The most important element of any time-travel story is the rules: what can the hero do, what’s impossible, and how does messing with the past change the future?
What we find in this exclusive excerpt from the opening of Tempest, the debut YA novel from Julie Cross, is that its cocky, time-shifting 19-year-old protagonist doesn’t understand the rules himself, and is struggling to figure out this strange, apparently instinctive power — though, like most kids that age, he’s not all that serious about his potential until trouble strikes.
Click here for a link to the first four chapters of the book, which comes out in its entirety Jan. 3, and let us know what you think in the comments.
Expectations are high for the novel, which has already had its film rights optioned by Summit Entertainment, the studio that produces the Twilight films. By releasing such a significant portion of the book four months early — and for free — publisher Thomas Dunne Books is, sort of like the hero of Tempest, hoping some actions taken in the past will positively influence the future.
See below for more theories on the excerpt.
