Review: Steve Bellinger's THE CHRONOCAR

(Note: this review originally appeared in Goodreads; a complimentary copy was provided for review)

To be honest, I started The Chronocar shortly before the election...and couldn't quite get into it. Traveling back and forth downtown the next day I managed to read it through both trips on the Midway Orange Line.

Steve Bellinger's The Chronocar is a really good, brisk science fiction novel about time travel...but its focus is on the African-American experience. When Tony, a student at IIT, discovers a paper about time travel by a man who lived almost a century before, he decides to build the machine and see things for himself... ...and that kicks things into motion.

 It's hard to discuss the actual plot without spoiling it, but one of the great things about The Chronocar is that it addresses the usual tropes of time travel fiction...but it also provides insight into the African-American experience both currently and in a "less enlightened" time.

Centering around a little-known historical event, The Chronocar defies many expectations - the plot moves along at a brisk pace, tropes are used in creative ways, and the ending contains a twist worthy of The Twilight Zone.

Although I would categorize this book as a Young Adult novel, there are elements here that can please anyone. The Chronocar is a short, brisk, entertaining read that deserves a place on your bookshelf. After you've read it, of course. :)