A time jump. A fight for survival. A bond between species.
It wasn’t possible, but then it happened… the evidence, Lincoln cannot deny that the drone is one of his own models. After all, he routinely jumps his drones into the past to collect environmental data. The problem is, this drone shouldn’t even exist in Lincoln’s universe. Everyone knows sending a drone into the past creates an alternate timeline.
The implications of the discovery are staggering, and Lincoln is ordered to jump back in time to investigate, even though no human has ever done so before. Upon jumping, he and his team find themselves in a world of deadly creatures and savage beings.
Amidst the primeval chaos, Lincoln encounters Skyra, a woman unlike anyone he has ever known. She is a skilled hunter and vicious fighter. She is not human, but she just might hold the key to humanity’s future.
Obsolete Theorem, the first book in the new Across Horizons series, is perfect for readers who love time travel, deadly creatures, wilderness survival, and unforgettable characters.
Scroll up and grab your copy today!
more
A new way to understand Time Travel.
The author presents a very riveting story of a possible Time Travel scenario. The tale is a typical hero meets damsel in distress and rescues fair maiden but the most interesting part is the explanation of how Time Travel could occur. The story keeps the reader engaged and the good guys stay ahead by a whisker. The story and pace seem to be designed for teen and YA readers. I enjoyed it and found the subsequent discussion of Time Travel quite enlightening.
Brilliant. Stan C Smith’s Obsolete theorem: Across Horizons is a feast for the imagination. The storyline, pacing, and characters are addictive. Many aspects of the book intrigued me. Lincoln (a modern Homo sapien) and Skyra (a Neanderthal) existed over 47,000 years apart, yet each had a special ability not seen in others that connected them. A message sent from the past by a drone that had not even been created yet adds a mind-bending wrinkle to the story. In his quest to investigate, Lincoln brings together a diverse group of individuals each with a special (dis) ability. For me, a book must have characters who display the essential components of determination and perseverance. A hint of this can be found in Skyra’s words, “Your fear will kill you! Push your fear out of your head and into your arms and legs, then it will save you.” If you are looking for an adventure that will captivate you from the get-go and leave you reeling in the end, this is it!
What an amazing book this is! I truly enjoyed reading this story and had a lot of fun getting to know the characters. Once again Stan C Smith comes out with a seller idea. Can’t wait to see where we go next
The past is not fixed.
WOW !! Worth at least 6
This first book in a new series is outstanding. The ideas behind it are really thought-provoking, as well as making a fantastic story. I’m hugely anticipating Book 2
I received an ARC of this book.
I inhaled this one I two settings. It would have been one setting but I fell asleep. Time travel into a Neanderthal world was a good mix of tech and prehistory. The descriptive writing was great. It is a good book. I loved the characters.
The Best of Heinlein meets Clan of the Cave Bear.
I start and stop reading more books than I finish. There are enough great books out there to last beyond my years on this earth, so that, combined with my sense of how precious time is as I get older, means I cannot justify the time spent on a book that doesn’t measure up. This demeanor also stems from my 30 years as an Indie author who is constantly polishing her craft. The work never ends, and there is no such thing as perfect, but I appreciate authors who excel at the craft. Stan C. Smith is one of those authors.
As an adolescent, teen, and young adult, I read lots of Robert A. Heinlein. Recently, I went back to read some of those beloved works, and realized I wasn’t quite as impressed with some of them. (Bear with me, here, I’ll circle back to the book review). I started re-reading Stranger in a Strange Land. An award-winning, and some think, quintessential work by a science fiction master. Honestly, I stopped reading it this time halfway through, because it seemed artificially padded and verbose, and ultimately, I couldn’t stand the bombastic tone that pretended to be one of the characters, but was really the narrator—which was Heinlein himself. He didn’t do that with many of his other works, especially the ones they categorize as the Juveniles. So here’s the point: if I can stop reading and put away the work of a master, whom I have admired my entire life, I can put away anyone else’s book. And when I don’t do that, it’s a significant action.
I read Obsolete Theorem in one sitting. One day. And I often read more slowly than I should because I am too busy studying the books I read. It’s hard for me to take off that editor/critic hat. But I sailed through this book, fingers full of virtual paper cuts. This book was like The Best of Heinlein meets Clan of the Cave Bear. Everything was handled with expert finesse: The grammar and mechanics and spelling (don’t recall any issues at all, but maybe that was because I was carried so quickly through the story), the plot (intriguing enough to make me download the book), the characters (authentic, quirky, relatable), the concept (adventurous, thought-provoking and exciting), the setting (unusual, vivid, visual), the descriptions (clean, succinct, and effective). Even the ending tied up the storyline neatly, while still leaving just enough intrigue to make me immediately download the next in the series, and mentally make a stack on my reading table with this author’s other work.
Notably, I am not a physicist, and I can’t say for sure how sound that science is in this book, but I’ve written some similar books, and done the research, and I’m educated enough to know that it all seems perfectly plausible, and it’s obvious the author took great pains to understand the material. I also enjoyed and appreciated that he managed to fold that complex material into the book in an easily understood way, without talking down to the reader. So often, in these theoretical and speculative fiction books, the author is found standing on a lectern, bloviating about brainy subjects, as if to say, “Look how smart I am, and how dumb you are.” There’s nothing worse that a haughty, stuffed-shirt author, but you will find none of that here.
I’m excited to be excited about a book and its author. I’ve already begun the second one, and will be reading the author’s entire catalog, whatever that may be, because he’s hooked me. I can taste the metal in my mouth. If you care about intelligent, entertaining, intriguing, and well-rendered novels, this one cannot be missed.
Excellent first book in a series. The main characters are believable and well developed. The plot is original and intriguing. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and strongly recommend it!
A most enjoyable read. A novel twist on time travel and parallel universes. Good characters. Excellent use of artificial intelligence.
Time is a savage mistress. I wasted none devouring this tale.
Time waits for no man. But a unique woman is waiting for one particular man and she doesn’t even know it. Problem is, he hasn’t been born yet. And won’t be for thousands of years.
Lincoln Woodhouse, an eccentric genius, gets a desperate plea from 47,000 years in the past to come and save humanity. How can he refuse? Even though he knows he can never get back. Or can he?
Stan C. Smith spins a bizarre story of time travel that threatens the very fabric of time itself. The mysteries of time with its dangers and even a smidgen of romance helped to keep me hooked. Smith does a masterful task of twisting time and bringing his characters over a chasm of events across the millennia.
The finale left me stunned, wanting more. Where, oh where, is the sequel?
Time travel is always a fascinating theory. This books takes you to the past because of the future. This author writes the most exciting possibilities and the most realistic characters I have had the pleasure to read. I won’t write an spoilers but if you read his previous series then you know just how awesome his books can be. I highly recommend this book and the coming series.
“An affliction makes us stronger, not weaker. After all, here we are, sacrificing everything in an attempt to save civilization.”
What a fascinating read! Scrumptious! I’m not at all surprised, coming from excellent author Stan C. Smith, I wouldn’t have expected less from him. On the contrary, I’m again marvelled by his extensive imagination and creativity!
The technology involved is thrilling and the way it’s described is highly appreciated. This book is full of Mind-bending surprises, heart pounding scenarios, filled with wonder. A precise background research of history, archeology and science, detailed description of what was back in those ages, making it so credible and realistic. The Temporal Bridge Theorem: Jumping back or forward in time created an alternate time-line—a parallel universe, a mind blowing concept. The action is nearly constant and I frequently found myself tense while reading. There’s also a dark sense of humor appropriately placed. What a gut wrenching, page turning, sit on the edge of your seat book. The author does an amazing job of making the characters come to life and you feel connected to them in an emotional way. He has once again outdone himself. Congratulations! A great story and can’t wait for the next book in the series, Forgone Conflict #2.
Obsolete Theorem is one of those wonderful books that grabs your interest right from the start and keeps it throughout the whole book. This is an extraordinary time travel book that takes you on a wild ride to earth of almost 50,000 years ago. The imagery and setting are superb. It has an engaging storyline that immerses the reader into what life and death may have very much been like 50,000 years ago. The characters are well-developed, colorful and complex, giving you an insight into who they are. This story is original with plenty of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. It is storytelling at it’s best that keeps you turning page after page, and looking for more when you are done. The ending comes as a surprise and leaves your heart pounding and your mind ready for more of this fantastic series.
I love this book! Stan Smith is one of my all-time favorite authors in this book just proves why. Not only can he create boundless new whirls with my new details that is so believable, but create characters and situations that are intriguing and keep you reading. His imagination is amazing to me. If someone asked me to refer a book to them That totally displayed why I love his books, I now think it would be best one. He takes people out of normal every day and puts them in a past they couldn’t even be conceived by normal people or even historian to study stuff like this and he makes it not only believable but he makes characters that are also believable. I also love the fact he doesn’t give his people from the other timeline and in the past 21st-century Opinions. Too many authors today I want you to believe that hunters from the past didn’t want to injure animals they had to. Stan Smith exhibits them for who and when they are and they are still likable believable and put in very intriguing situations. This is not a time travel book it is a book about bridging from one timeline to another now this book may or may not be a bother them going back to the same timeline I don’t think that was concluded in the Book, but once Lincoln and his friends got there that was of the least important. This is a great book that I totally totally highly recommend. I am not a sci-fi fan and I love Stan Smith books so don’t think if you don’t like sci-fi you won’t like this but you probably will because I do. And I am not a sci-fi fan
Left me with anticipation of what’s to come…
Not unlike his other book themes, Stan C. Smith draws us into an unfamiliar existence in contrast to our present-day reality. Using what would appear to us to be futuristic technology, we go back in time presumably to save the future. Once again, we or rather the team must deal with a violent tribal mentality when the so-called human race treated each other or “others” with malice.
There is something unique about the authors imagination and/or research that tends to always hold my attention but I am not a lover of the violence and continual tension. However, having communicated my thoughts to Stan C. Smith, I have been reassured that the ultimate goal of this series is to reveal more of the “mystery and discovery, creativity and relationships that contribute to a civil society.” (my words) but that it often takes some struggle before getting there. Also, not being a fan of cliff-hangers, I found myself at a rather steep precipice that definitely requires continued reading in the hope of reaching an acme of solace…thus I could not give the book five stars. A new-comer may get discouraged but I know better from reading his other series to know that there is an unexpected conclusion that will make the series worthwhile. So, I will give Stan Smith the benefit of any doubt and keep on reading.
This is the third Stan C. Smith series I have started. I loved both of the others, and figured this one would be a good bet, as well. We are once again jumping through time, as happens in the Bridgers series. But the time travel in this series works differently than it does in Bridgers, so it’s not just a rehash of work he’s already done. In this series, the main protagonist has a theorem that any time travel causes a new reality to split off from the reality you travel from. This means two things. One, you can’t mess up your past because it is no longer your past. And two, if you go back, you can never get home again. This book involves traveling to the distant past in a gripping way Mr. Smith does so well.
STAN SMITH HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!
And yet each “it” is completely different – aside from being astonishingly creative. Stan Smith has the knack of taking a simple quasi-scientific idea and building a whole world – or in some cases, a series of worlds – around that notion.
He populates his stories with interesting and realistic people – in this case people spanning 47,000 years – and creates situations that ring true to the time, the society he created, the people.
I am an advance reader for his work, and I confess I’m not very good at it – I get so involved in the stories that I miss the grammatical or other errors I am supposed to be finding.
In short, it is another wonderful book by a wonderful author that is hopefully the first in yet another wonderful series. Smith has a number of series, and if you haven’t read any of them – read this one first, and then go back and try some of the others. You will thank me.
I received an ARC of this book from the author, this is a great beginning to a new series. This book is a combination of time travel and prehistoric timelines. Mr. Smith does a great job of writing great characters. The story line is action packed with some romance.
Thought this was a great introduction to a new series. Engaging characters and interesting new worlds and creatures. Can’t wait for the next book!
Stan Smith’s imagination is beyond what you’ve ever experienced. He’s created another new universe for us to explore. Full of fantastical beings and intriguing detail, the action never stops. Highly recommend this author if you love fantasy, time travel and a bit of science fiction edge.
A great start of a new series!
The time? 45,659 years ago reminded me of an alternate earth that you found (or should have found) by reading Stan Smith’s Bridger series (a series you should read if you haven’t already done so).
We have in this year a humanoid (Homo neanderthalensis) named Skyra was doing her best to attack other humanoids (called bolus) to rescue her captured her sister. She and her strange flying companion are on the hunt.
Then, 45,659 years into the future (now the present time) somewhere northwest of Tucson, Arizona, Lincoln Woodhouse is running from arctic wolves and an allosaurus in what turned out to be a simulation (aka, a sim) that he had designed.
Maddy, of his drones, tells Woodhouse he has visitors back at his lab. The government agents tells him they have found one of his drones at a paleontological site in Spain next to the skeletal remains of a woman that the agents identified as being exactly 45,659 in the past.
Lincoln says this is just impossible. The agents then declare that his Temporal bridge Theorem is now obsolete. So Woodhouse and three of his teammates, along with Maddie, travel back in time 45,659 years to investigate his now “obsolete theorem”.
Intrigued yet? I was and just had to read the book – as you will too.