Untimed is an action-packed time travel novel by Andy Gavin, author of The Darkening Dream and creator of Crash Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter.
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 the bigger problem is.
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!
A lavish production with a cover by acclaimed fantasy artist Cliff Nielsen and twenty one full page interior illustrations by Dave Phillips.
MY REVIEW: I have to say I didn’t know at first what this book would hold. A few pages into the book – and I was hooked. I took to Charlie right away, sad about his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father, but admired the one he held with his mother though! From the minute Charlie stepped back in time, my curiosity was peeked. I thought it was so interesting to hear about history in such a different way and how his dad tried to “teach” him in his own way.
To learn about how the people “really” lived back then was intriguing. The twists and turns and how they survive, sometimes through thieving, added to the danger and suspense. The vivid descriptions, along with the 21 illustrations, allowed for me to easily visualize what was going on. Their horrid living conditions, the chases, and especially the love that Yvaine had for her baby boy.
I especially enjoyed the main female character – Yvaine – her spunk and energy kept the story fresh with an edge. I don’t want to give it all away, but I do think it is a book worth checking out!
I would recommend this as a great read for boys around the age of 16.
About Andy Gavin
Bandicoot and Jak & Daxter franchises, selling over 40 million
units worldwide. He sleeps little, reads novels and histories, watches media
obsessively, travels, and of course, writes.
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I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.
sharon martin says
This isn’t my normal reading genre but I really enjoyed it, like you I really enjoyed following Charlie and Yvaine through their adventures.