In Wetsman’s whirlwind adventure story, a modern-day man finds out the part he will play—and has already played—in a plot to alter, or perhaps maintain, the course of history.

In New Orleans in the year 2000, Joe Schwartz’s life is full to the brim, thanks to his work as a historian and Tulane University professor. One day, after giving a lecture on the Roman emperor Julian—about whom he is writing a book— an unfamiliar man who initially identifies himself as “Frank Roberts” confronts Joe in a stairwell: “I’ve wanted to meet you for some time now,” Frank says. The two go for coffee together, and Frank reveals that he’s actually Flavius Claudius Julianus—aka Julian—and that he’s traveled from the past to see Joe. Julian explains that he uses a coin to travel through time, and that he’s doing it all for the sake of education. He goes on to explain that Joe, along with therealFrank Roberts, whose identity he’s assumed, and a doctor named Alexandra Goodman, will all be tasked with helping an earlier version of Julian who will shortly arrive from the past. These four will have only a short time together, during which Julian will not only learn of the decisions and mistakes he will invariably make during his lifetime but also how they’ll affect the world after he’s gone. As Joe learns of his inevitable involvement in an unbelievable situation, Wetsman ably makes the time-travel storyline easy to understand. Although it’s a complex narrative, he uses skillful character development and expositional dialogue to smoothly guide the reader through the past, present, and prospective future of the story. In addition, although much of the story speculates on potential histories, it’s also based firmly on real-life historical research; readers will find that the latter gives them a strong foundation to build on as they proceed through the plot.

An evocative fictional exploration of history that reminds readers to always question their assumptions.