Author: Dan Rix
Genre: Science Fiction
Published on: March 28, 2016 by Burning Ember Press
She was too smart to be popular. Too pretty to be ignored. Too conceited to be tolerated.
Seventeen-year-old Iris Strasser can’t seem to blend in to save her life, and she just made everything ten times worse. Time travel must have seriously compromised her judgment, because somehow she’s blundered into a relationship she’s not ready for with way-too-popular-for-his-own-good Cory Holland, the one boy she hates more than anyone—and now, infuriatingly, has a crush on. Now every girl at Lakeside wants her head on a stick.
Screw her feelings for him. They can have him back. She can’t stand Cory’s prickish cockiness for one more insufferable second. Except breaking up with him also breaks something in the past.
Now, all that’s left of the boy she almost loved is a lingering hint of déjà vu. That, and a confused ache in her heart.
Because everyone knows Cory died a long time ago.
After the first three books wowed me so much, I couldn’t not finish the series. It’s got romance and cool tech, two of my favorite topics to read about. The protagonists have gone on such a journey. First is Cory Holland, a young genius who’s on his senior year at Lakeside High. Next is Iris Strasser, Cory’s overachieving rival turned love interest. Noah Wright is Cory’s best friend, who attends the school on a scholarship. The Timeloopers series centers around a quantum computer prototype named the Chronos. A renowned tech lab donated it to Lakeside. Despite being off limits, Cory snuck out to check the machine and discovered its true nature. Lured by the thrill of time travel, Cory, Iris, and Noah kept using the Chronos for weeks afterward.
In the previous book, Cory barely managed to rescue Iris after mistakenly trapping her in an infinite loop. The ordeal caused them to develop a strong attraction. Cory and Iris are now dating, but their relationship is precarious. Iris has never had a boyfriend and fears that Cory will break her heart. He's an arrogant womanizer and used to treat Iris with disdain. Cory’s never been in a serious relationship either. As expected, Cory messes up bad and Iris breaks up with him.
Before Cory can think of a way to win Iris back, Edgard Faye (creator of the Chronos) shows up in his room. He apologizes for trying to kill the trio for toying with his machine. Faye then reveals that Cory’s efforts to rescue Iris have caused a huge problem. Cory piggybacked on one of Faye’s loops to be able to go back far enough in time. The NSA, who somehow found out about the Chronos, piggybacked on Cory’s loop. They saved Franklin Thomas, a mole that Faye got rid of in an earlier timeline. By the time Faye realized Thomas was back, it was too late. Thomas took control of the timeline to the point that it’s impossible for Faye to interfere. That’s why he needs Cory’s help: he’s an outsider.
Cory feels guilty about messing up the timeline. It never crosses his mind to refuse Faye’s request for help. Cory mentions the task to Iris in passing, but she’s still too angry with him to listen closely. Cory has no choice but to go back in time alone. He uses a timeloop Faye created to help him stop Thomas. Unfortunately for Cory, he’s not only going against a man who’s as intelligent as him. Thomas also knows the Chronos’s workings almost as well as Faye. So, when Cory tries to reset the timeline to the one where Thomas is dead, the latter is there to stop him.
When the timeline changes, only people who actively use the Chronos know about it. Even then, it seems they only feel it when the change affects their life. Iris gets feedback that tells her something big happened. She has no idea what, so it seems the bad guy has won. Iris remembers Cory but doesn’t realize that he’s supposed to be alive. When Iris almost died in An Infinite Loop, Cory knew it and was therefore able to act to save her. This time, Iris has no idea Cory needs rescuing. What will it take for Iris to act before things get even worse?
As a villain, Franklin Thomas is the most dangerous one in this series. It’s fitting that he’s the final antagonist Cory and his friends go up against. Faye pulled punches when he tried to kill them, but Thomas is going all out. They’re trying to erase his life, so it’s no surprise he wants to prevent that at all costs. The issue is that if Thomas isn’t stopped, millions of lives will be in danger. Faye reveals that Thomas's schemes are destined to end in calamity. That's all I'll mention here to avoid big spoilers.
This is the most pulse-pounding entry in the Timeloopers series. It’s the final book, so it sends off the trio with a bang. Iris will have to go up against a cunning antagonist. It’s lucky that she and Cory have genius-level intellect. They're the only ones who could possibly stop Franklin Thomas. As expected, things sometimes come down to the last minute. Even with a time machine available, one can’t waste even a minute. As for the pacing, it was okay. Time travel in this series is tedious, as you have to live every hour you go back in time at regular speed. Thankfully, there were less time travel-focused chapters in this book than in the previous one. One detail I liked as well is the title, The Man with Two Pasts. It fits the book and is unique and memorable. How many people with two pasts do you meet every day? Yep, it’s a cool title.
My rating: ★★★★★
5 stars - Absolutely must-read. It's outstanding!!!
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