The Third Rule of Time Travel

Philip Fracassi

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Paperback

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English

Miscellaneous
18 March 2025

Thriller & suspense; Science fiction; Science Fiction

Rule One: You can only travel to a point within your lifetime.

Rule Two: You can only travel for ninety seconds.

Rule Three: You can only observe.

The rules cannot be broken.

In this electrifying science fiction thriller from acclaimed author Philip Fracassi, a scientist has unlocked the mysteries of time travel. This is not the story you think you know. And the rules are only the beginning.

""Tense, fast-moving, surprsing, and above all else, entertaining."" - Owen King, New York Times bestselling author

""A clever premise digs its heels into a sci-fi thriller that breaks into a fast gallop from the first page - exciting, haunting, compelling stuff."" - Chuck Wendig, author of The Book of Accidents

""Fracassi weaves a tightly plotted story... a solid new entry into the time travel genre."" -- Kirkus

Scientist Beth Darlow has discovered the unimaginable. She's built a machine that allows human consciousness to travel through time--to any point in the traveler's lifetime--and relive moments of their life. An impossible breakthrough, but it's not perfect: the traveler has no way to interact with the past. They can only observe.

After Beth's husband, Colson, the co-creator of the machine, dies in a tragic car accident, Beth is left to raise Isabella--their only daughter--and continue the work they started. Mired in grief and threatened by her ruthless CEO, Beth pushes herself to the limit to prove the value of her technology.

Then the impossible happens. Simply viewing personal history should not alter the present, but with each new observation she makes, her own timeline begins to warp.

As her reality constantly shifts, Beth must solve the puzzles of her past, even if it means forsaking her future.

""Part Crichton, part Bradbury, and all Fracassi, The Third Rule of Time Travel further demonstrates why Fracassi is one of the best writers working today, regardless of genre."" - Tyler Jones, author of Midas

""Probes the endurance of grief, the importance of memory and the ultimate malleability of reality and perception."" -- The Wall Street Journal

By: Philip Fracassi
Imprint: Miscellaneous
Dimensions: Height: 208mm, Width: 137mm, Spine: 25mm
Weight: 295g
ISBN: 9780316572514
ISBN 10: 0316572519
Pages: 336
Publication Date: 18 March 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Philip Fracassi is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of the story collections Behold the Void and Beneath a Pale Sky. His novels include A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Interzone, and Black Static. Philip lives in Los Angeles and is represented by Copps Literary Services.

Reviews for The Third Rule of Time Travel

""Corporate politics and experimental physics clash in this exciting sci-fi outing...Sci-fi fans with a taste for noir will savor this one.""--Publishers Weekly ""Fracassi weaves a tightly plotted story... a solid new entry in the time travel genre.""--Kirkus ""Recommended for fans of technothrillers and those looking for a different take on time travel.""--Library Journal ""This sci-fi thriller offers three simple rules that draw the reader in -- travelers can only visit moments that occurred in their lifetime, they can only visit for a minute and a half, and they can only observe and not interfere -- before brazenly pulling the rug out from under them."" --Seattle Times ""Fracassi's prose is deliberate, clean and straightforward, able to convey well both abstruse info and moments of suspense... highly recommend.""--Locus ""Probes the endurance of grief, the importance of memory, and the ultimate malleability of reality and perception.""--Wall Street Journal ""Tense, fast-moving, surprising, and above all else, entertaining.""--Owen King, New York Times bestselling author ""A clever premise digs its heels into a sci-fi thriller that breaks into a fast gallop from the first page--exciting, haunting, compelling stuff.""--Chuck Wendig, author of Wanderers and The Book of Accidents ""A novel of frighteningly plausible science fiction, Fracassi blends deft character work with suspense to create a story that's simultaneously focused in its approach and massive in its implications. Part Crichton, part Blake Crouch, part Bradbury, and all Fracassi. Chilling and unpredictable, The Third Rule of Time Travel further demonstrates why Fracassi is one of the best writers working today, regardless of genre.""--Tyler Jones, author of Midas and Burn the Plans ""A page-turning adventure with a mind-bending conclusion.""--Les Johnson, futurist and space technologist ""Fracassi paints this gloomy tale with painfully beautiful and detailed prose."" --Library Journal on Boys in the Valley ""This Fracassi guy is damn good."" --Richard Chizmar, New York Times bestselling author ""[Fracassi is] especially skillful at creating, and sustaining, suspense.""--The New York Times