This was an interesting read, and I had fun with it. Historical fiction is so much fun, as is time travel, and this book combined both into a fun story. The story was fun because it played on the butterfly effect that goes along with time travel. However, I struggled with the pacing. The first half of the book felt incredible slow and drawn out and I kept losing interest. Things did pick up a little in the second half and by then I was fully invested in the story, so I needed to see how it played out. I am glad I stuck this one out because it was rather entertaining. The story also had strong Indiana jones vibes because of the adventure aspect. I loved that this book wasn’t similar to other books I’ve read, it’s uniqueness really stood out for me and knocked it up on my enjoyment scale.

If you’re looking for a slower paced historical fantasy that will also appeal to mystery lovers, then check this one out.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Smithsonian archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels through time on sponsored expeditions to the past to secure precious artifacts moments before they are lost to history. Although exceptional at his job, Rabbit is not without faults. In a spectacular failure twenty years ago, he lost both the menorah of the second temple and his hot-headed mentee, Aaron. So, when new evidence reveals the menorah’s reappearance in 6th century Constantinople, Rabbit seizes the chance for redemption.

But from the moment he arrives in the past, things start to go wrong. Rabbit quickly finds out that his prime competition, an unlicensed and annoyingly appealing “stringer” named Helen, is also in Constantinople hunting the menorah. And that’s only the beginning. The oppressed Jewish population of the city is primed for revolution, Constantinople’s leading gang seems to have it out for Rabbit personally, and someone local is interested enough in the menorah to kill for it.

As the past closes in on him and his previous failures compound, will Rabbit be able to recover the menorah before it's once again lost in time? With new and old dangers alike hiding behind every corner, time might just be up for Rabbit’s redemption—and possibly his life.

Unfortunately I found this had too much of a historical feel . I also wasn't a big fan of the time travel.

2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

If you like historical fiction with time travel, you'll probably enjoy this book. I dont know much history about Rome and Constantinople, so not entirely sure if the chracters mentioned in this book during that time period were actual people or not. We meet Robert "Rabbit" Ward, who works to obtain artifacts from the past by time traveling to the past to retrieve said objects. The one object he didnt retrieve was one where his partner at the time had died and Rabbit had to leave Aaron behind, to the dismay of Aaron's parents. Another opportunity comes up where Rabbit can go back to try and retrieve the Menorah, and the book is mainly about this excursion. There is also a woman in play who seems to know where Rabbit is and steal the artifact from him. But with what happens in the book, they kind of work together to save each other.

I did enjoy this book. I might have enoyed this more if I knew the history more though. I know the author tries to explain, but still I sometimes was lost. I enjoyed the twist and wonder if there will be a romance. It was a bit slow between 30-50% of the book, but then the last half picked up when we finally got to the heist.

Okay some spoilers below:
Aaron being the Levi person and trying to leave Rabbit to rule shocked me! Also i think Rabbit and Helen will fall in love or something. I hope Andor is a good ruler. I liked his character. The end when Rabbit decides to save Aaron and bring him back this time was nice. Came somewhat full circle.

Splinter Effect is set in a world where time-traveling archaeologists go back in time to recover relics from the ancient past. Rabbit Ward has made many such trips and is now slated on a trip to ancient Rome to get a lost menorah. The plot moves quickly, and there's a lot of action. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to seeing where else the author takes us. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

A Transportive Adventure.

Robert "Rabbit" Ward is a sanctioned time traveler. His employer sends their travelers back in time to recover specific treasures, hide them to be found in current time. A menorah stolen by the Romans from the Jews in 535 Ce (AD) is the 2018 mission's object. Not all time travel organizations are sanctioned. If a traveler interferes with the past in a significant way it will create a splinter in time, aka an altered reality time line.

I found the entire theory and story lines quite an interesting genre. Split Effect told a complex situation in a readable flow of exciting situations.

I will definitely look for the next time travel novel by Andrew Ludington.

I was intrigued by the premise: a time traveling archeologist? Yes, please! Rabbit Ward is a time-traveling archeologist (aka a chrono-archeologist) who has a chance to get the menorah that he had lost in a previous mission. In that mission, he not only failed to procure the item, but his young mentee (and son of wealthy funders) was taken and presumably murdered. So, Rabbit heads to Constantinople (not Istanbul) in 535 BCE. While there, he encounters a myriad of characters, including another chrono-archeologist who has beat him in other missions. They end up teaming up to find the menorah and deal with the complexitities of Byzantium in the fifth century BCE.

Great premise, but I found it to be overly detailed and there also seemed to be a lack of editing. I don't need to be told three times that the last time a general has had a parade in his honor was 500 years prior--I got it the first time. The level of detail and research is absolutely impressive, but even as a a history geek, I found myself scanning rather than reading. There were some open-ended questions I would have liked answers, but I now see this is the first in a series, so presumably the answers will come in subsequent books.

Overall, a decent read. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

“Splinter Effect” by Andrew Ludington is about a time traveling archaeologist who works for the Smithsonian National Hiistory Museum. His job is to retrieve artifacts before they are lost forever to history. His current mission is to travel back to 6th century Constantinople to retrieve a precious Menorah. As soon as he arrives things go wrong, and he finds the city primed for a revolt, and a competitor willing to kill for the precious artifact.

The premise of this book attracted me immediately as I love time travel stories. The book had a strong feeling of Indiana Jones with a lot of action and a lot of well researched historical fact. Because of the extensive amount of history I found the pacing to be slow. The historical references were so detailed that I felt I would have enjoyed it more if I already had that knowledge. This is a unique story that will appeal to anyone interested in historical fantasy.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

Doctor Rabbit Ward is an archaeologist . . . and a time traveler. He retrieves artifacts for the Smithsonian National History Museum in Washington, D.C. before they are lost to history.

Some twenty years ago, Rabbit attempted to retrieve a menorah, but lost both it and his mentee, Aaron Kahan. Now the menorah has reappeared in Constantinople in the 6th century. And Rabbit is headed back in time to retrieve it. But it may be more difficult than he anticipates since another time traveler is trying to retrieve the menorah herself.

Will Rabbit be successful in his quest?

=========

This thrilling historical novel, first in a series, will remind readers of Indiana Jones’ adventures as Rabbit travels through time. A strong sense of place anchors the narrative; the characters are well-developed and believable. The plot twists and turns, bringing unexpected events into play as Rabbit gets into [and out of] dire circumstances.

Weaving historical fact and high-speed action throughout the telling of the tale, the compelling tale pulls readers into the story and keeps the pages turning. Readers who enjoy historical fiction, especially with a hefty dose of science fiction, will find much to appreciate in this intriguing narrative.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#SplinterEffect #NetGalley

I really enjoyed this fast-paced time-travel mystery. Rabbit Ward is an engaging protagonist, a kind of time-traveling Indiana Jones. He uses a nuclear-powered time machine to travel back in time, then locate and bury a historical artifact that has gone missing. When he returns to the future, he and his time retrieve the artifact from its hiding place.

The science behind it has its own restrictions, and there's a law that governs how Rabbit can operate. All these restrictions add tension to the plot-- as well as the intrigue of competing time-traveling thieves. A fun debut that I hope leads to many more.

Interesting characters that are a cross between heroes, thieves, soldiers, and archeologists travel the world in different times. Time travel is a common thing, but expensive and highly regulated to prevent disasters caused by what happens during traveling. It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys (and gals). I had a bit of a hard time staying interested, at times. I read over several chapters multiple times to renew my story interest. I did not find the stories as compelling as I would expect from time travel. I rated it 4, but if it had a 3.5 I would have given it.

Splinter Effect's premise hooked me from the start: a time-traveling archaeologist? Sign me up. I'm pleased to report that the novel lived up to its promise and kept me engaged—and fascinated—throughout. It covered history I know little about, so I learned quite a bit, too. But lest you think this book is a history lesson masquerading as literature, think again. It's an Indiana Jones-esque thriller that science fiction, mystery, and thriller fans will love.

This was an enjoyable story with some pretty good twists. I had a feeling that one particular character would reappear but it was not in the circumstances expected. My favorite aspect of the story was Rabbit and “Helen” spending time in the past and their reactions to seeing/meeting people and observing historical events and places firsthand that they had only read about, including be able to confirm that certain events occurred as historians and archaeologists believed.

I received this book as an ARC from Net Galley. It sounded interesting and it was! I loved this book. It’s very original and your imagination will get a workout as you read it. It’s a delightful read.

Archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels back in time to recover lost artifacts from the ancient world. While he is amazing at what he does, he’s still dealing with the trauma of an incident from 20 years ago. On that expedition, he lost his young mentee and a priceless golden menorah. But now, Rabbit has the opportunity to recover the menorah once more.

As soon as Rabbit arrives in 6th century Constantinople, things begin to go wrong. He runs afoul of a fellow, competing archaeologist, who is also after the menorah. Constantinople is on the brink of war from many sides and Rabbit tries desperately to locate the precious menorah before time runs out and he’s stuck in the past.

Splinter Effect was a fascinating and enjoyable read. It went quickly and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with Rabbit getting into one dire circumstance after another. This is the first in a series and I can’t wait to read the next installment. Splinter Effect comes out March 18, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing the book early for an honest review.

Time traveling archaeologists. Need I say more? Really though they are less in historical research and preservation than private artifact hunters.
A fun romp through time. The Roman Empire in particular is a favorite. Rabbit (Robert) reminds me a bit of Harry Dresden with high morals but a willingness to do what must be done. Only more of a planner for sure.
I have some questions about the ending and how it all works. Still I enjoyed it. A good plane read.

Archaeologist and time traveler Rabbit Ward is chasing redemption after a mistake that’s haunted him for twenty years. He lost both the menorah of the Second Temple and his mentee, Aaron, during a failed mission. Now, with new clues pointing to 6th century Constantinople, Rabbit has a shot at fixing the past. But nothing is easy—he’s up against Helen, a determined "stringer" with her own agenda, and the city is a powder keg of tension and danger.

I found this book to weave rich history with fast-paced action, pulling you in with a real, lived-in dynamic between Rabbit and Helen. The stakes feel personal, the twists keep you hooked, and the emotional depth lingers long after the last page. It’s a story that makes you care, and keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books.

This story has a bit of an Indiana Jones feel about if, the main character, Rabbit Ward, is an archeologist who recovers historical artifacts that had been previously lost to time. Except he's doing it by going back in time to the period before the item was lost to try to secure it in a place where he can recover it when he returns to his current time. He had a good track record until in attempting to recover a valuable menorah he ends up losing it and a person he was mentoring, something that still bothers him. But the Smithsonian calls on him to try again and he finds himself in Constantinople in the 6th century where not long after he arrives he meets a young man who's very friendly and invites him to stay at his house (actually his parents), Rabbit accepts and is able to establish a base of sorts to begin his search. Not long after he arrives he finds there is another person trying to obtain the same item, there is also another person who is killing certain people that Rabbit had come in contact with. I found the story well paced and I loved the historical part, very realistic. If you like historical/mystery/thriller type stories, I'd highly recommend this one. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Minotaur for the ARC.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press | Minotaur Books for the ARC copy they provided.

Unfortunately, I just did not feel enough of a pull to finish reading this book, and will be putting it on my incomplete pile. This decision has nothing to do with the quality of the writing, and everything to do with my own personal preference. Splinter Effect just wasn’t quite what I imagined it would be when I read the blurb and picked it up.

And that is completely on me, and not the author or publisher. From what I did read of it, Splinter Effect feels like a relaxing read with a solid plot and enormous room to draw people in with action and numerous twists and turns. It might not be my style, but I’m sure plenty of other people will love it.

This was a fun read reminiscent of Jodi Taylor. There were times the research could have been better but overall a good entry into the time travel genre, looking forward to more

I liked this one, but felt at times like I was reading historical fiction about ancient Constantinople rather than the "action-packed" time traveling archaeologist novel I was expecting... That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it did give it a very different feel than I was looking for, and that wasn't always good.

I definitely found the time travel/stealing artifacts/conspiracies and betrayals elements the most engaging. Unfortunately, there was a LOT of description about the ancient world and the everyday elements of that world, and that's where I stuttered in my attention. I admit, I skimmed a bit in the vast middle section of the book when all the action, such as it was, was centered on life in ancient Turkey. Not that those descriptions weren't well done, just that they pulled me completely out of the action time and again, and that made my attention wander.

So, this premise of this story is a time-traveling Indiana Jones (with apologies to the author for an oversimplification). Being if you accept this as the premise, then you will really enjoy this tale, as it delivers these elements excellently. This characters (in the past and present) are believable, the level of research necessary to get the details right was clearly extensive and the plot was intriguing. I am definitely interested to see how this series will play out.