Owen McCoy works as head of security for Synergy, a research company. The pay is good and the average day on the job is perfectly boring. Owen should have known that this wasn't going to be an ordinary day when his breakfast is interrupted by a misguided youth breaking into his house. Wanting to help the young man out, Owen invites him to ride along on his morning patrol of perimeter security for Synergy. Just as their patrol is starting, Owen discovers that the facility has been breached. As they leave his truck to examine the trail the trespassers left, Owen's truck explodes. As if that wasn't enough within a few minutes the area is hit by an unexplained wave of light-bending energy that rolls down the mountainside transporting Owen and everyone in close proximity back in time to 1985. What exactly is it that Synergy is researching? And what if the energy, the flux, happens again??

Flux is a time travel thriller by Jeremy Robinson. Time travel is one of those love it or hate it tropes. While "hate" might be too strong a description, it is definitely one of my least favorite science fiction tropes. In this regard, Flux does not shift my opinion of the trope one way or the other. Robinson has a couple interesting ideas here and manages to avoid the problem of paradox, which could be good or bad depending on if you enjoy paradox in your time travel story or not. Letting myself sit back and enjoy the ride without questioning too deeply also helped.

The strength of the story comes from it's characters and the themes of family that Robinson explores. Owen is an interesting character, one who gains a lot of depth during his unexpected journey through time. It's a unique opportunity Owen has to explore his own character as he meets other versions of himself and also runs into his father again, who had passed away early in Owen's original timeline. These were the parts of the book I enjoyed the most.

There is plenty of action and the story accelerates its pace as it speeds towards its final conclusion. Throw in some dinosaurs and myths-turned-real and it is quite a wild ride for everyone involved.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Jeffery Kafer. He does a decent, if inconsistent, job. His ability to separate the multiple generations of the same character was excellent. He even did a pretty good job of regional accents in a couple cases, though it made a few characters sound alike. His female voices could use some work. I bet his voice would be amazing for narrating crime noir stories.

Overall it's not a bad story. I suspect more people will enjoy it more than I did. I think I need to stay away from time travel stories for a while. ( )

Ever find a book with a plot so crazy that you just can’t look away? This is one of those stories, and I mean that in the best possible way.

Owen is the head of security for a company known as Synergy. His days are pretty typical until he wakes up to a thief in his house one day. One thing leads to another and as the pair leave his house, Owen’s truck explodes, transporting Owen to a different time period. Now, he’s left to figure out why this has happened and how he can make it make home.

Loved the twists in time-travel theory that the author created. There were some basics that I’ve seen in other sci-fi works, but a lot of ideas are original to the author. I also deeply loved Owen’s character. He’s relatable, and even when everything is thrown at him, that doesn’t change. A final aspect I loved about this book was the author’s ability to beautifully paint imagery whether it be the harsh landscapes that Owen and his group found themselves in or the beasts that they had to fight in order to survive.

Narration had a brilliant performance by Jeffrey Kafer.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
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This is my new favorite in the Time Travel Genre. Owen McCoy is a fun, intense character stuck in extraordinary circumstances. As Owen and his companions are hurdled further and further back in time, they realize just how busy this little bit of Appalachia was throughout history. Some companions are lost, others gained, many dead. Cassie, Owen, and young Owen were my favorite characters. Cassie and Owen work in security for a local science lab, but much more has been going on there than they knew. The Flux happens in unpredictable waves, making it difficult for Owen to figure out what is going on, let alone stay alive.

I really enjoyed the pre-written history times. There’s mammoths and then dinos and a few unexpected things – deadly things! Owen & his crew passed through the days when the Cherokee populated the area, picking up a few companions like Inola. She’s an accomplished horse rider with a level head (something that is much needed for keeping people alive). She also has a good idea of what is hunting them now, and knows that it is near-impossible to kill. All very exciting reading!

My one quibble is that there are so few female characters and for the most part they are romantic interests. Cassie is very competent but there’s an unspoken deeper connection with Owen. Then Inola is an object of a blossoming affection. There’s a young kid Cassie and then a scientist’s wife… and perhaps 1 or 2 other ladies. So, yeah, we could use a few more ladies. After all, that’s why we even have history to muck with.

The pacing was excellent. I was never bored. There’s plenty of action but also quieter moments to balance things out. Owen has a darker side that he keeps in check with his need to protect people. He’s good at damaging humans, if need be, but he doesn’t enjoy it. This tale gives him plenty of opportunities to kill as well as to exert his self-control. He’s an interesting character & it was easy for me to connect with him, rooting for him throughout the entire book. 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer gives a great performance narrating this book. He has distinct voices for all the characters, providing a variety of regional accents. I really appreciate how he managed to make multiple generations of characters sound related but not exactly alike. His female voices were good too. There were no technical issues with the recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are 100% my own. ( )