Review: Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Nothing ever changes in Sanders. The town’s still got a video store, for God’s sake.

So why doesn’t Eli Teague want to leave?

Not that he’d ever admit it, but maybe he’s been waiting – waiting for the traveler to come back. The one who’s roared into his life twice before, pausing just long enough to drop tantalizing clues before disappearing in a cloud of gunfire and a squeal of tires. The one who’s a walking anachronism, with her tricorne hat, flintlock rifle, and steampunked Model A Ford.

The one who’s being pursued by…something.

So when the mysterious traveler finally reappears, Eli’s determined that this time, he’s going to get some answers. But his hunt soon yields far more than he bargained for, plunging him headlong into a dizzying world full of competing factions and figures straight out of legend.

To make sense of the mystery at its heart, he must embark on a breakneck chase across the country and through two centuries of history – with nothing less than America’s past, present, and future at stake.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines. Narrated by Ray Porter. Published by Audible Studios, September 2017. 12 hours and 31 mins. Book club pick for September 2019.

I love Peter Clines, but I wasn’t so sure what I would think about this one. I’m not a huge time travel or American history fan, and this book sounded like it was very heavy in that concept. Plus I have heard a ton of mixed reviews about it. Some fans seemed to really like it, some fans seemed to think this was not one of Peter’s best works.

Ok, so, I do agree that this is one of the weaker books from this author, BUT… it is still a really good book! It is a very interesting and clever take on the American dream and time travel. It was much more about traveling through history, not so much as traditional time travel. That was such a unique take on that sort of theme, that it felt new and fresh. Plus, who doesn’t drive through some small towns that really DO feel like they are stuck in the past? We’ve all seen those sort of places.

I really enjoyed all the fun characters in Paradox Bound. A lot people from US history, from great business men to iconic actors. This book actually felt like a very fun road trip. There are a lot of characters, but it really didn’t get too confusing or anything like that. I loved the idea of this history traveling secret society sort of group of people. Let’s not forget the faceless men that were tracking the history travelers. Kinda creepy fellows, there.

It seems like a lot of people feel disappointed in this book because it’s not like 14 or The Fold. By that I mean, it didn’t feel completely connected to the whole green, glowing bugs or the flying nightmares from a possible post apocalyptic future and or dimension and or space. There is a small, very small mention of them, but it wasn’t a continuation of that particular story arc. So if you go into Paradox Bound thinking that’s what you are going to get, you might end up being a little frustrated. I get it. I love those two books as well, but it is a fun book, too. Also, Paradox feels a little bit slower paced then the other books, so I’m sure that doesn’t help either.

I listened to the audiobook because I love listening to Ray Porter. He is so talented! He really makes all the different characters legit feel different! It feels like he nails everyone’s personality, making it look so easy! I wish more narrators had his level of skill with voices. Or that Ray did even more audiobooks. Or all of the above!

Paradox Bound was entertaining, unique, and had a great narrator. It made “reading” about American history and time travel- not my most favorite of themes- actually fun. 😮 So yeah, good times!