Zsolt Kerekes reviews a book - Point of Origin

as a reader who's agewise closer to Oyez than YA - I've been surprised by how much I have really enjoyed anticipating each new book in this series during the past 16 months, my only regret being that I have not praised the earlier volumes enough, having been too rushy to dive in and enjoy them without pausing to scribble a longer review which might entice othersPoint of Origin - book cover - click for more info

and so as we approach the winter holiday season in 2024 here are my thoughts (written in something longer than a rushed tweet) concerning the 6th book I've read in the past year by author Paulene Turner - Point of Origin.
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book: Point of Origin

series? - The Time Travel Chronicles - vol 6

author: Paulene Turner

review by Zsolt Kerekes - November 26, 2024

if you don't feel confused at some time while reading this you haven't been paying sufficient attention

As an enthusiastic reader of this series I arrived at this volume having already visited the iconic story locations (and times) described in the previous 5 volumes, each of which had their own memorable characters and plot implications, and in each of which we see our hero Maddy (Madison) growing her talent to adapt to and survive in unfamiliar new settings.

Point of Origin - book cover - click for more infoAnd, if you have read those earlier 5 books, you'll know before reading this (look away and read those first if you haven't already) that the pressure in the timelines has been mounting due to those bad actors at Recall, creating cracks and breakthroughs which will have damaged past, present and future instances of our world.

So, seeing that Point of Origin is described as the final volume in the time travel series, we trust that the amazing author Paulene Turner - who got the world into this mess - is uniquely qualified to resolve this growing set of imponderables so we can sleep soundly and stop worrying about the darling characters.

Short answer? - it's quite a ride.

This book contains some of the most hilarious scenes in the whole series, some of the most annoying behavior by certain characters (who remain true to their intrinsic nature - despite us wishing they would do better) and the most brain busting encounters with the science of time travel.

I'm a fan of the classic tv series the Big Bang Theory. Sometimes, when Peterson in this book in the time travel chronicles is sharing his insights into Maddy's predicament, I felt like I was Penny Hofstadter being lectured to on string theory by Dr Sheldon Cooper. Aha! There are explanations. Look at the equations on the board.

I read the page containing Peterson's / (irl Paulene Turner's) first of many detailed explanations of the time travel rules and paradoxes etc which occurs in volume 6 two or three times. It didn't mean I understood it. But it gave me the confidence that the person in charge did.

And that faith sustained me and increased my enjoyment through many complicated parts of the book where, the puzzles to be solved seemed to grow faster than they could be resolved. And, as in any solid science, trial and error plays its part. Experiments do not always deliver the answers you expect. You learn from mistakes.

Overall, a brilliant concluding volume which elevates the stature of an already profoundly enjoyable series.

Unless you've already got these books in your collection or bookmarked I suggest you cast some refreshing time travel sparkle into your future relaxation reading by sampling Paulene Turner's website at pauleneturnerwrites.com

PS - it was the tagline, under the title, on the cover of the first book - Here today, erased tomorrow - which drew me in.
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later...

I posted a tweet about my review, which was seen by the author Paulene Turner (who tweets @PauleneTurner).

Paulene asked which was my favorite book in the series? and my favorite characters?

I (still being new to writing short Xentences) replied (typically) with too many words which stretched over 3 tweets.

my favorite book?

Black Tides - was more gritty and piratey than I had expected

Samurai Steal - surprised me because I wasn't keen on the setting before but you changed that for me

Point of Origin - is the smartest but the source of the magic is Secrets of the Nile

my 3 favorite characters?

1 - Maddy (that's the easiest)

2 - Dustin Crowe (an irresistable rogue who had me fooled too)

3 - Kiku (I cried when she revealed the debt paid related to her sister)

On reflection, I've asked myself - why isn't Riley in my list of top 3 favorite characters? He would've been, but I'm still annoyed with how he upset Maddy in book 6. Though, I understand. It's life made him that way. And he did invent the time machine. Forgiven.

Paulene then asked - which scene did I find funniest?

funniest scene?

There was one which stood out for me as being laugh aloud hilarious when I was reading it. How to avoid a plot spoiler in my reply?

For me the funniest scene was the duel of the spoon versus the toilet brush. And at several stages I thought the interactions between various of the time displaced characters, when bringing their value systems into interpersonal conflicts, would make good tv.

wrapping up...

You don't need to be on X to see this exchange. Just click on these links above. But if they stop working I'll try to extract the text and expand this note later.

One of the joys of social media is that readers can feed back to authors how much they liked reading their books. The other best way, is to tell your friends and encourage them to buy those books too. Which is where the first of my tweets began.

image of a tweet by Zsolt Kerekes about Paulene Turner's book - Point of Origin