Destroyer

Publisher's Summary

With the whole of human history altered, Denny Younger may be the last rewinder in existence - and the last person on Earth with a chaser unit capable of time travel. While caring for his ailing sister, Denny must discover a way to recharge his device before he's left with no defense against a past that wants him dead. Before long, Denny notices a mysterious stranger following him - keeping tabs on Denny, his family, and his friends. Is Denny just paranoid? Or maybe he isn't alone in this new reality after all....

When his chaser is stolen and his girlfriend is kidnapped, Denny risks everything to get both of them back. Launched into a high-stakes chase that spans continents and millennia, Denny's responsibility to save our future isn't over yet. It will take all of his cunning to stop a threat capable of steering the fate of the human race into disaster.

©2016 Brett Battles (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

Fantastic narration! Terrible story.

What disappointed you about Destroyer?

Almost everything. Let me caveat what I am about to say with this; I LOVED the first book. I thought it was fantastic. I thought the story was strong. I was really looking forward to reading the second book because this universe fascinated me and I wanted to see how else the author could write historical fiction.

Unfortunately, this was a book that did not add to the story, did not advance the story and took a strong protagonist and turned him into a bumbling, indecisive, morality-juggling tool to earn the author an additional paycheck. I am going to go into some SPOILERS now, so if you are planning on listening to this book, please move on to the next section:
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1.) In the first novel the paradoxes were easily explained away due to the fact that an entire timeline was wiped out. In this book, especially at the end, the paradox of Denny kidnapping an earlier version of himself should have already occurred. In the first book it never happened which makes me wonder a.) how did he complete his original mission if one of him was missing, b.) why did he have no knowledge of it since it happened to scout him after his home timeline ended and c.) why make it more confusing than it had to be?

2.) The plot devices needed to keep this story going are absurd. Early in the book he has an opportunity to stop everything from happening when Lydia's grandson has Iffy tied up. Instead of just doing it, he postulates that he couldn't live knowing that he caused one version of Iffy to die...Even though he had done that once in the original book and had to have known that it would occur again. So instead of letting Iffy "die" he lets an entire world "die" by going along with Lydia's plan.

3.) How will Denny be able to undo what Lydia did in Germany when he has no clue what happened? He was too busy feeling badly about stealing a pair of jeans rather than finding Lydia. The amount of moral babbling he did in this book was enough to make me fast forward through parts. The dialogues weren't as long as those written by Ayn Rand, but they were close. Ultimately, they added nothing to the story and for all of the moral dithering Denny did, he had no issues killing Lydia at the end of the book.

4.) Did Denny forget how to fight? Even if he didn't know how to fight, his opponent (Lydia) is physically smaller than him and (I'm assuming) doesn't weigh as much. All he had to do was punch her in the face a few times and he wins. With that, at the end of the book the knife he was looking for magically stayed in his hand and he didn't notice until it was convenient for him to use said knife to kill the antagonist. Deus Ex Machina, anyone?

5.) Why did Denny get stupider as the story went on? As soon as the "old lady" was mentioned I knew it was Lydia. How did he not know? Keep in mind, a.) it had only been 3 months for him since he last saw her, b.) somebody else knew about his time travelling skills and the only person he knew that was left alive from his home time was Lydia, c.) part of the reason he got rid of his original chaser was because it was almost out of power! Add on to the some of the other decisions he made, such as being outwitted at every turn by Lydia (the open backdoor of the house in 1952, the cement cage, the stadium, the running, the burnt out house in England), him giving up information about everything anytime Iffy was threatened and him telling Lydia about the power charger. There were probably 10 instances in this entire book where he could have made a simple choice and ended any threat that faced him.

6.) Both he and Lydia received the "movie star" treatment when they fought. He smashed his elbow in Lydias chin and she literally shook it off. I don't know if the author has ever taken an elbow to the chin but you don't just get up and say, "good show, old chap" and keep on running. Numerous kicks, punches, elbows, stab wounds, should have taken either one of them out of the fight for good. On top of that, at the very end of the book both he and Lydia jump ~200 years and they are still able to duke it out prior to passing out. In the original book (as mentioned by Denny in this book), he took a similar jump and was passed out for a week. But hey, they plot needs some action so "erase erase erase"...he's good!

7.) Iffy is changed from a smart, resourceful supporting character to a meek, quiet, useless sidekick that is just there to ensure Denny has a reason to make bad decisions. Take, for example, how Kane kidnapped her in the restaurant. She went to the bathroom and he flashes a gun, under his coat to her. She said she was afraid to say anything because he would shoot her. So, let me get this straight, she is in a public place, there are other people around, he is hiding a gun that nobody else sees...Instead of screaming, running, punching, kicking, doing anything to raise suspicions about this weird guy with his hand in his coat, she just goes along with him? WHAT?!?!?! WHY?! HE ISN'T GOING TO SHOOT YOU IN PUBLIC!!!! This is repeated a few times, like when Denny tells Iffy to stay down the hill when he is scoping out the house for the first time in 1952. What does she do? Just the opposite! Why does he take her in the house with him when he is trying to steal the chaser? Also, why even give RJ any personality at all? He was nothing but a plot device.
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I will read the next book in this series even though this book has a ridiculous amount of flaws. I hope the author takes what fans think seriously and gets back to his roots for the next installment because if it is anything like this one, it will be a huge eye roller.

As others have suggested, I would wait until the next book is released and listen/read all three at the same time so you don't have to sit through this book twice.

What do you think your next listen will be?

Going to finish the History of Greece

What about Vikas Adam’s performance did you like?

Vikas Adam's was amazing! Characters were easily distinguishable, pacing was great, voice acting was fantastic. His narration was the only thing that make this book tolerable. Please, please, please lock him up for the next book.

What character would you cut from Destroyer?

RJ and this Iffy. Bring back the Iffy from the previous book.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Too many words, not enough story, abrupt ending

I really dislike it when a book races, races, races and then abruptly stops, as if the author had to stop for a bathroom break and then never came back to finish it. I wish I had not bought the audible. You have to stay with the kindle as there are huge blocks of repetition that one has to skim over again and again. And again!

I loved the first one! Vikas Adam was wonderful, as usual.

12 of 12 people found this review helpful

First book was great. Second not so much.

The first book was full of new ideas and a great plot that was not predictable. However, it seems the author can only come up with "chasing" chapters for the second book. I really was looking forward to this book and it has been a disappointment.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

A Trip Down History Lane

What about Vikas Adam’s performance did you like?

Everything! He is perfect for the Rewinder series

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

A few actually

Any additional comments?

Last week I posted a review for the first book in the Rewinder Series, written by Brett Battles, and now the time has come to tell you what I thought about the second entry in this very entertaining new saga. The book is called Destroyer and it picks up almost at the same point where Rewinder ended.

I would suggest reading this article only after you've finished enjoying Denny Younger's first adventure. I will try not to spoil anything for newcomers, but for me to be able to explain the plot of Destroyer I'll need to ''set the stage'' properly for my review of this new Time travelling book.

Denny thinks he is the last Rewinder as the result of his earlier choices and he finds himself carrying on his shoulders the responsibility for the well-being of a new family. At some point, he discovers that someone is very interested in his affairs and that someone seems to be following Denny around the city. Our hero dismisses the first few sightings as coincidence and paranoia but something in the back of his head tells him to be careful and I can tell you that he should really do that...

Not after too much time has passed, we find Denny in a lot of trouble, his family in grave danger and the entire history of the World threatened by a mad ... person, seeking revenge on our young Rewinder. All I'm willing to let you know about the rest of the story is that Denny Younger will be a helpless witness to some serious history affecting events and I'm really looking forward to the next book, to see how he will be able to fix the havoc that his nemesis created on a historical rampage.

As always, Brett's writing is awesome! He picks you up and puts you on a roller-coaster ride that goes at insane speeds through twists and turns, never decreasing in intensity or losing its frantic pace and in the end you are left craving for more! With well defined, vivid, smart and lovable characters, Destroyer is a great adventure that will take you on an thrilling trip down History Lane.

The audiobook version of Destroyer is performed by the very talented Vikas Adam. He read Rewinder and now he is back to continue the adventure and to keep us entertained for the duration. In my review for Rewinder I said that Mr. Vikas Adam is perfect for this series and I reiterate that fact once more.

I listened to both audiobooks in two days and I suggest that you do the same. Rewinder and Destroyer combined amount to somewhere around 15 Hours of playtime and thanks to Vikas's amazing narration and to Brett's brilliant writing I enjoyed every second!

You can experience Destroyer as a standalone book, but it is a much better read by taking it together with Rewinder.

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

Book Two

Book Two in the Rewinder series started very well and continued in that vein for most of the book. About two-thirds of the way through, though, the author took us for a very long series of jumps which are not explained but which change history. This part was a bit boring. Then the book ended in a cliffhanger.

It is worth reading, however, just so you know that the story doesn't wrap up in a way that the book is a stand-alone. I do plan to get the next volume in the series and hope I don't have to wait too long. Although most of the characters are young, I still enjoyed the story (I am an older person).

Vikas Adam did a nice job with the narration, just as he did in the first volume.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

WOW!! A wonderful serialized series!!

Brett Battles is one of my favorite authors of thriller series with Jonathan Quinn, Project Eden, and Logan Harper. The Rewinder series he has moved into contemporary science fiction. There is a device called a chaser that allows trained people like the protagonist Denny Younger to go to time and places in the past, but not into the future. He and his family and friends are at risk of death when his opponent Lydia steals his chaser device.

The seven book Project Eden series has some aspects of science fiction, but nothing as radical as time travel. The Rewinder and Project Eden series are also similar is that both are serialized. In any case I hope that Battles continues to add to the Jonathan Quinn series.

The Rewinder series, like any serialized series, must be read in order.

I have heard Vikas Adam narrate science fiction books in the past. He does a great job.

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Great sequel

This was a great sequel, not crazy about how it ended but that's just because I didn't want the story to end! I've really enjoyed the two Rewinder books and am looking forward to more.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Potential!

Loved Rewinder and Destroyer was food, but didn't take advantage of the possibilities for an intriguing story. Took off where Rewinder ended but, ironically, didn't go anywhere.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

500 Rewinds Too Many

While the first book was unique in its novelty and interesting character development, this second installment is mostly word stuffing using seemingly endless iterations of rewinding and as many predictable missed opportunities which then leads to more rewinding ... ad nauseam.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Be warned definitely ending with a cliff-hanger

Destroyer continues right where book one left off. Denny Younger has his sister and girlfriend and a new life in our time line. His chaser unit is running out of power and he has no way to recharge it. Instead of living like the rest of humanity without time-travel, he finds a way to recharge it and continue to jump and jump through space and time. Only, he’s not as alone as he thinks.

Time travel is messy, duplicate travelers, alternate histories, unpredictable consequences and oh, so much mischief to get into. Unfortunately, Denny, as smart as he is supposed to be, is pretty foolish about his time travel. He continues to get himself into loads of impossible problems which are bad for him, his girlfriend and humanity.

The plot feels like a free association with the author. “Oh, what if Denny did this or this?” Which could have been kind of fun, but often leaves the listener asking, “why would an intelligent person do that?” Perhaps if there was an element of humor, it might have worked better.

From a science fiction point of view, much of the technology is very hard to swallow. Time travel is more than a little problematic. Like going back 30 seconds in time and having just duplicated yourself. What if you did this a thousand times and created a you-army? Is the time traveler creating matter from nothing? Also, why build a plot around a power adapter? All that said, it is still fairly entertaining and you will probably want to listen to volume three. If for no other reason, to see how much more trouble Denny can create for the world.

The story is read by Vikas Adam who does an adequate job. Characters are good and the tone is appropriate for Denny’s age.

Destroyer is entertaining enough that you will get through the whole book. It is just that the scenarios don’t match the implied intelligence of Denny. You might want him to do better and the challenges to be less mechanical, less about physical strength and more about mental skill. If you enjoyed Book 1, you should like this one as much. Be warned, this one doesn’t wrap up nicely, definitely ending with a cliff-hanger.

Audiobook was purchased for review by ABR.

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12 of 16 people found this review helpful