TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow

February 2010, Puffin
432 pages, Paperback
Review Copy

Children's,

Cushions: 4
Daggers: 1
Smiles: 2
Tissues: 3
Nayuleska's recommending rating: ♥♥♥♥♥


Summary from Puffin

Liam O'Connor should have died at sea in 1912.

Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010.

Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2029.

Yet moments before death, someone mysteriously appeared and said, 'Take my hand . . .'

But Liam, Maddy and Sal aren't rescued. They are recruited by an agency that no one knows exists, with only one purpose - to fix broken history. Because time travel is here, and there are those who would go back in time and change the past.

That's why the TimeRiders exist: to protect us. To stop time travel from destroying the world . . 

Not dying is a plus, right? Getting the chance to live a bit more, visit areas throughout the past, save the world, it's all good, right? Well, yes and no.

Obviously it's nice for Liam, Maddy and Sal not to die in the horrific accidents. Their new life isn't as peachy as it sounds. Naturally they are scared and unsure about what's going on. Liam and Sal find themselves in a world that is nothing like their own. Maddy might have the 'better' option of being in a time nearest to when she was taken, but she ends up bearing the greatest burden of them all.

Foster, the man who saves them, teaches them some skills they will need to know. Liam is the one who travels back and forth in time - he has to conquer his fear to do so. Sal observes the world outside their base, checking for signs that Liam's been successful in his mission. Keen eyesight is needed. It isn't just about watching. For when someone meddles with time, the current time the team live in changes too. The world becomes a darker place when this happens. Maddy gets put in great danger, more than the others since she is the one to investigate the changes first.

Maddy. She's the geek of the small team. She's the one who will activate the equipment. Out of all of them, she's the most mature. That's why Foster entrusts her with secrets that the other two are, and must (for now) be ignorant of.

There is a tiny bit of humour in Time Riders, but mostly it is full of suspense and action. Getting to know the characters, knowing the secrets about themselves which are kept hidden from them heightened the suspense of the book. There is a pretty equal distribution of how often each character's point of view is used.

The mysteries surrounding Foster, the whole concept of the time team and the new team member who joins the trio is a story line which I think will span the series. For this particular book, the point in history which changed was during the second world war. In the changed instance, the Nazi's won and began to take over the world. The result of that in the modern day that Maddy, Sal and Liam live in is horrific. I was scared in the book. I could all too easily imagine the events happening. So much so, I had a nightmare about it all. It wasn't pleasant, but it shows how much Maddy, Liam and Sal's story have made an impression on me.

The only downside is that the second book isn't out yet! The good news - there are going to be a total of 9 books! Whoohoo!

If you like suspense, a little bit of horror and alternate history, this is definitely a book for you. Be sure to check out the Time Rider's website, which includes a link to Alex's blog.

Suggested other read: Meteorite Strike by A G Taylor