Time's Children

by D.B. Jackson Narrated by Helen Keeley

Overview

Fifteen-year-old Tobias Doljan, a Walker trained to travel through time, is called to serve at the court of Daerjen. The sovereign, Mearlan IV, wants him to Walk back fourteen years to prevent a devastating war that will destroy all of Islevale. Even though the journey will double Tobias' age, he agrees. But when he arrives, he discovers that Mearlan has already been assassinated, and his court, destroyed. The only survivor is the infant princess, Sofya. Still a boy inside his newly adult body, Tobias must find a way to protect the princess from assassins and build himself a future¿in the past.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 10/08/2018
This secondary world fantasy kicks off a new series by Jackson (the Thieftaker Chronicles) that tests the fabric of reality with several types of time travel. Tobias, 15, is the only novitiate at the time-traveling training temple who can go backward in time, a skill called Walking. Chosen to serve the sovereigns of Daerjen, he is sent back in time with nothing but a chronofor, the device that allows him to Walk, to try to stop two wars from happening. Unfortunately, mayhem breaks loose once he arrives in the alternate universe, and Tobias’s fellow novitiate, Mara, is the only human who can tell that something is wrong—even though she doesn’t remember Tobias at all. With the help of a time-eating demon who loves Tobias, she plunges into the past to help set things to rights. This novel wields dueling timelines like knives, keeping readers spellbound while Tobias tries to keep the world from becoming unhinged. Jackson creates two fascinating worlds that coalesce seamlessly into an un-put-downable fantasy narrative and seem likely to lead to an exciting sequel. Agent: Lucienne Diver, Knight Agency. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Time’s Children is D.B. Jackson’s best work to date. Intricate plotting, innovative world building, and characters who grab your heart and refuse to let go. I can’t wait for the sequel!”
 – Faith Hunter, New York Times Bestselling author of the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series

“A fast-paced tale whose fascinating magic system twists and turns the story in unexpected directions. Now I’m waiting for book two!”
 –  Kate Elliott, author of Cold Magic and Black Wolves

“This novel wields dueling timelines like knives, keeping readers spellbound while Tobias tries to keep the world from becoming unhinged. Jackson creates two fascinating worlds that coalesce seamlessly into an un-put-downable fantasy narrative and seem likely to lead to an exciting sequel.”
 – Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Jackson never pauses to over-explain as he builds a breathless, fast-paced adventure that flings headlong through a dense thicket of intrigue, set in a world where danger and high stakes dog the heroes at every turn and the cost of using magic system gives their every decision tremendous weight. It all adds up to a fantastic flintlock fantasy, and the start of what promises to be a thrilling series.”
– Barnes & Noble Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

“To say that I enjoyed this novel is an understatement. I’ve read a few books by D B Jackson / David B Coe and liked them quite a bit. Time Travel stories can be tricky, but Jackson took one of the genre tropes (some would say an overused trope at that) and breathed fresh life into it. Time’s Children is both an epic and personal fantasy novel that is a wonderful series starter and introduction to a very original fantasy milieu. I’m slotting this on my best of the year list.”
– SFF World

“It’s a high-fantasy time-travel novel... So we have all the goodies of messed up timelines, time-walkers, and similar time/space practitioners in a magic rule system seated in a heavily world-built fantasy world! All the benefits of a kingdom built from scratch AND the breaking of it several times during different periods of its history! Yay! I can easily recommend this to fans of either epic fantasy or time travel SF. It combines the best of both worlds and with all the assassins, intrigue, and even love going on here, the novel entertains very roundly indeed.”
 – Bradley Horner’s Book Reviews

“The plot is fairly fast-paced and I read through it in like a day or so. It’s also pretty fun and rather well-written. For me, the best part of the book is really the interesting world and the premise.”
– The Bookworm Daydreamer

“When I saw the synopsis of Time’s Children, I knew that it would be a book that I loved and would just speed read through, and I did… The writing and world building in this novel is fantastic.”
– Lizbie’s Nerdy World

“I enjoyed it, you’re gonna enjoy it… Give me more, I am so stoked for this book!”
– Litcast of Doom

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175639569
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Series:	Islevale Series , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Chapter 1
 
21st Day of Sipar’s Settling, Year 633
 
The between spat him out like chewed gristle.
Naked in the cold and dark, he dropped to his knees, shivering, sucking at precious air. Another Walk, more years added to a body already abused by too many trials and too many journeys through time.
He clutched his chronofor in stiff, frigid fingers and braced his other hand on the courtyard stone. Fear lifted his gaze, despite the droop of his shoulders, the leaden fatigue in his legs. Torches flickered in nearby sconces. Stars gleamed in a moonless sky. He saw no soldiers, no assassins. He heard not a sound.
Had he arrived too early? Too late?
He fought to his feet and turned an unsteady circle to get his bearings before heading to the next courtyard and the castle arsenal. No soldiers here, either. Panic rose within him like a spring tide. Within the armory he found a stained uniform in Hayncalde red, as well as a musket and ammunition. He didn’t see any boots that would fit.
He pulled on the uniform and loaded the weapon. He took extra powder, paper, and bullets – habit born of years on the run. But he knew he wouldn’t have a chance to use them. This night would end in one of two ways. In neither scenario would he get off a second shot.
As he left the armory, he noticed what he had missed earlier. A body lay in the grass a few paces off the stone path. A woman with a gaping wound across her neck, and a bib of blood glistening on her uniform. A few paces on, he spotted a second dead guard on the other side of the path. Both from Hayncalde, both killed with stealth. Not too early then, perhaps in the very teeth of time.
He hurried on to the hall, bare feet slapping on stone. Nearing the archway that led into the back corridor, he heard the first explosion rock the west gate. Voices rose in alarm and anger. Bells pealed from the castle towers. Moments now. He stole through shadow and candlelit passages, only pausing when he reached the door.
Another explosion, not so distant, but also not the one he awaited. Inside the hall, men shouted. A baby cried, and his heart folded in upon itself.
He gripped the musket, readied himself. One last explosion made the stone beneath him shudder and buck. His cue.
He kicked the door open, stepped through.
Bedlam. A haze of smoke. And the one he sought. He shouted the man’s name and raised his weapon to fire.

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