The Accidental Time Machine

By: Joe Haldeman

Narrated by: Kevin Free

Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

Joe Haldeman is the esteemed Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author of The Forever War. Things are going nowhere for lowly MIT research assistant Matt Fuller - especially not after his girlfriend drops him for another man. But then while working late one night, he inadvertently stumbles upon what may be the greatest scientific breakthrough ever. His luck, however, runs out when he finds himself wanted for murder - in the future.

©2007 Joe Haldeman (P)2008 Recorded Books

quite interesting

not what was expected, but a delight nevertheless. an inviting journey through time and space.

Quick read time travel story.

Fun read. I liked the characters and the plot. The writing kept me wanting more story….

Unexpected Sci-Fi

When I read reviews before buying, I kept reading that it had a twist. How much of twist could a time travel book really have? It's a big one.

The story and characters are good on their own, nobody stands out as amazing, just solid enjoyment. But the twist had me literally going, "Huh? Huh? HUH!"

I stuck it out because I was so curious to see how the author could take me from "OMG No" to "Yay!" And he does.

One of my favorite time travel books

This is my third listen, as it is so much fun. Joe has a wonderful imagination, and through this book, he takes you to the end of the universe and back, with a sweet love story in between.

The End

When those words are spoken the reader wants more. Why is the end, the end? This is a relatively short audio book with a lot packed into it. I will definitely be reading and listening to more by this author.

Completion of this book packs a punch.

Great all the way through

This was a great book and didn't loose stream at all. I enjoyed listening to it and trying to predict what was going to happen next.

Strong Beginning, Silly Ending

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I would rewrite the second half or so of the book to build on the strong beginning. It's almost as if this book is a combination of two efforts, the strong first-half effort and the weak, silly second-half effort.

Would you ever listen to anything by Joe Haldeman again?

I'd be willing to give him another chance. The first half of the book reveals him to be a very good author.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I would not. I think the movie would be all special effects to try to capture the second half, and to me a plot is more important than effects.

Any additional comments?

I was really excited about this book when I started reading, as I'm now into a phase in my science-fiction-reading career where time travel intrigues me. But the silly second half of the book made me want to just finish the thing so I could at least find out how it ends, then move on. I also don't like authors mixing religion and science fiction. Too many authors these days use their books as platforms to expound on their negative view of religion. If there were such a thing as Christian science fiction, I would not read it either; when I pick up a sci fi book, I want the sci fi, not a sermon, no matter what the author's religious views might be.

I thought it was okay

I enjoyed the book. It kept my interest and was a fun read. Okay, so it’s not Steinbeck, big deal. If you enjoy stories about time travel give it a try.

One of the best

So many time travel novels have a tendency to be corny or shallow on the science. This book was heavy on the science and a relatively simple story with a lot of intrigue. That said, I only criticism is regarding the conclusion. I don’t want to give it away but let’s just say the way it ended would produce much better results for a white man then it would for a black man. And so, in the end I was conflicted.

Overall Entertaining

The story is good. I had read reviews that made the book sound amazing, it’s not, but it is worth a listen. The narrator fit the story well.