<i>Lost in Time</i> by <b>A.G. Riddle<b> is a combination of thriller and science fiction, with even a slight touch of feelgood. Several ingredients of the proven Riddle-recipe are present again, like many short chapters of which a lot end with a cliffhanger that keeps you turning the pages for what is to come. Or like a good dose of action, mixed with technological challenges. The fast paced style of storytelling is very appealing. From the first chapter onwards, Riddle keeps the tension going. The main characters – Sam and Adeline – are treated unjust from the very beginning, which helps in sympathising with them, and of course then you want to know what happens to them further into the story.

The book is divided in five parts, combining eighty chapter and an epilogue. The first part of the story is set five years into the future, with a murder case that appears to be a locked-room mystery, allegedly invented by <b>Edgar Allan Poe</b>. Most of the used technology is logically not very far ahead of what we already have, although some inventions seem unrealistic, not counting Absolom. But one never knows what the next five years will bring. In any case, it will be interesting to check again in five years how believable the book still is. At this moment, it’s very appealing in any case.

Starting from part three, part of the story shifts towards historical fiction, when Sam enters the Late Triassic. The rapid going back and forth between two timelines is well managed, with said cliffhangers at exactly the right moment. The way Sam has to solve practical problems, reminds a lot of how <b>Andy Weir</b> makes his protagonists do a similar thing in books like <i>The Martian</i> or <i>Project Hail Mary</i>. Fun fact: in Lost in Time, Hail Mary is mentioned once too, although not related to Andy Weir.

A.G. Riddle has some more aces in his sleeve. People who’ve read the <i>Impossible Times</i> trilogy by <b>Mark Lawrence</b>, will also love this newest Riddle-novel, because as of a certain moments, brain teasing time paradoxes, conceptually similar to the ones in <i>Impossible Times</i>, enter the story. The solution is surprising. I had a fairly good idea about how the plot would evolve after I head read a third of the book. My guess was not bad at all, although it’s clear to me that many readers will guess part of the outcome because Riddle ingeniously steers you in that direction. But then there is Riddles final trump card, shifting the solution in a way not many readers will see coming.

I was less impressed by the fifth and final part. Too long winded and cheesy for my taste. Could have been told in half the amount of words. Apart from that, this is a very recommendable sci-fi thriller.

I enjoyed Lost in Time quite a lot. It was engaging, and while it absolutely melted my head with the causality and science stuff, it was still a thoroughly gripping story. I got through it relatively quickly, my only issue was how it ended if I’m honest. It was fine, but I had expected more for some reason! Overall though it was a really good read!

Last year, one of the best books that I have read was from this author, so when I saw that NetGalley had a new ARC I jumped at the opportunity and you know what? Best thing I did ^___^ if you like doctor who with  wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff, you’ll love this book, the story starts straight enough, father going to the cemetery with his children, for the anniversary of the death of his wife, and it is there that things start to get interesting and weird, we are suddenly throw in a murder situation, and things just grow from there, complicate and then start to make sense, this book actually has a good ending but if you read in the stars maybe we could have a second book hahah ^___^

There's a couple of punches that I wasn't really expecting and then we get a clue and then we start to realize what really it is going on, and it is beautiful, eventually everything will make sense..

Can not stress enough how highly I recommend this book, for me it was the best read so far in 2022.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

This was the best novel I have read for some time. It concerns Adeline and Sam, and their time travel, but the concepts and plot are much wider than this, both take unexpected twists and turns. For example Ross is mentioned as the artist who spoke of happy accidents in his work, like the inventor of pencillin had a happy accident. I enjoyed these bits of the book, and the plot got better the more I read it. Though it was good to begin with, it became fantastic the more I read. I recommend it highly.