The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart

Happy Pub Day to this one!

Q: Would you travel into the past or the future? And what time period would you choose?

I’d only do the past. I am terrified of our future

I usually summarize each book in one sentence, but I’m not going there with this one, as it might make my brain explode, especially after a relaxing 3-day weekend. So, I’m going right to…

My thoughts:

This book is mind-bending sci-fi meets a locked room mystery, and it seemed rather Blake Crouch-ish…that’s an adjective, right? Just as Crouch goes all out in exploring the many possibilities of travelling the multiverse in DARK MATTER, Hart goes all out in exploring the many permutations of time travel in this book. Also, both books are set in the not-too-distant future and explore the human condition deeper than most speculative fiction I’ve read. 

In this story, time travel takes an enormous toll on the body. I love Hart’s idea of somebody becoming ‘unstuck’ – meaning that they are untethered from the time they used to inhabit, so they have flashes of future situations.

January, the narrator, is suffering from these very issues, forcing the reader to try to figure out – with her – what has actually happened and what has yet to happen…and why. I really enjoyed January and Ruby, the AI, and the relationship the two of them shared. There’s good banter between them, and good humor in the book overall, mainly because January doesn’t trade in niceties and doesn’t suffer fools, although she’s given a strong backstory to account for her quirks. As a side note, this story is LGBTQIA friendly, with a lesbian protagonist as well as another main character who is nonbinary.

There are a lot of characters, and a couple of the less developed ones are key at a point late in the story, which was a bit confusing. And while I applaud the author for exploring so many potential facets of time travel, I did think that the plot felt a bit weighed down and perhaps overly complex. I think a little more simplicity may have served the story – and the main characters – better.

Overall, I really enjoyed it! I’ve already got my hands on The Warehouse, Hart’s earlier book.

It’s out today!

Thank you Ballantine Books for the ARC!