A highly intriguing, tightly packed time travel tale…
An intriguing blend of paranormal with science fiction, Chiocchi’s third book takes readers into the lives of two members of a prominent New England family from two different time period, who shrewdly use their wealth, position, and psychic abilities to manipulate past events in their own favor. It was 1963 when seven-year-old Shippy Penfield’s sudden catatonic state forced his parents to send him to a psychiatric sanitorium for treatment. Convinced Shippy was a victim of a family curse, Chris Pennfield returns to the year 1963 to overturn past to save the former from a cursed fate, but there is another Pennfield from far-future who would like to manipulate past events to save his own skin from a vicious fate. The narrative veers between supernatural, science fiction, politico-economic fears, alongside themes of psychic abilities, reincarnation, and the family curse. Despite the complexity of plot, which consists of several storylines, Chiocchi successfully tackles multiple scenarios, making it a tightly packed tale. Chiocchi’s writing is skillful as he sketches his protagonists’ multiple time travel jaunts and neatly ties all the loose ends together. The intriguing narrative, swift prose, and deftly done plot twists keep the reader turning pages until the end. Chiocchi exhibits expert control over his settings and various themes, providing adequate detail to explain recurrent shifts into time frames without detracting from the steady pace of the story. The shocking twist in the last part of the book is adroitly done and leaves the reader highly satisfied. This intelligent and satisfying blend of paranormal and science fiction is bound to capture readers’ imaginations.