“One cool novel. If the Tardis were a Ford Model A , this might be Doctor Who meets National Treasure.”—F. Paul Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of the Repairman Jack series“GET IN THE CAR, MR. TEAGUE. THE ROAD BECKONS.” The traveler sped through Eli Teague’s life long ago. With her tricorne hat, flintlock rifle, and steampunked Model-A Ford, she was a living anachronism, and an … Model-A Ford, she was a living anachronism, and an irresistible mystery—and she was gone as soon as she arrived, in a cloud of gunfire and a squeal of tires.
So when Eli sees her again, he’s determined that this time, he’s going to get some answers. But his hunt soon yields far more than he bargained for, plunging him headlong into a dizzying world full of competing factions and figures straight out of legend.
To make sense of the secret at its heart, he must embark on a breakneck chase across the country and through two centuries of history—with nothing less than America’s past, present, and future at stake.
Praise for Paradox Bound
“So good you’ll want to invent time travel and send a copy back to yourself, just so you can read it again for the first time. A tour de force.”—Jason M. Hough, New York Times bestselling author of The Darwin Elevator
“A timey-wimey, full-barrel adventure novel that also teaches a nonironic lesson in American civics . . . [featuring] an epithet-wielding, pistol-packing heroine that will capture hearts.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A fast and resonant time-travel thriller and tour of America, bursting with fun ideas.”—Django Wexler, author of The Shadow Campaigns novels
“Lively, likeable, and wonderfully amusing.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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Great time, err, history-traveling adventure story. An original premise and engaging characters (even the “bad” guys). I was entertained from beginning to end. And when I thought it had over, I was pleasantly surprised to find there was still more to read. It was fun meeting characters from history, and thinking about what would happen if I met them as well. I highly recommend it.
Fun spin on a time travel tale. I really enjoyed the dry-humor between the characters. I enjoyed this book enough that it enticed me to read The Fold by the same author.
This book was so poorly written I cannot believe someone published it. The writing seems like it was done by a ninth grader. I gave up after about 40 pages.
First off, I was doing something else when I listened to this. I probably shouldn’t have. In fact I’ll probably have to listen to it again sometime. I was doing ok and at some point I thought it got complicated. It was an interesting story and worth your time. The ending was…well when the guy had to make a decision of what to do…that was lacking. I can’t say anything else because I don’t want to have any spoilers. Overall a unique and interesting story.
It’s rare I stay up until 2am finishing a book, but this one got me. Sleep is for the weak.
I’ve been a Clines fan since a friend introduced me to Ex-Heroes. The guy just keeps on growing his skills as a storyteller – these latest books are some of the most original sci-fi I’ve read.
Baradox Bound feels like it shops at the same store as 14 or The Fold. This story is about Eli and Harry, and their wonderful journey together. They’re searching for the American Dream (a real, physical thing). Faceless men hunt them through history. They meet John Henry!
It takes a deft hand to not fall into common tropes, and this avoids the usual predictable deaths and boring romances. It’s a story of friendship, partnership, and coming of age, wrapped in a beautiful sci-fi bow. Loved it.
I like how this book is an original twist on time travel. Peter Clines does a really good job at creating characters that you love or hate.
It was with eager anticipation that I looked forward to reading Paradox Bound. While I liked it very much, I was still hoping that it would have some type of connection with Clines other books “14” and “The Fold”. But there was none. Yet the book was enjoyable as you followed Mr. Teague and Harry as they traveled through history in search of the American Dream, while being ruthlessly pursued by the Faceless Men. Will the Faceless Men catch up with them before they find the Dream? Their very lives are at stake and to live and find the dream, they must stay one step ahead.
I LOVE Peter Clines – I first came across him with The Fold, then raced to read everything else he’s ever written… I love his style – it’s quirky and well-plotted, with great characterization and a strong, clear voice. This book was obviously one of his, but it felt a little less crisp than the others. Not so much so that I disliked it, not by any means – but it did feel a little more forced at times, with the story development not feeling quite as organic and smooth as I’ve come to expect from him.
I’m a huge fan of time travel/history travel, so I was hooked on the concept from the start. I loved the interplay between Eli and Harry, the concept of the American Dream as an actual physical item, and the way the towns of Sanders and Hourglass became characters in themselves. The Faceless Men are a great concept and made for seriously creepy antagonists. I liked that they were so true to their mission that their role in the book pitched and yawed with the plot development. Generally speaking, I love when characters (or places) develop with the story line like that – it makes the story feel more genuine, since real people shift perspective and attitude in the real world all the time. I did, however, think that Eli’s shift from a cheerfully clueless well-meaning tag-a-long to the savior of the day was a little too dramatic to feel entirely plausible. Still, he’s a charming character, full of good intentions, and his fumbling Everyman-ness is what made him so endearing. Harry is an absolute delight – spunky and feisty yet still human. In other words, everything I’ve come to expect from a Clines heroine.
The book was a fun, easy, fast read. Yet it somehow still left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Perhaps it’s that the resolution came about so tidily and handily. The pacing was pretty even for the vast majority of the book, then all of a sudden things seemed to speed up and race to the finish line in a way that felt more rushed than intentional. Still, the story was a highly entertaining one and I do hope we’ll see more of Eli and Harry in future (and past)!
My review copy was provided by Penguin through their First to Read program (firsttoread.com).