Lock & Key

As someone who sometimes reads physics books for fun, I am very interested in the topics about the arrow of time and alternative timelines presented in this book. I found this book to be one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a long time. I felt like the plot dealt very ably with the difficult concepts in this story. The characters were extremely enjoyable. All in all, it was very satisfying book and I enjoyed reading it very much. I received this book free through Bookbub, with no requirement to provide a review, and I don’t review books very often, but felt compelled to do so after reading it. If you’re interested in the concept of time, parallel worlds, and/or alternative timelines, and like to read fiction, I recommend it. I’m planning to look for more books by this author.

Books about time travel and alternate timelines can often be hopelessly complex, so it's nice to come across one that's fascinating and readable without feeling like it's overly dumbed down. "Lock & Key" is a good novel about one man's struggle to rectify the past in order to save the future, and how the subtlest changes in history can have massive consequences. And it's helped along by good characters whose banter is entertaining to read. The gunshot should have killed Darren Ault... but somehow he's not dead, while the rest of humanity seems to have vanished! And as if THAT couldn't be any more confusing, he's whisked away to a place called the Library, where the grouchy foul-mouthed Librarian, Fischer, informs him that somehow his murder in the present has caused an error that's made humanity as a whole cease to exist. And the only person who can fix it is... Darren himself. So he finds himself being shuffled off back in time -- to ancient Scotland, thirteenth-century Norway, and nineteenth-century Kentucky -- to meet some of his ancestors and do his best to save his own life... and the fate of the world. Gordon Bonnet's writing is nicely accessible, flowing well and not getting too bogged down in the technical details that can often make quantum fiction/time-travel stories hard to enjoy. He writes great banter, is good at painting vivid images, and overall has written a well-paced and entertaining read. Some of the dialogue of the characters in the past feels overly formal and stilted, but I do appreciate that people probably talked differently in different time periods, and it can be tricky trying to accommodate that. Darren Ault is a bit of an everyman as far as protagonists go, but he's entertaining to read about -- bewildered but determined to do what needs done, even if he complains along the way. Fischer the Librarian is a delightfully snarky character, with his assistant Maggie being a nice foil while still having her moments to get in a good quip. Of the other characters, most are fairly flat but sympathetic, and even the antagonist of the story -- Darren's would-be murderer -- is portrayed sympathetically and with a bit more humanity than I was expecting. "Lock & Key" is a well-done book, and enjoyable even if time-travel fiction normally isn't your thing. It's helped along by accessible writing, good characters and dialogue, and a nice flow and pace that keep the story moving.

Time travel takes a twist . At times this book reminded me of the TV series .. The Librarians. But just a little. This is so original, so twisted, sooooo much fun! It's one of these books that you want never to end. It's very well thought out and will provide a few moments of scrunched eyebrows as you try and resolve what you have just read. But it all makes sense ( kind of) if you just go with the flow. The story surrounds a modern day Joe who finds himself saving the entire human race because his best friend....just shot him in the head! Wait...What? Yeah, the whole book has these fun moments. This one's a keeper.

I liked this book, but it played mind-games with me. The protagnaist is shot in the dead and instead of dying the whole human race disappears. He wakes up in the Library of Timelines that keeps track of everyone's life paths that they could've taken during their lives. Kinda like what would've happened if JFK hadn't gone to Dallas? So the Library sends him back to the various paths to try and figure out what happened and get the human race back. It reminded me of the prime directive in Star Trek of not interfering with history. At times I thought the book could've been shorter but over-all if you like this kind of theme, it's wonderful. Kudos to the author for thinking this stuff up. Very entertaining. R.H. Burkett: author

If Netflix made this into a movie I would definitely watch it. This book has everything! A not so perfect character, named Darren, who is shot by his best friend. This causes life to exist and an adventure through time and space to fix the divergence. Darren also learns there is more to himself than he imagined. There' s also a cast of interesting characters. They're all interconnected in interesting ways. I loved the adventures that happened in each of their timelines. I really enjoyed the ending and the book as a whole.

Very unusual story line. Believable but really unexpected. I really enjoyed the pace of the story - laidback but simultaneously engaging and oddly energetic. The main characters are decidedly different, and I love how what most would assume to be weaknesses turn out to be strengths. Very, very few errors of grammar - a few places that needed better editing, but not enough to be a big problem. The fifth star I reserve for works that are error free in addition to being extremely enjoyable. I would definitely recommend this book!

I adore the complexities of time travel with all of their rules and paradoxes, and Bonnet's tale doesn't disappoint. When Darren is shot in the head by his best friend, it creates a paradox that launches all of humanity into a logical void (i.e. nonexistence). Darren must now travel back to three different time periods to gather information about divergences and attempt to bring back the human race. I won't spoil the end but I will say that like many time travel stories, the resolution involved circular reasoning, and one particular detail was reminiscent of the movie Paycheck. There are no real 'scary' parts in this novel, rather a series of scenes that create some fun tension. This is a 'smart person' book that weaves one big puzzle and challenges the mind. If you do not already have a fascination with the intricacies of time travel, this might not be the book for you. I, for one, loved every minute of it and now feel a wee bit depressed that it's over.

Lock & Key is a riveting piece of speculative fiction, following a lovably nerdy protagonist through quantum time as he unravels the mysterious disappearance of everyone on earth at the moment of his own death, and in the process discovers more sides of himself than he imagined existed. Darren is a sympathetic anti-hero, tossed into a bewildering turn of events and rising to the challenge. The settings and characters are varied and interesting. I especially appreciated the character of Jane, a more fully realized female protagonist than one sometimes sees in this genre. At times the pace of the book slowed as Darren pondered the intricacies of personal choice and time, but overall the book was absorbing and thought-provoking. It's the perfect travel read as it will make long hours sitting on a plane fly by (no pun intended)!

I could not put this book down, it’s a cleverly written account of time travel with a difference. Loved it.

This was a really fun read. It's a wonderful concept and plot, with lot's of interesting twists and turns. The writing is smooth and engaging and just keeps you turning the pages. The characters are all wonderfully full and memorable. Even the minor characters seem full of ...well...character. Hadn't heard of Gordon Bonnet before but I'll certainly be reading more of his work.

I've been reading Gordons Blog "Skeptophilia" for quite some time now and wasn't sure at first, if I should dare to leap into his fiction. But it really paid of. I had a little trouble in the beginning, because the main character acted... rational, almost normal to the situations he was thrown in. Then I realized, that many common books had titular heros, who just leap into danger no matter what, be it 11-year old magician-students or dethroned princesses out for bloody revenge. Her the main characters evolution througout the story was very realistic. Many characters from this book will stay with me a long time (especially Archibald Fischer, who's a total nutter), and I'm looking forward to reading other fiction of Gordon. All in all a graet read, especially for the Kindle.

A great story, well told.

I enjoyed the pace and the plot and would have enjoyed more but it ended at an appropriate point. Further episodes could follow but it stands well enough alone. The supernatural is perfectly mixed with technology and very slightly odd humans. The humour is pitched well and doesn't spoil the flow of the plot nor the WSOD. I might take more by the author, I certainly admire his style and that is half the battle of an enjoyable read. It probably doesn't actually rate four stars but it is a good ironic smile above three.