Audio Book Review: Paradox Resolution: A Spider Webb Novel, by K.A. Bedford

Jump on this book for a mad time trip!
Paradox Resolution: A Spider Webb Novel
Author: K.A. Bedford

Narrator: Cameron McDonald
Audio Book Length:  9 Hrs 55 Min

Genre: Time Travel, Action, Science Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0

Audio Book Description:
Aloysius “Spider” Webb fixes time machines for a living. He hates his job; he hates his life, and hates time travel even more. He simply wants to get on with his life. He’s a hard working -Australian bloke — a good man in a bad -situation who is willing to do almost anything to regain his self-respect and the affection of his nearly -ex-wife, Molly; a mad sculptress on her way to international fame and fortune.

Spider’s life and his world are changing. -After quitting the Western Australian Police Service, Spider studied to become a time -machine repair -mechanic, eking out a sparse -living fixing broken down machines. But the -repair business isn’t what it used to be. Once, time machines were as big as cars; but now they’re smaller and compact, portable, and cost too much to get fixed so it’s easier for people to simply buy a new one. Times are tough and there is no end in sight.

Meanwhile, Spider’s new boss at the Time -Machines Repaired While-U-Wait franchise needs help: his -secretly built, totally -illegal, -radically overclocked, hotrod time -machine has been stolen, and Spider is the right man to get it back before it falls into the wrong hands, or worse inadvertently destroys the entire universe.

Spider’s journey begins with a simple favor to help his almost ex-wife, Molly, and moves to the icy wastes of the far, far future.

Surprise and shock are the only -constants in -Spider’s life; why should this job be any -different?

Review:
Spider, a sharp Australian, is a former police-officer who was pushed out of his job after blowing the whistle on a corrupt department. Now he earns a living fixing time machines, which he hates, while he tries to regain a more respectable life and his soon to be ex-wife, Molly.  Spider is really a nice guy who believes in doing the right thing–even though that has gotten him into his current dilemma.

Spider thinks maybe he can win back his wife’s affections if he continues to help her as an available handyman.  Spider is alarmed that Molly is going out of town but he won’t refuse when she asks him to house-sit her sick gold fish. The next morning he is startled to find a dead head– ah, make that a dead talking head!– in his refrigerator at work. Then his boss calls him in to seek his help in finding his young son who has disappeared with a  illegal, totally souped-up, hotrod time machine.  All of a sudden Spider is caught up in a time travel mystery that could lead to end time destruction.

Spider hates time travel and the reason becomes understandable as time travel experiences seem to bring on nothing but trouble and perhaps even the downfall of civilization.  First the trips made by his boss and then Spider’s own trips show a certain circular, inescapable, inevitability.  Is it possible for him to save Molly from becoming an alien monster? And what trouble is he bringing on his cop-friend, Iris, who insists on jumping on board the time machine heading to a far distant future? Can they make changes to save earth before the aliens devour what is left?

This was a mad trip of twisted, future power-mongers and danger wrapped with irony and humor.  This moves along at a good pace and kept me engaged.  I really enjoyed trying to figure out where it was going and what would happen next even as Spider himself ponders his mundane life and the turns that it takes with the different time jumps.

This is apparently a sequel novel although it worked fine as a stand alone. This makes me curious to go back and read the first book.

Audio Notes:  Cameron McDonald does a grand job with the Australian accents, slang and irrepressible spirit. The narration made this a completely enjoyable reading/listening experience.

I received this download to provide an honest review for Post Hypnotic Press through Audiobook Jukebox.