I could not jive with the writing on this one, unfortunately. It was a DNF for me, sadly.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
So you Had to Build a Time Machine has my favorite trope of all time, time travel so i I have high expectations about it, but the book lacks a good story and good writing, it has a lot of not so funny jokes and pop culture references scattered throughout the book that I didn't care about.
3 stars for me

While I've rated it 3 stars, this was more like a 2.5 for me. The story starts off well and in a way that had me wanting to continue.

The author's descriptions of the different times and places the protags land in are quite vivid and interesting. Two particular scenes come to mind. The first included a field of fungi-like crops that were being grown to feed aliens. It was written so well that I had no trouble imagining it -- fungus-engulfed humans included! The other one was with the praying mantis of a doctor, who sutured and looked after his patient only to begin eating him alive! Again, well-written to the point of being nauseating and scary!

The plot was easy to follow as well. I liked it when some of the side characters showed up and made the story even more interesting.

I also liked the humorous tone that kept the story from becoming too dark -- I mean, patient-eating mantises and rampaging orc armies will do that to any book! Some parts were even laugh-out-loud funny, like Dave wondering if children secreted slime.

So, if I didn't have an issue with the plot or the writing, what got this book a 2.5? The characters. First off, I didn't like any of them. Skid was annoying most of the time and only less so when she was kicking butt. Dave's geeky references made me want to hit him each time he uttered one -- and he does so quite a lot. I guess how much Cordrey irritated me doesn't count since that's what he was written to do. The villain, too, was cartoonish and annoying. I wasn't a fan of how the POV kept jumping from character to character, either.

In short, it was an okayish read for me.

This book grabs your attention right away as, within the first few pages, a guy gets punched and disappears before he hits the floor. There are loads of wtf moments in this novel, exactly what you might expect from a story detailing a time and dimensional travel experiment gone wrong. I haven't read this author before, but I like how he tells a story. The plot (and characters) are always progressing and there are clever pop culture references scattered throughout.

I have tried to finish this 4 times, I like it but I don't love it.

I get about half way thru and the story loses me which is wild because it starts off SO strong. Quirky characters, immersive intriguing plot, good writing, I'm still at a loss as to why it didn't hook me!!

So much promise, I plan on revisiting again at a later date!

His was a heck of a ride! Interdimensional time-travel horror comedy with some very genre savvy characters (who know that the real treasure is the friends you made along the way). The villains are a bit stupid at times for being such smart guys (genre savvy again?) and the end is a bit too quick but in general this was a fun read.

It took me awhile to get into the story but once I did I really enjoyed it. A different writing style then I am used to but well worth the read.

This did not work for me. The characters were uninteresting. The pop culture references felt forced and overdone. The writing was cringy. It felt like the author had situations he wanted to make and created a ridiculous narrative to make those situations happen.

This was worse than All Our Wrong Todays; that was at least entertaining.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this.

DNF at 50%

I just couldn't do it anymore ; the characters could not be more flat, the plot, though initially interesting, was too jumbled and unfocused and I just hated the writing as the way sentences were written simply did not work.

I was interested in this book as it deals with time and me being a theoretical physics student, that's my jam but I really did not like what I read of it unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Books for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I chose this book because a humorous sci-fi story sounded light-hearted and fun. The characters are original. I really liked the character Skid, who first gets introduced to the time jump when she punches another main character, Dave, and he disappears right in front of her. Raised in a circus, she has a real kick-butt attitude. Following a memorable cast of characters as they're pulled into many time jumps crashing together they must find a way to destroy the time machine and save the world.

I started this book not really knowing what to expect. I didn't know if this was science fiction, fantasy, romance, or a combination of everything in between. The characters and plot were well thought out and written well. I enjoyed their transformations throughout the story, with their stories and dialogue being detailed in all the correct places. The only detail I found to be diminishing for this review was flow between sections. Character sections would switch mid chapter, and it threw me for a loop. I usually am able to keep up with small changes like these, but found myself having to restart a section over again to remember what character's viewpoint I was reading about. In all, the story and characters were well written, and I loved the sense of magical realism this book gave. My only major issues with it is the jumping of character viewpoint mid chapter. 4/5 stars

Having a bad day? Then this is the book for you. It's just a decent, fun, romp-through-time-to-save-the-universe kind of thing. The story is nothing spectacular, but it is easy to immerse yourself in this world of time travel silliness and shenanigans and emerge a few hours later feeling a wee bit lighter and content in spirit.

Recommended for: readers who enjoyed Where the Hell is Tesla?, In Times Like These, Far-Fetched and Highly Plausible, Battlestar Suburbia

Thank you to Netgalley and CamCat Publishing for the ARC.

I was invited to review this one. I probably would have picked it up on my own - the title and cover and blurb would have all drawn me in... And I was drawn in, make no mistake. From the beginning, I loved all the quirks and foibles and bizarre personality traits of the maniacal cast of characters. I loved the concept, I liked the way things were rolling out, and I liked the skittery jumping through time.

Until I didn't.

Somewhere about a third of the way in, I started having a hard time holding all of the threads together and keeping the different versions of the characters straight as they travel through time and intersected in each other's lives. I found the big villain of the piece to be irritating rather than evil. The quirky banter started to feel a little forced. And the whole thing felt a little unnecessarily complicated in a way that I felt drew me out of the story rather than sucking me further in...

In other words, I lost the thread and I somehow never found it again. I'm very disappointed - it's not like it jumped the shark or went off the rails or any other cliche you can think of. I don't know exactly why it lost me. Sure I listed a few things, but in and of themselves none of them was big enough to have pulled me out considering how much I liked this one in the beginning. I'm wondering if this is just the wrong book at the wrong time for me. There's a lot going on in my world just now and overly complicated plots require more effort and brain focus then I can allot to a book right now. I would pick this one up and give it another try - I really really liked the beginning - but right now I just found this one too much work for not enough reward...

Quantum Sweet Spot

When it comes to quantum science-garble adventuring I don't care too much about the plot as such, or its sciencey plausibility. I think the sweet spot involves a few characters you get a kick out of, lots of snappy banter, assured writing, geek culture shoutouts, and fast paced weirdness, with just the right touch of bizarro. That's this book in spades.

Some books go in way too hard on explaining, ("sci-splaining"), what's going on. Give me a Schrodinger reference, (preferably a funny one), a nod to Higgs, and some pop-up universes, and maybe a roiling purple cloud of cosmic confusion, and I'm good. That's what you get here.

You also get four interesting and distinct protagonists, so you can root for the solid practical guy, the tough chick, the science guy, or the con man. They're all good, and I think it was wise to make Skid, the tough jaded female, the center of the action. She has the style and substance to hold your attention and to make everything else work. She's also the center of the slow burn start to the book that teases you along until the serious action starts.

On top of all that you get clever tough guy patter, deadpan throwaway lines, and lots of sly jokes and bits slipped in around the edges. Some people go for the antic and freewheeling time travel and dislocation. I appreciate that, and there's plenty of good stuff along those lines here. Mostly, though, I like that because it allows for, heck it almost requires, lots of deadpan comedy and tough guy one-liners. And you get that here too.

So, this is smart, entertaining, fast paced, and well written. It's confusing, of course, but in a good way, not a throw the book against the wall way. I had a good time.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A fun, fast-paced read, if not a bit off in places. The characters are original and interesting, too. To be fair, this is a fantasy-based science fiction story that isn't meant to be taken seriously, so I'm not sure it needs such a serious critique. But that said...

There are some loose threads that do not get explained, and the ending doesn't reveal as much as perhaps it could. I didn't have a hard time with "suspension of disbelief," but there are some simple inconsistencies that I couldn't get past (nothing to do with the time travel: if Dave's 10 in 1984 and Susan's 18 in 1984, there can never be a year in which Dave's in his "early 30s" while Susan is 65).

I also really wish that the author had not teased potential romances between the main female character and each (or any!) of the three male characters. Since all the male characters can't be with the one female, there also had to be a few scenes introducing "potential other girlfriends" for each of them, which does nothing for the overall plot. Pairing up any of these characters felt more "expected" than necessary to the story.

Long story short - this is a really fun story to read, but there are just some minor issues that serve to distract. I'd give 3.5 stars if possible (rounding down here because of the loose threads that went unexplained at the end).

This book is one wild ride. Time travel, other dimensions, a haunted house, a megalomaniac, and dinosaurs...what more could you ask for? Actually, there's more than that here, too. Did I mention the circus?
Skid is the main protagonist here. She's rather adept at knife-throwing. Brick is, well, big (but a softie). And Cord is a bit of a huckster (he offers haunted house tours). Dave is the scientist; he knows what's happening and is trying to stop it. Together they make an interesting ensemble as they race to save the world as they know (or knew?) it.
I enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. The relationship between Skid and Brick matures throughout the novel (the story is not just about the technology and the monsters). The ending was amusing (I always enjoy being given a little extra twist at the end of a novel).
Fans of Douglas Adams or of the Dr. Who universe might particularly enjoy this one.
[Note: not for those who don't like human/cockroach violence.]

This book was a fascinating read. It's filled with fast-paced reading with multiple perspectives of characters who band together to save time and space and dimensions. This book has plenty of pop culture references to keep things relevant to the reader. Shall recommend to fans of SciFi and fantasy.

I laughed a lot during this book. It's a wonderful addition to the Sci-Fi cannon. A motely crew goes on a quest where everything goes wrong, literally everything. It is full of references to books, tv shows, and games that many of us grew up with. I especially enjoyed the banter between the characters. Will definitely recommend to those who enjoy slightly apocolyptic scifi.

I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.

When I started reading this book I was captivated by the style, the writing, the unpredictable nature of the story, and the characters. I enjoyed the fast past, even as I struggled to accept that I didn’t know where it was going next or what might happen. It was so unpredictable, I stopped trying to make any guesses and simply sat down to enjoy the ride.
The writing is excellent in that it pulls you along through the story and is clear enough and vivid enough to allow you to paint pictures in your head of all the action as it happens. The characters are unique for the most part, with depth, back stories that have brought them to this event, and patterns of behavior which help determine how they will cope with any given situation.
Coping is a major issue for all the characters in the book. It is a wild ride, with them being swept from one time period to another, one location to another, and one challenge to another; all at unexpected intervals and absolutely no control over what will happen next. All they know is they are on the equivalent of a quest to save the world as a scientist has unleashed a machine that can travel through time and multiple dimensions without giving full consideration to the end effect on the world as we know it.
The characters are each equipped with their own particular skill that aids them in this quest. There’s Skid, who was brought up in the circus and who is physically top notch with a finely honed skill at knife throwing. Then there’s Brick, a giant of a man who is as gentle as they come; that is until he is faced with a real life combination of Lord of the Rings and Dungeons and Dragons. Then he becomes a master at leading the troops and battling strange creatures. Finally, there’s Bud-Lite Dave, a scientist who realizes his co-worker has unleashed this deadly machine on the world and believes it is up to him and his merry band to stop it before the world is torn apart.
There are other characters as well who play less central parts but who are also essential to the story. They come in and out of the group’s activities as the story moves forward through increasingly frantic, desperate times and situations. This is where I had the most difficulty. About three-fourths of the way through the book I began wondering when it was going to reach its conclusion. I saw a movie once that would build to what seemed like a climax only to start the cycle all over again. There was an element of that in this book, and by the end I was thinking I would have liked it better if it had ended at about the eighty percent mark. This was compounded by the fact that it came to an abrupt end, and the group of adventurers went back to normal lives, as if nothing had ever happened. I would have liked to have some hint at the changes they experienced as a result of their adventures, if only just enough to let me fill in the rest.
My thanks to CamCat Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital read copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If a reader is looking for a wild, unpredictable ride and doesn’t mind some rather graphic battle scenes with non-humans, this might be worth a look for them.

“Skid lay on her stomach, her head turned toward the light. I broke it. I broke my ankle. How the hell am I supposed to save the universe with a broken ankle?”

So You Had To Build A Time Machine is the fifth novel by American author, Jason Offutt. It all starts one Friday night when Skid punches the guy who is trying to chat her up at Slap Happy’s Dance Club, and he disappears before her eyes. Dave says he is a theoretical physicist, and apparently works for a government lab. So maybe it actually started before then?

Brick is on a blind date with a woman who’s not returned from the bathroom (not again!) when he sees the scientist guy fall out of nowhere into the bathroom corridor: he’s dirty, smelly and injured, and shouts a warning before vanishing into thin air. Trouble is, that’s BEFORE he sees Skid punch the same guy, much cleaner, at the bar.

Cordrey Bellamy is leading a ghost tour at the Sanderson Murder House when Dave Collison materialises out of thin air into the hall, right on the spot where Delbert Sanderson murdered his son, Tommy back in 1984. So while his ghost tours are all tricks and con, this is a bonus he is delighted to accept, especially when one of the group identifies him as Tommy Sanderson.

These are not the only strange things they observe, and soon Skid, Brick and Cord are comparing notes until they catch up with Dave, who lays the blame at the door of his boss. Before long, they are heading for that lab: “I can’t believe that with a scientist, a baker and a—” he paused and looked at Skid in the rearview mirror “— a potentially dangerous felon, that I’m the voice of reason. And I cheat honest, hard -working suckers for a living. In no way should we be doing this.”

From there, a rollercoaster ride takes the reader through multiple worlds and times. If it becomes too convoluted to keep straight in the head, the best advice is to go with the flow and enjoy a fun ride that includes orcs, enormous sentient insects, nine-foot-tall non-human primates, fire-breathing radioactive dinosaurs, Klingons, ghosts (maybe), Nazi soldiers, a zombie circus master, alien people-eating mushrooms and a great, horned lizard or two.

Offutt’s characters include an ex-circus knife-thrower, a mad scientist and a former bricklayer who bakes muffins, is a Dungeons and Dragons fan and comes extremely well-prepared for a quest. Hugely entertaining.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and CamCat Publishing.