A compelling, extraordinarily readable book…
Morally complex, orphan, and absolute genius Vincent Abajian gets entangled in a web of politics and conspiracy in his quest to free his childhood friend from a time-turbulence in this remarkable SF tale of personal struggles, loss, power politics, and corporate greed. Trying to forget the traumatic loss of his childhood friend Akane Egami during a time-turbulence incident in 1991, the brilliant scientist Vincent Abajian has thrown himself into his work on Artificial Intelligence. But when the lovely post-doctoral scientist, Emika Amari, joins Vincent’s AI center, everything changes. Convinced that Akane is inside Emika, Vincent sets on a quest to free Emika from the grasp of Akane. Datta’s slightly futuristic 2024 is full of intriguing technological advancements that may seem far-flung or unlikely but which are in fact just around the corner. The dialogue is sharp, pacing slow yet measured, and the storytelling entertaining. Datta skillfully uses usual time-travel tropes mixed with the elements of alternate reality, but where this book really shines is in its cleverly constructed plot and immaculately drawn characters. The narrative shifts between the present day and Vincent’s past. Between careful attention to Vincent’ development, Akane and Amika’s chapters, and the near-constant jumps through time, the story charges along until Datta brings it all together. Vincent’s journey is both utterly fascinating and brilliantly confusing, demanding a careful reading on the reader’s part. The cliffhanger ending will raise readers’ fervor for the next installment. Fans of morally serious hard SF will be greatly rewarded. Datta is an author to watch.
The Winding (Time Corrector Series Book 1)
By Avi Datta
Pub date December 1, 2021
ISBN 978-1647043919
Price $14.99 (USD) Paperback, $5.03 Kindle edition
