Review: The Grandmother Paradox

Originally Posted at Tangent Online, April 30, 2018

"The Grandmother Paradox" by Wendy Nikel

Sometimes your future depends on saving the past and breaking some rules. Wendy Nikel's novella, "The Grandmother Paradox," is Book Two in her A Place in Time series. We follow Chandler as he's recruited by Dr. Wells to go back in time and protect his savior from Book One, Elise, from being wiped out of existence by TUB—the Trial Undertaking Bureau—agents targeting her great-great-grandmother. When Chandler arrives in 1893, he has one task: protect Juliette Argent from time-traveling assassins. However, the more he gets to know Juliette, the more difficult he finds it is to keep emotional distance. Nikel provides a wonderfully detailed snapshot of life in the late 19th century, replete with colorful side characters and historical nuggets that bring the scenes to life.

Overall, it's a simple tale, which seems counterintuitive when viewed through the lens of time travel paradox. "The Grandmother Paradox" stretches itself on romance splendidly, but, I believe, fell a bit short as the climax begins and ends quite suddenly for a story this length. Where it shines, however, is in the period descriptions and is worth the read if only for