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Split Second (SF) - Douglas Richards ****

I had really mixed feelings about this sci-fi techno thriller by Douglas Richards (or, to give him his full name according to the cover NY TIMES BESTSELLER Douglas E. Richards). The SF premise is very clever and caught my attention in an instant - far better than the slew of fluffy time travel books that are currently filling the shelves. What if you could travel back in time - but only for a fraction of a second?

When I started to read and found myself in a sub-Dan Brown action thriller with no real mention of time travel, I was confused. The action is dramatic, certainly, and the central character, biologist (and fiancé of a genius physicist) Jenna Morrison is put into a situation where her entire world is turned upside down, but she can't go to the authorities. But not a lot of time travel (though we guess this is what the physicist's new discovery involves).

Eventually, though, after some distinctly implausible action when Jenna joins up with super soldier turned PI Aaron Blake, the time travel bit kicks in. Like all time travel fiction we need to allow one McGuffin*, but given that, Richards gives us a plausible argument as to how such a short time jump can occur and how it could have sufficient impact to totally change the world: this results in two separate groups of people, neither likeable but one at least more moral than the other, trying to track down the theory behind the tech.

Richards' clear interest in physics means that we get far more correct science than Dan Brown manages in his impressively bad 'facts' (which almost always prove to be wrong). In fact, if anything he's too interested as we get several lectures from various characters that probably provide too much information for anyone who just wants to get on with the action, plus an appendix with more scientific background. I can hardly complain, though, about a science fiction piling on the science.

For me, the action is a little too implausible, and the writing isn't perhaps of the highest level - the four stars are for the ideas rather than the writing - but let's face it, many of the greats of science fiction's golden age were pulp writers. This is good pulp, with a meaty helping of science and a truly innovative look at time travel - so with those provisos I have to recommend it.

* I'm slightly surprised that the genius physicists in the book haven't spotted that the McGuffin** could also make a warp drive possible.

** I do love that autocorrect keeps trying to turn McGuffin into McMuffin. I realise the more common spelling is MacGuffin, but because of this tendency (and because it feels more accurate), I prefer the shorter version.

Although not out on paper until later, already available on Kindle which is where I read it.

Hardback:   
Kindle:  
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