My Review
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(Disclaimer: I received a free digital review copy of this book from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and are honest and unbiased. There are no spoilers in this review, but you may wish to read my reviews of the previous books first: Flash Back and Extreme Peril.)
I think it’s safe to say that John Turiano pulled out all the stops for Past Paradox, the third and final installment of the Project Eight Ball series. This novel, like his previous ones, could stand alone. Turiano provided enough recap to fill new readers in on previous key events, and once again, he did so without bogging down the new story. That said, I recommend reading the other installments first because it’ll give you a deeper understanding of the characters and help make the story and its outcomes more emotionally charged. I liked the characters’ progression since the last book. Placing them in different places in their careers and lives made them feel more like real people. The complex, evolving relationships between certain characters, especially Sam and Danielle, were engaging. These relationships added more depth to the characters and their storylines. I also liked that the new characters Turiano introduced weren’t just forgotten about once they served their purpose. The author provided just enough of their background to make them interesting, and then he logically tied up each storyline.
Starting the story with the mystery of a missing child helped make me more emotionally invested earlier in the story and was a great way to hold my interest while building up to the main action. I do wish the action had come a bit sooner, but once the story gained steam, Turiano kept me on the edge of my seat. Turiano’s descriptions of the events leading up to various futures were intriguing and believable. As in previous books, Turiano excelled at showing the consequences of every action. The descriptions were richer in this installment, which was an improvement. Whereas the first book teetered on the edge of hard sci-fi, Past Paradox, though it did delve into some technical aspects of the time device and scientific theory, focused more on plot and character development. The scope of Past Paradox was much larger than in other installments, which made it slightly harder to follow and somewhat confusing at times. Even so, I was impressed by Turiano’s ability to keep track of all the timelines. I appreciated Turiano’s philosophical reflections on time and loved the book’s overall message: The time we have here is important, and we should make the most of it while we can. Riddled with action, heartache, and mystery, Past Paradox was an exciting, worthy conclusion to the Project Eight Ball series.
Trigger warning: This work contains mild gore and themes of kidnapping and violence.
About the Author
John Turiano is a new author, publishing his first novel, Flash Back, in 2020. Since then he has released two additional books in the time travel series. He wants to write in multiple genres and next up is a psychological thriller. With so many stories to tell he invites you to join him on a journey of writing.
John lives in upstate New York with his wife Sue and their dog Duffy. When not writing he can be found camping, hiking and biking. Recent trips take were: Puerto Rico, where he hiked the El Yunque National Rain Forest; Alaska where he visited the Denali National Park; and Mexico where he explored the ruins of Tulum and an amazing river cave.
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