Editorial Review: Lapse by Alex Rodriguez

Nora and Mason are destined to be aligned, it seems, throughout time and no matter how many lives they spend together – regardless of how many time guards and time markers are NOT supposed to be, the time travelers hunting them, or how utterly infuriating he is.

Mason’s life might seem simple – he’s a talented soccer player, a decent college student, and at heart a really good guy.

The reality is, though, that he is a time marker and has spent dozens of lifetimes fighting for his life, running from time travelers, dying, forgetting, and starting all over again. Most with Nora right by his side. Nora is a time guard - his time guard usually - and her job is to keep her distance, protect him, and don’t let on about the metaphysical mess he’s involved in. She’s excellent at her job - except for keeping her distance and telling him nothing parts.

When it comes to Mason, she’s always pulled in the wrong direction, in other words directly toward him even if it might get her (and him) killed.

Joining forces when time travelers close in are the other two time markers and their guards, Hogan and Angeline. Together they prepare to go on the run but this time Mason’s abilities aren’t cooperating as they should and a particularly nasty character from their past is ready to strike.

This is more than a coming-of-age story, it’s the harsh and often difficult bit that comes next – when you know who you are and actually have to do the hard stuff you know is necessary. Lapse is, at its core, an adventure story with a solid whomp of truly destined love to pull your heart into it as well as your mind. The cast of characters isn’t so much lovable as it is engulfing – the reader is on their side and rooting for them, even if some of them are more infuriating than others. The chemistry between each of them backs up the premise of multiple life cycles spent together, it isn’t just reserved for the two main characters.

Rodriguez has an excellent storytelling style with good pacing and panache for some rough and ready action scenes. There’s a lot for sci-fi and Alternate Universe fantasy fans to enjoy here, and part two is sure to be a whopper.

Alex Rodriguez’s Lapse is a fast-paced and action-heavy adventure with plenty of well-thought-out plots to tie it all together.