For some reason, I’ve read more than my share of sci-fi books built around the quantum physics multiverse, many worlds theory. OK, I know a couple of the reasons why. Once you’ve read a couple of novels in this genre, the Amazon recommendation engine that I have a love-hate relationship with kicks in to suggest more. On top of that, my favorite sci-fi authors like to use this theory, or variations of it, in their books.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised when A.G. Riddle’s book Lost in Time showed up as one of my Amazon recommendations. A.G. Riddle is also one of my favorite sci-fi authors. I try to have at least one his novels on my reading list every year, and this one was the title I choose for this year.
In typical Riddle fashion, the book jumps right into the action when researcher Sam and his daughter are accused of their mother’s murder. To avoid his daughter being convicted, Sam admits to the crime and is subsequently blackmailed into accepting his punishment – being sent 200 million years into the past. The fast pace leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which Riddle masterfully pieces together as the story unfolds.
Given how many multiverse books I’ve read, I should really be tiring of these types of stories. However, I found Lost in Time too good to put down. In fact, it was a real mind-bender. The story had some unexpected, well placed plot twists, and I really liked how Riddle combined quantum physics and the technology to provide yet another take on how the many worlds theory may come into being. I’ll admit, there were parts of the story that took me a bit of time to wrap my mind around, but Riddle did a great job explaining them. I was really impressed by how he was able to keep them straight and bring them all together in a cohesive fashion.
A.G. Riddle has been a favorite author of mine since I read his Origin trilogy. He has a writing style that I like. He gets right into the action and develops the characters as the story unfolds. He also does a good job moving the story along and keeping things interesting, which makes his books hard to put down.
While I was a little disappointed with the last Riddle novel I read, The Extinction Trials, he nailed it again with this one. If you’re a fan of other multiverse novels such as Dark Matter (by Blake Crouch) or Infinite (by Brad Parks), then you will certainly enjoy it. If it’s your first foray into the genre, it’s still a great read. One that will keep you entertained and engaged, which is why I’ve added it to Must Read category of books.