Paradox Bound: A Novel

I'm a fan of alot of Peter Clines' books. Geve me other dimensions in apartments or superheroes fighting zombies and I'm ok with that. But I'm not a fan of this niche fiction, America fantasy. This was one of the biggest disappointments I've had, in reading a book, for some time. In defense of the book, I did not read what the book was about when I ordered it. I simply saw one of my favorite authors was releasing a new book, so I automatically ordered it. I guess you can't judge a book by its author either. Don't get me wrong, I feel the book was well written. But, as I said, I'm not a fan of this type of fiction.

Peter Clines is just good.
That's really all there is to it.
This time is a bit of sci-fi Americana, bouncing through time with the overlaying question of trying to figure out what, exactly, is going on. A little-understood villain hounding steps as the protagonists try to find a less-understood goal in an adventure I'll no doubt pick up again in a couple of years when I'm between other books.
My only real notes were a change of tone early on as the adventure really got started that made me a little sad, but that may have been the point of it and, well...
The narrator mostly did a fantastic job. Mostly.
There were a few times, though, when he'd read a line in the wrong character's voice, and it really threw me the heck off. Were there half-stars, that jarring pulling you out of the story to figure out what just happened would have taken his performance from a 4.5 to a 3.

This book I listen to as much as I could . I love time travel and history . I read your last book and loved it so I gave your new one a try and it was a total escape for me! I love when I book can do that to you and it was just fun to read . I was constantly thinking about it when I wasn't reading it! Not many books can do that for me so thank you for the company great story you are becoming one of my favorite writers ! Can't wait for your next book ! I loved how you new so much about cars and if only refuel was water!

The book is one part American Gods, one part Doctor Who, and all fun. Clines is one of a select few to get Maine right and aside from a few exceptions Porter doesn't try to do an accent which is good. 10/10 good listen.

great story. fun to contemplate interactions between times, and paradox of times crossing. author did well at allowing chars to be clueless at times, while readers could laugh at their obliviousness.

This book defies easy genre classification. “Paradox Bound” is part SciFi, part alternative history, part love story, and ad odd contemporary political allegory.

At its heart “Paradox Bound” is a quest to understand what it means to be American. I call it a political allegory in the same since that Dante’s Inferno was a political commentary of sorts. This book is mostly full of plot and characters and scenery. The “what does it mean to be an American” part just sort of happens. The message is not left or right, conservative or liberal; it is just meant to get the reader to think.

The main thread of the plot is the (at times humorous) romantic tension between to two main characters. This is my favorite kind of story.

I don't like trying to split hairs when awarding stars. If you enjoyed 14 and the fold, this is worth your while. How do I know that it deserves a quality review?....I was fearing the passing of the audible clock...the end was getting near, the thought of reaching the end of this book was saddening, and I found myself wondering about a sequel. And...Maybe I'd just find satisfaction in another book from peter clines! But I don't want to wait that long.

Equally as enjoyable as 14 and the fold.

I wonder if it is Ray Porter, these two are a dynamic duo. And damn! I found myself searching the web for pictures of Harry, well done Mr. Porter!

If you're entertained by mystery thriller action novels buddy stories with some time travel thrown in, this is for you. This is one of those audible books that I would make excuses to drive somewhere just so I could have some private time to listen. Non stop and fast paced for the most part and catches ahold of you pretty quick. Obviously with a time travel theme there is a healthy dose of fantasy tossed in but its a great listen and wonderful escape. The kind of book that makes you start missing the main characters when its over. I normally go for darker fiction or techno thrillers but this was well worth the purchase.

This book started off great, like most peter clines books it gets you interested from the start. It develops the characters enough, and then all of the sudden it takes an interesting idea and descends into insanity. The guy can’t do endings, and this book has the same problem with one giant problem that basically the whole book is based on. The American Dream as envisioned by the founders was to make a better future for generations to come, NOT TO STAY IN AN UNCHANGING PAST. This is so hard to ignore that once it is revealed that this is why you can only travel to certain places at certain times it’s hard to focus on the rest of the story. If he’s trying to make the argument that today the idea of the American dream has been flipped on its head. I would be hard pressed to argue let alone care about it in what is obliviously fictitious even if I disagree to some extent. The problem is he can’t make this point he’s trying to make because it starts from the premise that Benjamin Franklin created the American Dream so people would be able to stay in the past. From that point on all the illusions to the changing of the American Dream make NO SENSE. It’s time travel I get it’s not supposed to make complete sense, but even in fiction, especially when trying to make a point, you have to be consistent within your own universe. It’s the inherent contract between us as consumers and the creator as a storyteller. We can ignore the implausibility as long as it fits the rules of the universe of the narrative. Peter Clines is a great idea guy, but needs someone to come in and do the last act of his novels. The fold especially. That book seemed plausible until the end where it got insane with monsters and crap that came out of no where and were just dumb and unnecessary. The story was interesting without needing to go into monsters and crap. That’s the most frustrating part. His third acts aren’t only insane, they take a great idea and great execution and destroy it when it is completely unnecessary.

So, the start felt a bit slow but then I got into it. If you like Clines and look for his books, don't even hesitate, it's worth your credit. If you're not on the 'what else has he written' hunt, then pass it up. I think you need to be in a particular headspace to enjoy this book. Not his best, not his worst. Not even close to 14.