September Sky by John Heldt

September Sky is a sci-fi, time travel novel, with some romance thrown in, by John Heldt. It has been a long time since I read a novel like this. The story was entertaining and the plot worked well for a sci-fi book. The characters were particularly engaging.

Sometimes I find this type of sci-fi story clunky because the method used to get through time is so ridiculous that it is an insult to intelligence. Not so with this one. The only real problem I had with the story is the professor that allows the main characters, the Townsends, to time travel. Why he chose the Townsends is not really plausible. I kept waiting for the professor to reveal another motive for sending them.

Charles “Chuck” Townsend has just been let go from his job as a reporter in San Francisco. At the same time his son Justin decides to drop out of school where he has been studying to be a doctor. Both feel that they need to reset their lives. Chuck has been an absentee parent and wants to reconnect with his son; therefore, he decides they should take a cruise to begin rebuilding their relationship. On the cruise they meet Professor Bell who eventually chooses them for time travel. All he asks in return is for Chuck to keep a journal about his experiences.

The Townsends are sent back to 1900 with instructions not to become involved in the history of the time just to observe and document. We soon discover that Chuck’s plans are entirely different. He sets out on a mission to right a wrong to a distant relative that is living in Galveston, TX. Once in Galveston they find 1900, their relative and two special women irresistible. The question becomes, can they leave all they have found behind or are will they stay and risk changing history.

I obtained a copy of September Sky through my Kindle Unlimited subscription. However, the author did ask me to review his novel.