Time Hopper is a new scifi novel by Os Ibrahim. The story follows Dan Walton’s internal and external quests. Dan is brilliant, wealthy and successful, but has never really learned how to connect with others.  When the story opens, he’s taken leave from his high-powered, well-respected job, and he’s considering what he needs to do for personal fulfillment. We’re told that Dan has a multi-million dollar home, more millions sitting in savings, and a Ferrari. But for a variety of reasons, poor Dan has never been able to make a real friend. He barely speaks to his family, doesn’t even have casual friends, or a girlfriend, or even a crush. Despite all his professional success, Dan only seems able to connect with one older friend, Rogers Leenman, who takes on a mentoring role for young Dan, alternating encouraging, guiding, and teasing Dan.

Driven by his internal desire for a different life, with more adventure and more connection, Dan starts a personal journey of scientific discovery, inventing and improving wild scifi creations. He then embarks on a new journey through time and space, discovering three very different new worlds. Through this, he discovers other views of the universe, and faces many dangers. 

One distinctive aspect of Time Hopper is the extremely direct narration style. This stylistic approach ensures that the plot advances quickly and clearly, and allows readers to follow the wild twists easily, but it can sometimes feel blunt, especially when introducing new characters or the relationships between those characters. Fans of the indie specfic adventure The Paintball Club will enjoy this direct narration and explanation style. Just like in The Paintball Club, the twists of the plot in Time Hopper still carry the book.

There are signs from the beginning of Time Hopper that some of the people Dan hires for his invention company are not just random employees with good skills for the role. His first hire, Erica, has exactly the skills he needs, and then some — she’s amazingly good at just about everything, and has way more knowledge about him than he’s ever told her. Throughout this book, gorgeous and sexy Erica has no trouble taking over companies Dan might like to buy, managing millions of dollars to create enough surplus to buy a private jet, hacking and breaking in wherever she’s like to go, and more, all while dressing in the top designer brands.

There’s also a strong possibility that Dan’s being goaded or manipulated along his path. Because we readers have seen Dan be a bit awkward when socializing and we know he’s lonely for real human connection, these questions of manipulation are more emotionally moving. Is our Dan trusting the right people? Will he be manipulated? Who is putting him onto this path, and do they mean good or ill for him? Will Dan’s impressive intellect keep him safe through all the dangers on his adventures? Using his genius and curiosity on his travels leads Dan to new adventures and new understanding. These experiences in different worlds invite readers to question whether Dan was originally unhappy and uninterested in making money or professional success because he was destined for so much more. 

Time Hopper is overall a scifi adventure story, but it also explores the human search for fulfillment and true purpose. This works by combining Dan’s journey through time and space with his personal curiosity and his desire for friendship, love, and just connection with others. 

The ending makes it very clear that Dan’s travels and adventures aren’t over, and the second book in the Time Hopper series will be released this month.