STEVE ROTH

Four Lives©
What People Are Saying About Four Lives:

This is a strong debut novel, fast-paced and a quick read. Great character and plot depth with exciting time travel and multiple reality concepts. Suspensful, action-thriller, science fiction novel.

Not normally what I read but heard the buzz about this book so downloaded it. Great debut novel. Well paced and surprisingly good character development. Really liked the sci-fi and time travel aspects. Very cutting-edge. The beginning reminded me almost of a futuristic Rashomon (the movie told from multiple perspectives.) The action kept my interest and I couldn't guess where the plot was going, which isn't always the case in thrillers I read. That was a good thing and added to my reading enjoyment.

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Synopsis: For decades the Tribunal has held the power to warp time, erasing entire family lines as it pleases, without regard to morality or legality. When he was thirteen, Nate Jones' grandfather threw a rock toward his friend Spencer Prioli, a seemingly simple and unconnected act that caused an anomaly in time and set in motion the future discovery of Time Warping. Seventy-eight years later, Nate and three of his ancestors are plunged into a tumultuous battle against the Tribunal for his family's existence. Nate is assisted by a mysterious Facilitator with more at stake than she first reveals, an overly stubborn detective unable to let go of a prior case, and three Tribunal insiders whose consciences can no longer allow the tragedies to continue. Separately and together, they have only hours to destroy the Tribunal's ability to pull people forward to stand before the Tribunal for past actions. If Nate and his group succeed, it will end the Tribunal's reign of tyranny and Patrichronocide; if they fail, they will cease to exist. But Nate's fight is not just for his own survival, but for the survival of his descendants - and his ancestors.


Four Lives appeals to a broad audience, both male and female. It is a fast-paced mystery/thriller with a light sci-fi (time travel) element whose main characters, male and female, must face losing the people closest to them and how each deals with that loss (or pending loss in some cases). It explores the good and bad that is in all of us and how we have to live with both. Lastly, it begs the question of who should wield tremendous, life altering power, and if in fact anyone should.


Originally published in June 2011. On hold as of September 2012.

More of What People Are Saying About Four Lives:

FOUR LIVES is Stevens first novel and he's off to a great start. Will
admit i'm not a sci-fi person by nature but once i got started it was
hard to put down.  Very much enjoyed the set up of how one life event
could have various outcomes. As the story progresses the radical twist
and turns he takes you through keeps you wanting for more. Hoping and
look forward to a sequel

Four Lives is a very solid first novel. It was fast-paced and the story
kept me guessing the whole way through - I never knew what was going to happen next. The plot and characters were well-developed and the time travel/multiple timeline elements were very interesting, even for someone like myself who does not normally read sci-fi. This book kept me up at night and gave me strange dreams on more than one occasion. Overall a great first effort and I can't wait for more from this author.

 

A great fast paced, fun read. It really grabs your attention and
interest from the first few pages. From there it's a race to see what
happens....

Good twists and turns make it hard to guess what's going to happen
next. An excellent first novel and a great way to spend an
afternoon/evening.

Great read that combines timelines, tasers, black SUVs, and one highly
dysfunctional family into a sci-fi plot in the not too distant future.
Roth does a good job creating believable characters trying to find their
way through a futuristic maize. Lots of action, shootouts and shadowy
government agencies.

Really enjoyed this book--good fast read that starts gathering speed
from the very start. There's a nice sci-fi base that includes multiple
timelines and different lives for the same character, but it doesn't get
bogged down in physics. The characters are likable--or unlikable if
they're the villains--and there's no shortage of shootouts, fast cars,
black SUVs, torture scenes and even a computer geek with a sexy computer
girlfriend.

 

This is an imaginative story with several narrative lines to follow that keep you interested and wanting to know more. The archetypes woven throughout the story help push it forward in a relatable way. It kept me enthralled enough to keep reading it long into the night. Very good.