I was scheduled to run a review of Untimed by Andy Gavin today. Unfortunately, like a ninny, I overbooked my review schedule for February and March at my blogs. Today I’ll post a review of the first chapter of Gavin’s book, which will be followed by a full review on March 27th. Untimed is a young adult time travel adventure story.
![Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000040_00004]](https://childrensandteensbookconnection.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/front_cover_untimed_2-7d_web.jpg)
BLURB: Charlie’s the kind of boy that no one notices. Hell, even his own mother can’t remember his name. And girls? The invisible man gets more dates.
As if that weren’t enough, when a mysterious clockwork man tries to kill him in modern day Philadelphia, and they tumble through a hole into 1725 London, Charlie realizes even the laws of time don’t take him seriously.
Still, this isn’t all bad. In fact, there’s this girl, another time traveler, who not only remembers his name, but might even like him! Unfortunately, Yvaine carries more than her share of baggage: like a baby boy and at least two ex-boyfriends! One’s famous, the other’s murderous, and Charlie doesn’t know who is the bigger problem.
When one kills the other — and the other is nineteen year-old Ben Franklin — things get really crazy. Can their relationship survive? Can the future? Charlie and Yvaine are time travelers, they can fix this — theoretically — but the rules are complicated and the stakes are history as we know it. And there’s one more wrinkle: he can only travel into the past, and she can only travel into the future!
COVER: Fabulous. Up close it’s more creepy looking than it is online. You can pick up the details like the scar running from the ivory man’s eye to his lip and the clock gears where his chest and belly should be.
FIRST CHAPTER: This chapter opens with Charlie in the living room with his dad and Aunt Sophie, who have recently returned after being gone for months. Their cryptic conversation leaves Charlie wondering what his aunt is referring to when she tells his father, “You need to tell him soon.” Before he can pressure his dad into telling him, the front doorbell rings. Charlie finds his mother talking to a couple of odd looking policemen who are searching for his father.
Months pass. On a field trip to Independence Park, Charlie spies one of the odd looking policemen exiting Independence Hall. What Charlies discovers shocks him, and he suddenly finds himself in danger.
KEEP READING: Between connecting quickly to Charlie, the first person narrator of Untimed, and the mystery behind why these men are searching for his father, readers are propelled to continue. Gavin has created a sympathetic, slightly sarcastic character with Charlie, who is so unforgettable his own mother can’t remember his name. His father is gone for months on end. Girls don’t know he exists. Life isn’t coming up roses for him. I feel many in this age group can relate to some degree with what Charlies is going through. Gavin is also wise to end this chapter with a superb cliffhanger. I’m eager to see where this leads.
Prices/Formats: $5.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $24.00 hardcover
Publisher: Mascherato Publishing
ISBN: 9781937945053 ebook, 9781937945046 paperback, 9781937945039 hardcover
Pages: 325
Release: December 19, 2012
Amazon paperback buy link ($14.99):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937945049?tag=tributebooks-20
Kindle buy link ($5.99):
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AQN4OZS?tag=tributebooks-20
Link to excerpts from Untimed:
http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/untimed/sample/
Andy Gavin is a serial creative, polymath, novelist, entrepreneur, computer programmer, author, foodie, and video game creator. He co-founded video game developer Naughty Dog and co-created Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter. He started numerous companies, has been lead programmer on video games that have sold more than forty million copies, and has written two novels.
His first book, The Darkening Dream, has been well-received by fans and critics alike. Publisher’s Weekly called it “gorgeously creepy, strangely humorous, and sincerely terrifying.” Untimed is an even more ambitious follow-up. It is a lavish production with a cover by acclaimed fantasy artist Cliff Nielsen and twenty-one full page interior illustrations by Dave Phillips.
Andy Gavin’s Web Site:
http://all-things-andy-gavin.com/
Andy Gavin’s Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/andygavin
Andy Gavin’s Twitter:
https://twitter.com/asgavin
Andy Gavin’s Blog:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/allthingsandygavin
Andy Gavin’s Pinterest:
http://pinterest.com/andrewgavin/
Andy Gavin’s Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Gavin
Andy Gavin’s Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5406978.Andy_Gavin
Untimed Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16277039-untimed
Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tribute-Books-Blog-Tours/242431245775186
Untimed blog tour site:
http://untimed.blogspot.com/
CLICK HERE to enter the giveaways!
(after clicking, scroll down for entry form)
- 1 $25 Amazon.com gift card or PayPal cash
- 1 signed paperback of ‘Untimed’ by Andy Gavin
- 1 signed paperback of ‘The Darkening Dream’ by Andy Gavin
- 1 signed copy of ‘Crash Bandicoot‘ video game
- 1 signed copy of ‘Jak & Daxter’ video game
I received a paperback copy of this book from the author through Tribute Books Blog Tours. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.
The Children's and Teens' Book Connection 