The Chronocar is perhaps the most compelling yarn of time travel that it has been my pleasure to experience. Now, I’m in no way an expert, or as well versed as others certainly are, in the history of such stories. Yet, as these things go, stories this well-conceived and constructed usually find their way into more contemporary forms of storytelling like video. So, as one person who has read, watched, or listened to fantasies of wonder since I was a small child, I can readily say that no story has had me squirming so much or forced me out of my seat and away from the source material out of complete frustration at the mishaps executed by a main character as the events unraveled in this story.

The crux of this novel rests on one question: What if the person who constructs and uses a time machine ISN’T a genius scientist who has considered all the ramifications? Besides that, I don’t wish to say too much about the plot other than it revolves around the complexities of African-American life in south Chicago without being directly about heavy, societal issues. Instead, the setting and characters draw me in naturally and events reveal experiences that may not be surprising, but are entirely convincing.

Mr. Bellinger has managed a very contemporary feel and characters that are conveyed simply and honestly so that the pace of the story is always flowing smoothly forward even if time within the tale is not.The plot reels me in, keeping me tense with dreaded expectations that continue until a most satisfying conclusion. And I must say, that although I felt there were clues to what would happen planted in the beginning of the story, the end was not entirely what I expected. Great!