Rating: 3.5⭐
Diversity: no (or not recognizable)

What hooked me right away was the premise, anthropologist-type time travelers who go back in time to recover lost artifacts. I love that concept. It gave me strong vibes of the 90s film The Mummy (though admittedly, far less sexy). The adventure element works, and the story was engaging enough that I finished it and found myself curious about where the sequel might go.

That said, a few things pulled me out of the experience. The biggest issue for me was continuity and consistency. For example, hearing modern banter or having characters in ancient times casually measure distance in “miles” was jarring and historically inaccurate. A pet peeve of mine and makes the story far less believable. I get it, it's fiction, but if you want readers to fall into your story and get lost in it, you got to make your world somewhat believable. Small details like that break immersion in a story that otherwise has a great setup.

I also struggled with the main character. He falls into the “mediocre+ guy who still wins with the help of a much smarter female” trope, and it’s getting old. For a protagonist like this, I want to see real intelligence, strategy, and charisma. Give me Jason Bourne, Danny Ocean, Thomas Crown, or Daniel Craig’s James Bond. Instead, this felt more like ego with something to prove.

Overall, Splinter Effect has a lot of potential. The premise is strong, the bones of an exciting series are here, and I’m intrigued enough to pick up the sequel to see if things evolve. But unless the continuity issues tighten up and the lead character develops into someone more compelling, I’m not sure it will keep my interest long term.

Great if you love time travel, series with adventure, and aren't picky about continuity issues (like I am).

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for a copy of Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington! This was such an exceptional book! Definitely one of the best I've read this year. If you're looking for an entertaining and immersive adventure to escape into, this book should be at the top of your list!

Dr. Robert “Rabbit” Ward is our main character. He's an archaeologist who travels back in time to recover precious artifacts. The time travel is so well-done! I know that time travel can be a tricky thing to include in a story and even I would've said I'm not often a fan of it, but it's trust me when I tell you Andrew Ludington did an amazing job here. It's such a fun, clever, and original use of time travel. I love the way time travel exists in this world and how it's used. And I promise everything makes sense. I think that's usually my complaint, that authors use time travel and ignore plot holes or contrivances the use of it creates. Not the case here at all. Andrew Ludington did a great job crafting the rules of time travel in his world and I'm honestly just a huge fan of how it's done. And I thought the concept of the Splinter Effect and what it means for time travelers was pretty fascinating.

Splinter Effect starts strong and I was immediately hooked. This book is an easy read because I didn't want to put it down. As a huge fan of history and historical fiction this book was right up my alley, with a majority of the book taking place in 6th century Constantinople. This is the book to read if you're looking for a thrilling historical adventure. I could not have been more captivated by the plot and I enjoyed every twist and reveal. The pacing is phenomenal. I said the book starts strong and for me there was no point where the story lags. The stakes are high and I found basically every moment gripping.

The characters are all great as well. Rabbit is the best written, which makes sense of course as the main character. He is so interesting and I loved his search for redemption from his past failures. I liked Helen a lot too! I think if you like characters who feel relatable, or at the very least feel like real people, you won't be disappointed with these.

I'm so impressed that this is a debut novel. Splinter Effect is an incredible start to what I hope is a long writing career for Andrew Ludington! I need the next book in this series as soon as possible. I cannot wait to see what's next for Rabbit! I seriously recommend this book to anyone who likes time travel and historical fiction, but honestly to anyone looking for a fun adventure! To me it was the perfect book for my train ride home from work or for a slow day at home, when I'm looking to get away from real life for a bit. It's an immersive read from start to finish!

Not my cup of tea, unfortunately but I did finish though so will watch for more from this author & try again. Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC

Splinter Effect is a time travel thriller with a heavy dose of history—most of it set in Constantinople. Honestly, the first half was sloooow. The early chapters dragged and were weighed down by political details that went a little over my head (I’m not a history buff), though they did set the groundwork for how time travel works in this world. I just wish it had been explained more clearly and with more focus on the science side of things.

But around the halfway mark, things really picked up. The pacing got better, the twists pulled me back in, and by the end I was totally invested. I especially loved the “splinter effect” idea with branching timelines—it was clever and well thought out.

So while it took me a while to warm up to this one, the second half made it worth the read. If you like historical-heavy sci-fi, I think you’ll enjoy this—just don’t give up too soon!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press & Minotaur Books for allowing me access to this book for my honest review.

I got this as an ARC from Netgalley, full disclosure! The 'about the author' at the end summarized my feeling well: "a transportive adventure story intended to make you forget your commute". This is a very fast paced adventure, totally plot driven. Don't expect much character building, or even world building for that matter. I think he has researched Roman history, but the characters and settings take a distant second place to the plot, and there's little historical detail beyond names and places. I love historical fiction and would have liked more detail here, there was really too much plot, too many 'it's not over yet' moments. If you like this sort of time travel story, I'd recommend Connie Willis, her Doomsday Book (set in 12th C England during the plague) was great. So while I enjoyed the story and had no trouble finishing it, it hasn't left much of an impression. A good airplane book, and I may well read the next one when he publishes it. I'll give it 4 stars mostly because it does exactly what I think author intended, but for me it's really more of a 3 star book.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and authors for the eARC.

Fast, a bit clever, and a little messy in a good way—Rabbit Ward’s time-hopping chase through Constantinople mixes history, humor, and heart. A brisk, inventive debut that kept me hooked.

Splinter Effect was... fine. The premise had potential—a mix of sci-fi intrigue and multiverse mechanics—but the execution didn’t quite stick the landing. The pacing was uneven, some characters felt underdeveloped, and while there were moments of tension and creativity, they were scattered. Not a bad read, just not especially memorable. If you’re looking for a quick sci-fi fix, it might scratch the itch, but don’t expect fireworks.

I read this one to see if it might be a good gift for my sci-fi loving husband, and I knew immediately that I would be buying it upon publication. An exciting journey that is comprehensive yet not so much so that the reader feels like a dummy, Rabbit Ward travels through time to recover lost objects. But of course, there is another person hot on the trail of exactly what he eants, which causes all kinds of problems for Rabbit. The first in a series, this is a great introduction to these characters and this world.

Rabbit Ward travels through time to rescue long-lost objects moments before they truly become lost. He's one of the best, but a failed mission 20 years ago that cost him a menorah and his young mentee are always on his mind. So when clues lead him and his team to believe that there's a way to find that menorah, he travels to ancient Constantinople with the hope of righting part of that failure. But things are not what he thought, and there are more players and elements in play than he could have ever imagined.

It's a weird story. I couldn't figure it out at the beginning because it feels like you're dropped into the middle of the action in a world that's just different enough to be intriguing. I ended up liking that because explaining everything so that the time-traveling element is set up would have ruined some of the surprises and revelations. If you're patient and give it time, you end up with a story so fascinating that the hows and reasons behind it don't even matter.

Rabbit is an incredibly interesting character, layered and complex enough to drive the story on his own. That he's surrounded by similarly interesting characters is a nice little bonus. There is a lot to explore in Rabbit's interactions with others because there's a lot to explore in his personality and his motives. You don't get as much growth when it comes to other characters, but you get a feel that they're mostly there to drive Rabbit's story even as they're fully formed. Not ideal, but I still enjoyed that part of it.

I will say that I still have a lot of questions, even though it has a very satisfying ending. THings left open ended for the series to built up on? Maybe. But I still would have loved to know the fate of a couple of characters who don't get as satisfying a wrap-up.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the fascinating read!

A time traveling thrill ride that blends historical intrigue with sci-fi stakes. Rabbit Ward is a flawed but compelling protagonist. A smart, fast paced debut that delivers thrills and thoughtful commentary.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

National Treasure, Indian Jones, and The Librarian series are big hits with my family. We love the art of a heist and all the mayhem that accompany them. Put all of that with my love of Doctor Who and I unfortunately set a high bar for this book.

He basically gets stuck in the past for so long in one place that I felt stuck too. It moved so slowly that I had a hard time grinding through it because I was afraid I’d miss something important to the story, but found that wasn’t the case. I was so numbed by that when the big reveal came, I just nodded my head and finally got to the end.

Rabbit was also missing the qualities that make the leads in the stories I listed above likeable. They of course have negatives about them also, but the positives outweigh the negatives. This lead just did T have that going for him. I’m glad that things did resolve so I can leave it there.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Dr Robert “Rabbit” Ward has gained a reputation for being one of the world’s premier chrono-archaeologists. Working out of the Smithsonian, he and his team pinpoint the timing and location of historical artifacts that are about to be destroyed, then jump back in time to retrieve them without anyone in the past being any the wiser. It is, admittedly, an inexact science with many skeptics, some of whom Rabbit finds himself having to justify both his work and the science to:

QUOTE
[“]When we go back in time, we’re just trying to make sure we don’t change history so much it would have prevented us from leaving on the trip in the first place.”

The questioner didn’t seem satisfied. “So, time is self-healing?”

“That’s not exactly right, but it’s close enough practically to be useful. [Our timeline] is malleable enough that, so long as I don’t alter anything we know to be true then my actions won’t create a splinter. The physics of that aren’t quite right, but the outcomes are close enough. Of course, there is a lot of guesswork here. Really, the best we can do is know the history and try our best not to change anything in the written record.[“]
END QUOTE

Time travel is, of course, expensive, and as with all such scientific endeavors throughout history, funded by wealthy patrons looking for trophies. One such trophy is the menorah of the Second Temple, which remains one of Rabbit’s greatest regrets. He’d been sent back in time to retrieve it before it disappeared during the sack of Rome, but had managed to lose both it and the young man who had come with him on that doomed mission. Aaron Kahan was the son of the trip’s wealthy sponsors, a twenty year-old college graduate who had wanted firsthand experience of the past. Rabbit has lived not only with the guilt of watching Aaron die but also with the shadow of the Kahan family’s grief and anger towards him ever since.

Being incredible at his job has helped him forget and move forward, but in recent years he keeps being beaten to the prize by younger, wilier competitors. With the funding drying up, Rabbit is facing the unappetizing idea of retiring from the field… until he gets one more chance at the menorah. New evidence turns up showing that it’s been sighted once more since being lost to the Vandals, and that Rabbit might finally have a chance to rescue it before it disappears from the historical record for good.

Constantinople in 535 CE has been the centre of the Roman empire since Rome fell, and it's to this time and place that Rabbit heads. But he’s not the only one after the menorah. The Kahans have sent their own chrono-archaeologist to recover it, and the mysterious woman who’s already stolen several relics out from under him is also on its trail. Worse, Constantinople is on the brink of revolution, with one of the city’s gangs taking what feels like a deeply personal dislike to Rabbit. Will Rabbit be able to rescue the menorah and redeem himself despite these odds?

This historically rigorous time travel adventure has plenty of spills and thrills, as Rabbit navigates the equally treacherous modern day and post-antiquity worlds. The wealth of information included here regarding an era of Roman history that isn’t often covered in popular media is a treat for anyone curious as to the period; science fiction fans will find little to complain about either.

But what I enjoyed the most about Splinter Effect was the way in which Andrew Ludington interrogated the accepted, or at least most culturally dominant views, of history as they’ve been passed down through the centuries. While navigating sixth century Constantinople, Rabbit and a female colleague watch history as it unfolds before them. She, understandably, has a very different view of the received knowledge regarding General Belisarius’ wife, Antonina, as it’s survived to the 21st century via Procopius’ gossipy Secret History:

QUOTE
“Still, I was just thinking how crappy history is to women. If we’re not hysterical weaklings, we’re sex addicts or power-hungry manipulators. I don’t know this chick from Jane, maybe she’s everything he said, but what we do know is they went together on most of his military campaigns.”

“Because he was dependent on her, Procopius says.”

“Why is it so bad to be dependent on one another, though?”

“I didn’t write it.”

She punched his arm. “I’m serious. History loves this image of a man being totally isolated and above everybody else. I don’t get it. We became the dominant species on the planet literally because of our ability to work together. But history wants to pretend that everything happened at the individual will of a handful of dudes.”
END QUOTE

Both intelligent and wise, this is a novel that reads like it should be a series debut, and a promising one at that. Some of the interpersonal interactions can be as awkward as Rabbit is, but the pragmatic philosophical musings that integrate history with anthropology – particularly from Helen and Daichi – make for the kind of really good, thought-provoking stuff that I look forward to reading in future novels in this series.

For a debut novel this book is awesome.. Obviously well researched to have all those dates and places intact and is definitely interesting. What a concept! Time travel on a little metal disk sorta like Star Trek and a little like Dr. Who, but not in a phone booth. It would be cool if that could be done, somebody might find a lot more relics. Characters are interesting & a little bit mysterious. I got a little bogged down in all the excitement keeping up me the good guys vs the bad guys but made I through. Fun quick read. I was invited to read an advanced reader copy but under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Opens an exciting new time travel series starring archaeologist Rabbit Ward. He travels in time on sponsored expeditions to recover priceless historical artefacts moments before their destruction.

His own past catches up with him when he goes after a sacred menorah in sixth century Constantinople, where he and a rival time traveler barely make it back to their own time.

Time traveling archeologist, Robert (Rabbit) Wade is after a relic that caused so much past trauma for him and his former ward in a previous jump. This story has adventure but it also has a lot of info dumping that kind of slowed the story in parts. There were also a few times I had to stop and just set the story a side due to it impressive history lesson that my brain stopped working with it being so overloaded. I did guess the twist but I wasn't disappointed in that part. There is a second book and I might look for it but I do hope there is a good balance in history and action.

Splinter Effect is an exceptional debut novel. Seamlessly blending historical fiction with science fiction, compelling storytelling, and well-crafted characters, it takes readers on an journey reminiscent of the adventures found in the Nina Wilde and Eddie Chase series, among others. Ludington appears to have a success on hand, and the anticipation for the second installment is palpable.

𝗥𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 2/5 ⭐️⭐️

𝗣𝘂𝗯 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 3/18/25

*Thank you @NetGalley and St Martins Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
I liked the time travel aspect of this story, but unfortunately that’s all there was for me. I didn’t jive with the characters or the plot- I thought I’d enjoy the “Indiana Jones” like storyline- but it didn’t work for me. I was bored. The writing itself ok, it didn’t draw me in and have me wanting more. I think many will like this one though, it needs the right reader. This was a DNF at 20% for me.

I believe when you have a story about time travel, it can get a bit complicated. I feel like this story made it pretty easy for me to follow along. It was an interesting action adventure, with the vibes of Indiana Jones or the Uncharted video games. It didn't feel like it was drawn out and kept my attention. I think I would've liked to have multiple POVs, at least for Rabbit and the person he worked with for a good bit of the story. Rabbit himself is a somewhat interesting character, There's not much given about who he is as a person and why I should root for him. But the overall story was good.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read Splinter effect by Andrew Ludington. This is a debut novel, and I love time travel novels, although most of the novel takes place in the 6th century. You could tell the author researched the time very well, and enjoyed writing about his main character, Rabbit Ward, a Smithsonian archaeologist. While I did find the story was slow to start, I found it improved as I continued to read. It's indicated this is the first book in a series and I am sure history buffs will enjoy it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️½ A Solid Adventure with Some Bumps

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington caught my eye with its promise of time travel, ancient artifacts, and high-stakes adventure. If you’re imagining a time-traveling Indiana Jones tangled up in religious history and political schemes, you’re not far off. Rabbit, our scrappy, slightly worn-out hero, definitely gives off those Indy vibes.

I read this during a five-hour work shift, and it kept me turning pages the whole time. That says a lot. The pacing is steady, the plot intriguing, and there’s always something around the corner—whether it’s an ambush in 535 Rome, a twist in the mission, or an uneasy alliance with someone who may or may not stab Rabbit in the back.

One thing I really enjoyed was the religious and historical depth. The search for a lost Jewish artifact set against a backdrop of Christian-Jewish conflict and Roman-Byzantine politics added weight to the story. It wasn’t just about finding a cool object—it meant something. That’s where this book shines.

That said, the historical detail sometimes veered into info-dump territory. Rabbit tends to launch into long explanations about obscure facts, which slowed things down in a few spots. It’s not bad writing—just a bit heavy at times for readers more interested in action than ancient trivia.

Character-wise, Rabbit gets the most attention, and he’s a strong lead. The dynamic with Helen—his clever, double-dealing rival—adds tension, though I wished a few of the other characters had more depth. Aaron’s storyline, involving his being stranded 20 years ago in ancient Rome, had serious potential, but it didn’t land quite as emotionally as I expected.

Still, the ending pulled it together nicely. I closed the book with a smile, glad I stuck with it. The concept of splintered timelines is always fun, and Ludington handles it in a way that feels fresh, even if not every moment hits perfectly.

Final verdict? A 3.5-star read for me. Great premise, solid execution, and a lot of love for history and theology packed into an ambitious adventure. If you’re a fan of time travel, religious artifacts, and ancient settings, this one’s worth checking out—especially if you’ve got a few uninterrupted hours to kill.