Audiobook Review: The Chronothon

Author: Nathan Van Coops

Narrator: Neil Hellegers

Series: In Times Like These, Book 2

Publisher: Skylighter Press

Released: Oct. 23, 2015

Length: 19 hours 43 minutes

Genre: Science Fiction; Time Travel

Run from the past. Run from the future. Run for your lives.

He’s a novice time traveler in a big universe.

Ben just wants time with the scientist’s daughter who got him into this, but when he’s rooked into competing in a chronothon – an Amazing Race through time – getting the girl means he’ll need to make the finish line. When he finds out this competition is more than just a sprint through history, winning takes a back seat to surviving. To save the people he loves, he’ll have to conquer the real dangers hidden in the shadows of the chronothon.

The world of time travelers expands in this next installment of the In Times Like These series. Fans of book one will find more to love, but new listeners can jump right in and enjoy this stand-alone story. Expect action, adventure, and romance on this journey through past and future. Fresh dangers will arise for Ben and company in a quest for the finish line, where failure to keep up will cost more than just a shot at glory – it could mean the end for them all.

Nathan Van Coops lives in St. Petersburg Florida on a diet comprised mainly of tacos. He enjoys old planes, motorcycles, and Volkswagens; and contends that there is such a thing as “dressy” flip-flops. He is the author of three time travel adventure novels: In Times Like These, The Chronothon, and The Day After Never. You can also check out his sci-fi sky pirate adventure, Faster Than Falling.

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Neil hails from the green hills and not-so-busy streets of River Vale, NJ, where he divided his time between theatre, literature, percussion, and policy debate. He is happy to note that he has managed to maintain this balance for the entirety of his adult life.

After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, PA, with a B.A. in Theatre Arts and a Minor in Psychology, Neil acquired a M.F.A in Acting from the Trinity Rep Conservatory, in Providence, RI. He returned to NYC in 2003, and, since then, has made a career of theatrical performance, percussion, theatre education, and audiobook narration, and is currently living in Brooklyn, NY, with his wife, rambunctious son, and their mutt!

Starting his professional acting career working at festivals and and international tours performing Shakespeare opened his mind to the sweeping potential of theatre in performance to inspire and delight, a sensibility he has carried into contemporary theatre, new play workshops, film, TV and commercial work, and audiobook narration. Neil also has sought and developed educational opportunities, considering teaching as a means of advancing the craft of both student and teacher, and also a vehicle for social and political change. Neil has played drums in a wide variety of bands and musical groups, from punk, to prog, to jazz, to folk, and in theatrical performance, most notably for the Philly-based-90s-progressive-instrumental-rock-band, Lexicon.

As an audiobook narrator, Neil specializes in fiction, genre and non. A voracious reader of science fiction and fantasy, Neil strives to bring the same thrill of the possible to the actual, with non-fiction ranging from self-help both spiritual and practical, history, and cultural studies. Recording at home from a Studiobricks One Plus, he is an Audible Approved Producer, and has worked for numerous publishers, including Tantor Media, Penguin Random House Audio, Blackstone Audio, Audible Studios, Deyan Audio, Spoken Realms, and more. He is a proud member of SAG AFTRA.

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“The Chronothon” is very different from “In Times Like These”. I was expecting a different type of action, even more focused on the characters. Ben is competing now to win his girl in the Chronothon – as the blurb describes it, it is a race against time, in which neither competitor has a past or a future. They travel everywhere the competition takes them and have certain objectives to accomplish.

Yes, we do have a lot of action and adventure. Basically the entire book is action, competition and an effort to be the best, or actually to be the first. That is not such a bad thing, but I liked book 1 so much more. We saw there a main character struggling to master his abilities and understand them. Here the main character has just one simple goal: get the girl. I don’t know, it’s just too simple for this story.

I did appreciate the amount of detail we have for each period our contestants travel to and the specifics of the time. Also, the competition itself was very engaging and it did capture my attention and interest. Ben has different obstacles to face in his race and how he faces them is an interesting aspect as well.

The narration was as exceptional as in book one. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from Neil Hellegers. Again his interpretation makes this audiobook exceptional and I do believe listening to the audio version is the best way for this story. Otherwise, one would lose the pleasure in listening to great voice acting. Yes, fantastic!

All in all, I am giving this book 4 stars, only because I was expecting something different – more character development especially. I think Ben as a character has not reached yet his full potential and I hope book 3 will show us something more. Happy Reading!

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Nathan Van Coops. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.