Faded Glimpses of Time

Faded Glimpses of Time is the second book in a sci-fi trilogy about secret agents and a time machine. Wren Derecho has returned from the future where she thought she had saved the world, but, when she arrives back in her timeline, the mysterious blue orb that caused havoc is still there. Her friend Alex and other agents of DAWN are heading out on a mission to retrieve Whispers of Amelia, an important component of the time machine, from the man who stole it. This mission goes badly wrong, and, when Whispers of Amelia is activated, the world collapses in a time storm. Wren and Alex wake up on the morning of the same day and realize they are caught in a time loop.

The rest of the novel is told from Alex’s and agents Tolli and Rob’s points of view, each new section another repeat of the same day, the same mission. Alex and Wren are the only ones who remember each iteration of the time loop, and they try to use their knowledge to circumvent the various points of failure, but, each time, something else happens to cause “Terminus Terra”. Finally Wren decides they need to use the dangerous blue orb to escape the time loop. The resulting chaos reveals a startling twist in their understanding of the world, and the novel ends on a dramatic cliffhanger.

The narrative technique of the time loop is used to good effect, creating excitement and tension as the retrieval mission repeats with new secret strategies and spy devices each time. The time travel plot is confusing, but the stakes are made clear, and the pacing is quick enough to bounce over plot holes.

As in the first book, Broken Shards of Time, the entertaining spy action is grounded by relationships developing among the characters. Humourous complications arise because some of them remember each other from different timelines while others don’t, but this is also an opportunity for them to develop trust in each other. Variations on “I don’t understand what’s going on!”, “There’s no time to explain, you just have to trust me!” aren’t particularly convincing, but the friendships and teamwork among the young agents are enjoyable to watch. Rob is a mentor to the team and a father figure to Wren and Alex; his narrative sometimes felt forced but did add a layer of emotional depth to the overall story. Themes of parenthood and abandonment show up in various ways: a particularly touching scene involves Alex discovering his long lost father on the bad guy’s side, and his father’s choice to protect him.

The writing can be clunky with infodumps, but the ticking timeline keeps the reader engaged to the explosive end, and eager for the next book. Faded Glimpses of Time will appeal to fans of James Patterson-style spy adventures.