Rewinder Paperback – July 21, 2015

As Rewinder opens our lead, Denny Younger, is stuck near the bottom of a highly regulated class based society in an alternate world to ours where the American revolution never happened and North American resources fuel the British Empire's world domination where it controls Central and South America as well. Its competition is a China and a Russia where their Communist takeover never happened and the Romanovs still hold sway. Denny has just graduated from all the education society normally allows such a low born as him but he is a history prodigy and has been offered a way out. Agreeing to their conditions he is soon transported in location and status, given intensive training at which he excells and finds himself a trusted member of what appears to be a for profit time travel institution that verifies historical bona fides for customers in pursuit of hierarchy upgrades for past actions aiding the empire. Some of these cases require using their time travel technology to go hundreds of years in the past in pursuit of the truth. Denny soon becomes suspicious of some of the actions taken by higher ups and suspects that all is not well in Denmark. When a routine mission goes disastrously wrong he finds himself forced to chose between pleasing his higher ups or doing what is right. Denny, being our hero, of course choses right but that just sets off this adventure. As the title said the characters are likable and I found myself rooting for them, the world building is what pulled me in but the overly complex, kinda cutesy ending did not. I have just recently come across Brett Battles and his extensive body of work. This is my first book of his and I have high hopes but the jury is still out on whether he can execute his attractive world/character building well enough to hold for the entire book.

I finished this one in a weekend. I usually only read in bed at night. When I set aside time in the day for a book, then I know it is a good one.This was an intriguing concept. The fork in the road of time. There were a few slips which made it obvious that the British protagonist was being written by an American but it wasn't enough to diminish the story for me.I quickly grew to care about the main character and a couple of others.I'm looking forward to the next in the series.Recommended.

I loved this new book by Brett Battles so much that writing a review should be simple. As always, Battles has delivered an "I-can't-put-it-down" page-turner--as we repeat readers have come to expect. But this one has a twist of subject and setting so extensive that I hesitate to spoil the surprise by giving away too many details. So for this reason, I perhaps have procrastinated doing a review.Let me ease my conscience by saying, if you are a fan of Brett Battles, don't look at the reviews until later. Just forget the spoilers and read the book. I read this one expecting another awesome thriller/adventure, and I was simultaneously partially correct and fully delightfully surprised. Battles delivers the same quality writing, plot, suspense and characters we have grown to love in his current series (Quinn, Project Eden and Logan Harper), but with a wild twist.Here`s the spoiler alert. If you want to read the book with the same amount of surprise regarding the subject as I did, leave this review now and go read the book.Still here? Don't say I didn't warn you... Our story begins with our young hero, Denny Younger, wishing for more out of life than what he believes his destiny holds. As is the custom, Younger knows he will probably be given a job at the plant where is father works. However, after taking final exams to determine his social standing and employment, Younger is approached with a career opportunity that he must choose without knowing all the details. In accepting this post, he discovers secrets about his society known to only a few. He learns that he will be a Rewinder, a verifier of history...and he will travel through time. Part of the fun of the book is learning about this world with Younger as he must face facts that stretch his view of reality. His training is an exciting blur, and soon he his rewinding time on his own. But the shadows of history hold secrets, and the future can hang on what happens in 12 seconds.As I said, I loved the book. I think you will too.

Time, the great conundrum.Of the many mysteries in the universe, Time is probably the greatest conundrum. Ask any scientist and they will fumble for an explanation. Oh we know it exists for we live it, right, or do we? And we know it is the fourth dimension which gives the first 3 dimensions a reality of sorts. Enter the possibility of time travel, another potential enigma in conjunction with the greatest conundrum of the universe: Time. Brett Battle’s Rewinder deals with this mystery in a fun and intriguing way. A well crafted “what if” conjecture followed by a fascinating story of disrupting timelines. Protagonist Denny is a “Rewinder”, a personal time historian whose official job is to “Observe” and report the historical truth. He is good, very good, then a simple human mistake disrupts history and the old time line is changed. Life as Denny knew it disappears in a flash. In an instant Denny becomes the sole survivor of “His” world as he awakens in a new radically different world. The question is can Denny put Humpty Dumpty back together again? The reality is does he want to?I’m an easy mark for a good time travel story and this is a good one. Mr. Battle does an excellent job of keeping the story not only plausible but reality driven. He includes just enough science to keep a critical thinker like me engaged. Most time travel stories are dubious at best and ridiculous at worse, but I think you will find Rewinder a fun and captivating read. 5 stars for a good story Mr. Battle.

The book explores an alternative history to ours where the British Empire rules the world including the USA. That is until a trainee time traveller, called a Rewinder, makes a mistake and George Washington is not killed by the British and history is as we know it.I was expecting more historical detail but the author cops out by basically describing the world as we know it today compared to his fictional alternative world.The concept of course is mind boggling, if only we could turn the clock back and do something different but I wanted to read about a modern person adapting to live in the past so was disappointed.An ok read

I was wary to say the least, to read that Brett Battles latest book, 'Rewinder' was different to his usual genre. However, this was yet another book where his characters (mainly Denny and Iffy) are just amazing. I was hooked within the first few pages and the story did not disappoint. I found the book hard to put down. I don't like spoilers - all I will say is, it's 2014, or is it 1702, or maybe 2015. I'm not saying anymore! Read it yourself - it's totally fascinating!

My instinct after reading the first few chapters was to not continue reading this book because it is not the kind of material that normally grips me. However, I pressed on and as I progressed I found it compelling and incredibly well thought out. A really good read and I have recommended it to two friends who I know will find it as unusually interesting as I did.

The narrative flow, characterisation and setting were very good in this novel. It kept me reading without hesitation and at times was gripping enough for a couple of long sessions. The 'flaws' if you see them as such, come from the science, of which unlike in some harder Sci-fi (think Stephen Baxter), there is no attempt to explain. In depth analysis of the plot's causality will no doubt lead to cries of 'it wouldn't work like that' and 'but that would lead to a paradox/fractured time-space continuum' or whatever.... The truth is though that the whole concept is entirely theoretical and quite likely so highly improbable as to verge on impossible, so the subject may as well be treated as fantasy and with a more open mind!So in conclusion, taken as a flight of fantasy it's well written and enjoyable, with some interesting concepts to explore!CJ

Brett Battles has perhaps become my favourite author just from reading this book. It is so cleverly done. His mind must be a wonderful place. He describes time in such a way that doesn't leave the reader confused. And the rare times you can be reading and thinking, "Well this doesn't make sense becase... blaa blaa blaa" you don't feel that way for long. This book gripped me from beginning to end, and kept me guessing, engaged and interested all throughout.