Time Is Irreverent

By: Marty Essen

Narrated by: Michael Fell

Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins

Publisher's Summary

An irreverent, liberal, twisty time-travel comedy! 

What if you could make a change to history that would eliminate the Spanish Inquisition, American slavery, World War II, global warming, and an egomaniacal US president who thought he was smart enough to drop nuclear bombs here and there without negative consequences? What if that change also made the United States and five billion people poof from existence? Would you do it? 

When alien time travel specialists, the Krichards, learn of President Handley's game of dodge-the-mushroom-cloud, they race to Earth to investigate. For them, the question of whether it's worth it to change history is easy to answer, but they will only proceed if the human they deem best qualified to represent Earth agrees to make the change. Erasing Handley's nuclear annihilation will require a quick jump to AD 31 to correct an error in history. If the Krichards select a brilliant scientist or an elite athlete for the task, Earth may be in good hands. Instead they select Marty Mann, a mildly successful travel writer whose only superpower is not taking life too seriously. What could possibly go wrong? 

Spanning from the Cretaceous period to 2056, Time Is Irreverent is a hilarious, thought-provoking satire, with unpredictable twists, colorful aliens, huge dinosaurs, a smokin' hot lesbian from the future, and a cameo from Jesus Christ himself! 

Publisher's Warning: This book is intended for a liberal audience and features satirical content that may not be appropriate for Donald Trump supporters or those who are offended by views that challenge traditional religious beliefs. Common side effects include wide smiles, sudden laughter, and occasional snorts. Listener discretion is advised.

©2018 Marty Essen (P)2018 Marty Essen

Critic Reviews

“Highly recommend. It’s fun, clever, cool, witty, surprising, political, sexy, everything a sci-fi book should be. And as someone who’s also written a sci-fi-time-travel-humor novel, I love that Marty Essen doesn’t break the time rules he sets up from the start – so many sci-fi authors do, and as far as I’m concerned, that's just lazy writing. Not the case here! Yes, his characters learn and adapt and grow, but the foundation of his rules remain intact always. To repeat: fun, witty, surprising, sexy. Highly recommend.” (Jeff Abugov, writer, producer, director, and Golden Globe Award, Peabody Award, and People’s Choice Award-winner)

“[Time Is Irreverent is] a delightful romp that scores solid satirical points about religion, human nature, sex, the Trump administration, and a great deal more.” (Tom Flynn, Free Inquiry magazine)

“Ironic, original, hysterically funny, deftly crafted, and an impressively entertaining read from first page to last, Time Is Irreverent by Marty Essen is an especially and unreserved recommended for community library Science Fiction & Fantasy collections. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of dedicated science fiction fans that Time Is Irreverent is also available in a digital book format.” (Midwest Book Review)

A fun Science Fiction Adventure.

Its rare that a Writer can pull off a humorous Science Fiction story but this is a winner.With the help of a good Narrator most
listeners will have fun listening to this Futuristic romp and will watch time defy the Spacetime-Continuum.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.


This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Jr. High Comedy

If you enjoy Jr. High jokes about Uranus and a disturbing dismissal of any religion in favor of science. This book is for you. If on the other hand you, like most people, have a preferred religion or at least a respect for those who may think different from you, I would pass on this one.

Not for me, too mean spirited

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

So, this was clearly geared (as the synopsis points out) as a Trump bashing book. Again, the synopsis on Audible clearly indicate this is highly liberally slanted. So I won't ding it for that alone. I'm not going to get into my personal politics on Audible, but I am neither a Trump supporter or Anti-Trump. I've found both good and bad from all of the presidents that I've lived through in this country. Anyway, this book just came across more mean spirited than good natured ribbing. It seemed cruel and I honestly did not find it very funny. For this to have been a better listening experience, I think it should have been less biased and mocked both sides equally. That way it would at least appeal to a broader audiance, instead of the far left-leaning Trump haters. Like I said, that is solely my opinion, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure others may find it funny.

Don't waste your time or credit

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."
I only listened to the first 38 minutes of this book and I did not like any part of it. It's supposed to be funny, but I just didn't get it. Maybe the book improves later in the later chapters, but I doubt it.

I want my money back!

this book is full of liberal Prejudice and racism. Don't waste your money! crap crap crap crap crap

Interplanetary ROAD TRIP!

If this book was a wine, I would say I detected a bouquet of Hunter S. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,"
with overtones of Edward Abbey's "Monkey Wrench Gang." If those vintages are too dusty for you to remember, how about Yatzee Croshaw's "Mogworld" mixed with Scott Meyer's "Off to Be the Wizard" - but with far more social commentary.

Strident? Hell yes! And it's about time someone was! When half your country is in a nose-dive toward environmental oblivion and reactionary social injustice, it's refreshing to see someone call out religious and political extremists for their planet-destroying nonsense. It's even better when the author paints the outcome clearly, using the known results of following delusional approaches to their disastrous consequences.

Time travel, rock and roll, environmentalism, sex, booze, and equality. What does it take to pull it all together into a social commentary romp? Good, solid story telling and an entertaining plot. Like any good social commentator, Essen doesn't step away from the occasional opportunity to plop one of his characters on a soapbox, (or a potato-shaped boulder) to give a dandy lecture. You already know the general rant; it's the one you have really, really wanted to give to certain relatives who think we still live in 1950 and want to drag you and everyone else back into those dark ages with them. But 95% of the time Essen spins a yarn that rolls forward unstoppably, like the ball in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

While a shot of this book will help the spirits of open-minded people everywhere, not everyone is a candidate for this medicine. Contra-indications include a propensity to think the bible is literal truth, that religion gives better answers than science, or a belief that people with non-traditional beliefs or sexual orientations should have fewer rights and less self-determination. Homophobes should also stay well away; this book includes a lovely lesbian heroine who is NOT simply a girl in need of a male appendage. And if you think unrestrained capitalism and the exploitation of the environment for profit is more important than the flora and fauna that share the planet with us , you will definitely have an adverse reaction.

For the rest of us, those of us who give a damn about equal rights, the environment, and social responsibility? This book is a great big romp and a wonderful adventure. As an added bonus, the author has a wonderful knowledge of rock and roll that permeates "Time is Irreverent" from cover to cover.

The narration is first-rate. Often, narrators struggle to do the voices of both sexes. One or two characters struck me as a touch odd, but everyone was believable, and the main characters are all performed perfectly, male and female. The narrator even appears to have read the book in advance, so inflections always match the speech tags, and the tone of the scene.

I give this five stars for the delightful seven hours of optimistic entertainment and just fun it delivered, and for the great narration.

PS: I heard a rumor that there is a sequel in the works. That is a second coming I actually look forward to!

Hilarious look at history

A megalomaniac is the President of the United States, and has already begun dropping nukes on the world. So naturally, time traveling aliens want to help us humans not destroy the Earth. To do that, they enlist Marty Mann to go back in time to essentially nullify religion and promote scientific, logical thoughts.

Obviously, this book isn't exactly friendly towards religious believers, especially the religious right. But it's great fun for those with a more liberal viewpoint. Marty is a fun character to see the world through, and you'll meet an interesting cast of characters from all times and places.

**I was provided with a promotional copy, at my request, and have voluntarily left a fair and honest review**

Poignantly funny

This is the first book i have read/listened to by this author. I would definitely like to pick up book number two and three.
I guess I am very liberal because I did not find this book was really too far out there. Yes, it touches on all the “touchy” subjects, so I can see how someone with a very narrow minded point of view about religion, politics, sexuality or society in general would have issues with this book.
There are quite a few poignant moments in this book involving what a horrible job us humans have done in behaving ‘humanely’ to each other and the earth. Add to that our reliance on religion to justify many of those acts. To have those discussed with humor and have the characters trying to right these wrongs makes for a great book when written as well as this one is.

The ‘nice’ aliens were entertaining and this mix of sci-fi was great. I loved the abduction of the parents.

This is the first book I have listened to by this narrator ( Michael Fell ). He brought out the light, and humorous tone to the story. For the most part, his male and female character voices were well done. There was one female alien whose voice was odd and I never did rewind to see if she was described as such. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his narration.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or excessive swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review.
Please feel free to comment on whether you found my review helpful.

Story 5/5
Narration 5/5

Quirky sci-fi with a queer twist!

First off, seeing as it is an audiobook, the reader is well paced, and fluent. I listened for hours, and enjoyed every minute of it. Backups were only needed when I was distracted from the story by work matters, and everything was easy to keep up on from there.

In terms of the story, its not often I can find good LGBT+/GSRM friendly science fiction like this, with humans as the sexual minority, rather than the aliens alone. If you are a Trump supporter, steer clear. If you are a queer agnostic atheist, with a love of quirky sci-fi, you may have just found the next book on your list. I was pleasantly surprised by the books portrayal of a number of things, the best of which was a good look into the dynamics of consent, and the issues involved with pressuring a partner in an emotionally fragile state. Not enough fiction really can delve into this with tact and subtlety, working it in rather than forcing it with a crowbar.

In the end, I think this is an author the big publishers should be watching out for. So much the better if they are going to keep up with their antics. With any luck, he can erase them from the history books.


I requested a free review copy of this audiobook, with expectation of my honest review. Thank you for allowing me to listen to and review the book, I think I have found something I am going to get a lot of enjoyment recommending, as well as listening to again.

Outrageously funny!

“Listener discretion advised” is an understatement! This book was freakin hilarious. Though laced with political undertones, this book is a true comedic masterpiece. If you don’t laugh when listening, see a doctor, your sense of humor may be missing! Marty Essen’s mix of overt and subtle religious and political humor made me laugh so hard that I caution you about listening while driving. Sit back, strap in and let this roller coaster thrill you to very last page! It has everything. Aliens, time travel, sex, booze, and a pretty awesome rock and roll themed cast of characters. As a Green Bay Packers fan, I thought the “Favre” jab was a work of genius! Looking forward to the next book!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Awesome idea but…

The author Marty Essen imagination is absolutely amazing only that I believe that he over done it, especially a person would think that if by a mistake you time traveled to the time of dinosaurs you would know that everything around would try to kill you so any rational person would climb the tallest tree waiting to go back not go exploring like a fool.
But I really enjoyed it all because of it is a totally fun science fiction without hard headaches unsolvable science just pure joy !!!

Michael Fell narrated the book and each character perfectly !!!


Absolutely recommended for all !


Oded Ostfeld.

As a fun (dare I say, irreverent) story

Definitely entertaining. I enjoyed this in audiobook format. Maybe it's the difference between UK and US politics but I'm not sure it needed all the pre-empting of politically rivalry and warnings. It detracted from the fun story. The political jabs against the current disturbing trends coming from positions of leadership are very on-the-nose and lack even a hint of subtlety but they do provide a solid grounding for absurdist comedy created by the realisation that some of the these situations aren't actually that inconceivable in the current climate. As a fun (dare I say, irreverent) short story, this is strong enough to stand on it's own. It's no 'Idiocracy', but if you enjoyed that you'll be right at home in the dystopian world dreamt up here. If you like arguing US politics you might enjoy it even more.

Entertaining yarn

This may not be the great American novel, or even ‘good ‘literature -
But it is deffinitely worth a great many chuckles. Very funny if you in 2019 look at the States from the outside -
And you’re not a religious fanatic, or xenophobe, or homophobe, misogynist et cetera.

The writer does not put pretend and does not put on airs. A down-to-the-ground alien/human lovestory without all the pesky sex details, yay!
Sometimes the 39 year old main protagonist sounds and acts like a teenager, but he is a man (..) nonetheless...and very poltically correct ( in my opinion ;-)

The reader does a good job. I wish he would have stayed on for the next book...

Not really my cuppa tea

I couldn't bring myself to finish this book. Performance was good but this wasn't really my cup of tea. I really wanted to like this book though.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

truly dreadful

wow! just awful. poor narration and the story is woefully lacking anything sensible or believable. do not believe the "fake" official reviews