Time Jump
By Adam Simcox
- Time Jump
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Author: Adam Simcox
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Publisher: Renegade
- ISBN: 9781408750537
- Published: September 2026
- Pages: 468
- Format reviewed: Paperback
- Review date: 20/10/2026
- Language: English
If you had the chance to go back in time for four days, when would you go? Would you choose to revisit a loved one that is no longer with us? Perhaps relive an experience, or go to one you missed? The answer should be thought through carefully as the consequences of any changes you make in the past for the present are huge. Rachel in Adam Simcox’s Time Jump, goes back to 1997 to save someone, but what effect will messing with this butterfly have in 2026?
Rachel’s life has never been the same the day that Princess Diana died. Whilst she mourned like many others it was not this death that affected her life, but that of the young man, Oliver Jones, she hit on the way to the memorial. With a feeling of guilt hanging over her, a life of drink followed. Her only hope is to win the lottery that allows one non-wealthy person a year to travel back in time. When Rachel gets the opportunity, she travels four days before Oliver’s death, but will it be enough?
Time travel can be a complex concept to write about, mostly because it is an impossibility. Your present would not be your present, if you changed the past. This book is all about these ripples. The ripples of Rachel Earth 1 where she has lived with the shame of manslaughter and then the ripples of Rachel Earth 2, after changes have been made.
Rather than fill the book with twists and turns, Simcox makes the story simple. This makes this a time travel story for the masses; it is easy to follow. Rachel in present, Rachel in past, Rachel in new present. The book is in three simple parts that are not over complicated. As a science fiction fan, I found it almost too simple. The book lacked ambition in times, but it does allow Simcox to indulge in some genre thrills.
The 90s play a large part in the story, especially the first two acts. This was an era I know well and Simcox captures a rose-tinted version of it. Rachel is a flawed protagonist; she is an alcoholic after all. Therefore, her plan in the past is not well thought through. Her solutions are as messy as her life was.
After muddling through the 90s the book continues and takes on yet another life as part Romantasy (Urbanromantasy?) and thriller. All the characters, apart from Rachel, have had a reset, and this is what the book feels like. Simcox could have written a straight noir without the time travel elements as it does not really influence the outcome apart from the one major act made by Rachel in 1997. The thriller is fun, if a little dopey.
I see Time Jump as a genre book written for people who do not read genre books too often. Any sense of complexity is stripped away, making it one of the most accessible time travel books I have ever read. As a fan of science fiction, I found it lacking in places and a little naïve, but I can see how approachable it is for a reader wanting something easy to read, the sci fi equivalent of an airport novel. For this market Time Jump will do the job, just read the story and do not listen to that little sceptic voice in your head wondering how a 47-year-old chronic alcoholic is able to pull off what she did.
Written on 20th October 2026 by Sam Tyler .
Topics and themes
Key Tropes
Tone & Pace
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