Splinter Effect by Andrew Ludington ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

I was excited for this book. The description really hooked me - so much so that I requested the book twice (oops!). I decided to listen to the audiobook.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2025; Macmillan Audio; 9781250388407
audio (9h 57m), ebook, print (320 pages); science fiction

Splinter Effect is a time-traveling science fiction story. It reminded me of the short-lived (but great) TV show Timeless (after reading this book, I want to rewatch the show). 

I was intrigued by the premise: an archeologist who can travel back in time. I'm sure there are archeology finds that we have gotten wrong as to its function or relevance (e,g, a priceless piece of pottery to us was the equivalent of Tupperware in its time). So it would be really cool to go back in time to understand the period. However, Rabbit Ward isn't just going back in time to understand the items found. No, he is going back in order to find the artifact.

If you are looking for an action-adventure story, then this is definitely a book to read. 

I enjoyed the world-building in the story. There were enough details to understand it without feeling overwhelmed. Details are also sprinkled through and not just dumped all at once so that helps with the understanding. Ludington relied on some already known time travel rules that will be familiar to readers (I'm pretty sure Ludington watched Timeless too or at least the same materials in building his world). I liked how he handled changing to the future (or not) by traveling to the past.

There are two adventures in this book. One is the search for a menorah. Ancient history is not really my time period but I still enjoyed the story. I won't tell you about the second adventure as that is a bit of a surprise.

I enjoyed the narrator Roger Wayne. I did have some trouble with following the story. There are a lot of characters to meet both in present day and in the past so while it took me a bit to keep the characters straight it wasn't because of the narrator. He did a great job with all the voices. Listening to this book took a good bit of concentration. 

I'm not sure if this is the start of a series. Everything is wrapped up in the end but there is some wiggle room at the end for a new adventure. I know if there is a sequel, I would read it as I think there is a lot more that can be explored with the characters.

Buy Splinter Effect at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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