“Splinter Effect” is by Andrew Ludington. From the premise, this book sounded like a mash-up of Indiana Jones (archeology) meets Back to the Future (time travel), which sounds really cool! I found the book a bit heavy on the historical context (normally something I rather enjoy in books), but the action scenes were interesting. The pace was a bit uneven (slower during the historical descriptions, faster during the action scenes), though I understood the choices the author made. I found myself skimming some parts when it was historical description heavy, though I found the information about time traveling and the artifacts themselves rather interesting.

I'm pretty sure all historians and archeologists have, at some point in their careers, wished they could time travel. Here's a novel about a time-traveling archeologist whose job it is to smuggle sacred treasures out of the past right as they're about to be lost/destroyed. Or rather, he does the losing and then knows exactly where to dig them back up again in the future.

Unfortunately for Rabbit, on one of his early missions he took his patrons' son with him and returned without him - or the treasure. Haunted by this loss, Rabbit seizes the chance to go after the treasure again in a twisty, turn-y adventure story. Just because something was lost in the past doesn't mean it will stay lost when time travel gets involved.

Splinter Effect is a quick and entertaining novel focused on time travel. Rabbit Ward is a chrono-archeologist with the Smithsonian Institution who works to retrieve artifacts lost to time, often funded by private investors. While his career has largely been successful, a mysterious adversary has recently began appearing in his jumps, and she managed to steal half of his recently recovered artifacts. Haunted by this cryptic woman, Rabbit gets a chance to redeem himself by attempting to retrieve the menorah of the Second Temple. This artifact has religious significance but also a significance to Rabbit himself, as it represents his only previous failure on a mission near the beginning of his career, where he both failed to retrieve the menorah and also failed to protect his partner in the process.

The book has a strong start which hooked me, and during a panel discussion near the beginning we also learn the laws of time travel in this universe. Essentially, time travel is governed by the fact that nobody can change anything about history that we know to be a fact, as this creates a splintered universe in which history was always that way. This is known as the splinter effect. This idea is interesting and kind of makes sense. Essentially, small changes that don’t affect history are alright (because they’re not really changes, we just didn’t know those things happened… I think) but larger changes that go against history don’t work. Time travelers can also never return to the same time and place twice, which is why Rabbit never previously re-attempted to retrieve the menorah (although other people could have tried?).

But now he has his chance. Most of this book takes place on a time travel jump to Constantinople in 535 CE. Time jumps are limited to 20 days to give the plot a sense of urgency (seriously there’s no other reason given haha, Rabbit can’t remember why this limit is imposed) so Rabbit quickly has to establish himself in Constantinople and figure out where the menorah is. Of course, his mysterious woman also seems to have made the jump, so it’s a race to who can retrieve it first. I personally enjoyed this section of the novel. There were a lot of aspects of historical fiction, with some great descriptions of the time period, and I felt like there was the right amount of action and plot progression to keep it moving.

After the jump, the last quarter of the book was a bit downhill honestly. I thought it was rushed and confusing, and the book could have been five stars if these last events were more flushed out. Not to give too much away, but the CIA and FBI launch an extremely confusing investigation. What and why are they investigating? Couldn’t really tell you, because I got lost. If it didn’t make sense to me, I’m sure other people will also be confused. So I didn’t really understand everything in this section... but at least it didn’t last long.

Then we get to the ending which is only satisfying if you don’t think about it at all. Remember when Rabbit explained about the Splinter Effect in the beginning of the book? Yeah, he really didn’t explain it well enough for this ending to make sense. When exactly does a splinter happen? Because… yeah if I think about this too hard it just makes my brain hurt and I don’t like it. Please. Explain things. The characters pretty much say “how is this possible?” “Oh, I have no clue (it’s just nice for the plot and it’s too hard to think of an actual explanation).” I get it, the book was relatively short and didn’t want to spend that much time explaining things, but in that case, write another ending that makes more sense with the science we’re given.

So basically the first three quarters of this book are really entertaining, and it’s time travel and historical fiction with some awesome action scenes too. The ending just needs a bit more love, then I could definitely see this being a five star book. Given that this is a debut novel, I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future. I liked the characters and I liked the writing. I read through this pretty fast because it had me hooked. I’m sorry I didn’t like the ending, but otherwise I really recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for sending me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I LOVED this book! The perfect mix of history, adventure and TIME TRAVEL! I have to admit that I just adore books involving time travel--don't we all? I was not surprised to find that the author has written screenplays as it was very visual without being overly descriptive. I don't like when setting details over-burden the story, and this one hit it just right.

I loved visiting ancient Carthage and Rome with "Rabbit" Ward adventurer and archeologist and his nemesis, Helen. I hope to see her in future adventures. It's hard not to think of Indiana Jones when you think of adventure and ancient relics, which is not a bad thing. But Ludington takes it further and with the cool spin of a time traveler hiding them to rediscover them in his lifeline.

I was thrilled to see that this is the first of a series, and with the whole past history of the world at his fingertips, there's a lot of adventures ahead! The author seems to have done his research and paints a believable picture of these ancient people and places. I can't wait to see where he takes us next!

For me this book was just a bit boring. I was really into the premise but the narrative fell flat for me and I struggled to stay engaged. I also found it difficult to keep track of characters and what was going on. To be fair, I'm not a big reader of action/adventure so fans of the genre may enjoy it more than I did.

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington was an interesting debut book.

I enjoyed the characterization. Authors often have a way of building up a character with likeable characteristics, and then when that character ends up having issues it' causes me to feel sorry for what they are going through. I definitely really liked Rabbit, and became invested in his ability to pull the job off.

Well played!

Rabbit Ward travels through time to collect precious artifacts, only to be outsmarted by another time traveler.. But the big item is a special menorah that ended up in tragedy, Now he is focused on finally finding the menorah and being able to collect it when he returns to the current time. I really enjoyed Rabbit and the competition he had to actually retrieve the item from the past before someone else grabs it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC of Splinter Effect. This is my honest opinion

*2.5 rounded up to 3

This was an enjoyable read, though it wasn’t quite what I expected. The author offered an impressive level of detail about the time period, which tied in well with the archaeological aspect of the story. However, at times, this focus on historical details almost overshadowed the main plot, which slowed the pacing and made it harder to stay fully engaged. While the historical elements added depth, they sometimes detracted from the momentum of the action and the intrigue I was hoping for.

I found myself skimming parts of the middle section, where the narrative focused heavily on daily life in ancient Turkey. Those parts were richly detailed but felt slower compared to the intrigue of the time travel, artifact theft, and layers of conspiracies and betrayals, which were far more engaging to me.

Overall, it was an interesting read with strong historical elements, even if the pacing didn’t fully match my expectations.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this copy!

I loved it! This is a fast paced, action adventure Indiana Jones novel. This is Andrew Ludington's debut. I thoroughly enjoyed all the history in this book. It was well written and I really felt immersed into the ancient times of Rome. Good character development. All of this makes for a great book.

As an archaeologist Rabbit Ward's job is to time travel back to the past to recover long lost artifacts. His job is to go back to Constantinople in 535 CE to secure the precious menorah. His last adventure that took him back to Rome went so wrong and he was not able to secure the menorah. Now he is back in Constantinople in 535 CE to secure the menorah but finds out his annoying competition is there too. And that is only the beginning of things going wrong. He only has a short time to get the job done and back to his jump site. If he misses that timeframe, he will stay and live his life in that time period.

This kept me on the edge of my seat. There were times it felt difficult to understand. However, I just kept going and it all comes together. It reminded me of "Project Hail Mary", where you didn't understand certain things but keep going and you will end up with a very satisfying adventure.

I highly recommend this book if you like an Indiana Jones adventure with time travel. I cannot wait for his next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this advanced copy of this book.

Quite enjoyed this take on time travel. Lots of hand-waving about the "science," but the basic mechanics and restrictions were easy enough to understand. It did feel very cinematic with plenty of scenes that would translate well to the screen.

The Sci-Fi debut novel “Splinter Effect” by author Andrew Ludington begins with a harrowing escape by Dr. “Rabbit” Ward, a Smithsonian archaeologist/time-traveler who was being pursued by pharaoh’s troops in 48 BCE. His means of escape was the Egyptian National Time Dilator, just barely avoiding capture. But the ‘wrinkle in time travel’ is that only what you bring to the past can return the future, but nothing found in the past can be directly transported to the future, thus setting up part of the plot. The descriptions of cities, walls, gates, countryside, roads, businesses, the crowds, residences, arenas, the battles and individuals, all wrapped around real historical events are impressive and lend a “you are there” immediacy to the plot. Rabbit is a tortured time-traveler who may have have bitten off more than he could chew, more than once, in multiple jumps in pursuit of elusive goals. A fresh take on time-travel. Highly Recommended. Five DANGEROUS Stars. NetGalley ARC novel for an honest review. 282 pages.

This book was a disappointment at best. The author tried to establish a storyline with an Indiana Jones type character that just did not come up to snuff. The author’s writing style just did not resonate with me. The book was a challenge to complete as the storyline, which had great potential, did not hold my interest. Some others seem to enjoy the book so I will leave it to you as to whether or not you want to gives this novel a try.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Goodreads, Net Galley, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog.

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is a great example of historical fiction smashed together with time-traveling science fiction. Smithsonian Archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels through time. He is one of a handful of licensed time hopping archaeologists who are sponsored to go into the past, find the artifact before it’s lost to history and bury it somewhere safe that will let them come back to the present and dig it up. He’d be the best in the business, if it weren’t for the lost menorah, and a “stringer” named Helen who’s been shadowing his jumps.
When the menorah reappears in Constantinople, Rabbit is drawn into a historical political conflict between the oppressed Jewish population and the Christian converted Romans. His past mistakes start to catch up to him while he’s in the past, and new dangers are closing in on him in this race in time.

As time travel novels go, this one does a good job of it. There’s just enough groundwork for the science to make it easy to leave the “how was that done?” in the back of your mind and immerse yourself in the story. The historical aspects ring true and are brilliantly written. I especially like the interplay between Rabbit and Helen as she was a fully fleshed out character compared to some of the other side characters.

I would recommend Splinter Effect to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, time travel, or just a good Indiana Jones type adventure story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

I'm often leery of reading time travel books, because I can only suspend so much disbelief. But, I REALLY enjoyed this take on time travel. Rabbit Ward is a great main character. He has been recovering precious artifacts for years, but a particular menorah is his "great white whale". I loved the glimpses of history, the characters (especially Rabbit) and the plot. The pacing was good, and the book kept me interested from start to finish.

Wow, this is a very well written effort for a debut novel. It takes a bit to get going but when it does. I could not put it down.

The premise is time travel to safeguard treasures of the ancient world that would have been lost forever.

Dr. Robert, (Rabbit), Ward is returning to ancient Constantinople to find and recover an ancient menorah which he lost 20 years before. He also lost his young mentee, Aaron, who was killed in their attempt to abscond with it during the chaos of an invasion.

This is his second and final attempt at recovering this item. His monetary support has dried up because he has been robbed repeatedly by a "stringer" (an unauthorized person who jumps where and when he does), named Helen. Confidence in his abilities is waning, so everything is on the line for this jump.

In this world jumps can only be 20 days long or they can't go back. In most cases in the ancient world transportation to their destination takes up a lot of their time, so speed is of the essence.

I liked the characters and the premise of the time travel. Rabbit is a likeable personality who has to think on his feet and be believable.

I hope that this will become a series. Well done Andrew Ludington, et al.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this ARC. All opinions expressed are strictly my own.

Smithsonian archaeologist Rabbit Ward's job has been to travel through time and secure precious artifacts moments before they are lost forever to history. New evidence reveals the menorah Rabbit lost on his disasterous previous mission may have reappeared in 6th century Constantinople.

This reminded me of a mix of national treasure, the savings code, and 11/22/63. Once the book got going, however, I really enjoyed it! I very much liked Rabbit and the other main characters. The pace picked up nicely and Splinter Effect became a story of intrigue, danger, history, and maybe even a wee bit of romance. I really, really hope this is the start of a series!!

Thank you #MinotaurBooks for providing this arc! #NetGalley. This book has an expected publication date of March 18, 2025.

Over all I enjoyed the book, but the premise of time traveling to save artifacts for the future, was a bit beyond my interests. I am not very into sci-fi and this seemed too much so. The characters were okay, but Rabbit was a bit blah. I liked Helen. On the whole, I'd recommend this for people who love time-travel and history books.

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is an absolute genre mash-up that kept me entertained from start to finish. This intriguing story effortlessly blends time travel and historical fiction with an exciting adventure that kept me on the edge of my seat.

Rabbit, the protagonist, works on sponsored expeditions into the past, aiming to save precious artifacts before they vanish from history. Currently, Rabbit is trying to save a Menorah, but things haven't gone as planned. The setup for this story is truly unique and complex. Ludington has done an exceptional job incorporating the rich history of Constantinople, while still making the story engaging and action-packed.

Several side characters play important roles in the overall narrative, including a past failed mission and an illegal time traveler named Helen. The story takes a number of fascinating twists and turns, and not all the action takes place in the past.

I found Splinter Effect to be exceptionally well-written, keeping me engaged from the very first page. Rabbit is likable and easy to root for as he navigates various scrapes, using his wits and creativity to come up with clever solutions.


Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

What I know about sixth-century Constantinople would fit on the head of a pin. But I love time travel books, so I decided to risk it. I’m glad I did. “Splinter Effect” is one of those books that, the more you read, the more you want to read. With any time travel book, chances are probably pretty good that the main character will return to his home safe and sound at some point. I wasn’t really sure about Dr. Robert “Rabbit” Ward’s chances. Either outcome could have led to a really captivating story.

“Splinter Effect” begins in 2018 and Rabbit has already been a time-traveling archaeologist for 20 years. Most of his missions have gone well but recently a thief has emerged, threatening Rabbit’s livelihood.

I’ve observed that most time travel books utilize: 1. A machine; 2. A portal; or, 3. A random event in which the traveler awakens in a different year and often in a different body. Rabbit uses a machine to travel to the past, then establishes a “decay point” to return to for his trip back.

I recommend “Splinter Effect.” Most of the book takes place in Constantinople and the action moves quickly. Rabbit doesn’t know whom to trust and he’s constantly in jeopardy. It reminds me of spy novels and movies: I know I don’t have the nerve for it. I got nervous on Rabbit’s behalf.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of “Splinter Effect.” This is my honest review.

What an epic time traveling adventure through history. This was a wonderful debut novel. Danger and suspense around every corner. I see good things in the future for this author.