One Word Kill

Nick has been diagnosed with cancer. At the age of 15, he must come to terms with the fact he may never live to be an adult. Nick spends his weekends playing D & D with his best friends, trying to escape the harsh reality his life has become. Until one day he meets a man who is oddly familiar. One who promises that if he helps him, Nick may just live to see adulthood.

Mark Lawrence has been one of my favorite authors since Prince of Thorns. Now, this is no brutal and dark fantasy like Thorns, but it was still entertaining. Being the geek I am, I loved reading about the D & D adventures that paralleled what the kids were going through. I do have to admit the whole concept of quantum physics went over my head though. The entire explanation about paradoxes and branching timelines through me for a loop. Not my cup of tea.

Time travel. Yes, the appropriate cracks were made about Back to the Future. In fact, it takes place during the same year the movie came out. But even with the concept of multiple timelines and the fear of messing up the one timeline they needed to follow, this one also seemed a bit slower in pace. There was a lot less conflict than the typical books I read, but given it is the first in a new series I can let it slide.

I didn't feel as connected to Nick as I have with the rest of Lawrence's characters, but it may be due to the fact he wasn't an anti-hero. I still look forward to the next book, as it seems there is going to be some issues with the timeline. I'd like to see how far into the realms of impossible this series will go.