Book reviews

Portal
Brian Reaves Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography History
Brian Reaves Books
New book search
Brian Reaves Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Portal
"Joseph Turner is a talented physicist who creates the TMD, Temporal Manipulation Device, the world's first working time machine. He has a hidden motive: fifteen years ago, he had made a mistake that cost him the love of his life, so now he wants to go back and change things, change the past.

Joseph is so eager to save the woman he loves that he tests the machine before it is ready for testing, despite the fact that the first time-traveler - a rabbit - had been found dead upon its return. At first, Joseph's attempt appears to have been successful: he comes back from his short trip to the past, and he comes back alive. However, as his personality begins to change, it becomes clear that something went wrong.

What follows is a fascinating combination of industrial espionage, assassination attempts, a touching love story, and one man's desperate quest to change the past.

"Portal" is Book 1 of a trilogy, so there are some loose ends, definitely left on purpose to be taken care of later."

Laura Southcombe, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of Portal
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 50%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Time Travel: - largely backwards/past
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Time Travel story? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Genius
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - none

Setting
Earth setting: - general past - current (early 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Portal
Cretaceous Sea by Will Hubbell
The Shoals of Time by P. Orin Zack
Island in the Sea of Time by S.M. Stirling
The New World Order by Ben Jeapes
Replay by Ken Grimwood


Click here for more information about this book


Brian Reaves Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Laura Southcombe  

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani



Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Online Dating Advice
George W. Bush 9:20:55 PM
Southampton Row 9:04:13 PM
Clive Cussler 6:42:43 PM
David Pelzer 3:24:06 PM
Teri Woods 2:47:11 PM
Suzanne Collins 2:15:08 PM
Suzanne Weyn 12:43:26 PM
Ray Bradbury 10:32:15 AM
Ann Patchett 2:29:34 AM
Barack Obama 11:49:29 PM
Robert Stanek 9:34:55 PM
Christopher Paolini 5:59:07 PM
David Clement-Davies 4:57:31 PM
Haruki Murakami 11:22:38 AM
Megan Whalen Turner 1:11:22 AM
Gordon Korman 11:31:13 PM
Adele Geras 9:27:08 PM
Libba Bray 6:34:03 PM
Online Dating Advice 4:49:57 PM
David Pelzer 4:02:14 PM

More message boards