Assessment:
Plot: A time-jumping drama that blends speculative social and climatological themes into plausible science fiction centered around a tight, character-driven plot.
Prose/Style: The writing is sound, with dialogue and interiorities that read clearly and convey characters well, and exposition that draws readers in. Occasional imprecisions in the writing do not detract from the reader’s enjoyment.
Originality: The novel is unique and original, presenting futurism based on contemporary issues and technologies to weave an engaging, and cautionary tale.
Character Development/Execution: The focus on the characters serves the plot well, grounding the book’s big ideas in in a clear structure.
Date Submitted: June 22, 2021
This is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller following our hero Rick back in time to save our planet from the ravages of environmental destruction. The narrative moves quickly and the action moves seamlessly between two future time periods as we are left to ponder our own role in earth's failing climate and our our potential societal downfall. A great read!
Author Tom Kranz catapults readers through two wild futures in Time Travel Rescue: Escape from the 21st Century, a new science fiction novel that feels timely and unexpectedly relevant.
Rick Stein is flung 150 years into the past, landing in the year 2055, rather than 2212, and must find a way to change the world so he can save the future. The future Rick comes from is bleak, with Earth’s inhabitants being crowded into the few livable areas that remain as the planet collapses around them. The mid-21st century, by contrast, is an entrancing place of temptation and pleasure, showing only the early signs of the devastation that lies ahead.
Within this unique context, readers are treated to two prophetic visions – one that we may see in our lifetime, and another that feels torn from a dystopian nightmare. Echoing classic literature like A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, this novel is both a whimsical adventure and a dire warning about where we could be headed.
Kranz clearly researched future science and theories surrounding our climatic/social fate as a planet, giving the writing a tone of authority and credibility that is often lacking in the sci-fi genre. The plot is complex but well-structured, boasting the suspense of a thriller, but also the emotional flexibility of a romance, and the visceral weight of an apocalyptic piece of fiction. The character development is also a strong focal point, particularly for Jill and Rick, whose scenes are subtly nuanced with humor, flirtation, and vulnerability.
A deeply thought-provoking work of science fiction, Time Travel Rescue is a gripping hit.
(Fanwood, NJ)—Fanwood Councilman Tom Kranz has published his third novel, Time Travel Rescue, a science fiction thriller in which climate change turns Earth into a dying dystopia.
Living in a wasteland that is beyond repair becomes too much for Rick who, like most of those left on the planet in 2212, works for the Big Five mega-corporation. A chance, online meeting with a young hacker named Chen leads to a perilous journey through a wormhole back to the 21st century where he and Chen hope to set things right before they go terribly wrong. Unbeknown to Rick is Chen’s propensity for violence and her murderous exploits complicate an otherwise altruistic mission.
Rick’s 21st-century guide, the smart and attractive Jill Strawbridge, introduces him to the charms and challenges of life 157 years before he was born. Their time together sparks mutual curiosity that draws them into something more than just a working relationship.
“Writing science fiction was harder than I thought it would be,” Kranz said. “It’s the science that makes science fiction intriguing. I tried not to get bogged down in too much nerd-speak because I’m not a visionary or a physics expert, but I had some ideas on what the future might look like if we keep abusing the environment and ignoring the signs of the damage we’re doing. There is a lot of information available from people smarter than me on how our world will be affected in as few as thirty years from now.”
Kranz researched some of the elements of his story with help from his brother-in-law, John Kamal, a Philadelphia public school science teacher with a Master’s in mechanical engineering and a previous life designing power systems for NASA. He holds a patent for the nuclear-powered device like the one that saved Matt Damon’s character in The Martian.
“I bounced a couple of ideas off John about what kinds of power and propulsion systems personal-sized vehicles might need to take off and fly for extended periods and reach great speeds, and whether it could happen in our century,” Kranz says. “I think he found it fun. But my emphasis in science fiction is definitely on the fiction.”
Time Travel Rescue is available in paperback and e-book exclusively at Amazon.
