Time Will Tell

By: Eddie Upnick

Narrated by: David Doersch

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

The year is 2133 and the Nazis control the world. Four scientists are pressured to complete a Time Travel project in time for the 200th anniversary of Hitler's coming to power. A plan is hatched to change history, as the four scientists are transported back to Berlin in 1938. Two SS agents from the future chase the scientists back in time, carrying with them the most hideous weapons of the 22nd century. After the war, the lives of everyone on Earth are threatened by powerful aliens with their own designs for our planet.

In this story of remarkable heroism and friendship, will the forces of good defeat the forces of evil and rescue mankind from an unthinkable future? Only Time Will Tell....

©2009 Eddie Upnick (P)2012 Eddie Upnick

Unbelievable... and not in a good way

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Someone who has no interest in character development, a semi-believeable plot, or anything beyond a superficial story may enjoy it. The premise is interesting, but the execution is awful.

What was most disappointing about Eddie Upnick’s story?

The utter destruction of my suspension of disbelief was the most disappointing part of the story. I love science fiction, but it has to have at least an ounce of plausibility or else the reader (listener) is unable to remain immersed in the story. In addition to that, the characters were one-dimensional, boring, and not memorable. Major historical figures (FDR, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein, even Adolf Hitler) were all caricatures that seemed to be created from superficial research of their personalities and histories.

What about David Doersch’s performance did you like?

His accents were pretty well done and his pace was good. I especially liked the voice he used for Einstein.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Time Will Tell?

The main scene that pushed me over the edge from at least still being amused by the train-wreck of a story to actually feeling like I wasted my time listening to the book is when Svetlana, the mother of the boy with cancer, "repays" the main character for helping her son. It was over the top and borderline offensive. I only continued pushing through because I paid for the book, but I wish I had just stopped then.

Any additional comments?

I wish I had something better to say about this book because I was excited by the introductory synopsis. The premise seemed interesting and had so much potential. There are some interesting ideas in the book, but there aren't many and they are lost in the sprint from one ridiculous scene to the next.

I take some blame for not noticing the last line of the synopsis when I chose to give this book a try, "After the war, the lives of everyone on Earth are threatened by powerful aliens with their own designs for our planet." I either didn't read it initially or forgot about it because when the aliens showed up, I literally yelled, "What?" It was an unpleasant surprise and just made the story even more ridiculous.

5 people found this helpful

I wasn't expecting what I got

After reading the story description I walked into this expecting a fun alternate history about time travelling Nazi's. What I got was so much more. The story is full of little details, such as one about Mary Shelly and her husband.

Overall it was extremely fun to listen to and entertaining, so much so I would find myself stopping what I was doing to hear what was next.

I received a code for this book, but the review is all mine

History from another point of view

I find that I often enjoy a good time travel story. Although the basis for this story is time travel, this story is really about history (as we know it) as a small group of people work to change history as they remember it and create the one we remember. There's a mind bender for you.
This story was well written and well read. Kept you involved and engaged throughout. This is not about the science but about the people involved in living the story.

Will definitely be reading more of this series.

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

Great action packed sci-fi thriller!

What made the experience of listening to Time Will Tell the most enjoyable?

The story and the narration.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Time Will Tell?

When Jeff had lunch with Hitler.

What about David Doersch’s performance did you like?

Excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Both. It was a fast paced action packed thriller with many stories within the story.

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to the next two books in the series, Future Tense and 2052.

1 person found this helpful

Time-Travel Thriller

Would you listen to Time Will Tell again? Why?

Yes. Upnick can really tell a story: He fits a lot of action into every chapter and introduces a large number of characters that I was immediately drawn to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Time Will Tell?

The highly original plot. Basically, the protagonist spends his life chasing down time-traveling Nazis in an attempt to stop an alternate history in which Germany wins World War II. Unique concept.

What about David Doersch’s performance did you like?

He has a great character voice and seems to truly enjoy telling the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It was a good, fast-paced read.

action from the start

The premise for this book, and others in the Time Will Tell series intrigued me so I was really grateful to the author for sending me the full Time Will Tell series in exchange for honest reviews of each book. The synopsis for this series reminded me of books like The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson and How To Stop Time by Matt Haig, when you know you're going into the past and you're going on an adventure to meet big historical names such as Churchill and how the characters in these novels interacted and maybe influenced them. However, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me quite like those just mentioned did.

This has been a hard book for me to review. I'm a reader who likes surprises, tension, character building, relationship development and thinking about what is going to happen next. I like to be shocked, shaken and sometimes a bit baffled. This story is not like what I am used to, and takes a bit of getting used to. It is told from the future, reflecting on past events. It is a story where you are told from beginning to end what is going to happen. For example, this is what happened, there was some dialogue at the time and this is what was said. Type of read. If that's your jam, then grab your toast.

Past the story telling aspects of this book, the story soon gets to the action and it continues that way from the beginning until the end. It is a short listen/ read, at just over six hours. It neatly sets up for the stories to come in the series, which I will also be reading and reviewing on here! Stay tuned.

The narrator is easy to listen to and I look forward to listening to more of this series read by him.

I listened to this book on Audible at a speed of 1.6x.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this from the author, in exchange for an honest review.