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jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
4.0
When young Albert Einstein’s father gives him a jeweled compass, he has no idea the adventure that awaits. Spanning from 10,400 BCE on the Islands of Poseidon to Switzerland in 1903, Einstein’s Compass sweeps across dimensions all while Albert Einstein is growing into his destiny. But a dangerous creature hunts Albert and the compass. In this fantasy adventure, cosmic forces of good and evil clash around a budding scientist on the cusp of his greatest discovery.
Einstein’s early life and influences are touched upon. I enjoyed the maturing relationship of Einstein and friend, Johann, along with the strength obtained from that bond. Exploring the young genius’s early antics was enjoyable. However, Einstein’s relationship and research collaboration with Mileva Maric are glossed over. On January 6, 1903, he married Mileva, but she’s referred to as his fiancée in a chapter dated Spring 1903. Editing-wise, there are some errors particularly in the book’s second half, like missing quotation marks at the start of dialogue, spaces between words and punctuation, and erroneous hyphens in words like “poten-tial” and “re-venge.”
The authors throw in elements of time travel, alien DNA, anti-Semitism, the fall of Atlantis, spiritual enlightenment, and reincarnation which work surprisingly well together. Notable characters Einstein meets, known as “Light Travelers,” include Moses, Akhenaten, and Jesus. Overall, this was a curiosity-arousing story with a well-crafted spiritual core carefully woven in with the threads of science, space, and time. There’s plenty of world building and enough character intrigue to keep readers turning the pages. A fun fantasy adventure.
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/einsteins-compass-a-ya-time-traveler-adventure/
Einstein’s early life and influences are touched upon. I enjoyed the maturing relationship of Einstein and friend, Johann, along with the strength obtained from that bond. Exploring the young genius’s early antics was enjoyable. However, Einstein’s relationship and research collaboration with Mileva Maric are glossed over. On January 6, 1903, he married Mileva, but she’s referred to as his fiancée in a chapter dated Spring 1903. Editing-wise, there are some errors particularly in the book’s second half, like missing quotation marks at the start of dialogue, spaces between words and punctuation, and erroneous hyphens in words like “poten-tial” and “re-venge.”
The authors throw in elements of time travel, alien DNA, anti-Semitism, the fall of Atlantis, spiritual enlightenment, and reincarnation which work surprisingly well together. Notable characters Einstein meets, known as “Light Travelers,” include Moses, Akhenaten, and Jesus. Overall, this was a curiosity-arousing story with a well-crafted spiritual core carefully woven in with the threads of science, space, and time. There’s plenty of world building and enough character intrigue to keep readers turning the pages. A fun fantasy adventure.
Review originally posted via the Historical Novel Society at https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/einsteins-compass-a-ya-time-traveler-adventure/
bwyfmot's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
thatswhatshesreading's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest and thoughtful review.
This book combines an impressive array of genres such as history, science, fantasy, religion, and folklore to create a unique story that explores how Einstein was able to approach answering his scientific theories. Written in multiple parts, readers spend time with Einstein as a boy through his growth into a young man while also traveling tens of thousands of years throughout history to learn more about the antagonist, Raka, and his quest to obtain the compass as a means to solidify his desire for ultimate power. Featuring a veritable who's who cast of historical figures that function as "Light Workers" and other intermediaries throughout Einstein's life, these individuals gradually inform him about the nature of his gifts to not only himself, but to mankind as well. The story also showcases Einstein's own process of thought experiments as he is thrust into the ultimate battle between good and evil.
The story opens with quite a powerful bang, introducing us to Raka and his descent into madness. I'll admit that initially I wasn't quite sure how such a fantastical opening was going to connect with Einstein, but as the various parts and interludes unfolded, I was able to settle into this quite intricate story. Having not read much about the life of Einstein, I appreciated the historical fiction side of the story. His character came alive on the page and I enjoyed discovering the truth about the compass and its destiny right along with Einstein. As a lover of fantasy, I also really enjoyed when the story focused on Raka and his predicament; however, I felt that some of the tension and suspense were lost in the beginning because of the sudden shifts in perspective. There were times when this jumping back and forth was not so seamless so as to maintain momentum, but once Raka and Einstein were set to converge, the pacing picked up again and never let go until the very end. Ultimately, I can now appreciate this unique and attention-grabbing style of storytelling that really pulled science and fantasy into a tangled weave!
There is certainly a lot to unpack with this story between the time traveling, mystical aspects, and jumps in narrative structure; however, there was never a singular inundation of any of those elements to cause a distraction to the overall reading experience. There is a moment in the story when Einstein travels back in time to the city of Atlantis and begins a discussion on reincarnation with Arka, Raka's twin and an Atlantean leader. Einstein is unsure about his overall comprehension of the topic and remarks, "I feel like the whole foundation of what I believe is being shaken, so, for the moment, let's say that I will entertain this idea." In many ways, I felt this spoke to the essence of reading and understanding the entirety of this story. Go into it with an open mind and you may be as surprised as I was at how enjoyable the process and end result became!
This book combines an impressive array of genres such as history, science, fantasy, religion, and folklore to create a unique story that explores how Einstein was able to approach answering his scientific theories. Written in multiple parts, readers spend time with Einstein as a boy through his growth into a young man while also traveling tens of thousands of years throughout history to learn more about the antagonist, Raka, and his quest to obtain the compass as a means to solidify his desire for ultimate power. Featuring a veritable who's who cast of historical figures that function as "Light Workers" and other intermediaries throughout Einstein's life, these individuals gradually inform him about the nature of his gifts to not only himself, but to mankind as well. The story also showcases Einstein's own process of thought experiments as he is thrust into the ultimate battle between good and evil.
The story opens with quite a powerful bang, introducing us to Raka and his descent into madness. I'll admit that initially I wasn't quite sure how such a fantastical opening was going to connect with Einstein, but as the various parts and interludes unfolded, I was able to settle into this quite intricate story. Having not read much about the life of Einstein, I appreciated the historical fiction side of the story. His character came alive on the page and I enjoyed discovering the truth about the compass and its destiny right along with Einstein. As a lover of fantasy, I also really enjoyed when the story focused on Raka and his predicament; however, I felt that some of the tension and suspense were lost in the beginning because of the sudden shifts in perspective. There were times when this jumping back and forth was not so seamless so as to maintain momentum, but once Raka and Einstein were set to converge, the pacing picked up again and never let go until the very end. Ultimately, I can now appreciate this unique and attention-grabbing style of storytelling that really pulled science and fantasy into a tangled weave!
There is certainly a lot to unpack with this story between the time traveling, mystical aspects, and jumps in narrative structure; however, there was never a singular inundation of any of those elements to cause a distraction to the overall reading experience. There is a moment in the story when Einstein travels back in time to the city of Atlantis and begins a discussion on reincarnation with Arka, Raka's twin and an Atlantean leader. Einstein is unsure about his overall comprehension of the topic and remarks, "I feel like the whole foundation of what I believe is being shaken, so, for the moment, let's say that I will entertain this idea." In many ways, I felt this spoke to the essence of reading and understanding the entirety of this story. Go into it with an open mind and you may be as surprised as I was at how enjoyable the process and end result became!
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