Such a fantastic read! I'm a fan of historical mysteries that don't stint on painting a picture of the ancient world, especially those of David Wishart, Lidsey Davis, and Gary Corby, though I also reveled in the original Assassin's Creed novelization. So, add lush historical details to time travel and mix in an Indiana Jones-type character, and you've got a surefire winner. There's even a beautiful, talented, enigmatic female rival to either team up with or best, and a desperate desire for redemption all centered around one artifact that may or may not be in 535 CE Constantinople. This is an ideal read for anyone who's ever stepped foot in Istabul, Greece, or Rome, as well as anyone who yearns to.

The description of the novel made it sound like a combination of Indiana Jones and Back to the Future, but it did not hit the mark for me. The premise definitely intrigued me, one that revolves around a time-traveling archeologist who wants to recover a long-lost artifact, but the delivery was pretty uneven. Action-packed sections mixed with overly long descriptive scenes made reading a bit frustrating and caused to story to drag unnecessarily. Overall, I though this was a good but definitely not a great read, one that was somewhat disappointing to me given its initial description.

What a debut by Andrew Ludington! Splinter Effect appears to be the first in series about time traveler Rabbit Ward. In Rabbit's world, time travel is a norm but funded by the elite for expeditions to recover lost artifacts over the centuries. Not having quite recovered from the tragic time leap he made twenty years prior, he's sent back to a different time to recover the same treasure. He cannot shake the thief that seems to follow him on his most recent expeditions, and on this jump, he comes face-to-face with her and has to work alongside with the enemy to accomplish this task and hopefully redeem his mistake.

We are taken on a trip to Constantinople where the conflicts, oppression, and politics are vividly portrayed through characters of history we have only read about in books. I love the time travel aspect, and this take gives the action a purpose and not an accidental happenstance (which there is nothing wrong with that). Although the Science may not be correct, for those of us not concerned with that aspect, the details of how they can travel through time are fascinating. Character development is at just the right speed and allows the reader to really create opinions on villain, ally, or friend.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to more adventures with Rabbit and exploring his relationship with the thief!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

(4.5 stars)
I love a good time travel story and I love reading about ancient civilizations and archaeology (I even thought about majoring in that, back in the day). Add in a significant amount of Jewish interest, and you have a trifecta. So Splinter Effect was a perfect book for me

“Robbit” Ward is a chrono-archaeologist. In Splinter Effect, there are ways to time travel back to a specific time and place. Chrono-archaeologists use this technology to go back to a particular point in history right before a significant treasure was lost (lost to history or destroyed). As the book opens, Rabbit is in Egypt in 48 BCE, as the Alexandria Library is being burned by Julius Caesar. Rabbit is there to save some manuscripts, plays by Sophocles, that were lost forever in that fire.

Rabbit’s “white whale” is the lost menorah, stolen, along with other treasures, from Jerusalem by the Romans and immortalized on the triumphal arch still standing in Rome. His efforts to retrieve the menorah before it’s lost to history form the bulk of the story. Much of the action takes place in Constantinople in 535 CE. In addition to the search for the menorah, Rabbit is consumed by the tragedy of losing his young partner, Aaron, twenty years earlier, in an ill-fated attempt to retrieve the menorah during the sacking of Rome by the Vandals in 455 CE. He also seems to have a rival at many of his “excursions,” a woman he refers to as a “stringer,” someone who isn’t funded by the government, the way Rabbit is.

This is a strong debut by Andrew Ludington, and I hope that there will be more adventures for Rabbit in our future.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook and to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is a thrilling tale following the adventures of Rabbit Ward, a time-traveling archaeologist on a mission to retrieve a valuable menorah hidden in ancient Rome. This captivating story is sure to leave a lasting impression, keeping readers engaged long after the final page is turned.

Dr. Robert "Rabbit" Ward is a time-traveling archeologist working for the Smithsonian to recover artifacts for the museum. Time travel is highly regulated and extremely expensive to fund, so when Rabbit's latest mission goes awry (due to the interference of a freelancing and unsanctioned time traveler - what is informally called a "stringer" in the field), he loses his donor support. Rather than accept the informal retirement being suggested by his supervisor's supervisor, he decides to perform another job to recover his reputation. The problem is that it's the same artifact that nearly ruined him fifteen years ago (or maybe twenty - I saw both timeframes mentioned in different chapters - fifteen years very early in the book with regard to the last time Rabbit had spoken to Sarah Kahan and twenty years near the end of the book) when he not only failed to recover it, but also failed to save the young man who had been sent to assist him.

I enjoyed reading this book a lot. There was action, historical detail, creative use of time travel, and our hero is sort of Indiana Jones crossed with Samuel Beckett from Quantum Leap. I thought that the titular splinter effect was a great concept and well-explained early in the book. So, when all the action starts up, we understand the dangers to both Rabbit and his mission. I loved the idea that the chrono-archeologists focused upon artifacts that they could rescue from what would otherwise be utter destruction to avoid splintering their timeline - like saving scrolls from the fiery ruin of the Great Library of Alexandria. Since they were presumed destroyed, history wasn't changed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an adventure novel (like Treasure Island), science fiction with an adventure focus (like Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Star Wars) or historical fiction with an adventure focus (like anything written by Bernard Cornwell or Patrick O'Brian). Not being a historian myself, I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of any of the descriptions, but it seemed like the author did a great deal of research. I've seen other reviewers critique the amount of detail provided, but I tended to think it added to the storyline by helping me picture the setting more accurately. This was Mr. Ludington's first book and I'll definitely be watching for other novels written by him in the future.

I received a digital advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Going back in history has never been so much fun. Ludington combined time travel with history and came up with a winner! Set both in the modern day and 400-500’s Constantinople and Rome, the history geek in me flipped while becoming more and more entrenched in the story. There’s mystery, action, history and its characters bring it all to life.
I will say it took a bit to get into, but once the action started flowing I was hooked. Excellent, original story!

3 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

I had high hopes for this one. Indiana Jones meets back to the future? I was sat.

In the end though this just didn’t do it for me. It read like a historical fiction book and while there’s nothing wrong with that, it just wasn’t what I was expecting going in. I wanted the non stop action and intrigue.

Overall this one was a little bit of a let down, however I’ll be interested in seeing where this author goes from here and will definitely keep them on my radar.

This one started slow but ended up being a really exciting adventure story!

I love history. Historical fiction is a favorite genre. But time travel is even better! Someone from our time experiencing the splendor of ancient Constantinople definitely captures the imagination!

Robert Ward is an archaeologist with the Smithsonian. But this is a world where time travel is not only possible, but regulated by international treaties. It’s also very expensive to do, so wealthy donors are needed to find it. And those donors want something for their investment. So Ward becomes a treasure hunter. Lifting ancient artifacts from history for his corporate sponsors.

But he’s not the only one after these artifacts. There are black market time travelers racing him to finds. When everything in Constantinople goes south, he may have to team up with a woman he cannot trust.

The book is highly plot-driven with perilous events happening left and right. Despite the ancient setting, the story was very accessible. The turns of plot caught me by surprise, and the ending was so intense. I can’t believe this is a debut novel! Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you to @Netgalley and @minotaur_books for the chance to review this ARC.

Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is like if National Treasure, Timeless, and Indiana Jones had a baby. It has the adventure of National Treasure with the history, the action of Indiana Jones, and the time traveling technology of Timeless. I thought it was great. Rabbit Ward is the historian, time traveling, treasure hunter who jumps back in time to recover lost artifacts. He also has to find out who the mysterious woman is that is stealing his treasures. Rabbit gets a bit obsessed with finding an ancient menorah because it keeps slipping through his hands. When he goes back to try to locate it again, he finds out that there is something wrong with this timeline and he faces being caught in a Splinter Effect.
I could see Rabbit Ward being the next action hero on the big screen. The story is action packed, the history is well researched, and the character is fun. I'd be interested in reading another Rabbit Ward story.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books for the opportunity read this ARC.

Thank you Minotaur Books @minotaur_books , Netgalley @netgalley , and Andrew Ludington @andrewludington for this free ebook.
“Splinter Effect” by Andrew Ludington⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Time Travel SciFi. Location: Constantinople. Time: 6th Century 535 Ce

“History is made up mostly of oppression, resistance, and murder. Wash, rinse, and repeat.”
Smithsonian archaeologist Dr Robert (Rabbit) Ward time travels to the past to secure precious artifacts before they’re lost to history. Rabbit is quite exceptional at his job-he’s been on 80 expeditions. Sadly, 20 years ago he lost the Second Temple menorah-and his hot-headed wealthy mentee, Aaron. New evidence shows the menorah is in 6th century Constantinople. When Rabbit arrives there, he finds his competitor Helen, an unlicensed, annoyingly appealing “stringer”, is also there. Meanwhile, Constantinople’s Blue gang is after Rabbit, the oppressed local Jewish population is primed for revolution, and a local is ready to kill for the menorah. Facing new and old dangers, Rabbit fights for redemption and his life.

Author Ludington has written an action-packed time traveling book full of historical details and descriptions provided by main character Rabbit. I wish there was a map of 6th century Constantinople. A history junkie, Rabbit has his fanboy moments. When eavesdropping on General Belisarius: “He couldn’t help it. Rabbit felt starstruck to be mentioned, even in unflattering terms, by this historical figure.” Ludington is fond of similes, and they’re fun to read: (“Agrwal’s voice danced through pitch changes like a bell choir…”) (“…as solid as a brick wall. He apologized for it with delicate frameless glasses and tweed suits.”) This may be time travel, but it’s rooted in the past. If you like historical fiction with lots of description, you’ll love this book. I learned a lot about 6th century history and Constantinople, and it’s 4 stars from me🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ #andrewludington #splintereffect

The premise of time travel and collecting artifacts from the past really intrigued me. And I thought that the Constantinople setting would be interesting. Unfortunately, the Roman and Greek empires were not in my wheelhouse.

The storytelling is really good as I got immersed in the narrative in the beginning. But once the time travel took place back to Greece 535 CE, I lost all future interest. It's no fault of the author. I just became aware that I'm really not a fan of Roman and Greek history.

I'm sure there are a number of readers who will find Splinter Effect an excellent novel. But for me I just lacked the interest. One star DNF.

I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts an opinions.

I'm very sad I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would! Based on the summary, I thought this would be much more scifi than historical fiction, but the writing style just didn't work well to hold my attention or captivate me. I found the pacing to be inconsistent, and I wished the book had better developed characters.

This is a debut that features an archeologist who travels through time to save the world's treasures. Much of the action is in 535 CE Constantinople as he tries to rescue an ancient menorah. I enjoyed it, but I would have preferred less action, less characters and more dialogue. I do recommend it, however, for fans of action-packed historical fiction that are okay with a bit of science fiction as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. 3.5/4

I really wanted to like this debut novel about a time-traveling Indiana Jones-esque archaeologist but ultimately I could not get past the fact that 2018-era characters were still “locating” ancient artifacts primarily for Western museums and private collectors. It felt very colonialist and more than a little tone deaf in the modern age.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur books for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

St. Martin's Press provided an early galley for review.

This seems to be my year for time-travel books which is fine by me (I tend to enjoy them). Ludington doles out the world-building details on an as-needed basis which works in the book's favor. I like that relationships come first. When he does get down to the mechanics of the time travel, they are in a manner that are practical and not overpowering. When dealing with such a fantastical concept, having some built in limitations always makes the story more interesting and higher-stakes.

The author clearly is also into history; the details of ancient times are informative in an entertaining manner. I am certain I learned quite a bit just from reading this novel.

There certainly appears to be potential for a sequel down the road. If Ludington revisits Rabbit and his world, I would certainly be on board for another jump.

My history is fairly rusty, and it took a bit to actually be able to dive into this book, until I remembered that it’s a book and I don’t have to remember the entire history of all the countries listed with the historical time travel. I took the years and current rulers with a grain of salt and had a great ride after that. This book was like if Indiana Jones had a Time Machine to save artifacts throughout history, without splintering time into new timelines. The settings were gorgeous and descriptive and the characters all had a role to play, no matter how small it appeared. Thank you to Saint Martin’s Press and Minotaur Books for this opportunity.

This one definitely brought back my childhood. It totally reminded me of watching Indiana Jones and being absolutely enraptured by it. Of course, this story has the added bonus of time travel. It was kind of a mix of Indiana Jones and The Librarians with the humor of Blood & Treasure. A raucous time travel adventure novel that was action from the get go. I also loved the characters. Rabbit was the hero underdog, and even Helen grew on me. I wanted to hate her so bad, but I found I just couldn’t. On their own, they were great characters. But together, they were an unlikely partnership that really grew into a powerhouse. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in this series!

Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

To begin with, a thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Andrew Ludington's "Splinter Effect" is an excellent, highly enjoyable debut novel. It follows a mission by the chrono-archeologist Robert "Rabbit" Ward to recover the only treasure he failed to acquire in his twenty year career: an ancient menorah captured by the Romans from the Temple of Jerusalem and then lost to history in 455 CE. When Rabbit discovers a tip that the menorah actually appeared again in 535 CE Constantinople, he works his contacts to get another shot at recovering the artifact; a task made all the more difficult because on his last mission, Rabbit encounters a "competitor" who claimed half of the relics recovered. When Rabbit finally gets his chance, he finds that he has more than one competitor who has also received the tip, and the race is on as to who will recover the menorah first.

The mixture of light science fiction and historical fiction makes this simple heist story unique and enjoyable. The science of time travel is kept to a minimum, with just enough information to provide some structure to the typical questions regarding paradoxes. The history is provided without being overwhelming, and I appreciate that Ludington did not try to make the language conform to the period to avoid producing a torturous experience trying to understand the meaning with archaic Latin and Greek linguistic structure. One must simply believe that we are "hearing" the closest modern English equivalent to the context of the statement Rabbit was making in whatever ancient language he was actually speaking.

As this appears to be the first in a series, whether about Rabbit or just chrono-archeology in general, I look forward to Ludington's next installment.

I really wanted to give this story five stars - but the liberal use of cursing was a detractor for me, particularly using modern phrases in the past.

Having said that, the journey we get to take with Rabbit is fascinating on multiple levels. His facility with ancient languages; his knowledge of minutiae in history; the search for the 'one thing' he keeps trying to find; the ultimate redemption that he experiences. All of these pieces were really well done. The non-relationship-relationship with a 'competitor' had me rooting for them to get things sorted out with their respective employers.

It really was an interesting concept with time travel and moving in history without affecting history.

All in all, I would recommend Splinter Effect but probably to a slightly more mature (YA/NA) audience than what I was hoping it could be for (middle grade).

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.