Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsSimply extraordinary, near credible, time travel adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2022
Connecticut author Steven Decker is a world explorer - for business, for sport (he has been a traveling triathlete), and for the pleasure of examining and appreciating other cultures. He has published three novels to date - DISTANT FINISH, PROJECTOR FOR SALE, and now TIME CHAIN.
Decker’s inimitable style of writing reflects his knowledge of his world roaming as he opens this fascinating new time travel novel with the atmosphere of Ireland: ‘As Dani approached the water, a rainstorm erupted. She secured the hood of her rain jacket and steeled herself for an uncomfortable delay n her walk to Omey Island. A deluge of raindrops plunged into the channel that separated the Irish mainland from her destination, covering its rippled surface with a blanket of tiny splashes. The sound of a thousand whispering ghosts surrounded her…The west coast of Ireland almost always offered rain and wind, bursting on, then off, several times a day. But this storm was the strongest she’d endured thus far and its bitter chill was steadily seeping into her….’ With that visual and sensory setting, Dani begins a journey the reader will never forget!
The plot overview: ‘It’s the year 2022. Dani Peterson has been walking in the west of Ireland for 15 days, conducting research for her dissertation in cultural anthropology. Her goal is to meet locals who can tell her about Ireland’s past, but when she seeks shelter from a storm in Aideen O’Brien’s car, she gets more history than she bargained for. Aideen is a Time Link. In 2022, she’s 68 years old. She works in secret for a curious man from the future, Charles, transporting him and his people back in time. On rare occasions she’s permitted to use their technology to send people on time travel pleasure trips. She sends Dani to a Greek island in 1978, where Dani meets 24-year-old Aideen. Young Aideen and Dani fall in love, and Dani becomes a Time Link. Charles is known to Aideen and Dani as a Time Master, a man who claims his mission is to save the future. He thinks Dani can help the cause. She travels with him to Ireland in 1751, searching for a specific kind of person that Charles says is the key to his plan. They find Orla, a special 12-year-old girl, and bring her to 2022. But Charles is hiding something sinister. Dani, Aideen and Orla ultimately risk their lives—traveling to the year 2253—to find the truth. What they discover is a nightmare, about to unfold, which will change the world.’
Few authors can traverse the spectrum of time travel with the finesse Steven Decker imbues this novel. The manner in which he escorts his characters through the different dimensions signals a position in the top tier of contemporary writers. Very highly recommended. Grady Harp, July 22
