I read the first Safety Factor, and I have to say that it’s difficult to not compare the two, writing-wise. The language in this book is cleaner; the characters dialogue is less forced. The story—the heart—just as strong as the first one; and here’s where I come around to what I enjoyed, immensely, about this book:

The plot itself and the dynamics of it are well-executed. There is a protagonist whose power stems from his intelligence, and a love story that drives the plot forward with the particular momentum only a realistically-painted romance can bring. All of the female characters in this book are bruised, in some way, by their pasts, which I found to be interesting but perhaps a bit overwhelming. Nonetheless, there are important issues here that do need to be discussed, and often the setting of a fictional story—in this case, a story that includes time travel—is the only place society can handle the reality of such issues without turning a blind eye or resorting to a “blame the victim” mentality. I love that what drives this book is a genuine sense of empathy and understanding, a love that transcends all of space time. And, like the first Safety Factor book, there is a wealth of technical and mathematical information weaved into the story that educates and stimulates the reader, even a reader like me, whose best subjects in school were surely not math or science. I love reading a book that I can finish and actually learn something from while being entertained.