Official Review: Time Framed by Roger Chiocchi

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Official Review: Time Framed by Roger Chiocchi

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[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Time Framed" by Roger Chiocchi.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Time travel. Paradoxes. Alternate realities. Ripples. What happens if you run into yourself from the past? Can you change the past or not? Can you go back and kill your grandfather and erase yourself from existence? And if so, then who went back into time to kill your grandfather? These thoughts always go through my mind when I ponder reading about time travel. Time Framed by Roger Chiocchi was no different in that regard; however, that's not to say it wasn't unique.

The Pennfield family has been cursed for generations. There is a malevolent spirit haunting the men of the family because of an event that occurred in the 1600's. Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield, of the year 2052, would like to make sure that this spirit skips him. However, Christopher Pennfield in the year 2007 would like to keep this spirit from causing harm to his cousin Ship Pennfield. This would mean - due to the timing of the curse - it would absolutely strike Mr. Mashimoto-Pennfield. A battle of wills - and time - commences. What will the final timeline actually look like?

When I first read the blurb for this book, I thought that it was going to be a typical time travel story. What I actually read was far from it. There is no actual time travel but rather an influencing of the timeline. It was a unique perspective for the story which I appreciated since time travel fiction is quite prevalent. This also paved the way for more of a supernatural element to be included in the way of a ghost haunting the family and visions.

I also enjoyed the characters. The main protagonists in the story were not really either fully good or fully evil but a mixture of the two. This always makes them seem more realistic to me. Christopher Pennfield has quite the drinking problem, but yet wants to save his nephew from pain and torment. In spite of the realism of the characters, I did feel that there were too many to keep up with.

There were multiple characters whom we followed. We had the three main characters, Christopher, Ship and Jimmy Mashimoto-Pennfield and everyone that they came into contact with. Not only that, we then had alternate timelines from each of the three characters. I'm not sure that this could be avoided, but it does create some confusion for the reader. I will say, though, that the author was very deliberate in telling the reader which year and reality we were following. I appreciated this, as the structure is rather complex.

In addition to the complexity of the issue of time travel and the nature of following multiple characters through alternate realities, there is one section where the author delves deeper into the physics of time travel. Mr. Chiocchi starts discussing physics formulas of which the simplest is v > c. Honestly, this went way over my head. It contributed to the plausibility of the subject of altering time but is more advanced than most readers would care to find in a pleasure read.

Furthermore, the length of the novel is prohibitively long for some. At just over 700 pages, it's not a book that you'll want to take along for a weekend trip, especially considering the subject. While the book was never dull, it is still a commitment not to be taken lightly.

There were a few grammar errors here and there in this story, but with over 700 pages, I think that's too be expected. It wasn't anything too distracting, nor were they too numerous. I enjoyed reading Time Framed, though I believe that the audience is somewhat limited. For that reason, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I recommend it for those that enjoy a nice, complex journey through the subject of altering time that includes some supernatural elements. I have no doubt that Mr. Chiocchi is a brilliant writer, and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes up with in the future. I hope, perhaps, it's something that a few more people would be able to enjoy and appreciate.

******
Time Framed
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Post by Rafaella Michailidou »

Thank you very much for your review. I find the subject of time traveling fascinating and I always enjoy reading books or watching movies that include it. I understand this book is not about travel through time still, this curse you describe and how the main characters deal with it had me intrigued. The only thing that stops me from reading it is the length. 700 pages are a lot and I'm a slow reader thus I'm afraid I'm going to forget important details.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Sen_Suzumiya wrote: 28 Aug 2018, 07:34 Thank you very much for your review. I find the subject of time traveling fascinating and I always enjoy reading books or watching movies that include it. I understand this book is not about travel through time still, this curse you describe and how the main characters deal with it had me intrigued. The only thing that stops me from reading it is the length. 700 pages are a lot and I'm a slow reader thus I'm afraid I'm going to forget important details.
It's definitely a lot to take on, but it was a good book. Thanks for commenting!
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Post by AmySmiles »

I am not big into sci-fi but time travel in books does interest me. I think I might be interested in this one but I don't know that I have ever had the patience to read a book of 700 pages. I'm going to look into this one further. Thanks for the review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

AmySmiles wrote: 28 Aug 2018, 08:42 I am not big into sci-fi but time travel in books does interest me. I think I might be interested in this one but I don't know that I have ever had the patience to read a book of 700 pages. I'm going to look into this one further. Thanks for the review.
Thanks for your comment. It is a bit of a daunting prospect, but it was worth it in the end.
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Post by Allyseria »

Yep, this is the book for me to read. I've always been fascinated about alternate realities in different timelines and how small changes can change everything. I also like the fact that there are POVs from the characters from different timelines. As I'm a book-nerd, even the 700 pages make me excited :P
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Post by Britty01 »

This sounds like a fascinating story, even at 700 pages. I have been interested in time travel stories since reading "The Time Machine" when I was a child. The fact that the protagonists are actually trying to influence the time line rather than actually travelling through time appears quite intriguing. Keeping up with each of the characters in the different timeframes sounds like quite the challenge. I shall have to think about this one. Thanks for the excellent review.
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Post by JR Mercier »

I'm always up for some time travel and growing up reading Robert Jordan has prepared me for the really big books. I'll take a couple of days to do some heavy reading. As always, love your review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

Allyseria wrote: 28 Aug 2018, 14:51 Yep, this is the book for me to read. I've always been fascinated about alternate realities in different timelines and how small changes can change everything. I also like the fact that there are POVs from the characters from different timelines. As I'm a book-nerd, even the 700 pages make me excited :P
Then you'll definitely like this one! :) It's a bit complex, but you would expect that from a book that covers multiple time possibilities. Thanks for commenting!
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Post by kandscreeley »

Britty01 wrote: 28 Aug 2018, 15:37 This sounds like a fascinating story, even at 700 pages. I have been interested in time travel stories since reading "The Time Machine" when I was a child. The fact that the protagonists are actually trying to influence the time line rather than actually travelling through time appears quite intriguing. Keeping up with each of the characters in the different timeframes sounds like quite the challenge. I shall have to think about this one. Thanks for the excellent review.
It was a bit challenging, but the author did a great job with making sure you knew which time period you were in or even if it was an alternate period. Thanks for stopping by!
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Post by kandscreeley »

JR Mercier wrote: 29 Aug 2018, 07:09 I'm always up for some time travel and growing up reading Robert Jordan has prepared me for the really big books. I'll take a couple of days to do some heavy reading. As always, love your review.
Thanks! :) This is definitely worth the few more days of reading time. I think you'd enjoy it.
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Post by Ruba Abu Ali »

The concept of influencing the timeline rather than actual time travel piqued my interest. Your charming review did the book justice. Thanks for the enlightening insight. :tiphat:
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Post by kandscreeley »

Ruba Abu Ali wrote: 29 Aug 2018, 14:25 The concept of influencing the timeline rather than actual time travel piqued my interest. Your charming review did the book justice. Thanks for the enlightening insight. :tiphat:
Thanks for the compliment! It is definitely an interesting concept for time books. I loved the way they influenced the timeline.
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Post by kdstrack »

Great review! This book sounds very intriguing. I enjoy time travel and this seems like a unique approach to the topic. I'll probably with the physics section, but sounds like it's worth it. Thanks.
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Post by kandscreeley »

kdstrack wrote: 30 Aug 2018, 11:14 Great review! This book sounds very intriguing. I enjoy time travel and this seems like a unique approach to the topic. I'll probably with the physics section, but sounds like it's worth it. Thanks.
The physics section honestly didn't take up THAT much of the book. It would be easy to skim for the important parts without missing too much. Thanks for your comment.
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