The second instalment of Mark Lawrence's sci-fi series, starting with One Word Kill, was an enjoyable one. I'm not going to go into too much detail of this book in this review as the story in this one does pick up straight where the first one left off and I don't want to accidentally include any spoilers. I will say though that I enjoyed this continuation and the where the story took us.

A lot of my thoughts for this one are similar to the first, so check out my review for that of your interested. The sci-fi time travel elements are still at the forefront of this story and in this instalment they have definitely been ramped up a level and, as a result, made the story that bit more difficult to follow. There were several times when I found myself a bit confused with the science and mathematical references however, that being said I still enjoyed the over arching plot of the story. I especially enjoyed the D&D scenes. These were really well described and they felt like a story in themselves. I can see why Mark Lawrence is such a prolific fantasy author after reading these chapters.

I also still enjoyed the characters in this one, especially our new characters to the series, Eva and Helen. I enjoyed how smart and witty these two were with just a hint of sarcasm, they were fun to read. I did however, find it more difficult to relate to the main character in this book, compared to the first. I think this was due to him being very focused on a lot of the scientific and mathematical elements that went over my head. That being said I still enjoyed reading from his perspective.

Overall I thought this was a good continuation in this series however, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as the first. The ending of this one felt quite conclusive too however, this is going to be a trilogy, with the final book being released later this year, so I'm keen to see where this series goes from here.

Much like the first book, this is a wild ride that pulls you along by your ears, and you are unable to find the breaks. The characters, again, are the best part of the book, not to mention the science seeming realistic and well explained. Another winner from Mark Lawrence!

Mark Lawrence is a master at telling compelling stories!
Limited Wish is the second book in the Impossible Times Trilogy. I adored the first book, One Word Kill, and honestly, I wasn’t sure where the story would go in this second book. However, Mark Lawrence did not disappoint. He has a way of telling a story that grips me and I have to keep reading until the end. While I enjoy reading science fiction, I tend to get lost in the heavy science parts, but I did not feel this way while reading this book. I found science very approachable and easy to understand despite the complex themes, such as, time travel and paradoxes. Overall, the story was complex, fast-paced, and still easy to follow. My one negative is that I did not feel overly attached to the characters. Personally, I enjoy books with a lot of character development, and I felt like there was not as much character development as I would have liked. However, this did not take away from my overall enjoyment. Also, I wish the D&D sections were just a tad bit shorter, though this is just a personal preference. I found myself wanted to skim through them to get back to the other parts of the story that I liked more.
I would highly recommend this book and I cannot wait to read the next one!

Slap Mark Lawerence's name on a book and I'll come sprinting. Of course when he announced he was releasing a new series following a teenager who likes to play dnd with his friends when things that happen in their gaming sessions, happen in real life, I WAS HERE FOR IT.

This sequel does not suffer from the "middle book woes". It expanded the world. It brought in more development for the characters. Limited Wish is an engaging treatise of life, change, morality, and love. It's a moving story that captures the readers through its characters and ends on a note that leaves you with questions, but doesn't leave you unsatisfied. This is a book that will make you think and make you care.

Mark's work is consistently excellent -- he knows how to tell a story well, delivering plot twists and surprises along the way to keep the reader on the edge of their seat, and developing characters who are engaging and relatable. I'm excited to move onto the next.

A great sequel set five months after One Word Kill. A great story about time travel and the endless possibilities of science mixed in with dungeons and dragons. Cannot wait to read the final part of this trilogy to find out what happens to Nick.

Ok, wow! So mister Lawrence has done it again, surprised me when I did not think there was any way he’d manage to do it again, but here I am being proven wrong by the master of plot twists and logic. 😲😲😲😲

One choice. Two possible timelines. And a world hanging in the balance.
It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a boy-genius cancer survivor who’s already dabbled in time travel.
When he crosses paths with a mysterious yet curiously familiar girl, Nick discovers that creases have appeared in the fabric of time, and that he is at the centre of the disruption. Only Nick can resolve this time paradox before the damage becomes catastrophic for both him and the future of the world. Time is running out—literally. [goodreads blurb]

From the first flick of the page you know that your mind is going to be blown away and it will be a WILDE ride. Nick is now a student at Cambridge University which comes with its share of problems, some more mundane than others (because the others involve some time travel paradoxical situations that will make your brain swivel 😲).

If you’ve read book one (and you should’ve if you’re reading this!), you are most probably already in love like me of Nick’s personality. He has been battling cancer for a very long time, but he is super clever, witty and with a wicked sense of humor. Although there are sad moments at times in this series (duh, cancer!), his outlook on life is positive and uplifting. His D&D friends are the best and a great support network for him. That circle of friendship is the best. I appreciated that it had the same feel as book one [One word kill] and it continued to be centered around Nick, his D&D friends and the new challenges they have to face.

But what truly blew my mind were the plot twists intertwined with the time travel paradox. I was not able to wrap my brain that much around it, but what I did manage, I really enjoyed. I honestly I don’t know how the man can write stuff like that and constantly blowing my mind.

It is all good and dandy with the good guys, but let’s not forget the bag guys who did an amazing job. Mr Rust was one of the creepiest, I swear and somehow in my mind I pictured him with an evil laugh like Dr Evil.

I cannot wait for book 3 to be released – DISPEL ILLUSION – towards the end of the year! Impressed that he’s done it in such a way that the readers don’t have to wait ages for the release.

What is there not to adore about this series so far? Book two does not suffer from the sophomore slump. Limited Wish is a fantastic journey with all the tropes that I love in a book in this genre, a university setting, nerdy-smart, math-type characters and adventures. This has all of that and more. It picks right up from Book 1 and leaves you waiting desperately for the final book in the series. I love it!

#LimitedWish #MarkLawrence #NetGalley

Review posted at Grimdark Magainze:

I read One Word Kill a few weeks ago and was thrilled to get hold of an eARC of the sequel, Limited Wish.

If you liked book one, prepare to be just as entertained an engrossed with book two. The good news is that this book doesn’t suffer at all from “middle book syndrome” where the bridge from beginning to end of a trilogy often becomes the weakest link. Indeed, this is just as good if not better than the first book.

Limited Wish picks up a few months after the events of One Word Kill, as our party of adventurers settles back into their daily lives. Our narrator, Nick, has turned 16 and worked his way into admission at Trinity College in Cambridge, working as a protégé to a Professor in Mathematics. They’re working together on ideas with bending time, as Nick is convinced by his experiences in book one that he eventually invents a method of time travel.

As in book one, Nick and his friends get together each week to play their Dungeons and Dragonscampaign. The book’s title reflects that, with the Limited Wish spell being one that has wondrous benefit but obvious limitations on it. It’s all in the wording of the wish. The campaign story runs parallel to our main story, where Nick is once again dealing with visitors from the future and having to avoid time paradoxes.

This time around, Lawrence ups the stakes from the first book. Nick still has the shadow of leukemia to haunt him and threaten to end his future before he can move to set it back to what it was, or is, supposed to be. We see that there are many alternate realities and possibilities, and Nick is determined to make sure that his reality is one where he isn’t killed by such things as his leukemia or the simple fact of the universe seeming to be out to kill him with random accidents. If that’s not enough, Nick and his friends are dealing with the aftermath of the events in book one, where they know certain parts of their futures and are dealing with the questions of how set in stone they are or if their current actions will change things up and create a Butterfly Effect.

This isn’t a rehash of the first book, but a deeper study into time bending and alteration, and the paradoxes that are formed when it’s attempted. At the centre of these ideas is the “time hammer”, which Nick will need to employ at a precise moment of convergence in order to set things “right”. It’s a bit of a mind twister for both Nick and the reader, but Lawrence pulls it off in ways that make sense scientifically and make sense to the layman reader.

I’m recommending the Impossible Times trilogy as one of the top reads of 2019, and very much looking forward to the conclusion in November. I can see this series down the road as an essential re-read, as there will be lots of little things to snap into place the second time around. Perhaps the time hammer will make elements click that might have been overlooked with the first reading.

Received from Netgalley and 47 North for honest read and review.

I am an avid reader of Mr Lawrence's books and this series is just as good as his others. Central character is Nick who has Cancer and this follows him in one timeline and Eve in another.It is masterfully done and the writing is outstanding.No spoilers but this is really good and all the characters are brilliant.

There is just so much going on with Nick/Demus that the story flows from one to the other.
Brilliant series and cannot wait until November for book 3.

4.50- What would you do with a Limited Wish? A wish granted by a half-genie. Nick and the gang minus one and plus another are back again playing Dungeons & Dragons. As with the first book One Word Kill, certain actions in the game play are played out in actual life and the decisions that are made influence the outcome.
The year is 1986 and Nick is attending Cambridge University after being discovered as a mathematical genius. Strange, eerie and ghostlike things start happening to Nick. He keeps rolling the same number in D&D, things in his room move and he starts seeing blurs and ghostlike images. What does all of this mean?
The time element in this book is heavy and confusing at times. In the first book, Nick is visited by someone in his future, but in this book he is visited by two visitors and it has created a time paradox that leads to tough decisions for Nick. He is delivered bad news in this book that makes him struggle through the events he needs to proceed and is also bullied by someone related to his past and new jealous bullies in the college life which make his obstacles even harder to hurdle.
This book was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book!

brief summary
Mathematical wunderkind Nick Hayes is back in the second Impossible Times book, wherein he, his future self, and an intriguing new girl who is a temporal anomaly must perform mind-boggling heroics to save not only the love of his life but the entire world while still navigating the real-life demands of friendship, university, and the return of Nick's leukemia.

full review
Mark Lawrence's second installment in the Impossible Times series opens in 1986 and Nick Hayes is just starting college at Cambridge, where he is working closely with one of their best professors on the mathematical properties of time travel. He is still recovering in some ways from the events of the previous book. He is still playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends on the weekends, but his entry to college is not the only thing that has changed. Elton is no longer a part of D&D, and so Mia has taken on the role of Dungeon Master. She's also taken on a new boyfriend who is not Nick, and she's begun to bring him to sessions, much to the group's annoyance and Nick's dismay.

Despite the changes in Nick's life, he remains a textbook bully magnet, and the fact that he's now at Cambridge apparently makes no difference. The bullies are at least a good deal less psychotic than the antagonist of the previous book, but they're really the least of Nick's worries, even after one of them stabs him with a sword. For one thing, Ian Rust has a brother who's just as batshit crazy, though in a different way. For another thing, there's a girl. Two of them, in fact, and one of them needs Nick to help her save the world from coming apart due to microsecond temporal differences across the globe in her time. It doesn't help that the universe seems to have committed itself to killing Nick, either, with buildings exploding near him, cars swerving to hit him, and every die he rolls gaming coming up a natural 1.

This book delves more deeply into the complexities of time travel, and also of life, and as such can be a little difficult to follow, particularly toward the end, where perspective shift quite rapidly, as does the year. Nevertheless, all of the elements which made the first book such an enjoyable read - D&D sessions, nerdy name checks, 80s culture, and interesting supporting characters to name just a few - remain in this book. However, they take a backseat to the plot, which involves more complicated explanations of time travel science that my brain really wanted to skim over. I could have used more time spent with Nick's friends, although the fact he is now at Cambridge instead of attending school locally makes it perfectly reasonable that they would feature less prominently in this chapter of Nick's life.

It is worth mentioning that without the catch-up section preceding the main text, this book would make absolutely no sense to someone who picked it up and read it out of sequence with the first book in this series. There is nothing wrong with that, of course, but despite Lawrence's very good summary, this is not a standalone. That said, Limited Wish really is an enjoyable addition to the Impossible Times series, and I absolutely recommend it. Knowing that this is intended as a trilogy, I am eager to know what the third book will bring, and which characters from this book will recur. Thank goodness Lawrence has been producing these books at a delightfully rapid rate.

I’m so glad that I had an opportunity to read the two books in the Impossible Times trilogy back to back. One Word Kill was an amazing “introduction” of the time traveling concept and the main characters, but Limited Wish brought the story to the next level, introducing even more of dark and twisted moments.

The boy-genius Nick Heyes has a big task ahead of him, and to make that future possible he needs to hurry up, even if that means doing everything in his power to enter Cambridge University and work with one of the most famous mathematicians of his time.

If One Word Kill was «Time Traveling for Dummies. Vol 1», Limited Wish felt more like a school manual on all things science (with a lot of paradoxes!). Don’t let this scare you off, though! Because as always, Mark Lawrence’s clever and beautiful writing style makes everything appealing, even maths!

I feel like this trilogy needs to become required reading for math lessons. Not to learn math, but to inspire children and create a positive association with mathematics. I can already imagine how many young boys and girls would strive to be like Nick Heyes, especially when it comes to time traveling. Oh, and of course there will be even more who’d LOVE to play Dungeons & Dragons.

This series is very enjoyable. The writing and the characters are great. I love Nick's story and can't wait for the next book.

I started to read this book, then stopped when I realised it was following on from a previous novel, One Word Kill. I was intrigued enough by the premise, so I've shelved this book and bought One Word Kill to start off with. I'm already enjoying it immensely - loving the characters and how it's all unfolding. So four stars so far, and massive thanks to Amazon Publishing UK 47north and Net Galley for bringing this Author and book to my attention. I'll update my review once I've finished them both.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2019/06/13/limited-wish-impossible-times-2-by-mark-lawrence/
Limited Wish was a blast of a book that brought with it more mind bending paradoxes and adventure very much in the style of Back to the Future. This series is a whole lot of fun – although I’m not sure fun is the word I’m really looking for or truly says what I want it to – it will suffice for now and maybe I’ll shoot back in time later and revamp this – and nobody will even see this version. Also, be aware that this review may contain spoilers for One Word Kill so unless ‘current you’ has a way of manipulating time and jumping back to tell ‘past you’ not to read it – then, well, be warned. That is all.

We jump forward a little as the story begins and find Nick in a punt, racing from a bunch of hysterical students with blood on their mind. It seems that Nick has caused offence in some way and is about to pay the price unless he can make his escape. As it happens, a young woman saves the day and rescues the dude in distress. Hooray.

Meet Helen. Nick has that strange feeling of deja vu, he’s sure he’s met Helen a few months earlier in what has come to feel like a haunting event. Helen is also a student at Cambridge, easy going and easy to like Nick develops an almost immediate crush – but, what about Mia you might very well ask – well, Mia and Nick are no longer dating, too much stress accompanied their pre-destined relationship – but, hold up, I’m getting ahead of myself.

Nick, at the age of 16, finds himself unexpectedly attending Cambridge University, mathematical genius and beater of cancer. He’s working, alongside an eminent professor to discover the time travel he will need to make use of in later years. Of course all is not plain sailing. Apart from getting off to a bad start with a number of the older students who very much resent Nick’s existence let alone his gall in attending their prestigious university, the pressure of finding scientific solutions becomes very real when the sponsors of the project start to use strong arm tactics to keep things on track. On top of this Nick once again finds himself becoming something of an anomaly, strange things occur around him and he finds himself visited by people from a future yet to come. But none of these things are as life threatening as the ‘wrinkle in time’ that has affected Nick’s timeline so disastrously and resulted in him having to cope not only with a world determined to see his demise but also facing the news that the cancer he beat has returned with a vengeance. Things have gone rapidly wrong to say the least.

I’m not going to go further into the plot as this could undoubtedly spoil the surprises in store. There is no shortage of mind bending twists in Limited Wish. It really is a book that will make you stop short and think hard. I love the conundrums created here, it truly is a ‘what came first, the chicken or the egg?’ type of read. If somebody didn’t come back in time in book one, for example, would time travel even have been thought of as a possibility? Riddle me this – the Terminator – travels back in time to assassinate the mother of the rebel leader who is proving such a problem in the future and in doing so leaves behind a peace of technology that is so futuristic that it actually enables that future, which the Terminator comes from, to exist. Yep, it kind of does my head in too but in a good way that, as strange as it may sound, I enjoy. So many, infinite possibilities that occur not in a lifetime but in a mere instant, all with the possibility to split into different possible futures.

On top of this we have the return of Nick’s friends, or nearly all of them. They’re starting to lead more separate lives in some ways, and Nick’s departure to University has helped to speed up the rift a little, but they still come together every weekend to share their love of D&Ds. Mia has a boyfriend and Nick struggles to come to terms with it all, particularly when she starts to bring her new fella to their weekly games sessions. It’s all part of growing up.

Lawrence has definitely tapped into our love of a certain era with this series. It’s just got such great vibes, its fast paced and is basically a story very well told. The other thing that is really well done is the voice of the main protagonist. Nick feels like a 16 year old and even though Lawrence manages to make this seem deceptively easy to achieve I have to applaud it especially the way that the main thrust of the story is all about the difficult choices which he’s presented with – which is a very real issue when you’re in your teens.

In terms of criticisms. I don’t really have anything to be honest other than the fact that the other characters play something of a lesser role here – but it feels like a natural part of their own growing up.

A second instalment that builds admirably on the foundations laid in the first book and in fact develops in even more twisted ways – I can’t even begin to imagine the ways in which the third book will explore the multiple possibilities that open up when time travel is a possibility.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Fine sequel to "One Word Kill".

Mark Lawrence's writing kept my attention span high throughout the whole reading session. I like where the story is going and the character's developments, especially Nick's. Compared to "One Word Kill" it was a little bit slower....which is still faster than most novels I read, so can't complain here.

Overall a good mix of dark humour and serious topics.

LIMITED WISH
Impossible Times #2
Mark Lawrence

Publisher: 47 North
Edition: Hardback, Paperback, Kindle, Audio
Release date: 28 May 2019
Rating: 4 stars


My Thoughts:
Limited Wish is another really fun read from Mark Lawrence. Nick and his friends are back, along with two new characters: Helen, and a mysterious girl who keeps appearing and disappearing. I guessed who she was, but that didn’t spoil my enjoyment. There are many parallels to the previous book, One Word Kill, which is also fun. Things are similar yet different, in interesting ways.
The parallels between the D and D games Nick and his friends play and events in the real world are handled brilliantly and these are possibly my favourite parts of the novel. The Inescapable University is such a great fantasy creation. I would have liked to see even more gaming and more interactions between Nick, John, Simon and Mia. But Lawrence packs a lot into just over 200 pages, and I can see why he made the decision to focus on other parts of the story.
Mathematics and paradox play an even bigger role in this novel than in the previous one, to great effect.
The resolution of Nick’s problems with the villain is surprising and satisfying. I should have seen it coming, yet I didn’t. I love that.
Limited Wish is a sequel that doesn’t drop the ball. In fact, it keeps several balls spinning and then catches them all and takes a bow. The third book, Dispel Illusion, will be coming out in November. I’m expecting a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Disclosure
A digital A.R.C. of this novel was supplied to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m loving the quick release schedule for these books, because it meant I was able to jump right into Limited Wish almost immediately after finishing One Word Kill and I was definitely looking forward to continuing the story of Nick Hayes and his friends. Following the events of book one, our protagonist has beaten his diagnosis of cancer and is now enrolled in the prestigious Mathematics program at Cambridge, following in his brilliant late father’s footsteps. It is 1986 and Nick is looking forward to beginning a new chapter in his life as a university student, but still he maintains close ties to his mother and his group of D&D friends at home. Of course, things haven’t exactly been the same between them anymore, not since their brush with time travel, and considering what they’ve all been through, that’s not too surprising.

As it turns out though, Nick’s adventures are far from over. At school, he meets a fellow student who seems strangely familiar, though he’s pretty sure he’s never seen her before. Comprehension dawns as he realizes that his past shenanigans must have caused several disruptions through time, and now life as he knows it is in danger of unraveling unless he can get the gang together again to fix the very fabric of reality—with the help of some unexpected and impossible allies to boot.

Oh, reviewing a time travel book is always so frustrating, because how do you explain the best parts without spoiling things? Multiple possibilities, mind-bending paradoxes, uncanny precognition, communications from the future…this book has it all. I think it’s safe to say if you enjoyed One Word Kill, then Limited Wish will appeal to you for all the same reasons, but with the stakes even higher this time, the difference is that you will likely get hooked much faster and much harder. No small amount of credit is also due to Mark Lawrence for this, for as always, he writes in a style that is easy for readers to grasp and to grow addicted to, so you just can’t help but keep turning the pages. Even the driest and most complex of theories seemed straightforward and superbly, unendingly fascinating in his hands, and as a result, I finished Limited Wish in about a day. It’s also a fast-paced and rather short novel, so that helped as well.

Again, the characters stole the show in this one. Nick Hayes as a protagonist is likeable and sympathetic, to the point where you almost have to resent the author a little for putting this sweet kid through the wringer. Though if you’ve read Mark Lawrence, chances are you already know his characters are no strangers to hardship, given his penchant to throw seemingly impossible obstacles before them. It’s what makes reading his books so worth it. Limited Wish hooked me in because I already felt close to Nick, and it was both joyous and heartbreaking to see him be presented with another challenge. Like One Word Kill, this sequel strikes a fine balance between the entertaining action and the emotional, poignant gut-punch moments. It makes you really feel for Nick, simultaneously making him a character you want to cheer for, as well as to wrap around in protective arms in order to shield him from all the pain and uncertainties of life. At the same time, the story is also full of these wild and incredible scenarios that make you wonder what you would do if you were in the protagonist’s shoes, coming face-to-face with people from his past and present. That is to say, despite its moodier moments, this is a really fun read that contains plenty of lightness to balance out some of the life-altering confusion and angst.

So what else is there left to say, besides I can’t wait to see what else this series has in store for us! I’ve been a fan of Mark Lawrence for a long time, but the last couple of years has seen his writing and storytelling evolve to a whole new level, with the proof of that happening right before us in the Impossible Times trilogy. Bring on the third book, I say, because I’m loving it. With Dispel Illusion due out before the end of the year, I’m just glad the wait won’t be too long!

Okay so middle books in trilogies are always risky as there's often no big world introduction or big awesome ending and much of the time they simply don't live up to the first and last books in the series.
This is not one of those occasions. Mark Lawrence laughs in the face of "Middle Book syndrome". In fact, I actually liked this one better than the first!

All of our favourite characters from the first book return in a slightly different setting - Cambridge University! As I'm rather familiar with Cambridge I very much enjoyed this new setting. While I feel like we had further character development with our MC Nick, I do also feel like his friends were more on the sidelines of this one for some reason which is a bit of a shame.

I still absolutely loved the D&D sessions and I'm so glad this continued throughout the book even with Nick going off to university. That little bit of magic and imagination and all round nerdiness is just wonderful.

As for the time travel theory used in the series - I have to admit that I still can't quite get my head around it but that's pretty much to be expected for time travel plots!

The ending was overall fairly satisfying and this could easily finish as a duology (but I'm still secretly glad we're getting one more book).

Mark Lawrence continues to impress in this lovely new trilogy.

Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for and honest review.

An excellent sequel to One Word Kill, for me it fell slightly short of the first but that could be due to the fact that I couldn't dedicate a day to reading it in one sitting so certain parts felt disjointed.

That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed it and love Nick and his little clan, I eagerly await the third and final instalment!