. It got bogged down with too many unnecessary and confusing elements.
I’m on the fence as to whether I will read The Warp Clock, book 4 of the series. The ending of Day After Never seems to wrap up the series, so it doesn’t leave the reader with a strong need to see what happens next.
I think I may need to try one of VanCoops other books before deciding to invest more time in the Benjamin Travers series. I’m glad I was introduced to VanCoops, though. He opened the world of independent authors to me - and, for that, I will forever be grateful.
For more of my reviews, visit
www.bookpicksandpics.com. -
THE BEST time travel series that I have EVER read!
I have read many time travel books, as it is one of my favorite things to read about. I do have to say though, that this series, by Nathan Van Coops, is by far some of the most imaginative, creative, and extremely interesting writing that I have ever encountered! I just began doing book reviews for Amazon authors on a voluntary basis, and this wasn't on my list, but it looked too good to wait. I'm glad that I started reading immediately, because i was hooked within minutes!
Instead of "ordinary" time travel, the jumps through time aren't usually possible without being infused with "gravitites", which allow the body and/or inanimate objects to be able to travel within one, or multiple different time streams. The books go into how time streams get created and everything. I really loved all of the science that was behind things. The stories within the traveling were absolutely fantastic and mind-blowing!! I am hoping to be included in any beta reads of future stories.
I can honestly say that this was without a doubt, one of the best series that I have read in my entire life. It is right at the top with "Harry Potter", "Lord of the Rings" and The "Outlander" series. -
Check out my blog, One Man Book Club
The Value of a Star: Ratings Explained
In Times Like These (In Times Like These, #1)
The Chronothon (In Times Like These, #2)
The Day After Never (In Times Like These, #3)
The Warp Clock (In Times Like These, #4)
By: Nathan Van Coops
My Rating: Four out of Five Stars
Best for: 18 and up
Who doesn't love a good time travel story?
There are all kinds of stories about time travel. I was going to list some for you, but then the list started getting really big. Just Google "books about time travel" and you find some. Tragically, there will be one author missing from Google's algorithm-based search results that favor popularity: Nathan Van Coops. Tragic, because he's the one who does it best.
His first books were a series called In Times Like These, which started good and grew to great. He followed In Times Like These with another series called Paradox PI, and it's even better! One thing I love about discovering new authors is seeing their growth. Nathan Van Coops is doing a fantastic job. Buy his books, the guy deserves to be read.
In Times Like These is the story of Ben Travers, accidental time traveler. You know, typical story-- wrong place, wrong time, accidental electrocution near a time travel lab, wake up in the past. Heard it once, you've heard it a million times.
Ya, I know. Tongue, meet cheek.
That's the start of Ben's story, and it's a great one. It covers four super fun books that follow Ben across space and time as he learns all the good, bad, and ugly of time travel. Turns out, Ben's not the only one. They're many time travelers, in fact. Some are good guys like Ben who just want to fall in love and save the day. Some are bad guys who want to ruin and steal and hurt and need to be stopped. If Ben could just figure out how to travel through time without breaking things--including himself--he'd be the perfect guy to save the day. Days.
All the days.
One of my favorite parts of Nathan Van Coops time travel adventures are the plausible scientific rules he's created for time travel. In fact, that's why they stand out to me among others. This isn't Back to the Future--in these books changing the past splits time streams, and that's serious business. Creating a time paradox should be avoided!
Don't make a jump through time unless you have an anchor to get you exactly where you want to go. After all, the Earth is constantly moving! You can't jump from one place in time to another and expect to magically end up the same spatial location. If you jump to a place that is currently occupied by something else, that thing becomes part of you...and that isn't pretty.
Follow the rules, and you should be safe. Don't, and you'll be dead.
Nathan Van Coops time travel stories are a fun and fresh take on time travel. I loved the possibilities, and found myself wanting more time-traveling good guys vs time-traveling bad guys.
In Times Like These was the first book Nathan Van Coops published, and if you read book one and first the 1st person dialogue a little clunky, be patient. It gets better, and the story is great enough you'll be glad you kept coming back from more.
There is grown up language scattered throughout the series, so I'll say they're best for adults. No violence or other sensitive content.
Happy Reading! -
Neverwhere...
I have read both novels that preceded The Day After Never. They are Timed Like These and Chronathon, which were both superb. It was really helpful to have read both first.
The Day After Never was also superb. The best part was it was so well written, I didn't have trouble keeping track of the characters and their numerous jumps through time and was able to put all my focus on the suspense and trials the characters faced. It was edge of my seat, hard to put down reading from start to finish.
The author has an active imagination. Everything that happened was totally unexpected. And every mess that they got into was taken care of with ease using amazing twists, just when you thought all was lost.
The characters we got to know I'm the first two novels were fresh and clever as always, not afraid to jump into action when needed and seemingly hopeless.
I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend it! -
Extraordinario cierre de la historia que venía contándose desde el segundo libro. Me gustó más que este por cierto.
Durante los dos libros anteriores Van Coops nos estuvo hablando de que nadie sabe a dónde van los viajeros que no tienen un ancla, que saltan a un tiempo sin lugar. Pues en esta historia descubrimos esto, y forma parte de la trama principal. No puedo hablar más porque la trama depende del final del segundo libro.
Se ve que el autor trazó muy bien la historia antes de la publicación, pues eventos que vimos en el segundo libro, pero que nunca se explicaron, se retoman acá, dando cierre a todas las subtramas y a todos los cabos sueltos. Ese tipo de detalles que quienes amamos el viaje en el tiempo valoramos mucho cuando se hace bien.
El libro es más largo, pero es porque nuevamente Van Coops se toma su tiempo en desarrollar las cosas, en explicar cómo funciona el universo que nos muestra, y como ahora vemos dos tramas distintas al mismo tiempo, es obvio que toma mucho más.
De ahí en fuera conserva es estilo de los anteriores, los personajes se mueven y evolucionan de manera correcta, la historia tiene muchos giros de la trama estupendos, y te mantiene super entretenido.
El único punto débil es que el esquema para llegar al final es predecible. El misterio que rodea al villano de la historia se guarda tanto, que ya sabemos que las cosas van a ir mal para los buenos y bien para los malos, puesto que esta será la única forma de saberlo todo. Y aunque es el mismo recurso que todas las películas y novelas de acción usan hoy en día, es inevitable que te desilusione un poco.
Eso no evita que lo disfrutase enormemente, y que tenga toda la trilogía entre mis lecturas favoritas. Como decía en mis comentarios de los otros dos, la prosa no es extraordinaria, pero la aventura sí lo es. -
Not my favorite book in the series
What happened? For a book that focused on the mysterious place that was the Neverwhere, a place where space and time hold no ground, this book was a struggle to finish. The book was too long, with chapters filled with random scenes, needless character conflict, of depictions of a place with little importance to the main plot. I found myself skipping some of these sections, just to get the story back on track. There was also the Ben's in the book, no single one with redeemable qualities Each of them became a whiner version of the Ben from the last two book. The baddie, Zurtan, was another villain with a black cape sulking in the past of his fail accession into godhood.
I contemplated just slapping 3 stars to this review, the equivalent of an OK book, but I think this book is more of a 'meh', so, 2.5 stars. I still like the Universe that wax created in this and Paradox PI books, this is just not my favorite read in the series. -
5/5 🌟
"I kick a piece of bark back into the neighbor’s yard. “Is it so hard to just meet a nice girl and be happy? No, you had to pick a time traveler. . . and then die. And then not stay dead. Stupid idiot." ⏳
The Day After Never was another 5🌟 read! I don't want to spoil anything so I'll keep this short. Time travel, a cult, the neverwhere (not living, not fully dead), some romance, humor, adventure and many thrilling moments... What's not to love! And surprisingly it was just as good as the first one, which usually isn't the case with series books! I suggest reading the first two before this one though, it does tie into them and has many of the original characters at least show up at some point, which I loved!
Yep, Nathan Van Coops is an auto-buy author for me now and I'm slowly reading through his backlist. 😊
