Invictus: the Best Time Travel Novel I’ve Read in Ages

Invictus by Ryan Graudin is a brilliant non-stop adventure filled with sassy characters, sweet friendships, and high stakes. This is one of the best time-travel novels I have ever read.

Farway “Far” Gauis McCarthy is the son of a time traveling Recorder from 2354 AD and a Roman Gladiator from 95 AD. All Far has ever wanted is to be a time-traveler like his mother. When he fails his final examination, Far takes a position captioning a black market ship with three of his friends, traveling through time to disasters–the sinking of the Titanic, the burning of the library of Alexandria–to snatch up valuable artifacts that would have been lost to time so that his employer can sell them for loads of money.

But on one such mission, a girl snatches the artifact first and negotiates her way onto Far’s ship. The new girl, Elliot, is a nuisance and a mystery, bullying her way into the group. Along with Far, there’s his cousin, Imogen, who dyes her hair a new, outrageous color every day. Priya, Far’s girlfriend, who loves music and also serves as the medic, patching up Far every time he gets into a scrap (which happens a lot). And, finally, Graham, who serves as the ships engineer and Far’s best friend. Elliot, with her drawn on eyebrows and sassy attitude, is a perfect fit. But as the crew starts loosing their memory and Elliot begins acting more and more suspect, Far and his crew must race through time, questioning the very foundation of everything they believe, to save themselves and history as we know it.

What I Loved

The Time Travel Destinations

With a beginning in the colosseum of Ancient Rome as a Gladiator battles to the death, I was pretty sure I was going to like this book. I was wrong–I loved it.

The Mystery

Even as the crew hops through time and space, the plot is a beautiful and cohesive whole with a mystery that keeps you guessing and a resolution that feels inevitable once you reach it, but that you don’t see coming. Graudin has crafted an edge-of-your-seat adventure that leaves you shaking your head at her brilliance as you turn the last few pages.

The Relationships

However, the true strength of this novel are the characters, and more importantly, the relationships between them. Each crew member has a unique world view and many quirks that make them feel fully fleshed out. The interactions between them read as completely genuine, and the struggles they face bring them together even as they threaten to tear them apart forever. It’s a really beautiful read.

Final Thoughts

This is a YA book, but the writing style doesn’t heavily reflect that. In my opinion, one of the major differences between YA and Adult Fiction is that YA is more likely to keep the mood lighthearted for the majority of the book, even as terrible situations come and go, while Adult Fiction will dive in and dwell on the difficulties. That is certainly true of this book, and while the situation is no less dire and the consequences no less severe, the characters muster jokes and fake smiles throughout to help themselves keep moving forward (or backward, since it’s time travel). This is a book all ages can enjoy–and should!

Invictus is the type of book that makes me feel like I will never write anything as amazing and beautiful as this no matter how many times I try.

Graudin is brilliant. The way her mind spun this story–the ins and outs, the beautiful and rewarding ending, the realness of the characters nearly bleeding from the page–is incredible.