Tagged: john heldt

September Sky by John Heldt

September Sky by John Heldt(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

When unemployed San Francisco reporter Chuck Townsend and his college-dropout son, Justin, take a cruise to Mexico in 2016, each hopes to rebuild a relationship after years of estrangement. But they find more than common ground aboard the ship. They meet a mysterious lecturer who touts the possibilities of time travel. Within days, Chuck and Justin find themselves in 1900, riding a train to Texas, intent on preventing a distant uncle from being hanged for a crime he did not commit. Their quick trip to Galveston, however, becomes long and complicated when they wrangle with business rivals and fall for two beautiful librarians on the eve of a hurricane that will destroy the city. Filled with humor, history, romance, and heartbreak, SEPTEMBER SKY follows two directionless souls on the adventure of a lifetime as they try to make peace with the past, find new purpose, and grapple with the knowledge of things to come.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

One of the things that I’ve noticed about time travel novels is that oftentimes the protagonists will try to change history but will usually fail.  But what if they succeeded after a fashion?  John Heldt explores that far more interesting possibility in September Sky as a sort of side dish to the main course: the journey of Chuck and Justin in the past in a bid to find a purpose in their lives.

As with John Heldt’s Northwest Passage series, his new American Journey series has one thing that really stands out: its characters.  He’s able to create fascinating and realistic characters that can be strong but are also very human because they have their weak moments.  Chuck has problems reconnecting with the son he ignored because of his career while Justin has problems coping with his latest romantic debacle and the fact that he doesn’t even really know his dad.  Both of them can be incredibly selfless like Justin in the last huge event in the book but both can be selfish because they fall in love and want to take the women they love back to the future when they leave, assuming that their time is far better.  What will they do in the end?  The answer may surprise you but when I look back on their actions, it completely fits in with how they developed and grew as characters throughout the novel.  It’s a rather satisfying journey to see two directionless men find love and possibly even a purpose in life.  Chuck and Justin as well as Charlotte and Emily all stick out to me as memorable characters.  And even though the book focuses on the journey of the two men, Charlotte and Emily are both three dimensional characters with problems, motivations and strengths of their own; they’re not just there as romantic subplots.

Of all the things that surprised me in this book, I think the world-building was the most surprising.  The Northwest Passage series had time travel in various locations, yes, but it was never really explained in all that much detail.  Here in September Sky we actually meet someone who has harnessed the power of time travel and can go back to the past at will (with some important limitations, mind you).  We get a sort of explanation of how it works which was actually quite satisfying even if it’s not exactly the most scientific ever; it’s based on science and is completely speculative.  Still, it was actually fascinating and a main source of conflict for Justin and Chuck because they had to have their individual ‘keys’ back to the future or else they would be stuck in 1900 forever.

The plot was not very fast-paced in the beginning but the characters and the events were so interesting that it didn’t matter.  As the novel goes on, however, the pacing just keeps increasing until you just can’t put the book down.  And trust me when I say that John Heldt certainly hasn’t lost his capacity to surprise his readers.  Just when you think you know how things are going to happen, he throws a wrench into the works and you’re left guessing until the very end of the novel.  These plot twists don’t come out of nowhere, however.  When you look back on how the characters develop and how their actions tend to drive the story it makes sense.  It’s just hard to see the twists when you’re reading September Sky the first time around.  And trust me when I say that this is a book you’ll want to read over and over and over again.  It’s just that good.

Here in September Sky, you have everything that you can ask for in a time travel novel: a little bit of science and imagination, some romance, great characters and an unpredictable plot.  You can’t ask for anything more!  Even though the book has a satisfying conclusion, if you’re like me you’ll be left eager for the next installment in the series to see how John Heldt is going to get his other time travelers into the past.  Will we meet our mysterious professor again?  Or are there other people out there who know more about the past than they’re letting on?  I can’t wait.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble*     Goodreads

*Unavailable.

The Week Ahead (#1)

Yes, this is a new regular feature I’m hoping to do.  As a blogger I feel I need some consistency to my Sundays, which are generally my lazy days where I don’t post until noon or later.  So maybe this will help a little bit.

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This week is going to be a good one with lots of reviews, seeing as I’m not participating in any promo-only blog tours.  Oddly enough I actually did an interview and I’m hoping to do more interviews in general in the future.  I personally like interviews but I’ve let myself slack off and haven’t been asking for them.

Enough rambling.  Here’s what you can expect from me this week:

Monday

  • An interview with John Heldt, who just finished The Northwest Passage series, his debut series about time-travel.
  • A very special cover reveal!  This cover is actually a revamp of the original cover and having read the book and loved it I can’t decide which one I like better now.

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Tuesday

  • A review of Andromeda’s Fall by Abigail Owens for the blog tour.  I’m very excited about this review because this was the first book I’ve read that featured animal shapeshifters.  I was more than a little skeptical about initially signing up for the blog tour so we’ll see if my skepticism was warranted or not.

 

The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Wednesday

  • A review of The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa.  I’ve been re-reading the previous two books in the series to prepare for the last book in the trilogy and I’m nervous about how Julie Kagawa is going to wrap up such a complicated trilogy.  Since it takes place in what really is a Crapsack World it’s going to be hard to come to a satisfying conclusion.

 

In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener

 

Thursday

  • A review of In a Treacherous Court by Michelle Diener.  This one I requested from the author and it just arrived in the mail yesterday!  I do love the Tudor period so I’m anxious to start this one.

 

The Wise Woman's Tale

 

Friday

  • A review of The Wise Woman’s Tale by Phillipa Bowers.  This book received quite a bit of hype when it first released and I found it in the used section of my bookstore so I figured why not give it a try.

 

Saturday

  • Discussion: Being Open About Blogging Statistics.  Considering I’m quite open about my statistics, this should be an interesting discussion!

The Mirror by John Heldt

The Mirror by John Heldt(Cover picture courtesy of John Heldt’s blog.)

On September 11, 2020, Ginny and Katie Smith celebrate their nineteenth birthday at a country fair near Seattle. Ignoring the warnings of a fortune-teller, they enter a house of mirrors and exit in May 1964. Armed with the knowledge they need to return to their time, they try to make the most of what they believe will be a four-month vacation. But their sixties adventure becomes complicated when they meet a revered great-grandmother and fall in love with local boys. In THE MIRROR, the continuation of THE MINE and THE SHOW, the sisters find happiness and heartbreak as they confront unexpected challenges and gut-wrenching choices in the age of civil rights, the Beatles, and Vietnam.

[Full disclosure: I received a free ebook copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

When a great series like this comes to an end I’m always sad.  But at least I can take solace in the fact that the Northwest Passage series ended on such a great note.

I liked seeing Ginny and Katie Smith (Joel and Grace’s twin daughters) travel through time just like their parents.  They were interesting characters and I liked how John Heldt incorporated their distinct advantage into their characterization—their knowledge of time travel.  Although they were sort of in denial at first, I liked how they quickly accepted the grim situation and made a plan of action to get back.  I also loved how they tried not to affect the time stream but how sometimes their human nature got the better of them as they started forming relationships with the people around them.  Each twin had a distinct personality so when the point of view switched it wasn’t very confusing.

As with all of the books in this great series, The Mirror is far more character-driven than plot-driven.  It does have an interesting plot and it’s fascinating to see America in the era of Vietnam and the civil rights movement, but the characters are definitely the best part.  The plot is a little slower than the previous books in the series by virtue of the fact that this one is longer but that wasn’t an impediment at all.  If anything, it made The Mirror one of the better books in the series.

One of the downfalls of historical fiction is that it can paint a picture of an idealized time when in reality history wasn’t always sunshine and roses.  I liked how the topic of cancer was approached, especially breast cancer.  It really makes you think how lucky we are to live in a world where there are far more treatment options and a much higher survival rate.  What really struck a cord with me was the topic of interracial relationships.  Ginny and James had a wonderful relationship and I was saddened (but not surprised) at the reaction of most people to a black man dating a white girl.  Some people still react this way today (my community is unfortunately proof of this) but it’s nice to see that as a society we’ve at least made some progress.

Essentially, if you’ve read the previous four books in the Northwest Passage series you’ll absolutely love The Mirror.  It’s got an authentic historical feel, well-developed characters and a plot that’ll have you guessing at every turn.  I’m sad to say goodbye to the series but I’m glad that John Heldt chose to end it this way.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble*     Goodreads

*Not available.

My Interview with John Heldt (2)

John HeldtJohn Heldt is the self-published author of The Mine, The Journey, The Show and now The Fire, all books in his Northwest Passage series about time travel.  Every single one of his books has a fascinating combination of history, romance and humour.  Read on to see John and I discuss writing emotional scenes, researching and a possible continuation of his originally planned five book series.

1.  There are some very emotional scenes in The Fire.  How do you as a writer strike a balance between touching and melodramatic?

I enlist the help of others, that’s how. What is just right for one person may be too sappy or too dry for others. By getting the perspectives of beta readers representing both genders and a variety of ages, I’m usually able to determine whether an emotional scene needs to be rewritten or left as is. Continue reading

The Fire by John Heldt

The Fire by John Heldt(Cover picture courtesy of John Heldt.)

When Kevin Johnson, 22, goes to Wallace, Idaho, days after his college graduation, he expects to find rest and relaxation as his family prepares his deceased grandfather’s house for sale. Then he discovers a hidden diary and a time portal that can take him to 1910, the year of Halley’s comet and the largest wildfire in U.S. history. Within hours, Kevin finds himself in the era of horse-drawn wagons, straw hats, and ankle-length dresses. Returning to the same time and place, he decides to travel again and again and make the portal his gateway to summer fun. The adventure takes a more serious turn, however, when the luckless-in-love science major falls for pretty English teacher Sarah Thompson and integrates himself in a community headed for tragedy. Filled with humor, romance, and heartbreak, THE FIRE, the sequel to THE JOURNEY, follows a conflicted soul through a life-changing journey as he makes his mark on a world he was never meant to see.

[Full disclosure: John Heldt gave me an ARC of his latest novel in exchange for an honest review.]

John Heldt is probably the only man that can make me consistently cry.  And that’s a good thing!

Kevin Johnston is the son of Shelly Preston, our protagonist from The Journey.  As you may recall, an older Michelle had time travelled back to see her younger self and her story did not end well.  So you could say time travelling is in the family and that Kevin can’t get away from it, especially when you learn a certain character from The Mine is his university professor.

Once again I thought I had Kevin’s journey pretty well predicted.  Yet he surprised me at every turn.  He knew it was a bad idea to go back to 1910 and that it was a bad idea to get so involved in people’s lives in Wallace and yet I understand his motives for wanting to go back there.  Yet whatever mysteriously causes time travel is not going to forgive Kevin for messing with history and the conclusion of the novel is absolutely heart-breaking and at the same time, joy-inducing.  The Fire is such an emotional roller coaster that I’m having a hard time putting my thoughts down to write this review.

I was so connected to the characters, perhaps more so than I have been in John Heldt’s previous three novels.  Kevin really did speak to me.  He was a good person if a little flawed because of that chip on his shoulder when it came to women.  Still, he got over that eventually and at the end of the novel you can really tell he’s a better person.  His relationship with Sarah, his confused feelings for Sadie and his friendship with Andy all made him more realistic and much easier to sympathize with.  Yet these characters weren’t put there for the sole purpose of providing opportunities to show what a nice guy Kevin is!  No, they’re excellent, well-developed characters in their own right.

I liked how the pacing was generally consistent throughout The Fire and that although it definitely sped up at the end, it wasn’t as rushed as the ending of The Show.  John Heldt definitely took more time to build up the historical town of Wallace in order to build up the tension for the coming fire that would level most of the town.  His descriptions were much more vivid in this installment of the Northwest Passage series and I think The Fire was a better book for it.

John Heldt’s writing just keeps getting better and better with each book.  Although the theme of time travel features in all four, he has created very different characters to tell the story of America and each achieves happiness in their own, unique way.  Even if you haven’t read the first three books of the series, The Fire can certainly stand on its own, which is why I recommend you pick it up right this instant.  Yes, it’s that good.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

Amazon     Goodreads