OUT OF TIME
by Mark Golding illustrated by Lucian Gradinariu
Twelve-year-old Joe Jackson’s life in the dull English town of Highcross takes an unexpected turn from the ordinary to the extraordinary when he befriends Maxelon, an alien from the faraway planet Proxima Centauri b. The journey kicks off with a chance discovery at the site of a controlled explosion of a World War II bomb, where Joe finds Max, who’s been marooned on Earth for nearly a year. Max “looked like he was about 15 years old. His skin was very pale, and he had jet black hair…He wore a utility belt with lots of strange-looking gadgets hanging from it.” The alien is trying to thwart the nefarious ambitions of Dardan, a member of a warmongering species from Max’s home planet, intent on seizing control of Earth. As Joe and Max become fast friends and allies, the duo uses advanced alien tech to track Dardan back in time all the way to the Cretaceous era, when dinosaurs still roamed Earth. From then on, the friends gather more companions (including the Robinsons, a family stuck in the past whom the pals rescue) and continue their trek through time—from the Cretaceous era to Roman Britain and the early-medieval period. They eventually travel to an altered present to prevent Dardan from taking over Earth while attempting to protect their own timeline. Aliens, dinosaurs, Roman legionnaires, and even King Arthur intersect in Golding’s fun time-traveling story, which focuses on Joe and Max’s evolving friendship. Gradinariu’s vivid illustrations enrich the tale, capturing the whimsical essence of the novel’s wacky escapades, from the surreal sight of Roman legionnaires charging into battle atop dinosaurs to the SF and historical capers. This entertaining story is filled with adventures, twists and turns, and a mix of historical periods and extraterrestrial encounters, telling a yarn about two brave heroes on a mission to stop a dark timeline from taking hold.
A delightfully zany time-travel tale.