There is a dilemma that keeps coming in man’s existence: how does the continuity of time work? What exactly means time and what sort of concept is it? All this is constantly coming back into cinema plots and books. The latest one is from debut author Michael Barnes, the title is Against time. A young man, Daniel, suddenly finds himself facing a huge secret. The starting point is a simple photograph taken by Daniel’s grandfather that leads to a mysterious and confusing revelation: Daniel’s life is altered forever.

For his grandfather has been hiding a secret for over fifty years, a secret so powerful and so dangerous that it puts the lives of those who know about it at risk. From spending a busy afternoon at the library, Daniel is thrust into a world of time-travel, government secrets, corruption and danger.

All of a sudden, Daniel finds himself with a special ‘orb’ given by his grandfather and here the dilemma comes. Travelling through time can be enthralling and exciting but what about the huge consequences? Daniel decides to change his life and that of those around him, starting from the death of his parents. Clearly the line between altering to improve and destroying the life of many is so tiny that it is apparent that playing with time can be very risky. Some things are best left untouched.

Part of the story is focussed on the internal dilemma of Daniel about either improving his own life or risking to affect life of humanity worldwide.

Michael Barnes has written a compelling book that retains a thorough sense of suspense throughout. Constantly surprising and with an unexpected twist at the end, this story is science fiction writing at its best. Told with real vigour and a strong, driving pace, Barnes constructs his excellent story effortlessly and is sensitive to every detail of his constantly evolving plot.

‘Against Time’ is a whirlwind journey that will capture the imagination of anyone who ventures to pick it up.