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Extracted Trilogy #3
Extinct
The end of the world has been avoided—for now. With Miri and her team of extracted heroes still on the run, Mother, the disgraced former head of the British Secret Service, has other ideas�
While Mother retreats to her bunker to plot her next move, Miri, Ben, Safa and Harry travel far into the future to ensure that they have prevented the apocalypse. But what they find just doesn’t make sense.
London in 2111 is on the brink of annihilation. What’s more, the timelines have been twisted. Folded in on each other. It’s hard to keep track of who is where. Or, more accurately, who is when.
The clock is ticking for them all. With nothing left to lose but life itself, our heroes must stop Mother—or die trying.
While Mother retreats to her bunker to plot her next move, Miri, Ben, Safa and Harry travel far into the future to ensure that they have prevented the apocalypse. But what they find just doesn’t make sense.
London in 2111 is on the brink of annihilation. What’s more, the timelines have been twisted. Folded in on each other. It’s hard to keep track of who is where. Or, more accurately, who is when.
The clock is ticking for them all. With nothing left to lose but life itself, our heroes must stop Mother—or die trying.
396 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 17, 2018
809 people are currently reading
1,427 people want to read
About the author
R.R. Haywood
80Ìýbooks1,175Ìýfollowers"One of the most original voices of our time." - Richard Moriarty, The Sun
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
"Whether it's gritty horror, spectacular sci-fi, or insane comedy, RR Haywood delivers in style." - Chris Riches, Daily Express
RR Haywood is a Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Audible bestselling author with over 4 million books sold and more than 30 Kindle Bestsellers. As one of the top ten most downloaded indie authors in the UK, Haywood has captivated readers worldwide with his diverse storytelling.
His creations include the global sensation EXTRACTED, the riveting CODE TRILOGY narrated by Colin Morgan, the phenomenal UNDEAD Series, the blockbuster DELIO, PHASE ONE, and the chart-topping A TOWN CALLED DISCOVERY. His latest work, FICTION LAND, narrated by Game of Thrones star Gethin Anthony, has been hailed as "an outrageously funny tour de force."
A former police officer, Haywood now resides with his dogs on the north coast of the Isle of Wight. He entertains audiences and shares his expertise on TikTok with his Writing Class for the Working Class.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
April 26, 2021
The first two books in the time-travel adventure Extracted trilogy were fantastic, so I had high hopes for book three, Extinct. I am thrilled to report it was the best of the series, by a long shot. Maybe my mood wouldn't allow me to notice the humor before, because it was likely there, but in this installment I certainly found countless laugh-out-loud absurdities and raucous adventure. Something about big, gruff Mad Harry Madden in shortie denim shorts, preparing to step into a future culture of men with boobs and pirate makeup, had me choking coffee out my nose. (I know, right? It sounds so ridiculous, but it totally worked!) The team's F-this and Bloody-that banter constantly interrupted by a future AI monitoring conversations -- "Unknown adult male [female], the use of revolting, abusive or insulting words is prohibited in this public place" -- absolutely added to the hilarity.
Through the blood and gore Mother and her crack team inflict on a Roman Army, 1945 London and everything else in the timeline she can touch, I was panicked that the right timeline might never win out. And yes, I spent most of the book totally baffled by the jumps from Cretaceous to 126 A.D. to 2111, wondering what, if anything, the travelers will find each time they check. It didn't take much for me to let go of reason and watch Miri's team whirl through time, forgetting the questions and just riding their terrifying wave. I let the "Time is not fixed" revelation open up my mind for anything. If you can do that too, I think you'll enjoy this trilogy.
I would be interested in hearing from any of you who've read the trilogy, mainly to discuss what you thought the ending was all about. I believe we were left with some unanswered questions because Haywood isn't planning to stop at three books. Or do you think things were wrapped up well enough?
R.R. Haywood is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. As well, the guy who reads these audiobooks, Carl Prekopp, is already in my personal Narration Hall of Fame. Prekopp's ability to distinguish between characters with tone and accents is astoundingly precise, and he gave each one of them a voice I felt was real and distinctive as I listened. This is a rare case where I believe the audio version is a true enhancement over the written word.
Through the blood and gore Mother and her crack team inflict on a Roman Army, 1945 London and everything else in the timeline she can touch, I was panicked that the right timeline might never win out. And yes, I spent most of the book totally baffled by the jumps from Cretaceous to 126 A.D. to 2111, wondering what, if anything, the travelers will find each time they check. It didn't take much for me to let go of reason and watch Miri's team whirl through time, forgetting the questions and just riding their terrifying wave. I let the "Time is not fixed" revelation open up my mind for anything. If you can do that too, I think you'll enjoy this trilogy.
I would be interested in hearing from any of you who've read the trilogy, mainly to discuss what you thought the ending was all about. I believe we were left with some unanswered questions because Haywood isn't planning to stop at three books. Or do you think things were wrapped up well enough?
R.R. Haywood is easily becoming one of my favorite authors. As well, the guy who reads these audiobooks, Carl Prekopp, is already in my personal Narration Hall of Fame. Prekopp's ability to distinguish between characters with tone and accents is astoundingly precise, and he gave each one of them a voice I felt was real and distinctive as I listened. This is a rare case where I believe the audio version is a true enhancement over the written word.
December 6, 2018
I just love this series. I especially love Carl Prekopp's narration of this series.
The action continues with our merry group of unlikely time-traveling mates determined to save the world. It is always non-stop. Either we're not breathing through a heart-stopping scene or we're holding our breath through the next amazing reveal. Thank goodness for the dry wit and humor from our key characters. Be prepared to go from laughing to screaming and back again.
Expect the unexpected in every book in this series.
You don't have to love sci-fi to love this series. It's action packed and character driven. What science there is is explained in layman's terms. Or you can just ignore the science altogether and just go along for the wild ride.
4.5 stars!
The action continues with our merry group of unlikely time-traveling mates determined to save the world. It is always non-stop. Either we're not breathing through a heart-stopping scene or we're holding our breath through the next amazing reveal. Thank goodness for the dry wit and humor from our key characters. Be prepared to go from laughing to screaming and back again.
Expect the unexpected in every book in this series.
You don't have to love sci-fi to love this series. It's action packed and character driven. What science there is is explained in layman's terms. Or you can just ignore the science altogether and just go along for the wild ride.
4.5 stars!
April 5, 2018
Minor spoilers ahead.
Who doesn’t like a time-travel science fiction book? By book three, we know that the opening scene of Malcolm running through the bunker will actually happen at the very end of the book. And the scene was underwhelming. It was as if the book was done, and some editor was like, “Uh, we don’t have one of those scenes that doesn’t make sense until the end,� and one was shoehorned into the book.
I think that Extinct is the worst of the trilogy. The British Secret Service guys return from book two, and they’re just boring. Every chapter that featured them I just groaned. They started getting interesting in the last 25% or so, but the ending was lacking. If this weren’t the conclusion of the trilogy, then the ending would work, but there are so many characters that are left dangling.
And what the heck is up with Mother? There is absolutely no reason for her to behave the way she does. She’s evil for the sake of being evil. Her motivations are far-fetched, and her motivations don’t even make her hate-able � she’s just a pathetic trope.
But we do get to see Harry killing Nazis, so that’s great. Sigh. The Harry/Emily angst is cringe worthy as well. Konrad is the stereotypical nerd with no redeeming qualities other than- I don’t know- running the portal? Messing up so that the team has to rescue him? Another sigh. Many plot points were hard to suspend disbelief. I know, I know, I’ll buy into time travel, but not plot X�
Extinct wasn’t bad per se, it just felt rushed, and the story wasn’t fully formed. The ending was bunk, and the villains were passé cardboard cutouts of the villain trope. A disappointing three stars for book three.
Who doesn’t like a time-travel science fiction book? By book three, we know that the opening scene of Malcolm running through the bunker will actually happen at the very end of the book. And the scene was underwhelming. It was as if the book was done, and some editor was like, “Uh, we don’t have one of those scenes that doesn’t make sense until the end,� and one was shoehorned into the book.
I think that Extinct is the worst of the trilogy. The British Secret Service guys return from book two, and they’re just boring. Every chapter that featured them I just groaned. They started getting interesting in the last 25% or so, but the ending was lacking. If this weren’t the conclusion of the trilogy, then the ending would work, but there are so many characters that are left dangling.
And what the heck is up with Mother? There is absolutely no reason for her to behave the way she does. She’s evil for the sake of being evil. Her motivations are far-fetched, and her motivations don’t even make her hate-able � she’s just a pathetic trope.
But we do get to see Harry killing Nazis, so that’s great. Sigh. The Harry/Emily angst is cringe worthy as well. Konrad is the stereotypical nerd with no redeeming qualities other than- I don’t know- running the portal? Messing up so that the team has to rescue him? Another sigh. Many plot points were hard to suspend disbelief. I know, I know, I’ll buy into time travel, but not plot X�
Extinct wasn’t bad per se, it just felt rushed, and the story wasn’t fully formed. The ending was bunk, and the villains were passé cardboard cutouts of the villain trope. A disappointing three stars for book three.
May 25, 2018
Amazing!!!!!!
I don't usually read sci-fi but omg this is brilliant. Came across it by accident and could not put it down had to read the whole series. The characters are enchanting and the dynamics of the group are written in a way that makes you believe in them and want to hang out with them. Can't wait to read more from this author he is truly gifted will be telling everyone. The most memorable book i have read in the last few years. A refreshing and fascination that will leave you wanting more.
I don't usually read sci-fi but omg this is brilliant. Came across it by accident and could not put it down had to read the whole series. The characters are enchanting and the dynamics of the group are written in a way that makes you believe in them and want to hang out with them. Can't wait to read more from this author he is truly gifted will be telling everyone. The most memorable book i have read in the last few years. A refreshing and fascination that will leave you wanting more.
May 19, 2018
Started of well
Ending felt unfinished,too much of ww2 Berlin. Great idea extracting heroes from the past. Would of liked miris back story
Ending felt unfinished,too much of ww2 Berlin. Great idea extracting heroes from the past. Would of liked miris back story
May 19, 2018
It Seems There Is Life After Extinction
Now I thought that this series actually was extinct after the last book which seemed to tie everything together so well that i thought that the story was done and dusted. RR Haywood who does have form for giving a series longevity obviously thought otherwise. So it was a with a little trepidation that I ordered this one and started listening. Almost straight away though the doubts were cast aside and I was drawn into the deliciously childish banter of Ben, Saffa, Harry and co. The story that Haywood weaves around them is clever and quite captivating without ever taking itself too seriously.
Carl Prekopp is well suited to Haywood's style and captures the characters and the humour with considerable aplomb. He brings the significant number of action scenes to life as the story twists and turns and the two rival groups vie for supremacy.
The book does complete a decent story arc but this time leaves much more open so it's clear that there will be more to come. If you enjoyed the first two books it's very likely you'll enjoy this one with its faster pace and increased levels of action. And if you do enjoy this one too and want more it does look like you'll get your wish!
Now I thought that this series actually was extinct after the last book which seemed to tie everything together so well that i thought that the story was done and dusted. RR Haywood who does have form for giving a series longevity obviously thought otherwise. So it was a with a little trepidation that I ordered this one and started listening. Almost straight away though the doubts were cast aside and I was drawn into the deliciously childish banter of Ben, Saffa, Harry and co. The story that Haywood weaves around them is clever and quite captivating without ever taking itself too seriously.
Carl Prekopp is well suited to Haywood's style and captures the characters and the humour with considerable aplomb. He brings the significant number of action scenes to life as the story twists and turns and the two rival groups vie for supremacy.
The book does complete a decent story arc but this time leaves much more open so it's clear that there will be more to come. If you enjoyed the first two books it's very likely you'll enjoy this one with its faster pace and increased levels of action. And if you do enjoy this one too and want more it does look like you'll get your wish!
April 2, 2018
Great to have the bands back together
The wonderful interactions between our beloved team of good guys are almost matched now by the interactions between the bad guys. Add to that lots of twists and turns and you get a rollicking, unpredictable adventure. Haywood leaves enough dangling ends for a sequel, that can’t come soon enough.
The wonderful interactions between our beloved team of good guys are almost matched now by the interactions between the bad guys. Add to that lots of twists and turns and you get a rollicking, unpredictable adventure. Haywood leaves enough dangling ends for a sequel, that can’t come soon enough.
April 3, 2018
My favorite series in a very long time!
I have always been a fan of time travel, but this series takes time travel, human drama, dinosaurs, international intrigue, technology, some superbly likeable and dislikeable people, deception, redemption, and betrayal to new heights! It twists your brain and charges your heart - a great, great read. Can't wait for more!
I have always been a fan of time travel, but this series takes time travel, human drama, dinosaurs, international intrigue, technology, some superbly likeable and dislikeable people, deception, redemption, and betrayal to new heights! It twists your brain and charges your heart - a great, great read. Can't wait for more!
May 9, 2018
I really, really love time travel stories.
The first book of this series started out great! this author has a true talent for writing action sequences. the story, though, was a bit slow and incredibly repetitive. I like the characters although they were somewhat one dimensional. The first two books were setup stories for the third book and the third book just doesnt quite deliver. It's clear there will be a 4th book.
i'll read it.
I really, really love time travel stories.
The first book of this series started out great! this author has a true talent for writing action sequences. the story, though, was a bit slow and incredibly repetitive. I like the characters although they were somewhat one dimensional. The first two books were setup stories for the third book and the third book just doesnt quite deliver. It's clear there will be a 4th book.
i'll read it.
I really, really love time travel stories.
May 17, 2018
Great trilogy, by far the weakest of the 3. You see the plot twist coming from a mile away. The final events of the book feel rushed and the ending just feels like a desperate attempt to land the plane from 30k ft.
September 8, 2018
(Listened to audiobook w/hubby)
I really enjoyed this trilogy and recommend it to any who enjoy a good time travel story. The audiobook narrator, Carl Prekopp was excellent. I'll miss these characters and their story, but felt the author did a good job of telling their story in three books. There was one thing we'd take issue with and that was
I really enjoyed this trilogy and recommend it to any who enjoy a good time travel story. The audiobook narrator, Carl Prekopp was excellent. I'll miss these characters and their story, but felt the author did a good job of telling their story in three books. There was one thing we'd take issue with and that was
"It's all just binary."
March 17, 2020
Action, action, action. I love the way Ben always figures stuff out - it makes the time travel make sense. The suspense here is fabulous. I was worried we'd lose a beloved character or two, but no. A couple of surprises at the end, but overall a great conclusion to a great series. And a perfect setup for a followup series by Haywood - which I hope he does!
Best part: narration by Carl Prekopp. The guy is a genius.
Best part: narration by Carl Prekopp. The guy is a genius.
November 17, 2024
Gripping trilogy finale
I enjoyed this trilogy although I did find this last book a bit confusing. Was Kate a traitor? What happened to Bernie?
I enjoyed this trilogy although I did find this last book a bit confusing. Was Kate a traitor? What happened to Bernie?
April 30, 2018
After loving Parts 1 and 2 and most of the undead series I was really disappointed with the concluding part to this series. A very unsatisfying conclusion in my opinion which also felt extremely rushed towards the end; perhaps it would have been better with 4 parts.
July 15, 2020
I'm hoping Extinct is the "latest" book in the series, because if it's the "final" book then the series went out with a whimper.
Many of the problems and inconsistencies return, and are made glaring. The dialogue is still too jocular and lacks clear attribution, the action is filled with even more blockbuster movie tropes, and the time travel becomes so ridiculous it is a farce.
The book is split between the good guys and the bad guys perspective, meaning we get less time with protagonists in the final book of the trilogy. The upshot is that the lead antagonist gets fleshed out, and becomes engaging. The downside is that the abrupt ending leaves his fate completely up in the air.
There are some good moments to the book (again, the action is exciting if you don't mind the tropes, more characters get a chance to grow, the setting descriptions are very well done) but as the third book in the trilogy, it makes me sad to end on such a flat note.
Many of the problems and inconsistencies return, and are made glaring. The dialogue is still too jocular and lacks clear attribution, the action is filled with even more blockbuster movie tropes, and the time travel becomes so ridiculous it is a farce.
The book is split between the good guys and the bad guys perspective, meaning we get less time with protagonists in the final book of the trilogy. The upshot is that the lead antagonist gets fleshed out, and becomes engaging. The downside is that the abrupt ending leaves his fate completely up in the air.
There are some good moments to the book (again, the action is exciting if you don't mind the tropes, more characters get a chance to grow, the setting descriptions are very well done) but as the third book in the trilogy, it makes me sad to end on such a flat note.
December 7, 2018
Mini-Review:
While I grew accustomed to listening to the story by audio, I would recommend reading the series vs listening because the time & memory jumps are not well done.
I'm going to describe the book in three words:
- Sex
- Confusion
- Inconclusive
I still like the core characters. Meanwhile, all suspension of belief was blown to pieces by the end of the book and I'm annoyed at myself for hoping for better.
While I grew accustomed to listening to the story by audio, I would recommend reading the series vs listening because the time & memory jumps are not well done.
I'm going to describe the book in three words:
- Sex
- Confusion
- Inconclusive
I still like the core characters. Meanwhile, all suspension of belief was blown to pieces by the end of the book and I'm annoyed at myself for hoping for better.
September 14, 2024
I have really enjoyed this series and I feel like a lot of the criticism was a bit harsh. However, this ending felt rushed - almost like an exam in timed conditions and it had to be quickly finished. Would have preferred a greater resolution. Also, the whole Alpha and Kate storyline didn’t even conclude - felt lazy.
Overall the series was great, the ending was sloppy.
Overall the series was great, the ending was sloppy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2025
I battled my way through this trilogy, but I'm none the wiser as to why it has such good reviews. I still don't rate any of the characters, the world is tenuous and at times unconvincing. Would make a fairly good 90s action thriller. But not very interesting to read, especially the endless battle scenes, and confusing toing and froing between time zones.
May 19, 2018
My Favorite Time-Travel Story
With , delivers the end to an awesome trilogy and wraps-up of the best time travel story I've ever read.
It's not often that I'm unable to accurately predict what's going to happen; , , and had me thrilled, guessing, and surprised to the very end. is full of action and adventure. is a crazy, non-stop, action-packed adrenaline rush! is a rollercoaster ride full of ups, downs, twists, and turns! To make it even better, the characters are so well developed, I've come to think of them as friends
is not a stand-alone novel. You will want to read and before reading this one, but your investment of time is well worth it. If you are a techno-thriller fan or Time-Travel aficionado this is a series not to miss!
With , delivers the end to an awesome trilogy and wraps-up of the best time travel story I've ever read.
It's not often that I'm unable to accurately predict what's going to happen; , , and had me thrilled, guessing, and surprised to the very end. is full of action and adventure. is a crazy, non-stop, action-packed adrenaline rush! is a rollercoaster ride full of ups, downs, twists, and turns! To make it even better, the characters are so well developed, I've come to think of them as friends
is not a stand-alone novel. You will want to read and before reading this one, but your investment of time is well worth it. If you are a techno-thriller fan or Time-Travel aficionado this is a series not to miss!
February 6, 2021
This is the last book in the trilogy and it has the energy, fun and intelligence of the first book.
For those who haven't read this tribology, please doe, it is brilliant.
Some smart person from a streaming service should pick this trilogy up, it would be a brilliant series!
For those who haven't read this tribology, please doe, it is brilliant.
Some smart person from a streaming service should pick this trilogy up, it would be a brilliant series!
March 31, 2018
Excellent
Fantastic final book. Continues development of the story and the characters beautifully. Ending is an open mouth moment.... But a good writer always leaves you wanting more.....a part two trilogy would be great ;)
Fantastic final book. Continues development of the story and the characters beautifully. Ending is an open mouth moment.... But a good writer always leaves you wanting more.....a part two trilogy would be great ;)
May 9, 2018
like the book just wanting more. it left me wanting.
February 12, 2019
One of the things I love about this book is how well it portrays characters of varying intellect, from a bit thick to unnervingly brilliant, without bludgeoning us with it or making it the only important thing about a character.
May 16, 2018
Brilliant
Mind boggling but fantastic, it’s a true reflection of a genius at work. How an author writes a time travel book is beyond me, but Mr Haywood has such a way of writing that it draws you right into the book with all the characters, which I might add are all fantastic, I loved the way we got to see the baddies in a different light and really enjoyed this instalment of the series. So many twists and turns and banter from the characters I found it really hard to put down. Definitely a must read for anyone who likes this genre and humour. Can’t wait for the next in the series
Mind boggling but fantastic, it’s a true reflection of a genius at work. How an author writes a time travel book is beyond me, but Mr Haywood has such a way of writing that it draws you right into the book with all the characters, which I might add are all fantastic, I loved the way we got to see the baddies in a different light and really enjoyed this instalment of the series. So many twists and turns and banter from the characters I found it really hard to put down. Definitely a must read for anyone who likes this genre and humour. Can’t wait for the next in the series
January 25, 2020
I'll give it 3.5, the thing is I loved this series. I honestly devoured it. I still love it. You should know I'm a 5 star giver, I like and love most anything I read or i just stop reading it. I gave this 5 stars until about the 2/3 of the way through. That's when it just went to the.....well.....you know....
What the heck happened at the end? It was GOT all over again!! Did he have tea with those two fools and just say....yeah, that's sounds like a bloody brilliant idea, I'll just do what you guys did. Its like the author just rushed through just to say he finished it. Huge plot holes just left wide the heck open with absolutely zero answers as to why. Little plot lines that never explained why they exist. I'll give this author the respect he is due at the beginning but it's like he just didn't care anymore at the end.
***Spoilers***
Why happened to Alpha? Is he dead? Are they gonna rescue him? What about Kate....seriously....we are just gonna drop a bomb like that then fade to black? Why didn't the swear word computer nazi ever correct Safa? What on earth happened to Ria? What was the stupid purpose of the opening scene to only end up being some weak scene at the end of the book? And what's up with Bravo....no info there? What about Mother....are we ever gonna understand her whys and a little more back story to her evil....
It's like someone else wrote the last book. Or at least the last half....dang it. I hate it when an author cares more about the money he is making than the actual product he is delivering. I planned on reading his other books, even had them saved to order them as soon as I finished this one...now I believe I should avoid them at all costs. Dude....why!?!?!
What the heck happened at the end? It was GOT all over again!! Did he have tea with those two fools and just say....yeah, that's sounds like a bloody brilliant idea, I'll just do what you guys did. Its like the author just rushed through just to say he finished it. Huge plot holes just left wide the heck open with absolutely zero answers as to why. Little plot lines that never explained why they exist. I'll give this author the respect he is due at the beginning but it's like he just didn't care anymore at the end.
***Spoilers***
Why happened to Alpha? Is he dead? Are they gonna rescue him? What about Kate....seriously....we are just gonna drop a bomb like that then fade to black? Why didn't the swear word computer nazi ever correct Safa? What on earth happened to Ria? What was the stupid purpose of the opening scene to only end up being some weak scene at the end of the book? And what's up with Bravo....no info there? What about Mother....are we ever gonna understand her whys and a little more back story to her evil....
It's like someone else wrote the last book. Or at least the last half....dang it. I hate it when an author cares more about the money he is making than the actual product he is delivering. I planned on reading his other books, even had them saved to order them as soon as I finished this one...now I believe I should avoid them at all costs. Dude....why!?!?!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2019
Straight up awful. About 1/3 the way into the book, I considered not even finishing it, but I plowed through hoping it would get better. It did not.
The treatment of the time travel in this book was just silly. In the prologue they do something that they spent most of the last book explain literally couldn't be done. The author just apparently gave up trying, and now anything they need to just occurs "in a separate timeline", unless it requires a lingering effect in this main timeline in which case it just ... happens. The characters are confused, and just ignore it.
The main 'villain' is pointless, we never find out what her actual plan is, nor her motivation other than "have to be the best", which seems like a poor reason to contemplate the extinction of the human race.
The "twist" with the secondary villain is likewise pointless, as it never goes anywhere, and there's no resolution.
The 'romance' between two of the main characters is cringeworthy and juvenile, and is entirely skippable.
Nothing is explained, at all. There's an interesting detail where one of the main characters never trips an "anti-swearing" device in the future, while everyone else does. It's mentioned several times, in several scenes. It's never explained, never used and pointless.
I don't normally bother leaving reviews, but this book was so awful I just had to try and save others the pain.
The treatment of the time travel in this book was just silly. In the prologue they do something that they spent most of the last book explain literally couldn't be done. The author just apparently gave up trying, and now anything they need to just occurs "in a separate timeline", unless it requires a lingering effect in this main timeline in which case it just ... happens. The characters are confused, and just ignore it.
The main 'villain' is pointless, we never find out what her actual plan is, nor her motivation other than "have to be the best", which seems like a poor reason to contemplate the extinction of the human race.
The "twist" with the secondary villain is likewise pointless, as it never goes anywhere, and there's no resolution.
The 'romance' between two of the main characters is cringeworthy and juvenile, and is entirely skippable.
Nothing is explained, at all. There's an interesting detail where one of the main characters never trips an "anti-swearing" device in the future, while everyone else does. It's mentioned several times, in several scenes. It's never explained, never used and pointless.
I don't normally bother leaving reviews, but this book was so awful I just had to try and save others the pain.
February 13, 2021
Outstanding
I'm writing this as a review of the whole trilogy, not just book 3 and for starters I wish it could carry on, I genuinely didn't want this excellent story to end.
An autistic inventor of a time machine is where it all starts and as usual we get a fabulous array of characters to join the fun; and it is fun, reading a tale of time travel, a WW2 hero, a police officer and an insurance investigator saving the world and eachother, repeatedly!
I read a lot and when I come across something new and unique I get a good buzz and this trilogy had me buzzing from start to finish. I want more!
I'm writing this as a review of the whole trilogy, not just book 3 and for starters I wish it could carry on, I genuinely didn't want this excellent story to end.
An autistic inventor of a time machine is where it all starts and as usual we get a fabulous array of characters to join the fun; and it is fun, reading a tale of time travel, a WW2 hero, a police officer and an insurance investigator saving the world and eachother, repeatedly!
I read a lot and when I come across something new and unique I get a good buzz and this trilogy had me buzzing from start to finish. I want more!
June 22, 2024
Finished with Ryan this time. Always an excellent trilogy.
December 7, 2023
REVIEW AT FIRST 18% OF THE STORY ------------
Picked this only because it's a series, and already cursing myself for doing so.
First the writer wrote two books for a story that could have been easily a single story of half the length and better yet. Then because he couldn't think of anything else, he restarted the already ended story with idiotic logic, just to build a third book on top of the first two, to grab more money!
Note to self, do not read any R. R. Haywood book again.
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REVIEW AT 47%
Please end the story now. I'm six and half hours down the story, and NOW the base plot is set, this story could have ended 12 hours ago. It is so very long with unnecessary details given and important information left for the readers to figure out just to maintain some thrill and suspense. It is worse way of writing. The author does not understand the concept of time progression properly too. I mean the 'detached from timeline' concept is good, but then one detached party spending time in one timeline and other detached party modifying that timeline from another time is still living same amount of time detached? What the **** is that? Living on a timeline does not detach you from it, only your memories are different from the history of that timeline. You are NOT literally detached from timeline or time, like TVA is! This is stupid. He does not try to understand lot of other things, such as which dinosaurs lived in cretaceous period. He tries to describe them, but does not name them, I think he's making up a lot of them. He does not know the size of the bombs used to nuke Japan in WWII, he describes them incorrectly. He does not know why one was called Little Boy and other Fat Man. He does not know how carbon dating works. The list goes on! It's so bad, that, although his description of life and technology in future is interesting, it feels wrong. He did not used Ben's intelligence properly in the story too. He is equally intelligence as Miri, if not less. But she does all the thinking, and he does not do much even when on mission where he could lead the team in Miri's absence. But he only acts as a muscle just like Safa and Harry. What a waste of character! I am not going to read novel, even if it has an interesting plot and high GR rating. I am persevering, PERSEVERING, because I've spent over 31 hours of story, and do not want to give up for last six.
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Ah its finally over!!!!
It picked up pace after about 65% and then it was less torture to read. Most of the complaints remains though. For eg. R.R. gives detailed information about irrelevant things, word by word play of chitchat, and then not describing necessary parts enough. Many scenes start with dialogues, you have to figure out for yourself what is happening, where it's happening and when it's happening. The problem increases in audiobook, as there are no gaps between scenes in a chapter. The reading continues from one scene to other nonchalantly, in books at least there will be a line gap, but not in audiobook. You are with Mother's team and suddenly Malcom says something; and you're wondering when did Malcom went to talk to Mother? And then you realise that the scene has changed. It gets worse as number of instances of character increases. You constantly have to figure out whether the Alpha in this is from timeline of our main story or some other timeline.
The biggest problem is R.R.'s misunderstanding of how causality works. And he's fucked it up so many times in this story. I've talking about this in second book's review so I won't repeat it here except one thing. It fucks up the resolution.
Whats more, R.R. doesn't confirm whether the timeline is fixed at the end or not. I hope it's fixed and he's not just building premise for fourth book. I am not going to read it.
So all in all, fucked up series; it was torture to finish the story. I will never read another book by R.R., let alone reread this one.
Picked this only because it's a series, and already cursing myself for doing so.
First the writer wrote two books for a story that could have been easily a single story of half the length and better yet. Then because he couldn't think of anything else, he restarted the already ended story with idiotic logic, just to build a third book on top of the first two, to grab more money!
Note to self, do not read any R. R. Haywood book again.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
REVIEW AT 47%
Please end the story now. I'm six and half hours down the story, and NOW the base plot is set, this story could have ended 12 hours ago. It is so very long with unnecessary details given and important information left for the readers to figure out just to maintain some thrill and suspense. It is worse way of writing. The author does not understand the concept of time progression properly too. I mean the 'detached from timeline' concept is good, but then one detached party spending time in one timeline and other detached party modifying that timeline from another time is still living same amount of time detached? What the **** is that? Living on a timeline does not detach you from it, only your memories are different from the history of that timeline. You are NOT literally detached from timeline or time, like TVA is! This is stupid. He does not try to understand lot of other things, such as which dinosaurs lived in cretaceous period. He tries to describe them, but does not name them, I think he's making up a lot of them. He does not know the size of the bombs used to nuke Japan in WWII, he describes them incorrectly. He does not know why one was called Little Boy and other Fat Man. He does not know how carbon dating works. The list goes on! It's so bad, that, although his description of life and technology in future is interesting, it feels wrong. He did not used Ben's intelligence properly in the story too. He is equally intelligence as Miri, if not less. But she does all the thinking, and he does not do much even when on mission where he could lead the team in Miri's absence. But he only acts as a muscle just like Safa and Harry. What a waste of character! I am not going to read novel, even if it has an interesting plot and high GR rating. I am persevering, PERSEVERING, because I've spent over 31 hours of story, and do not want to give up for last six.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ah its finally over!!!!
It picked up pace after about 65% and then it was less torture to read. Most of the complaints remains though. For eg. R.R. gives detailed information about irrelevant things, word by word play of chitchat, and then not describing necessary parts enough. Many scenes start with dialogues, you have to figure out for yourself what is happening, where it's happening and when it's happening. The problem increases in audiobook, as there are no gaps between scenes in a chapter. The reading continues from one scene to other nonchalantly, in books at least there will be a line gap, but not in audiobook. You are with Mother's team and suddenly Malcom says something; and you're wondering when did Malcom went to talk to Mother? And then you realise that the scene has changed. It gets worse as number of instances of character increases. You constantly have to figure out whether the Alpha in this is from timeline of our main story or some other timeline.
The biggest problem is R.R.'s misunderstanding of how causality works. And he's fucked it up so many times in this story. I've talking about this in second book's review so I won't repeat it here except one thing. It fucks up the resolution.
Whats more, R.R. doesn't confirm whether the timeline is fixed at the end or not. I hope it's fixed and he's not just building premise for fourth book. I am not going to read it.
So all in all, fucked up series; it was torture to finish the story. I will never read another book by R.R., let alone reread this one.
February 6, 2020
Spoilers ahead, so stop now if you haven’t read this.
Strange that I’m giving this 4 stars. Until the final scenes, I was sure it was going to be 5 stars, as (unlike the first book) there was nothing to criticize. But then for me the book blew it, as the climax just seemed all wrong.
Kate just suddenly flips sides, shoots Mother and it is all over. Massive anti climax. I was reading the audiobook so I did not know we were minutes from the end, so I never even considered that she had really just switched sides. No way can that be correct, because this is happening at an early stage in Kate’s timeline. There were hints of her having second thoughts later in her timeline, but not at this point. So, it never occurred to me that she really had flipped. Surely we, the readers, were meant to know that she had just done it so that at least she would survive and would be able to go back and save her mother later? I was therefore waiting to see what her next move would be, but then the book ends.
This is meant to be a trilogy, so is that genuinely meant to be the end? If it is, that is a dreadful way to end it, with a convenient and implausible switch of loyalty. Surely there must be another book, where Kate strikes back in some way? If there isn’t then the author should be lynched. But if so, don’t tell us it is a trilogy, because this creates certain expectations and means the ending just seems staggeringly lazy and wrong. Even if I had known there would be a fourth book, I would be annoyed, because each book should still have a proper conclusion, not just stop abruptly.
But I loved 95% of the book, so I’m only deducting one star. There are other things that ought to lead me to deduct more, but they are faults that just did not bother me. For instance, I should have been unhappy that Ria just appears out of nowhere and saves the day...more than once. It seems like lazy plotting, but it didn’t bother me. And there were a couple of things that seemed like they were meant to be surprises, but were blindingly obvious. Eg, the author seemed to try to hide the fact that Mother’s second plan was a nuclear bomb on London, but what else could it have been? But, again, did not bother me.
Other than that, cracking stuff and just a really fun read. This is crying out to be made into a film.
The audio narrator is very good.
Strange that I’m giving this 4 stars. Until the final scenes, I was sure it was going to be 5 stars, as (unlike the first book) there was nothing to criticize. But then for me the book blew it, as the climax just seemed all wrong.
Kate just suddenly flips sides, shoots Mother and it is all over. Massive anti climax. I was reading the audiobook so I did not know we were minutes from the end, so I never even considered that she had really just switched sides. No way can that be correct, because this is happening at an early stage in Kate’s timeline. There were hints of her having second thoughts later in her timeline, but not at this point. So, it never occurred to me that she really had flipped. Surely we, the readers, were meant to know that she had just done it so that at least she would survive and would be able to go back and save her mother later? I was therefore waiting to see what her next move would be, but then the book ends.
This is meant to be a trilogy, so is that genuinely meant to be the end? If it is, that is a dreadful way to end it, with a convenient and implausible switch of loyalty. Surely there must be another book, where Kate strikes back in some way? If there isn’t then the author should be lynched. But if so, don’t tell us it is a trilogy, because this creates certain expectations and means the ending just seems staggeringly lazy and wrong. Even if I had known there would be a fourth book, I would be annoyed, because each book should still have a proper conclusion, not just stop abruptly.
But I loved 95% of the book, so I’m only deducting one star. There are other things that ought to lead me to deduct more, but they are faults that just did not bother me. For instance, I should have been unhappy that Ria just appears out of nowhere and saves the day...more than once. It seems like lazy plotting, but it didn’t bother me. And there were a couple of things that seemed like they were meant to be surprises, but were blindingly obvious. Eg, the author seemed to try to hide the fact that Mother’s second plan was a nuclear bomb on London, but what else could it have been? But, again, did not bother me.
Other than that, cracking stuff and just a really fun read. This is crying out to be made into a film.
The audio narrator is very good.
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