Review: Time Slice by Kerry Downing

Title:  Time Slice 

Author:  Kerry Downing

Genre:  Adult, Science Fiction

Publisher:  Camel Press

Format:  Kindle edition

Release Date:  June 10, 2011

    *book was provided by publishing company in return for an honest review and participation in a blog hop*

Newly retired workaholic Roy Washburn is not ready for a life of leisure. On a trip to the mall with his wife, he finds a small metal cylinder with odd markings. One nudge of the cylinder's triangle-shaped pointer and Roy finds himself embarking on an exciting new adventure in the Time Stream.  There he meets The Traveler, a tall, gangly being who shows Roy how to use the cylinder to visit other civilizations that co-exist on "his" Earth, each occupying a different, thin Time Slice. The Traveler solicits Roy's help in recovering an object invented by his murdered father and beyond his own reach. Roy is his last hope. At first it seems that the Traveler's wish might be easily granted. But after Roy's wife Emily becomes ill and his daughter's long-held resentments rise to the surface, he can no longer "travel" at a moment's notice. He also discovers the very real physical and mental risks involved in roaming the Time Stream. Despite the dangers, Roy is determined to help the Traveler. But he can't do it alone. Fortunately he has a loving wife and a core group of loyal friends. But first he must convince them--and his daughter--that he isn't crazy... (Summary courtesy of Amazon.com).

Time Slice is a time traveling story with an interesting twist. Our hero is not technically traveling through time, but rather slices of time that exist side-by-side. The explanation was a little bit over my head, but then again, I have never been much of a science person. I liked how Downing made his time traveling very unique and gave it an aspect of believability with the explanation. I could imagine that it might just be possible to slide from time slice to time slice, experiencing entirely new and amazing worlds. Downing’s writing really brought those different worlds to life. Not your usual sci-fi story.   

Perhaps my favorite aspect of Time Slice was not the science fiction, but rather the story of the deep love between a husband and a wife.  Roy and Emily have an intense connection, one that is a pleasure to read about. The real core of this story is the relationships between the characters:  Roy’s and Emily’s marriage, Roy’s strong circle of friends, his love for his granddaughter and his struggle to reconnect with his daughter. That is what makes this a story worth reading.

The story started to drag a bit in the middle, and there were a few times that I wondered where exactly the story was going.  I kept waiting for Roy to help The Traveler with his dilemma. I waited quite a while. Then, the ending felt a bit rushed, almost as if Downing wanted to wrap things up as quickly as possible.  The resolution to his issues with his daughter was definitely too rushed, and felt a bit false because of it. A little time spent stretching out the ending or pulling in the middle and expanding on the story at the end would have gone a long way toward making this an “A” story.

All in all, Time Slice was a pretty good book. Not a “knock-my-socks-off” kind of story, but one worth reading.  My grade for Time Slice by Kerry Downing: