Independence Day

Time Patrol

By: Bob Mayer

Narrated by: Eric G. Dove

Same date; six different years, the Time Patrol must save our timeline from the Shadow by preserving our past.

On the fourth of July, 362 BC, is the Battle of Mantinea in Greece, in which Sparta is defeated by Thebes in a Pyrrhic victory, leading to a third party uniting Greece: Philip II, father of a man who would change history: Alexander The Great. But what if Sparta wins the battle?

The fourth of July, 1776, is one of the most important dates in American history, but there is also the fourth of July exactly 50 years later, in 1826, when two of the architects of that document and the country, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, die within hours of each other. What secrets do they hold close on their deathbeds? And who else might know about them?

At Gettysburg, the Confederacy reaches its high water mark with Picketts charge on the third of July, 1863. But on the fourth, both armies stare at each other on a rainy day, waiting for the other to make a move. What if the Union attacks?

In the same war, on the same day, in a victory that is over-shadowed by Gettysburg in terms of publicity, but of more value strategically, Grant takes Vicksburg on the fourth of July, 1863. But what if he fails?

All of these events, and others on the same day, are being attacked by the Shadow. It is up to the Time Patrol to send an agent back to six different years on the fourth of July and make sure our timeline remains intact. If they fail, our present will snap out of existence!

©2016 Robert Mayer (P)2017 Robert Mayer

Left wanting more

As usual, Mayer has me scratching my head in a good way. The time periods in this novel, while not as interesting as some of the others in previous entries in the series, are filled with some puzzling moments. To clarify that, I'm not talking about the story itself. That is very clear. I mean slight reveals, character plot twists, and nods that really make me want to know what will happen in the series next. The most interesting thing aside from that was the Jefferson time period. Just when I thought the author couldn't tie in any of his other more believable books, he loosely tied in the Jefferson Allegiance. All in all the main plot continues to intrigue and beg the reader to return.