Review: Beyond the Loop

Title: Beyond the Loop
Author: Jason R. Thrift
Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi
Pub Date: March 2010, Publish America
Trade paperback, 379 pages
Book source: Received a copy for review from the author, many thanks!!

Synopsis

At the end of The Civilization Loop, disaster was averted.  The great myths and legends of our time were now unlocked and the mystery of 2012 had finally been solved.  But in the wake of enlightenment, a new myth was born. 

Just who was the rogue time traveler Willis October, and did he ever truly exist in the first place?  

Now, you will witness the story of the man, that became myth and turned into a legend.  You will see how the nefarious Willis October began his quest to bring absolute chaos to all that is creation.  From the cold, hallowed halls of the Third Reich in Berlin, to the fiery death and destruction on September 11, 2001, October was there!  

He allowed reality to spiral out of control, until fate caught up with him and dealt him a lethal, final blow.  Willis October, the end was only the beginning for this man, as he takes us all on a journey...

...Beyond the Loop.

My Thoughts

Some of you might recall my review of Thrift's debut book, The Civilization Loop, which I read in September of last year. These self-published books deal not only with the often mind-blowing concept of time travel, but even manage to mix a bit of God in with the Sci-Fi, which can make for an interesting story. Thank you to Mr. Thrift for sending me the latest installment!

While I have to be honest and admit that Beyond the Loop did not quite captivate me the way Thrift's first book did, I still enjoyed the story. If I had it to do over again, I would probably re-read The Civilization Loop before tackling this book, simply to have the original story a little fresher in my mind. However, Thrift does do a good job of recalling the events of the first book without making it a blatant summary of the story--he works it into the current storyline. Willis October's adventure is certainly incredible and we see his account of several major events throughout history... Noah's Ark, Hitler's Third Reich, 9/11--you name it, and he was probably there in some way, shape or form. Sometimes his involvement is more hands-on than it is others, but it is always fascinating to see how Thrift works him into some of history's most amazing events. With respect to the religious aspect, in Beyond the Loop we read about the Second Coming of Jesus and how it relates to the story of the time team and Willis October.

By the end of this book, we realize that we only know a part of Thrift's story and that much more is yet to come in a third book. And yes, the events leading to all of this certainly can bend your mind in ways you never thought possible. I've said it before and I will say it again--stories that really do justice to time travel and its consequences can certainly make one think! The writing is improved over the first book, with awkward phrasing almost nonexistent, though admittedly typos still abound a bit more than I would like to see. I would most definitely recommend this book to those of you that have already read The Civilization Loop and are anxious for the continuing story of Willis October and the part that he played.

My rating:

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