Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time

By: Brett Matthew Williams

Narrated by: Brett Matthew Williams

Length: 14 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

Meet Rolland Wright - a 17-year-old orphan living out of his car in rural Woodland Hills, California. Aside from grappling with being abandoned by his drunken father two years previous following his mother's mysterious murder, his life mostly revolves around finding a warm place to sleep at night. When one day he is attacked by men claiming to have killed his father, Rolland discovers a strange ability to slow the flow of time around him, beginning a journey that takes him to places outside of time, space, and eventually to the early 19th century to fight the sinister General Andrew Jackson. With the help of a rag-tag group of historical and mythical figures with various supernatural abilities of their own (Joan of Arc, Jesse James, etc.) known as the Knights of Time, Rolland solves the mystery behind his mother's murder, falls in love, battles the evil Edward Vilthe, reaper of souls, and finds a home of his own in the paradise known as Eden.

©2012 Brett Matthew Williams (P)2015 Brett Matthew Williams

Highly recommended!

What made the experience of listening to Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time the most enjoyable?

The author did an amazing job with this book. The fact that the key character (Rolland) can time travel, gave the author much space to explore his imagination and creativity. Rolland is a young boy who is trying to solve the mystery of his mother's murder and on that journey he will go back in time and meet some historical and mythical figures with supernatural abilities. Together they will fight the malevolent general Andrew Jackson in the 19th century and try to defeat the ultimate evil responsible for his mother's killing. The story behind the book really stands out from the other books in the same genre and it is well written and structured. I have thoroughly enjoyed in this adventure and I highly recommend it!

Such an Awesome Adventure!

I didn't quite know what to expect with this one, but I took a chance and Brett Matthew Williams did not disappoint!

There's just so much goodness I don't even know where to begin. This book is an amazing adventure ride for teenagers and adults alike. Brett uses this platform to address a number of societal ills and weak points as he takes us on a journey back and forth through time with a host of truly memorable characters.

It's like a mixture of Twilight, Harry Potter, Night at the Museum, Indiana Jones and almost any other great fantastical body of work you've enjoyed over the decades and present day. Such vivid storytelling. I found my self feeling angry, sad (especially as we got to know the homeless kid's story), excited, scared and disappointed when it ended!

Pick this one up for a great time-killer and a great trip down history's memory lane.

Awesome - my favorite book in a long time!

Would you consider the audio edition of Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time to be better than the print version?

I much prefer audio than print books - this one was awesome to listen to on the way to work and when out for a walk. It just suits my lifestyle better.

What about Brett Matthew Williams’s performance did you like?

A very engaging voice! Some narrators can be quite irritating to listen to, or even worse just plain boring but thankfully Bretts narration was great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to but it is definitely not possible as it is quite long (which is obviously a good thing), but that meant it kept me going for a few weeks. I have to admit I did have one day of sitting in my car outside my destination, waiting for another 25 minutes to see what happened next!

Any additional comments?

A very interesting story which kept me hanging on to see what happened next - a book about a boy who bends time and space to solve the mystery of his mothers murder would not be my usual thing I must admit, but this one kept me hanging on. Totally recommended!

A Coming of Age in Time

What did you love best about Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time?

Something new, for a long time we have had vampires and zombies. Here we have a story of a young man coming of age and coming to terms with the powers over time and tries to use them to change the past whilst avoiding his nemesis

Who was your favorite character and why?

Rolland, gotta go for the hero of the story. Someone who has to change and learn the new life he now has and the responsibilities that go with, he learns fast and tries to do his best and thats what you want from any hero in the creation.

What about Brett Matthew Williams’s performance did you like?

He brings quite a breadth of depth from his voice, not adverse to putting a lot of drama and edge in his voice but knows when to slow down the pace to dramatic effect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The part he tries to save his mother, I will say no more

author/narrator combo allows for a word connection

I found the world interesting, imaginative, a bit confusing at times, and a bit directionless. There were some good things like the historical incorporation, the character's in-between stage of life (17 yrs old),the additional characters were like a lifeline, and then there was the flow of narration. I did find things that I was not a fan of but that lead to the oddity of some of the book. I was able to finish the entire read but it was not a gobble me down and on to the next one.

Narrator/Author was not the best of narration that I have heard before. But there is something about the author narrating their own work. There was that extra feel of a connection between the words and the narration.

Has potential; needs better narration.

There is a lot going on in this story! Rolland has fallen on hard times since his mom died and his dad disappeared. He’s been trying to finish out highschool on his own, living out of a car when he can’t hang at a friend’s house. His pride keeps him from telling people his true situation, that, and a healthy sense of self-preservation. It’s always good to not appear vulnerable. Right away, I was cheering for Rolland and wishing him well on whatever horrible undertakings he might be forced into.

Then Time Knights! Yes, I think they need their own theme music. They swoop in and change his life forever, which includes the unfortunate permanent demise of his car and all his possessions. Sephone, Tina, and the old Prof Turtledove try to ease him into his new life, but there’s just no easy way to rewrite your personal history, is there? Rolland has little time to absorb the truth about his parents before fate sweeps them up into a dangerous adventure that involves Andrew Jackson. Yep. Prepare yourself for some fascinating US history (and not the boringly bland stuff you had to learn in school).

I did find most of the ladies and their interactions with Rolland to be silly. Tina dives right into some pre-teen-ish lust thing that just comes off awkward and weird. Meanwhile Rolland is having his own lustful thoughts about Sephone. Later Joan joins the mix, but she’s totally worthy (and great at hand to hand combat). Then we get Blaisy (spelling?), a Native American princess who pulls her own weight. These last two ladies made up for the short comings of the other ladies. I just couldn’t see Tina being the successful leader of anything.

Andrew Jackson is written as a villain in this tale and he’s right up there with the Time Villain (cue evil theme music) Edward Vilth. I will say that Jackson is the better written villain as we get details about his mindset and lack of consideration for others. Tho that hypnosis bit was silly. Vilth is indeed a bad guy but he’s covered all in shadows and doesn’t really stand out at any point in the story.

Towards the end, I did get a little battle fatigue. There’s a lot of back and forth with alliances, new enemies around every corner, but, hey, wait, maybe they could be temporary allies as we kick some butt over here, but then yet another person is kidnapped and held hostage while the others try to rescue them or are forced into doing things their mom told them not to do. So, yes, the story could have been shortened up a bit in this area and it would be more exciting.

All told, there’s a decent story here with a blend of scifi and fantasy going on to propel the time travel. 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: This is where this audiobook fell down for me. Williams decided to narrate his own book and with some polishing, he could manage it. He has distinct voices for each character most of the time. His female character voices are feminine. His verbal pacing is good too. However, there’s several repeated half sentences, mispronounced words, mouth noises, and why is he pronouncing Rolland like ‘Rawlins’ most of the time? There are significant issues with the recording as well. Sometimes it sounds tinny, sometimes like it was recorded in a cavern. There’s these odd pop sounds (and I’m not referring to the finger snaps) that I think might be from bumping the mic. Then there’s the rustling sounds (paper I think). Also, irregular long pauses between chapters too. If this book was narrated by a professional, it would be so much better. As it was, the narration/recording made it a chore to finish. 2.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Brett Matthew Williams. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Amazing ride

Where does Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This is one of the best sci-fi fantasy novels I have listened so far. The story is very well structured, with loveable characters and a unique plot.

What other book might you compare Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time to and why?

The audiobook reminded me of many books that I have read previously, one of them for example is Harry Potter, because the story is about a very young boy with special powers.

Which scene was your favorite?

The scene when he realizes that he has the power to slow time was very exciting and intense.

Any additional comments?

I highly recommend this audiobook to all the fans of the fantasy genre!

An awesome book!!!

What made the experience of listening to Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time the most enjoyable?

I am a daydreamer, so even though I am in my 30's, I still LOVE to read or listen to a good fantasy novel. I don't usually recommend the audio over the printed version of a book, but this time I will make an exception, because the narration is so well done. The narrator's voice is simply marvelous and easy to understand which is important to me since I am not a native English. The audiobook itself is an amazing adventure, which involves time travel, battle between good and evil, revenge, love and realistic characters that are very well developed and likeable. I give it a 5 star rating!

Creative plot and characters

What did you love best about Time Is Relative for a Knight of Time?

I love the plot along with the characters. I loved meeting historical characters as Rolland went back and forth in time.

What did you like best about this story?

I like that the plot is a mix of princess bride, harry potter, clock stopers, Bill and Ted and a few others that randomly come to mind as you listen.

What does Brett Matthew Williams bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I love listening to interesting books read by a narrator with a clear easy to follow and understand voice. The way Brett Matthew Williams narrated and pronounced names were enchanting to me, I'm not sure I would have pounced things correctly so that adds to the experience.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No this book was far to long to listen to in one sitting. It's close to 15 hours. I did fall asleep listening to it before bed a few times almost like it was my dad reading me bedtime stories again. A nice adventure to send you on your way to dream land. I always ended up having to back track thinking back now what do I last remember happening.

Sorry a waist of time

The story seemed forced. The narrative was the worst I have heard yet. I think the writer needs to study the art a lot more.