Dispel Illusion

Impossible Times, Book 3

By: Mark Lawrence

Narrated by: Matthew Frow

Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Sometimes being wrong is the right answer.

Nick Hayes’ genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time. But the worst part is that he knows how his story will end. He’s seen it with his own eyes. And every year that passes, every breakthrough he makes, brings him a step closer. Mia’s accident is waiting for them both in 2011. If it happens then he’s out of choices.

Then a chance 1992 discovery reveals that this seeker of truth has been lying to himself. But why? It’s a question that haunts him for years. A straw he clings to as his long-awaited fate draws near.

Time travel turns out not to be the biggest problem Nick has to work on. He needs to find out how he can stay on his path but change the destination. Failure has never been an option, and neither has survival. But Nick’s hoping to roll the dice one more time. And this new truth begins with a lie.

©2019 Mark Lawrence (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

Good series

Interesting ending to the series, or is it an ending? Loved the tie-ins to his other series.

Brilliant end to the trilogy

I’ve never cared for time travel books and I know nothing about D & D. This series is about so much more. The way Mark Lawrence has interwoven all three books and made them flow seamlessly is beyond my imagination. This book is about friendship and love. It has SyFi, bullying, adventure and most important, loyalty.

In the beginning, even though I loved these books, I thought that in the end it was going to be more for the teen D&D crowd. Boy was I wrong! And I’m so glad I was.

Matthew Frow’s narration of this book is also brilliant. Now that this is over, I feel like I’ve lost a friend. Being from the US, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to handle the accent thru all of the books when I started. I was hooked on him after the first five minutes of book one. He is as talented at his craft as Mark Lawrence is about writing. I hope they continue to team up in the future.

Complicated but great

I’ve read other books by Mark that dabble in time travel and I love how even though they are a sci-fi AND fantasy mix I am more focused on the characters than what is really happening. He has these great complicated and intricate stories that are populated with characters- good or bad - that I’m emotionally invested in. Also I’m living for the easter eggs <3

An excellent finish to an excellent series

This was probably my favorite book by Mark Lawrence so far. I've enjoyed this entire series and the final book tied everything together perfectly. Dispel Illusion was another quick read that I finished in a day as I had to know what was going to happen at the end.

One aspect I've enjoyed about this series is that it follows Nick throughout different parts of his life. We started with him being a teenager then a college student and now we see him in his adult life. Whereas we seen the Nick from the future from the younger Nick's eyes in book one now in book three the story is told from future Nick's point of view. We've come full circle.

The way time travel is handled in this book is fantastic. It's one of the best, uncomplicated time travel plots I've experienced. Also just the mechanics of it are unique and not something I've seen before.

I thoroughly enjoyed the end of this book and where everything left off. This was a fast paced fun book/series that I recommend you binge like a Netflix show.

Great Ending to the Series!

Thanks to the author for an advance reading copy of Dispel Illusion (Impossible Times #3) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this eARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions.

The stories of our lives don’t behave themselves; they don’t have clear
beginnings, and even death isn’t a clear end. We just do what we can, we take what kindness and joy we find along the way, we ride the rapids as best we’re able.

If anyone could write a novel that grabs the threads from the previous installments, weave them seamlessly together to perfect the bow which is the finale, and provide one of the best reading experiences of 2019, Lawrence is your guy. Authors, take note. This is how you finish a series and give your readers exactly what they crave.

Again, like the previous novels, the focus is on the main character, Nick Hayes. It has been quite an adventure following ole Nicky throughout his journey, especially with the, you know, time traveling genius who had cancer and gets the girl vibe. While Lawrence continues to make maths as sexy as possible, he doesn’t allow the theories and actual science to float over your head like an anvil, waiting to mush your brains as the rope beings to fray. It is like seeing someone rear back to punch you in the face, only to give you the gentlest of touches. Mark does a fantastic job of continuing to mix up the science with mystery, fast-paced action, and plenty of D&D goodness.

What I liked most about Dispel is that we are done focusing on how time travel is possible and more how it will affect the past/current/future timelines. Do your actions really have consequences? If you choose to go to the past to fix a mistake, how does that alter your reality? What exactly are the risks of changing one thing vs multiple? Lawrence really pushes the reader to think, which may or may not be your thing when reading a book. For me, I love a good challenge.

All in all, if you enjoyed the first two (2) books in the Impossible Times trilogy, chances are you have already purchased and/or read Dispel Illusion. Props to you. For those of you who haven’t given this series a chance, it is about time you did.

Mark Lawrence delivers as always!

Great conclusion to an amazing series. I wasn't sure how Mark was going to tie all of the story up by the end but he managed to do it exceedingly well as he always does.
Great performance by the Narrator and great sound quality recording.
10/10

nice conclusion

Slight spoiler but Nick reminded me of how Doctor Who would save the day XD

Another great one

I find it amazing at times to consider how many great stories this man has shared with me. Thank you Mr. Lawrence!

A fun ending to the paradox

I reviewed all three books broadly in my review of One Word Kill. So I won’t repeat my rant over the inherent problems with time travel stories. If you got this far, you, like me, put those issues aside for the sake of a good story.

Dispel Illusion is a delightful conclusion to the trilogy. I wondered how Lawrence was going to wrap up Nick and Mia’s adventures, and am rather pleased with his approach. It’s fast-paced, a bit suspenseful, and just as smart as the first two books.

Is the ending flawless? No. I’m still grappling with a few untied ends of the paradox upon paradox issues, and frustrated by a few new issues that the ending creates. But all in all, I’m satisfied, glad I read the series, and highly recommend reading Dispel Illusion if you’ve already made it through One Word Kill and Limited Wish.

Brilliant

Brilliant on all counts, perfect narrator for Nick, and mark Lawrence is just a god.