The Third Rule of Time Travel

Rule One: You can only travel to a point within your lifetime.
Rule Two: You can only travel for ninety seconds.
Rule Three: You can only observe.
The rules cannot be broken.

In this electrifying science fiction thriller from acclaimed author Philip Fracassi, a scientist has unlocked the mysteries of time travel. This is not the story you think you know. And the rules are only the beginning.

"Tense, fast-moving, surprsing, and above all else, entertaining." - Owen King, New York Times bestselling author

"A clever premise digs its heels into a sci-fi thriller that breaks into a fast gallop from the first page - exciting, haunting, compelling stuff." - Chuck Wendig, author of The Book of Accidents

"Fracassi weaves a tightly plotted story... a solid new entry into the time travel genre." -- Kirkus

Scientist Beth Darlow has discovered the unimaginable. She's built a machine that allows human consciousness to travel through time--to any point in the traveler's lifetime--and relive moments of their life. An impossible breakthrough, but it's not perfect: the traveler has no way to interact with the past. They can only observe.

After Beth's husband, Colson, the co-creator of the machine, dies in a tragic car accident, Beth is left to raise Isabella--their only daughter--and continue the work they started. Mired in grief and threatened by her ruthless CEO, Beth pushes herself to the limit to prove the value of her technology.

Then the impossible happens. Simply viewing personal history should not alter the present, but with each new observation she makes, her own timeline begins to warp.

As her reality constantly shifts, Beth must solve the puzzles of her past, even if it means forsaking her future.

"Part Crichton, part Bradbury, and all Fracassi, The Third Rule of Time Travel further demonstrates why Fracassi is one of the best writers working today, regardless of genre." - Tyler Jones, author of Midas

"Probes the endurance of grief, the importance of memory and the ultimate malleability of reality and perception." -- The Wall Street Journal

Author: Philip Fracassi
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 03/18/2025
Pages: 336
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780316572514


Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 11/01/2024 pg. 73
Publishers Weekly 12/09/2024
Booklist 01/01/2025 pg. 41
Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2025

About the Author
Philip Fracassi is the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of the story collections Behold the Void and Beneath a Pale Sky. His novels include A Child Alone with Strangers, Gothic, and Boys in the Valley. His stories have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Best Horror of the Year, Nightmare Magazine, Southwest Review, Interzone, and Black Static. Philip lives in Los Angeles and is represented by Copps Literary Services.