Book info

• Title TimeRiders: The Eternal War
• Author Alex Scarrow
• Year 2011
• Genre Science Fiction

A time wave has struck that alters the entire history of the American Civil War. Abraham Lincoln has followed Liam into the present from 1831 - and now the world is in a dangerous state of limbo... If the TimeRiders can't return Lincoln to the past, the Civil War will never end. Can Maddy persuade two colonels on either side of no man's land to cease fire long enough to save the future?

Thoughts

Really enjoyed this one. The series continues to grow on me, although it continues to be not quite for my reading tastes whilst being a subject matter that I adore. This one felt a lot more serious than those that went before, not in terms of the level of peril our characters were in but more in philosophical thoughts of the world they’re in.

We had many moments where the characters would much prefer to stay in a different timeline, and equally those within an alternate line wistfully wanting to change. The grass is always greener, etc, etc. We also had more explanation of how this particular time travel works, and why some events in history are more important than others. There are still bits I can’t get my head around, but mostly it makes sense.

I loved the scene with the police at the end, and amazed myself by remembering the reference previously. There was also the now-traditional edge of your seat ending, with the action going right up until the last minute. Although this time it wasn’t so much a twist in the tale as a rather disturbing cliffhanger, designed to keep you wanting to know more. And it works!

Rating: 4 / 5