The Guardians of Time — Damian Lawrence

Food riots. Resource wars. Catastrophic storms. Unprecedented mass extinctions. Coincidence? By the middle of the twenty-first century, the world is out of time. On the brink of a global environmental cataclysm, a physicist attempting to harness the ultimate renewable clean-energy source offers the only remaining option to delay the imminent disaster: time travel. But while helping to save the world through the method he develops-a mysterious and otherworldly combination of physics and metaphysics-Mark Lawson unwittingly plants the seeds for its misuse by those who have everything to gain from engineering a future where they make the rules. He has discovered the key to the most extreme potential weapon of mass destruction ever known to man, and now it must be controlled. Forty-five years later, in a fragile world still recovering from near devastation, in which the secret of 'relativistic diving' has fallen into the wrong hands, the men and women of a covert intelligence organization quietly fight an undeclared war against a new kind of enemy-one that wields temporal terrorism as a weapon. Using the techniques first developed by Lawson, the Guardians are engaged in a life-and-death struggle to preserve the integrity of world history. But while they battle to prevent civilization as they know it from being changed forever, they begin to discover that the enemy may not be who, or what, they think it is. Set largely in Greece, the riveting first novel in 'The Guardians' series by author DAMIAN LAWRENCE deftly blends history and fiction to guide the reader through a thrilling web of intrigue and adventure spanning three centuries. From the heroism and tragedy of the Greek War of Independence, to the Great Game between the world's major powers and the ascendance of a New World Order, 'The Guardians of Time' explores social, moral and spiritual questions that are highly relevant to our own time in an exciting and thought-provoking narrative. Review: “Lawrence's debut balances adventure, mystery, science, religion and morality. Mark Lawson discovered time travel in order to save the human race, but he recognizes that his techniques could also be used to manipulate history. Nearly half a century later, that's exactly what temporal terrorists are doing―and the Guardians exist to make sure they're not successful. But it would help immensely if the Guardians knew exactly who they were fighting. Their story offers readers a complicated romp through time, with scenes spanning the centuries. For the most part, Lawrence handles the changing times with a deftness that is unexpected in a first-time novelist, though his short treatises on Greek history may make some readers feel like they're sitting in an obscure history class. However, it's the characters and the choices they make that matter the most, and that's what will draw in readers. While the story is what most would call science fiction, it may not be what fans of the genre would expect. Science exists and, indeed, remains central to the story, but doesn't drive every aspect of the plot. Much of that depends on history, characters, religious faith and more. The characters are not only trying to understand and deal with technological advances, but are asking what it means to be human and how the new technology fits into their lives and culture. Lawrence's story manages to be exciting enough to make those who crave adventure happy, while also examining the metaphysical and moral implications that time travel could have on individuals, groups and cultures. This is a compelling, detailed read, and one that offers its audience something solid to chew on. Lawrence does a masterful job of drawing readers into his fully realized, morally complex vision of the future.” �" KIRKUS