One sub-genre of science fiction novels that always intrigue me is time-traveling academics. People who travel to the past to witness, record, or investigate history. Though I’m not a historian, it would be cool to see the pyramids being built or the Parthenon in its original glory. But time travel is fraught with perils and rings to jump through to avoid paradoxes. So, when a good time traveling academic novel comes my way, I approach with caution. Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington caught my attention and kept it.
Disclaimer: The publisher provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is an excellent time travel adventure. Highly recommended.
From the Publisher
In Splinter Effect, an action-packed debut by Andrew Ludington, time traveling archaeologist Rabbit Ward maneuvers through the past to recover a long-lost, precious menorah hidden in ancient Rome.
Smithsonian archaeologist Rabbit Ward travels through time on sponsored expeditions to the past to secure precious artifacts moments before they are lost to history. Although exceptional at his job, Rabbit is not without faults. In a spectacular failure twenty years ago, he lost both the menorah of the second temple and his hot-headed mentee, Aaron. So, when new evidence reveals the menorah’s reappearance in 6th century Constantinople, Rabbit seizes the chance for redemption.
But from the moment he arrives in the past, things start to go wrong. Rabbit quickly finds out that his prime competition, an unlicensed and annoyingly appealing “stringer” named Helen, is also in Constantinople hunting the menorah. And that’s only the beginning. The oppressed Jewish population of the city is primed for revolution, Constantinople’s leading gang seems to have it out for Rabbit personally, and someone local is interested enough in the menorah to kill for it.
As the past closes in on him and his previous failures compound, will Rabbit be able to recover the menorah before it’s once again lost in time? With new and old dangers alike hiding behind every corner, time might just be up for Rabbit’s redemption—and possibly his life.
Review: Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington
Rabbit Ward is a time-traveling archaeologist who seeks out ‘lost’ artifacts. If an important piece of history goes missing, like say the menorah of the second temple, Rabbit Ward is sent back to retrieve them. As long as Rabbit doesn’t alter history, i.e. recover a non-lost artifact or, say, destroy the Parthenon, then he won’t create a splinter effect. (More on this later.) For Rabbit, the menorah represents a failure. He’s attempted to retrieve it once already but failed at the cost of his protege’s life. After being robbed in the past by another time traveler, Rabbit is considered a risky bet, but information regarding the whereabouts of the lost menorah have Rabbit itching to try to right the biggest wrong in his past. First, he has to secure funding for his trip, and that is turning out to be a tall order. But eventually he makes the trip back to ancient Constantinople, posing as a spice trader from Rome. On the path, he meets up with a soldier from Constantinople who accompanies him to the city, which prepares for the return of the victorious Belisarius. But more than ancient dangers await Rabbit. Other time travelers are also in the city looking for the menorah, and an advisor to the emperor Justinian takes interest in Rabbit.
Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is a third person, time travel adventure novel. The sales pitch says “Indiana Jones meets Outlander.” I’m unfamiliar with Outlander, but the Indiana Jones comparison is close. This book moves at a good pace; there’s plenty of action; and readers get to know Rabbit a little bit. The history and scenery are the real treat, and Ludington has created a wonderful stage for his characters. With the focus being on action and setting, there’s not as much character depth as I normally like. Overall, there’s something special here. This is an adventure worth taking.
Time Travel
Setting
“How will Rabbit retrieve the menorah without altering history” is the question driving this story. It’s what kept me coming back, but the overall setting that Ludington created was what I enjoyed most. It wasn’t a detailed description of every nook and cranny; no, it was enough detail to situate the story in a setting that felt different because of the culture but familiar because of the human nature imbued in the background. For example:
Situated ouside the Byzantine walls, in view of the Hagia Sophia church, the Chalkoprateia neighborhood was commonly thought of as the Jewish quarter in sixth-century Constantinople. Chalk means bronze in Greek and the neighborhood was known, not surprisingly, for its copper- and bronze-smithing shops and the Jewish artisans who worked in them. (pg. 135)
Above the tops of tall grape arbors that lined the road, he could see the dark shape of a building with a dome and a cross rising above the crops. He knew that monasteries were dotted through the outer city and the monks often made wine. (pg. 98)
Little backgrounds of neighborhoods or quick descriptions situate the reader in the larger city of ancient Constantinople. These details suffuse the text. Are they historically accurate? I don’t know, but they feel like they are. That gives the setting a bit of wonder that time travel novels need.
Conclusion
Andrew Ludington’s Splinter Effect is an excellent debut adventure novel. It mixes action, history, and intrigue well. The book races along towards an unexpected ending that left me wanting more. Hopefully, this is just the start of Rabbit’s adventures. Splinter Effect is highly recommended.
Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington is available from Minotaur Books on March 18th, 2025.
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