“Sam was only seven years old when he destroyed his first universe.”

Sam’s girlfriend, Una, owns a fertility goddess idol that takes them to alternate universes. After feeling betrayed by Sam’s use of the idol without her, Una dies a tragic death. Guilty and distraught over her death, Sam sets out to find Una in another universe, collecting idols as he goes. But even after he believes he has created his own perfect life, his destiny stands in his way. Sam goes through several different realities, destroying his life the more he tries to find peace. But it turns out Sam has a fate he cannot circumvent.

Artefactum by J.E. Tobal is a unique sci-fi novel with time travel and multiple universes. The story starts off comical and bizarre, but becomes more grim and suspenseful as it goes on, and that’s when it hooked me.

The novel feels a bit long, with slow pacing in the first half, and it feels over-sexualized, with the characters entering alternate realities for sex. The characters in Artefactum are extremely unlikeable, with perhaps the exception of Andrew, who was easily my favorite. Sam and Una are so unlikeable (and unrealistic), I very nearly DNFed the book, but I am glad I held out. Sam is an idiot, truly, but sometimes deeply flawed characters create the best stories, and it made me feel okay about how his story ended.

The second half of the book is phenomenal. I loved the time travel, jumping between realities, and Sam inching closer and closer toward his destiny. I would have loved more time spent with Andrew’s story.

I'm not sure where to start.

The premise is ridiculously promising. I was sure that I would enjoy this. That was ruined by the one-dimensional male protagonist, who isn't just "unlikeable". It seems like the author hates women? It's hard to tell. It is really unfortunate because the premise of this book makes you think you're about to read the next best thing. I was fully prepared to be hooked on this story, to want to convince others to read this, but oh my I cannot in good conscious do that. It just became too overbearing to do so.

I was greatly looking forward to this book based on the summary and forced myself to continue reading even though I struggled to get through it. I got about 40% of the way through before completely giving up.

To the surprise of those who know him, the rakish Sam, a bartender living in New York City, falls in love with the red-headed Una. They discover they can travel to different realities depending on the artefact that they hold with them. After a devastating falling out, Sam loses Una, and ventures on a futile quest to get her back while traveling to different realities using different artefacts from different cultures.

I had a really hard time with Sam's character. I understand that he isn't supposed to be the most likable person, but he, like almost all the other characters, is incredibly one dimensional. He is totally incapable of having a platonic relationship with any of the female characters. He is constantly oversexualizing every situation, making crude and inappropriate "jokes" in almost every conversation. The supporting characters seemed to find this endearing rather than frustrating and quite frankly, disgusting. I didn't understand how Una fell for a guy who was so obviously into her because of one thing: she's a sexy redhead who found him funny. Dialogue is tedious, unrealistic, and had me rolling my eyes and wanting to put the book down at several points. The plot of the story meanders, seeming to change course without resolving major issues that arise earlier in the story. Additionally, Tobal and doesn't spend enough time in each reality.

I can't remember the last time I gave a book one star. One-star ratings are so very rare for me. For me, the only redeeming quality of this book is the idea of these artefacts holding the ability to transport carriers to different realities. Too bad that the author could not shape a better story around this concept.

I loved this scifi novel. The story really got me into the adventure. It played well with my emotions. From curiosity, tension, fear and finally relief.