Dash Keane is aptly named. This teen has gained an online following for his illegal rooftop racing, but his aspirations are catching up to his talent. Time travel has become so commonplace that the world economy, tourism, and entertainment rely on this technology. Since childhood, Dash has dreamed of escaping the slums to become a star on the Timenet, which offers endless reality-TV episodes starring travelers in every era, from old-West gunfights to dinosaur-riding competitions.

Then the Dominus Corporation gives him the chance of a lifetime. The likeable yet conceited Dash’s blind pursuit of glory cold make him the Timenet’s biggest megastar, but at what cost to his own life and the lives of world history?

Clint Hall’s teen-starring sci-fi Echo Nova sprints in the footsteps of Ready Player One and The Maze Runner, yet with time-leaping portals that mirror our present reality. Future heroes must confront our shared past in light of today’s challenges, such as our obsession with digital life and the objectification of others. The novel is marked standalone, yet leaves open potential sequels with more than subtle faith ideas.

Hall’s straightforward writing style focuses on accessible action. And for sci-fi fans, the story’s unique time-travel mechanism avoids the complications of travelers jumping into multiverses, overwriting the present, or colliding with fixed timelines.

Best for: Teen boys and YA readers of action-packed time-traveling sci-fi.

Discern: Some general references to the idea of a divine Creator and afterlife, but otherwise no overt mentions of Christianity or other religious ideas; some scenes of strong violence, battle action, and multiple deaths.

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