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THE GENESIS FLAME by Ryan Dalton

THE GENESIS FLAME

From the Time Shift Trilogy series, volume 3

by Ryan Dalton

Pub Date: April 24th, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63163-170-2
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

Twins Valentine and Malcolm Gilbert have discovered that something evil is attempting to destroy the Timeline.

Two outwardly normal teens from the small town of Emmett’s Bluff must use the powers they inherited as Chronauri to prevent the destruction of Time when they discover that their stepmother, Callie, is from a utopian future and was sent on assignment by the Regent of Eldurfall to assassinate them. The twins’ future selves were believed to be responsible for starting the war in Eldurfall that killed Callie’s small daughter, making her mission personal, but in getting to know and love them she feels remorse, hence her confession. Unfortunately, Callie’s admission comes too late, as the Regent’s killing machines have entered through the Timeline to find and destroy them all. A battle ensues, and the twins must discover the mysterious truth behind the accusations as a last resort to ending the war and saving the Timeline. An imbalance between lengthy battle scenes and inadequate character development weakens the book; this is compounded by deferential behavior by the female characters and the use of the black-best-friend trope for the white twins’ African-American sidekick, Fred. Fred’s comic antics are played for laughs, he speaks exclusively in a cringeworthy parody of urban street slang, and he is the only one of the ensemble who is romantically unattached.

A trilogy closer brought down by flaws. (Science fiction. 14-18