crystal_reading's review against another edition
4.0
I am not a fan of time travel books, but this one was definitely different. I really enjoyed the main character and seeing how they dealt with the issues that time travel brings.
ckcombsdotcom's review against another edition
5.0
The Unintentional Time Traveler by Everett Maroon is a soon to be released young adult novel introducing Jack, a self-deprecating and entertainingly sarcastic fifteen year old boy with a knack for automotive repair and self-acceptance beyond his age. He suffers from epileptic seizures that have him despairing that he’ll ever be allowed to drive or live without padding on all the hard surfaces in his home. By the time we catch up with him, Jack has suffered through numerous attempts to medicate his condition. When his mother enrolls him in a clinical study for children with epilepsy, he’s not thrilled or optimistic that anything life-changing will come of it. Boy, is he wrong.
Using an engaging and entertaining narrative voice, Maroon draws us in quickly and takes us on a journey into the past. What seem to be hallucinations caused by the epilepsy study are actually trips back in time. Our hero drops into the middle of a story pitting a power-hungry con-man and his gullible followers against a small but dedicated resistance. Our hero’s efforts to assist in that resistance are inconveniently interrupted by unpredictable time shifts. Though it’s not a joy-ride, it isn’t without it’s pleasant -- if initially confusing -- moments of romantic and sexual awakening.
A couple of chapters in, I had a hard time putting this book down. As with any good speculative fiction, this story sent me down a lot of mental side paths. I already think about gender and identity quite a bit and this story added a few new twists. For example, how much of our identity is dependent on our current physical bodies? Do our identities change along with our bodies or do we transcend the physical? How flexible is identity and gender? Though the topic of time travel has been explored countless times in sci/fi and fantasy, I enjoyed Maroon’s new take on it and I’m eager to read more from him on the topic.
Gender and sexuality are essential features of the storyline but Maroon handles them with a light touch, letting the characters explain and demonstrate their importance, rather than lecturing the reader. This approach is matter of fact and refreshing. From my perspective as a fiction writer, I have been thinking a lot about how to treat gender, identity and sexuality in ways that don’t sensationalize or beat the reader over the head with moralizing and lecturing. I’ve found it a bit challenging, as enamored as I am of talking about gender until the cows come home. Maroon’s approach is to let gender and sexuality take their place with other characteristics such as height, hair color and favorite color and with about as much drama as one might encounter when looking in the mirror and discovering a new freckle. Shifts of gender are a curious addition to Jack’s reality but not one that throws him off the rails for long.
The Unintentional Time Traveler is great fun, an adventure story carried along by humor and grace, love and courage. Jack is not your typical teenaged boy, even without the epilepsy and time traveling. He’s generous and honorable and accepts his fate with a grace beyond his years. There’s a lot we can learn from this kid.
Whether you are a fan of sci/fi, of young adult fiction, or you’re interested in fiction delving into topics of gender, sexuality, identity and gender non-conformity, this is a great addition to your collection. The Unintentional Time Traveler is book one in the Time Guardians series and will be available from Booktrope Editions, on February 24, 2014 in paperback and electronic formats.
Using an engaging and entertaining narrative voice, Maroon draws us in quickly and takes us on a journey into the past. What seem to be hallucinations caused by the epilepsy study are actually trips back in time. Our hero drops into the middle of a story pitting a power-hungry con-man and his gullible followers against a small but dedicated resistance. Our hero’s efforts to assist in that resistance are inconveniently interrupted by unpredictable time shifts. Though it’s not a joy-ride, it isn’t without it’s pleasant -- if initially confusing -- moments of romantic and sexual awakening.
A couple of chapters in, I had a hard time putting this book down. As with any good speculative fiction, this story sent me down a lot of mental side paths. I already think about gender and identity quite a bit and this story added a few new twists. For example, how much of our identity is dependent on our current physical bodies? Do our identities change along with our bodies or do we transcend the physical? How flexible is identity and gender? Though the topic of time travel has been explored countless times in sci/fi and fantasy, I enjoyed Maroon’s new take on it and I’m eager to read more from him on the topic.
Gender and sexuality are essential features of the storyline but Maroon handles them with a light touch, letting the characters explain and demonstrate their importance, rather than lecturing the reader. This approach is matter of fact and refreshing. From my perspective as a fiction writer, I have been thinking a lot about how to treat gender, identity and sexuality in ways that don’t sensationalize or beat the reader over the head with moralizing and lecturing. I’ve found it a bit challenging, as enamored as I am of talking about gender until the cows come home. Maroon’s approach is to let gender and sexuality take their place with other characteristics such as height, hair color and favorite color and with about as much drama as one might encounter when looking in the mirror and discovering a new freckle. Shifts of gender are a curious addition to Jack’s reality but not one that throws him off the rails for long.
The Unintentional Time Traveler is great fun, an adventure story carried along by humor and grace, love and courage. Jack is not your typical teenaged boy, even without the epilepsy and time traveling. He’s generous and honorable and accepts his fate with a grace beyond his years. There’s a lot we can learn from this kid.
Whether you are a fan of sci/fi, of young adult fiction, or you’re interested in fiction delving into topics of gender, sexuality, identity and gender non-conformity, this is a great addition to your collection. The Unintentional Time Traveler is book one in the Time Guardians series and will be available from Booktrope Editions, on February 24, 2014 in paperback and electronic formats.
ajsterkel's review against another edition
2.0
The concept of this book is amazing. I really wish the execution had been better.
When teenager Jack Bishop agrees to participate in a medical study, he hopes that it will help with his epilepsy. He does not expect that the study will send him back in time, but that’s exactly what happens. During the study, the doctors induce a seizure, and Jack wakes up in 1926. To make things more bizarre, Jack isn’t in his own body. He’s in the body of a girl named Jacqueline. Can Jack/Jacqueline use their newfound time travel skills to save Jacqueline’s town and navigate the tricky relationships in both of their lives?
This book puts a unique spin on a time travel story. When Jack travels, he doesn’t take his body with him. He has to adapt to whatever body he finds himself inhabiting. This raises a lot of interesting questions. How much does a person’s body influence their personality? Could you still be yourself if your body was suddenly different? Would you be more comfortable in a different body? I love that the author doesn’t moralize or try to give concrete answers to these questions. He just allows Jack/Jacqueline to be themselves and explore their identity. Whatever happens happens.
The plot takes a while to get going, but once it does, I was totally hooked. There are so many twists that I didn’t see coming. The ending is nuts.
I enjoyed the action and the body-swapping, but I had a ton of issues with this book.
First, I was frustrated by how uncurious the characters are. If I woke up in 1926 inside someone else’s body, I’d have a lot of questions. I kept waiting for Jack/Jacqueline to ask my questions. When they finally got around to asking the important ones, the questions weren’t answered. I know that this book is the first in a series, but I think more answers could have been given. It’s frustrating to not fully understand what’s going on. I mostly want to know who is in Jack’s body when he isn’t using it. I spent the whole book waiting to find out, and I never did. There were a zillion opportunities for Jack to ask that question.
Also, Jacqueline disappears for a few years and then suddenly shows up again. Some people (including her mother) thought she was dead. When she unexpectedly comes home, nobody bothers asking where she was. Wouldn’t they be curious about this? I was.
Next, the instalove is strong in this one. Jack meets Jacqueline’s friend, Lucas, and immediately becomes obsessed. I don’t understand why. They kiss a few times, and then they’re in love. That must have been a mind-blowing kiss.
I think a few more rounds of editing would have done this book a lot of good. I sometimes had a hard time picturing the blocking of the scenes. There were a few times where I got confused about something and had to back up and reread. For example, there is a scene where Jack is in a tunnel and wishes he had a screwdriver. A few scenes later, he has a screwdriver. (I think?) Where did it come from? There’s another scene where part of a conversation is missing. In another scene, a horse disappears from one place and appears somewhere else. Editing could have fixed these inconsistencies.
Finally, I questioned the representation of mental illness. Jack’s doctor is sent to a mental hospital after he claims that he has sent his patients back in time. The hospital gives him medication that turns him from a highly educated person to a gameshow-obsessed man-child. Can medication do that? Would doctors allow that to happen to a patient? I’m not sure.
I don’t think I’m going to pick up the sequels, but the plot and exploration of gender were interesting to read.
When teenager Jack Bishop agrees to participate in a medical study, he hopes that it will help with his epilepsy. He does not expect that the study will send him back in time, but that’s exactly what happens. During the study, the doctors induce a seizure, and Jack wakes up in 1926. To make things more bizarre, Jack isn’t in his own body. He’s in the body of a girl named Jacqueline. Can Jack/Jacqueline use their newfound time travel skills to save Jacqueline’s town and navigate the tricky relationships in both of their lives?
This book puts a unique spin on a time travel story. When Jack travels, he doesn’t take his body with him. He has to adapt to whatever body he finds himself inhabiting. This raises a lot of interesting questions. How much does a person’s body influence their personality? Could you still be yourself if your body was suddenly different? Would you be more comfortable in a different body? I love that the author doesn’t moralize or try to give concrete answers to these questions. He just allows Jack/Jacqueline to be themselves and explore their identity. Whatever happens happens.
The plot takes a while to get going, but once it does, I was totally hooked. There are so many twists that I didn’t see coming. The ending is nuts.
I enjoyed the action and the body-swapping, but I had a ton of issues with this book.
First, I was frustrated by how uncurious the characters are. If I woke up in 1926 inside someone else’s body, I’d have a lot of questions. I kept waiting for Jack/Jacqueline to ask my questions. When they finally got around to asking the important ones, the questions weren’t answered. I know that this book is the first in a series, but I think more answers could have been given. It’s frustrating to not fully understand what’s going on. I mostly want to know who is in Jack’s body when he isn’t using it. I spent the whole book waiting to find out, and I never did. There were a zillion opportunities for Jack to ask that question.
Also, Jacqueline disappears for a few years and then suddenly shows up again. Some people (including her mother) thought she was dead. When she unexpectedly comes home, nobody bothers asking where she was. Wouldn’t they be curious about this? I was.
Next, the instalove is strong in this one. Jack meets Jacqueline’s friend, Lucas, and immediately becomes obsessed. I don’t understand why. They kiss a few times, and then they’re in love. That must have been a mind-blowing kiss.
I think a few more rounds of editing would have done this book a lot of good. I sometimes had a hard time picturing the blocking of the scenes. There were a few times where I got confused about something and had to back up and reread. For example, there is a scene where Jack is in a tunnel and wishes he had a screwdriver. A few scenes later, he has a screwdriver. (I think?) Where did it come from? There’s another scene where part of a conversation is missing. In another scene, a horse disappears from one place and appears somewhere else. Editing could have fixed these inconsistencies.
Finally, I questioned the representation of mental illness. Jack’s doctor is sent to a mental hospital after he claims that he has sent his patients back in time. The hospital gives him medication that turns him from a highly educated person to a gameshow-obsessed man-child. Can medication do that? Would doctors allow that to happen to a patient? I’m not sure.
I don’t think I’m going to pick up the sequels, but the plot and exploration of gender were interesting to read.
teanahk's review against another edition
3.0
This book explores a pretty unique time travel method. It had a bit of a slow start but was an interesting read once it got going. I thought the guardians could have used a bit more explanation and the ending seemed a bit rushed and tied things up a bit too neatly.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
THE UNINTENTIONAL TIME TRAVELER is an exploration of love, identity, and gender through mental time travel. The rules of this particular version are that Travelers can affect the times they visit, but there’s no time machine involved. Jack/Jacqueline uses he/him and “Jack” for himself throughout the majority of the text, even when jumping bodies, so I will do the same for simplicity’s sake.
The worldbuilding was both detailed and slow to make sense, the timeline weirdness meant that I didn’t totally understand what was happening until about halfway through. This is perfectly fine (and almost required) for this kind of time travel story and overall it works very well, especially towards the end. I like Jack, especially when he's dealing with showing up in his future just to find out that some iteration of him had behaved very differently than what he would do himself. I like the ending, it's a good solution to the problem and it's achieved rather elegantly.
I am disappointed that, seven years after its publication, there don't appear to be any sequels, because the ending definitely is trying to set up that they'll have more time travel adventures to follow in future books. I'm writing this review in 2021, so it's possible that this will change but I'm not hopeful right now.
The worldbuilding was both detailed and slow to make sense, the timeline weirdness meant that I didn’t totally understand what was happening until about halfway through. This is perfectly fine (and almost required) for this kind of time travel story and overall it works very well, especially towards the end. I like Jack, especially when he's dealing with showing up in his future just to find out that some iteration of him had behaved very differently than what he would do himself. I like the ending, it's a good solution to the problem and it's achieved rather elegantly.
I am disappointed that, seven years after its publication, there don't appear to be any sequels, because the ending definitely is trying to set up that they'll have more time travel adventures to follow in future books. I'm writing this review in 2021, so it's possible that this will change but I'm not hopeful right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, Blood, Violence, Gun violence, and Animal death
Moderate: Sexism, Ableism, Homophobia, Racism, Alcohol, Sexual content, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Death
Minor: Vomit and Suicide
leslies1212's review against another edition
3.0
Jack's epileptic seizures begin to send him back in time; he's trying to prevent a sinister man from wreaking havoc in a small town.
fionayule's review against another edition
3.0
I started two book challenges at the beginning of 2018.
The goodreads how many books can you read in a year, and a 52 book challenge from #Bookfirst.
One of the challenges was: A book written by a trans author so after consulting Dr. Google I came up with this one.
I am a big fan of time travel. Quantum Leap is one of my all time favourite shows, and Back to the Future one of my most watched films.
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Which makes me sound a bit glib. Jack lives in America in the 1980s begins a radical new treatment for his epilepsy. An unusual side effect of the treatment is that he travels to 1920s, and becomes Jac, a female.
This is a YA book, and as it was aimed at teenagers Jack/Jac didn't behave how anyone else might behave. One of the first things he does is skip school. There is no trying to change major events in history, or looking up his family. Although he does run into some of them along the way.
Jac falls in love with Lucas, which confuses Jack. For me this was a character driven book. Jack/Jac is transplanted from male to female, then back to male, and he has a hard time adjusting. He/she is accepting of lots of things. Lucas is disabled by Jac/Jack falls head over heels in love with him.
Its funny, with side swipes at mental health, disability, gender, sex and neo liberals which made me laugh. Got the feeling their might be a second book and I for one will definitely be reading it.
The goodreads how many books can you read in a year, and a 52 book challenge from #Bookfirst.
One of the challenges was: A book written by a trans author so after consulting Dr. Google I came up with this one.
I am a big fan of time travel. Quantum Leap is one of my all time favourite shows, and Back to the Future one of my most watched films.
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. Which makes me sound a bit glib. Jack lives in America in the 1980s begins a radical new treatment for his epilepsy. An unusual side effect of the treatment is that he travels to 1920s, and becomes Jac, a female.
This is a YA book, and as it was aimed at teenagers Jack/Jac didn't behave how anyone else might behave. One of the first things he does is skip school. There is no trying to change major events in history, or looking up his family. Although he does run into some of them along the way.
Jac falls in love with Lucas, which confuses Jack. For me this was a character driven book. Jack/Jac is transplanted from male to female, then back to male, and he has a hard time adjusting. He/she is accepting of lots of things. Lucas is disabled by Jac/Jack falls head over heels in love with him.
Its funny, with side swipes at mental health, disability, gender, sex and neo liberals which made me laugh. Got the feeling their might be a second book and I for one will definitely be reading it.
tribblesandtbr's review
TBH I don't know how I feel about this book. There were thing I liked and things I didn't. There wasn't really a plot (at least to me). The genres say lgbtia+ because Jack/Jacqueline is trans but I didn't really see it as trans. I was confused a lot. The time leaps weren't dated and weren't really clearly stated. I had to read a few paragraphs before I knew that J made a time leap. I did like the characters though. And there was an Indian, who was the main character's friend. This made me happy. I do wish he had a bigger role though. I wasn't motivated to really finish the book (except for the fact I was reading this book for a challenge). I liked the story but there were things that distracted me and made me not really so interested in it. I do wish that there were markings about when and where J was during the book.
Spoiler
who ended up being gayheatherr's review
4.0
Jack starts to travel back in time during his seizures. It takes a few times before he realizes what is going on. Each time he is in the past for a longer period. He gets dropped into a body of a girl in the 1920s named Jacqueline. It is very Quantum Leap.
The town Jacqueline lives in is being terrorized by a local minister. Jack is being dropped into different points in time to try to save the town. But everything he does changes the timeline.
I enjoyed this book but it frustrated me. It left me with several questions. Years will pass while Jack is in the past but he is not in a coma. He is going on with his life in the present day. How? Does anyone notice that he is not quite himself? The same things happen with Jacqueline in the past. Who is in their bodies when Jack/Jacqueline isn't? Is Jacqueline in Jack? Are they just switching places? Hopefully this will be addressed in future installments of the story. This is book one of a series.
The author is transgender. Had I not known that going into the book, I might have missed the exploration of gender and sexuality that happens in the story. When Jack first finds himself in a female body he is very uncomfortable. Over time he no longer has an issue with it. Jacqueline is not considered to be a conventionally feminine woman of her time but she is still a more feminine person than Jack is in the future. Jacqueline has a relationship with a man named Lucas that starts when Jack is in her body. When he jumps back into his own body he misses Lucas and worries about him. That relationship fuels his desire to learn to master time travel to get back and help Jacqueline. The author never comes out and says what gender or sexual orientation anyone is considered. They just are who they are and love who they love. It is so matter of fact that that is the reason why I might have missed the complexity if I wasn't specifically looking at the gender dynamics.
This is a fun time travel mystery. Read it if you like historical fiction with some suspense.
This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story