Eli Teague first meets Harry when Eli is only eight years old. Harry pulls up in a 1929 Model A coup that has been converted to run on water. Harry pulls up and takes Eli's water bottle to fuel the car.

Eli meets Harry again when Eli is thirteen. This time Eli discovers that Harry is a girl, but she doesn't seem to have changed much and is still driving the special Model A.

Eli isn't able to shake the memory of Harry and when he meets her again when he's 29 (and she still hasn't changed), he follows her. But when he tries to protect her from some men who appear to be following her, he becomes caught up in a wild chase across the country and through time.

One of the things we've seen recently with author Peter Clines is that he isn't afraid to challenge the reader (and himself) with our perceptions of reality. He also knows how to build a great deal of intrigue and excitement with a story and <em>Paradox Bound</em> builds well on all of these.

For me, the key to any story that has time travel is a logical set of rules - world building that makes as much sense as possible, given the already complicated parameters of the topic. And Clines makes this work. I was able to follow the way the time travel worked and was able accept it. It was one of the more creative methods I've come across.

I also really liked the villains in this book. They were truly frightening - and they also had a backstory that made sense within the context of the story.

The plot is thick with mystery and (intentional) confusion, keeping the reader guessing and eager to read on to the next chapter to see what happens next.

And as enjoyable a read as this was (and it definitely was), it's what I consider to be a 'typical' best-seller chart book ... it's exciting and fun to read, but it won't stay with you. Not too far in the future (or the past), you may look at the cover of the book and think "What was that one about?"

Looking for a good book? <em>Paradox Bound</em> is another exciting sci-fi mystery that includes time travel and terror, by Peter Clines. It's a fun read that will keep you in the moment.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

I pretty my love all of Peter Clines novels. I got hooked on Ex-heroes series at first. However the his novels 14 and The Fold are the two that set him apart form every other author for me. Paradox Bound follows in that creativity and twist that I loved in those two novels.

Paradox Bound is a slow burn. You slowly get to learn who the characters are and their stories. They grow on you through the whole story, even the bad guys. Once you think you figure the story out, the carpet is pulled out form under you. The whole story caught me off guard and those are the kind of stories i love. Do yourself a favor and read Paradox Bound. Be patient with it and you will not regret it.

Where to begin. I am always up for a time travel story...excuse HISTORY travel story. And this one did disappoint. We are following the life & adventures of Eli Teague. As a child he sees a mysterious young woman who ran out of fuel on the side of the rode. She was driving an old Model T, I think. She was chased off by a man in a mask driving a sports car. He meets her two more times at different points in his life but she doesn't look to have aged a day. Being from a small town, this started an interest in who she was and what she was doing. After his 3rd meeting his life is turned upside down. It is the beginning of a wild adventure through History.

This book brings you through various points in American History. It has these crazy explanations about the American Dream and how we perceive things. It was hard to put down at times. I wasn't a huge fan of the final chapters BUT it was still a phenomenal story with amazing characters. You really do fall in love with Eli and Harry. They are just so real, so easy to like. So east to root for. It was very creative and well written. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes History with a twist.

SPOILERS

While I don't need a love story, I cannot believe that it ended with them just walking off into the sunset. At least give me a little peck. They clearly cared for each other more than just partners. Especially Eli towards Harry. The whole book is building up their relationship. Yes, it could just be friendly but it didn't seem that way to me. I loved the story but was annoyed with the ending...it fell flat. Still a great book.

I do kind of hope the story continues. I don't think it will but I would love to read more about the adventure of Eli and Harry as they skid into various points of history, trying not to muck it up along the way.

I did enjoy how historical figures, real historical figures made appearances. As soon as James was introduced, I knew who he was. The description and the explanation that he was a race car driver turned actor...hello JAMES DEAN! John driving a train was creative. All of it was creative.

The faceless men were terrifying. They are soulless creatures created from what once was man. The stuff of nightmares. I also like that the American dream is a tangible thing. Something that can be stolen. Something that is alive and evolves with whomever has possession of it. The idea that our country was formed and successful because of a deal made with an Egyptian God was so cool.

So many times I wanted to scream at Eli and Harry but they always, always protected each other. When Eli went to Harry's wedding. I just sat there smiling the entire time. It was so cute and heartbreaking. Then when Eli was kidnapped by his former boss, I knew Harry would save him. Well mostly, he did almost die. Harry gets shot by a faceless man, nooooo but Eli protected her. I did want to scream when they let Eli leave and kept Harry. I know they said with certainty they would meet again but I just was upset. They are partners, this can't be happening!!! Eli became his own man, he became rich by getting fired (I loved that part) then he went looking for her. He went back to hourglass and he found her. It wasn't the reunion I wanted but it was still awesome!

If you can't tell I really did like this book!

First of all a big thank you to Roxanne Hiatt, Assistant Marketing Manager at Penguin Random House for furnishing me with the advance copy of Peter Clines new book.

As you can see, I read this in practically one sitting, it had me enthralled from the first chapter. The first time Eli Teague meets Harry Pritchard is when he is 8 & 1/2 years old. Harry is stranded on the side of the road by a an old Ford Model T that is out of fuel. Harry's partner is off getting fuel for the vehicle. Harry seem determined to get rid of Eli for some reason, "Bad things are coming". Harry introduces (view spoiler) to Eli and he reciprocates. Harry grabs Eli by the shoulders and cries out "Oh,my God, Look at you! You... you're so cute" As Harry babbles on about complications and other stuff, Eli tells Harry that he has water in his thermos. Harry is excited and then to Eli's amazement, pours the water into the gas tank of the Model T. Harry is the able to start the car. Harry's partner returns and some strange dialog takes place between Harry and the partner. They both jump into the running vehicle and Harry says to Eli, "See you in a couple of years"

This is also the first time that Eli is introduced to the main villains of the novel, albeit at a distance as a black car speeds by, the driver staring at Eli as he passes. Oddly it looks like his eyes are shut.

The next time Eli meets Harry is 4 & 1/2 years later, just after a run in with the town bully Zeke Miller (Remember that name, he plays a very important role later in the novel). Harry's Model T is again broken down and in the process of being repaired. Harry dragoons Eli into helping with the repairs. After the vehicle is repaired, Eli asks if they will meet again, Harry states that "Anything's possible"

The third time Eli meets Harry is when Eli is 29 years old, Eli is stuck in a dead end job working at a bank two towns away from where he grew up and still lives. He is driving home with some friends from a night out at a bar and sees the Model T stuck on the side of the road, he shouts to his friends to let him out, because he "wants to check on the car and see if the need help." Eli then notices that Harry has not changed in the 20+ years.

This is where the story really starts, suffice to say that it involves Faceless Men, traveling through History (kind of like time travel, but not really), meeting several historical figures in places that you would not expect them to be, and an epic quest to find the American Dream. It offers a tour of America throughout history as you have never seen, exciting chases, and one of the most unusual set of villains that I have had the pleasure to read about.

All in all, a great read!

I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review. This was an okay read, but my least favorite book by Clines. The whole book is basically a big car chase through history/time and gets repetitive.

I thought the idea of traveling through history was a good one and enjoyed how that contrasted with the idea of traveling through time. The main goal of the story was finding the Dream; and this was a bit obscure and ambiguous. Additionally, the constant car chases got repetitive.

Overall this was an okay read and had some different ideas in it. I liked the idea of traveling through history versus time. However, in the end the story ended up being strangely repetitive, a bit ambiguous, and boring. As I said, not my favorite Clines read. I would recommend “14” or his “Ex-Heroes” series over this book.

This was an okay read. The story was interesting at times, but there were also times where I could not get into the story. I thought the story had potential. It was just not up to my expectations. I thought Eli was an okay character. I did not love him, nor did I dislike him. He was just okay. I thought if there was more of a background story to his character, I would have connected with him better. The ending was okay. I can’t wait to see the other books Peter Clines writes. I hope I enjoy them more than this book. Overall, an alright read.

Let's get this out of the way: Peter Clines can write. I've learned a TON about writing from his blog, and I really enjoyed 14 and The Fold. Of course, I say all of that because I thought Paradox Bound was just...fine.

Eli Teague meets Harriet (Harry) when he's a young boy, and is immediately fascinated. When he keeps meeting her over the years, the infatuation grows. When Harry runs up against some faceless enemies, Eli decides to help her. This leads to the two of them racing through time, looking for the American Dream.

I'm not sure why this book took so long for me to get into. The writing was solid, but it was...safe. I was never challenged. Never surprised. Even the surprises were more like, "Oh, okay," rather than, "NO WAY!" The second half moves along at a much faster pace, and it solidified the three stars, but I'm still not sure this is worth the effort. I mean, three stars means it's still a good book, but there are a lot of books out there. I'll still read everything Clines writes, though. This one just didn't draw me in.

There are some books that start out slow. But eventually they pick up a good pace. This is not one of those books. This is one of those books that out of 40 plus chapters you know how its going to end by chapter 9. The problem comes with getting it over with already. It get that the author tried to write a character driven story but I just never cared for the lead characters. The car references went over my head. I wasn't going to look up the cars on the internet because I just didn't care. The whole Paradox of the story is not much of a Paradox at all. The last three chapters were when the book was actually interesting. Unfortunately the rest was more of a flat tire for me.

Another win by Peter Clines. I was a little confused by this book at first but ultimately enjoyed it. I especially loved all of the little random details that were thrown in.

Eli meets a mysterious traveler a few times in his life as he's growing up. It's years for him, but days for her and not necessarily in a linear fashion. Harry, the traveler, discourages his interest, but not quite successfully enough. He finds out she is in danger from a faceless man and seeks her out to warn her. I was surprised at the lengths he was willing to go to for a woman he had met just a few times, but without his willingness to do so, the book would have stalled. Harry and Eli become reluctant partners seeking out The American Dream - a tangible treasure. They and the other searchers, for they are not alone, are pursued by the faceless men.

The way they travel is frequently a form of time travel that Harry refers to as traveling through history. They are limited in their travels within the history of the United States as they chase after The Dream.

It's a good story and well-written. There are a few flaws such as the plot being a little slow to take off. Then there is Eli's willingness to go to great lengths to warn Harry even though he's only met her a few times over the course of his life. And there are places where the plot sort of seems to meander but turns out to be setting up events to link with other events later on in the book. Still, I found myself wanting to know what happened next. It kept my attention even through the slow parts.

Overall, I give the book 4 out of 5 stars. It's definitely worth a read if you enjoy time traveling science fiction.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines was released September 26, 2017 by Crown.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the Publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Eli Teague lives in Sanders, Maine, the town that time forgot. A chance encounter with a Model A Ford and its driver when he was a kid sets Eli on a collision course with all of America's history. That is, if the faceless men don't get him first...

Peter Clines impressed the shit out of me with The Fold and 14 so it was a no-brainer when Crown came knocking with an ARC of Paradox Bound.

Time travel stories are something that's hard to do well. Peter Clines takes an admirable stab at it in Paradox Bound. Instead of traveling through all of time and space, Eli and the searchers travel through American history, searching for the missing American dream.

Feeling more like a road book than a standard time travel story, Paradox Bound has a lot of innovative things about it. The faceless men, generic feds with no faces, protect the American dream until it is stolen and lost to history. Scores of people scour history looking for the American dream and the power to shape the country. Eli and Harry are just two such searchers, tooling around in a Model A and trying not to die.

The book maintains a pretty gripping pace. While I knew Eli wouldn't die, I wasn't sure about Harry or any of the other characters. Peter Clines did a great job with time paradoxes and keeping the proceedings logical while still being outlandish.

While I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it. I think Clines set the bar a little too high in 14 and The Fold. It had a less serious tone than either of those books. However, that wasn't the part that really rubbed me the wrong way. Eli makes a couple leaps in logic in the last 20% of the book that really didn't sit well with me. I can buy time, sorry, history travel, but I couldn't buy the conclusions Eli jumped to.

Paradox Bound is a fun book but I didn't think it was nearly as good as his previous two outings. Three out of five stars.

The premise of this novel had me really intrigued and excited to read this novel. However, my actual experience with this book was ... underwhelming. The story revolves around Harry, the mysterious stranger that Eli meets, as well as a host of other characters who are all looking for a very important thing: the American dream. And to do this, they are going through different time points in American history to find it. Now, I love a good time travel story, especially since the concept of time travel is not the easiest to write about. I quite enjoyed the jumps in time and how it forced the reader to pay attention to all of the little details in the book. However, I wasn't so impressed with the characters. They were all just so bland and they really didn't hold any interest. With such a whimsical story idea, I expect really fantastic characters that leave an impression on the reader. Even the villains weren't as villainous as I was hoping. The entire time I was reading this novel, it felt like everything stopped just shy of being amazing. The pace was just short of gripping and edgy, the thrills and dangers were just short of being scary, the characters were just short of being charismatic, and the ending was just short of being satisfactory. While the premise and concept was interesting, I don't think the execution was the best. This definitely wasn't a memorable story, but it could have been. For that reason, I'm giving this a 2.5/5 stars. 

Thanks to Blogging for Books, NetGalley, and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was seriously fun! I knew that I wanted to read this book as soon as I saw it described as a time-travel thriller. I was completely entertained by the story from the first page. When I wasn't actually reading the book, I was thinking about how this kind of time travel would work. I am so glad that I made the decision to read this exciting story.

This book is told from Eli's point of view. We first meet Eli as a child and see him as he first encounters Harry. As a teenager, he comes across this same individual with her Model A Ford once again. After their third meet when Eli is an adult, he decides to find Harry so that he can warn her that she may be in danger. That is when Eli's life take a dramatic turn as he learns about people traveling through history.

I loved the time travel, or history travel, described in this book. There are two groups of people traveling through time. One group is searching for the American Dream while the other group is trying to stop them. The skip through time just by finding specific slick spots in the road that lead to a specific time period. Some towns are stuck in time while others have slick spots leading to many periods. The faceless men were also very interesting. The whole idea of their certainty gave me something to ponder as I went through my day. Who need eyes, a nose, a mouth, or a face when you have certainty? I was very glad that we were able to get a bit of perspective from this unique group.

The biggest strength of this book was that it was just a lot of fun. There were a lot of exciting scenes and enough mystery to keep me guessing. I thought that the whole concept of the story was well thought out and incredibly original. I also really appreciated the fact that the characters didn't get sidetracked with romance. Eli and Harry are simply working together to find the lost Dream.

I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a really fun and exciting read filled with great characters. This is the kind of story that almost feels like it should be made into a movie or television show. I look forward to reading more from Peter Clines soon.

I received a review copy of this book from Crown Publishing via Blogging for Books and NetGalley.

I received a free electronic copy of this book free through Netgalley in return for an honest response.

A different take on time travel. I liked it well-enough, but not as much as his other books. There were some nice temporal loops and paradoxes. All in all it was well thought out, but I was hoping for more. The end definitely left me feeling like there should have been more.

There were several concepts I felt he used well--the American Dream, the Faceless Men and their certainty, towns "stuck in time." The characters were engaging, although, again, I was hoping for more there.

If Clines writes a sequel to this, I will read it.

This was a really good book. I've only read the 14 by the author but found this one not as good as that one but still entertaining nonetheless. I've always loved stuff involving different points in time and thoroughly enjoyed that aspect in the book. The individuals going after the main characters were described in a way that had me on edge at times. Overall not a bad read and one I would recommend to others.

This, I can say, is a bizarre book, with a complex yet well-talked history where the typical "American Dream" and the travels over history meet.

The protagonist meets Harry three times, the first time at eight and a half years, after a bike ride, on the way back home. The second time at 13, the same time he discovers that Harry is a woman. And then she meets her again at 29, coming back from work, on her Mustang model A.

But after this last encounter his life changes radically. From now on, faceless men try to get information about Harry, and he, to alert her, goes to her research, but after finding her he can not go back. He is forced to get in the car with her, and take part in her strange treasure hunt.

Though Harry doesn't want him to go with her,s he can't abandon him to the faceless man, so she decides that Eli would become her new partner, not having one and, after presenting other searchers to the boy, tells him what the hunting is about.

The story is broken down by generations and generations of hunters, so it's not totally accurate, but the quest of their hunt is the "American dream", a desire guaranteed to men by an Egyptian God. Not everyone is aware of it, and whoever is, searches it everywhere, even traveling through history, back and forth in time.

For Eli are too many information, but he decides to take part in the research. He is now in it and cannot go back until the search is over.

They travel long and wide, discovering many things, always fleeing from faceless man, until they believe that the search is almost over, they get caught, with no way out.

Initially, I found the chapters in which there were only faceless man slightly boring because I constantly wanted to read about the two characters, but when I realized that they had a greater purpose in the book, I loved the author for adding them .

I didn't expect that I would have liked it so much, and having not started with such high expectations, I totally adored and devoured it.

a very good time travel novel with compelling characters and a great premise. doesn't follow the "traditional" approach to time travel and paradox and keeps you guessing right until the end. a great read.

A Very Entertaining Ride

This book has a lot of moving parts; sometimes they mesh beautifully and sometimes you can feel the gears grind a bit, but when it works it's great and when things get bumpy it's still a fun ride.

The book starts slowly, but bear with it. All those moving parts have to be introduced and everything has to start spinning up to speed. I had forgotten that Clines also wrote "14", which is a superior horror book that also started slowly and built up tension as it went along. This one more starts slowly and builds up understanding and then complexity and then clarity as it goes along.

There are lots of reviews and blurbs and explanations for this book so I won't do a plot summary, which would be overlong, spoilerish, and still not give you a good sense of the book anyway. A few things, though, make this an especially fun read, and they're worth noting.

Eli and Harry are our two main characters. Eli starts out fairly lame and Harry initially is too enigmatic for her own good as a character, but they build up nicely to the point that you actually are sort of sad to leave them by the end of the book.

This is one of those "I'd explain everything but I can't right now because I'm being shot at" books, and that gets old fast. There's a point about a fifth of the way in when it's time for at least a few plot cards to be laid on the table, and Clines does a lot of teasing before doing so. That said, we then get a few pages of serious monologuing that clears up a lot of loose ends and sets the rest of the book on a comprehensible course. I appreciate well timed monologuing, especially in a time/history travel book, and these bits were lifesavers. From then on there's always some character holding your hand so you don't fall off the rails.

This book has great villains. They aren't evil world-domination types. MILD SPOILER. They are more like confused and misguided good guys. You get very much of a Matrix Agent Smith vibe, which I found a refreshing change from mwaa-ha-ha baddies. Heck, there's even a childhood bully who ends up a sympathetic character.

There are lots of ideas packed into the narrative. Some is a bit wacky, and the foundational premise is definitely out there, but then there are bits and throwaway lines and set scenes that really take off and make the book a bit heavier and more thoughtful than just a time travel adventure.

Finally, while none of the bits are laugh out loud funny, there is a lot of amusing byplay between the two main characters and a generally amiable feel to many of the scenes, (except, of course, when people are being shot or threatened with being shot).

So, this turned out to be a fun, entertaining, and surprisingly involving action/adventure time travel escapade. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I love time travel novels: they're challenging to write and fun to read. There are inventive plot twists, creative time machines, and tons of historical trivia. Paradox Bound, the new novel by Peter Clines, is all that and much more. According to Clines, he'd spent more years writing Paradox Bound than he did any other book - and that certainly shows!

It's tough to describe the plot without giving away the wonderful, delicious surprises, so I'll just state the very basics. It's a story about a Millennial guy named Eli who lives in a boring small town in Maine and who has a crush on the mysterious woman who passes through every few years, wearing antique outfits and driving a souped-up Ford Model A. It's a story about America and its history, both the heroic past and the uncertain future. It's a story about a community of time travelers (or "history travelers," as they prefer to be called) who travel through history in their antique cars. (Similar to Chuck Palahniuk's "Rant," only with less NC-17 content.) It's a story about the pursuit of a dream above all else.

It also features faceless government men, an ancient Egyptian god, the Founding Fathers, and subtle references to every other novel Clines has ever written. The many, many plot twists kept me glued to the book: some of them could be guessed, while others were both beautiful and brilliant in their complexity. It helps that Clines used to be a Hollywood writer and knows his way around pacing, dialogue and overall structure - the book flows like a dream. (Or like the 2030 Tesla X!)

The only other time travel novel I've read that achieved this level of beauty and twisted complexity is The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold, an underappreciated 1973 masterpiece that was ahead of its time. Clines left enough loose ends for there to be a sequel, which I'll await most eagerly.

Paradox Bound also touches on some deeper themes. There is an interesting encounter with a folk hero from the 19th century whose story is told from a different angle. There's the uncomfortable fact that female time travelers have a much easier time if they disguise themselves as men in their trips to the past. There's an interesting subplot of cops forcing another cop to sign a document that would permanently change his life. (And not for the better.) The book doesn't preach, but it gives more than enough food for thought to its careful readers.

One word of caution: there are a couple of mild adult moments in the novel, so you may not want to give it your 8-year-old - wait until they hit their teenage years. If, however, you're buying this book for yourself and if you enjoy time travel yarns, inventive plots, and strong female characters with low tolerance for nonsense, I can't recommend this book highly enough.

I give this book five out of five stars.

3.5 stars, rounding up for the fun factor.

Sanders is, in 8 year old Eli Teague’s opinion, the most boring town in the state of Maine, and probably in all of the United States. It doesn’t have internet, cell phone towers, cable TV or even a library (it does, however, have a video store). So when Eli sees a 1929 Model A coupe by the side of the road, and its young driver Harry takes Eli’s bottle of water and pours it into the fuel tank and takes off, hotly pursued by an odd man in a black Hudson Hornet auto with a large gun, it makes an indelible impression on Eli.

Eli meets Harry and her water-fueled Model A again when he’s 13 ― at which point he realizes Harry (short for Harriet) is a girl ― and again when he’s 29. Each time, Harry doesn’t appear to have aged appreciably. Harry mentions that she’s going to be at Quincy Market in Boston in a few days before she disappears from his life the third time. This time, though, Eli thinks he’d better find her in Boston and warn her that a (literally) faceless man is on her trail, the same man he saw pursuing her years earlier.

Complications arise, as anyone but Eli might have expected, and Eli and Harry soon find themselves as somewhat reluctant partners on a strange road trip that takes them back and forth across the U.S., and through different points in history. Harry is one of a loosely-allied group called “the Searchers” who are seeking the lost American Dream. The Dream is am immensely valuable physical item forged by the Egyptian god Ptah at the behest of the founding fathers. It mysteriously disappeared in the 1960s, and the searchers are digging through pockets of American history in a contest to find and control the American Dream, while trying to avoiding being killed by the faceless men, one-time protectors of the Dream who believe the searchers are endangering it.

Paradox Bound is a time travel romp (though Harry would correct you, insisting that it’s “history travel”) blended with an all-American road trip. It has a bit of a National Treasure vibe mixed with a whiff of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol. Despite several tense moments and a little murder and torture on the side, Paradox Bound is a relatively lighthearted adventure. The faceless men are undoubtedly creepy and threatening, but also have a faintly cartoonish feel to them, perhaps because I never saw a compelling reason for them to be made eyeless and mouthless (how do they get nourishment, anyway?). I did appreciate Harry’s explanation that the faceless men are gifted with “certainty,” an innate ability to be absolutely certain of everything within about a three hundred yard radius of themselves.

This certainty, along with its ramifications, is a clever idea, one of many in Paradox Bound. The searchers learn to spot and use locations they call “slick spots” to slide from one point in time to another (“There’s a street in Dallas which only leads to November of 1963”). Folklore enthusiasts will enjoy meeting John Henry in the flesh; Star Trek fans will chuckle over his reference to transparent aluminum. A famous movie star that Eli meets once faked his death so that he could become a full-time Searcher. Apparently American history isn’t quite what we think it is.

There are weaknesses in Paradox Bound that keep it from reaching its fullest potential. The plot takes quite a while to fully develop, and occasionally got a little convoluted and meandering, wandering off into tangential byways. The characterization is on the thin side; I don’t think any of the main characters have made a permanent impression on me. I’ll remember this book more for its inventive plot and ideas. Not all of them worked for me, but enough did that I can envision rereading Paradox Bound and enjoying many things on the Second Iteration that I missed the First Time Around. (<---These are the names of two of the three pubs in a town called Hourglass, frequented by the Searchers.) Overall it was goodhearted fun, with some intriguing ideas on time and paradoxes, and an affectionate view of our country and its history.