Three Go Back

“Three Go Back” by Tom Johnson. YA fiction. Great cover by Teresa Tunaley. When their teleport vehicle malfunctions, becoming a time machine, it sends three young girls back in time on a journey of discovery they never expected. From the Ice Age through the Cretaceous, Permian, Carboniferous, and finally to the beginning of the Earth's evolution of life, they experience their world's prehistoric past in all its splendor and terror, coming away with the joy of knowledge and adventure! Tom introduces us to the 24th century, where people travel by teleportation vehicles. The wealthy live in bubbles floating thousands of feet above ground. The story opens with three young girls leaving for school in their teleport vehicle. Because of a massive magnetic storm, their vehicle accidentally becomes a time machine, taking them thousands of years into the past. Despite repeated attempts to return to the 24th century, they travel farther and farther back millions of years into prehistoric times, experiencing adventure and danger in the age of giant reptiles. The girls wonder if they will ever return to their familiar world. Available in hardback for 24.26 http://www.lulu.com/shop/tom-johnson/three-go-back/hardcover/product-20654639.html Paperback for 11.66 here http://www.amazon.com/Three-Go-Back-Tom-Johnson/dp/1937769232/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359475719&sr=1-1&keywords=Three+Go+back Kindle for $3.99, or order hardback and paperbacks from Tom.

Ammonite Planets Omnibus

Ammonite Planets Omnibus (YA SF)

Books 1 thru 3

By Gillian Andrews

Kindle Exclusive

BOOM7108QM

816 Pages

Price $6.99

Rating 4-Stars

This was an interesting science fiction adventure, containing the first three (of seven) novels in the Ammonite Galaxy series: VALHAI, KWAIDE, and XIANTHA. There are many characters introduced in the stories, but basically we follow teenagers, Six, Diva, and Grace. I read the pdf format of 816 pages, but the books would contain about a thousand pages.

VALHAI begins the series. Basically, children are being selected for an experiment/education on another planet (Valhai), and no one really knows why, but they think it is a family honor to be included. Unfortunately, the children discover the truth. Their reproductive systems are being harvested, and when they are no longer needed, they are killed. There is an entity in the lake where this is happening that awakens, and is disturbed by the murders. It wants to help stop the killing. Six and Diva, one a no-name, the other from a ruling family, clash at first, but then become partners in a daring escape, engineered by Grace, a teenage girl on Valhai and the entity they call Argon from the lake. This is their story of escape and survival.

Book #2, KWAIDE, takes off from there. The teenagers instigate a revolt on Kwaide, while Argon demands recognition from the planet Valhai as a higher intellectual species. When the ruler of Valhai sends space ships with nuclear rockets to kill the rebels on Kwaide, Argon helps the teenagers destroy the nukes without killing people. In the meantime, a new sentient from an unknown star has arrived, and uses a robot camera to meet Argon.

Book #3, XIANTHA.  Diva wished to go to Xiantha to see what has become of the children birthed through her reproductive system. First, though Arcon wished to travel to Pictoria, which he believes is where he originated. There they do find amorths that may be related to him. Stopping on Xiantha on their return they find another species that may be related to him, but also a lot of trouble as Grace’s brother and the ex ruler of Valhai want her dead, and have planned for her demise.

The three stories were a lot of fun. There is no sex or profanity, which I find refreshing. The author has good imagination, and the stories move well. The only problem I found with the series is the dialogue. We are on other worlds, light years in space, and possibly far in the future, yet the dialogue is that of teenagers at the malls on present-day Earth. Even the astrological alignment appears the same as here and now. And I felt like I was reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in space. But considering my age, and growing up reading the great authors of the 20^th century, I think today’s teenagers 14 to 18 will find the stories a treat. I highly recommend this series to young adults.

Tom Johnson

Author of WORLDS OF TOMORROW

Three Go Back - 5-Star Reviews

Three Go Back was so exciting that I couldn't put the book down. Tom Johnson's novels are always great! In addition to the great story, I also like the information section that he put in the book, the one listing various creatures from the different time periods of the earth's history. He listed a lot of them. The readers will learn a lot from reading the book, along with other books that he has written. Congratulations on a great book!

Neal Robbins

Seymouria Paleontology Group

In the 24th century, when travel is by teleportation vehicles, and the affluent live in bubbles floating thousands of feet above the ground, three young girls prepare for school as one presses the teleport button. At the exact same time, a massive magnetic storm from the sun strikes the Earth, disrupting the mechanism and turning their teleportation vehicle into a time machine.

Instead of instantly materializing at their school, the girls find themselves thousands of years in the past, at some point during the Ice Age. Time and time again, they attempt to return to the 24th century, only traveling farther back in Earth's past with each press of the button. With the batteries draining from each jump, they are stranded in each epoch for short periods of time, in which they experience the danger and excitement of fantastic adventure in ancient surroundings.

Previous novels by this author have fascinated me, and I was not disappointed with this one. There is a wonderful mix of adventure and camaraderie among the characters as they discover their world's past history first hand, and observe ancient life in the raw flesh. As they constantly go further back in time, the girls begin to fear they may never return to the world they once knew, and the reader turns each page in anticipation of some new thrill or danger.

This is a unique adventure for the Young Adult, with an educational content seldom found in stories for this age group. As I read this exciting tale, I discovered a thrill for an older generation of readers as well. Perhaps some of us do want to go back!

Terry Roberts, Reviewer (SF/Etc At A Glance)
Tom's Amazon Page http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B008MM81CM

Three Go Back 5-Star Review

Three Go Back was so exciting that I couldn't put the book down. Tom Johnson’s novels are always great! In addition to the great story, I also like the information section that he put in the book, the one listing various creatures from the different time periods of the earth's history. He listed a lot of them. The readers will learn a lot from reading the book, along with other books that he has written. Congratulations on a great book!

Neal Robbins

Seymouria Paleontogy Group

Three Go Back

Three Go Back is a YA SF novel by Tom Johnson, set in the year 2323. When their teleport vehicle malfunctions, becoming a time machine, it sends three young high school girls back in time on a journey of discovery they never expected. From the Ice Age through the Cretaceous, Permian, Carboniferous, and finally to the beginning of the Earth’s evolution of life, they experience their world’s prehistoric past in all its splendor and terror, coming away with the joy of knowledge and fantastic adventure!


Available from NTD and Amazon. $12.97 paperback, $4.99 Kendle.