This is a quick read and a clever tale of multiple universes and time travel and a brilliant young man that gets pulled in to changing his own timeline while facing an illness. Lawrence does a wonderful job handling the complications of time travel, as well as creating the dread of the illness and it's treatment.

Limited Wish builds on builds the first book, so I would recommend reading that one first. The first one is equally quick and equally clever. In fact, many of the story elements from the first book are mirrored in this installment and this is explicitly brought up by the main character. I'll be curious to see if this is done again in the third book and if the mirroring of events plays a part in explaining why some of the things have happened.

Really enjoyed this one! It’s a a mad sprint from start to finish and such an interesting adventure. The times-wimey stuff is well done and as usual, the characters, the dialog and the story are top notch. Pretty sure Mark can write anything and write it well! I know the third part is out at some point this year and I’m eagerly waiting it now — one complete trilogy and the final book in the Book of the Ancestor series all in one year, while maintaining such incredible quality is simply amazing.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2768724777

Limited Wish picks up just after One Word Kill ended. Nick’s at Cambridge now, and there are finally more girls around! But besides that, there’s not a lot to say about Limited Wish that I haven’t already said about One Word Kill. Again, Nick really wants to play some D&D and do some math but time travelers, sworn enemies and cancer keep throwing him off. Again, his friendships with John and Simon are the warm heart of the story, and there’s another teamwork heist.

This time, he’s got Demos, a future self from a timeline when he marries Mia, as well as Eva, his future daughter from a timeline when he marries Helen. He’s coming up on the May Ball when he goes home with one of the two girls, and he knows he needs to make the right choice, but he just doesn’t know who he, uh, will have married. Time travel makes strange grammar. There may be two alternate worlds or a rip in time or just a big ball of wibbly-wobbly disaster, and the universe is desperately trying to right itself by offing Nick. Even regular parts of the regular world can be pretty strange when Nick’s around....

I might like this one even more than One Word Kill. Did I mention there are more girls this time? In college, I did my study abroad reading classics at Cambridge, a wonderful time and an extreme contrast with my other semesters at a state college, and I always love novels set in Cambridge. (Note: I did not marry either of the boys I went to end-of-term parties with.)

I’m looking forward to the final book after reading Limited Wish.

Limited Wish is the second instalment in the Impossible Times series. The first - One Word Kill was a completely addictive story and I couldn't put it down. I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of Limited Wish and I picked it up straight away. After just a few pages I was completely sucked in again and this time the stakes are even higher.

Limited Wish picks up not long after the events of One Word Kill and drops us right into the action of Nick at Cambridge University. The story follows Nick as he attempts to figure out what's causing the time echoes that are happening around him, and solve the problem of a paradox. The story is full to the brim with action, adventure and excitement.

Mark Lawrence has yet to write a book I haven't completely loved and Limited Wish is definitely one of my favourites. I loved returning to the characters we met in the first book - Nick and his gang as they attempt to stop the bad guys, both in real life and in Dungeons and Dragons. There's all brilliant characters but I particularly love Simon and Mia. It's fascinating to see the characters grow, particularly after the events of the first book in the series.

The story is full of science, time travel and mathematics. It's incredibly well plotted and feels realistic whilst also featuring future selves, time travel and a whizz kid mathematician. I loved the mix of science fiction with teenagers just trying to make it through a party and talk to girls. It was such an enjoyable read and I definitely didn't want it to end.

Limited Wish is full of heart and you'll definitely grow attached to the wonderful characters. The fast paced plot also kept me guessing and there were quite a few twists that I definitely wasn't expecting. This is absolutely a new favourite and if you haven't had the chance to pick the series up yet, now is the perfect time. Book three in the series Dispel Illusion is coming in November so you'll definitely want to be all caught up by then - this series is one you don't want to miss.

A super second installment to this trilogy - and, for a potentially challenging topic, Mark Lawrence pulls off Book 2 even better than Book 1!

Nick Hayes has managed to bluff his way into Cambridge, where he can continue his father's work on the mathematical proof for time travel that will enable his future self (Demus) to return to Nick's own past (just go with it). But, aside from run-ins with the élite*, things won't be so straight-forward. He appears to see a double of a girl he has met, running round the university and chased by ghosts. His own relationship with Mia has been crushed under feelings of inevitability and, after finding out that he is now caught in a double paradox, it seems like no decision that Nick makes will be the right way out.

The adventure and confusion that follows feels much like the first book, although smoother, slicker and better explained. And as it's time travel I can completely forgive events repeating themselves - especially when the characters recognise this too!

I also love the role that D&D plays in these books - it's a clear analogy for the events happening to Nick, but it never feels laboured. Instead, it just shows how exciting and imaginative a well-played campaign can be - particularly when you are surrounded by a great group of friends.

Loved the story, loved the writing, makes me a very happy nerd.

*As an Oxbridge alumni I'm willing to forgive these, as it didn't feel like they were representing us all... plus I can happily pretend that this is limited to the 1980s ...

I requested and received a copy for honest review, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher. This review contains non-detailed spoilers for One Word Kill,

If you've ever seen or read any time travel story ever, you know the thing you must avoid at all costs is a time paradox. However, Nick Hayes following his full on Beautiful mind performance regarding his father's work now a student at Cambridge, has seemingly found his way through just such a scenario, and no worse for wear... That is until he begins seeing time echos, reflecting the many timelines of the multiverse theory touched on in the previous book. What if you could see the paths before you, but more than one future was pulling you along?

For me the book still has a heavy character focus, but unlike the first which made that the priority, here we dive right into the action. We follow Nick newly at university and delving further into the math and science, the newfound investigation and wonder (along with the effects of) time travel. At the same time we find his struggle with becoming caught up in prodigy status with his professor/project that places significant weight on his shoulders, the fallout with his friends from the story so far, and navigating what it means to be in remission.

This strongly picked up the pacing and plotting, it gripped me from start to finish. Mark Lawrence tends to be known for the impact in moments of violence in his fantasy works, but here he shows impacting the reader is a skill he wields deftly with or without graphic content, instead twisting the blade by tackling difficult topics and emotional scenes. I'll be quite surprised if he doesn't stick the landing on this series with book 3.

In Limited Wish, Mark is a busy sixteen-year-old. He is still playing Dungeons & Dragons with his high school buddies. However, now he is a freshman at Cambridge University. He is getting over a breakup and finding a new love. He is battling cancer. All while dealing with time travel, paradoxes, and, of course, saving the universe.

This book is set six months following its predecessor in the Impossible Times trilogy, One Word Kill. The author provides an in depth spoiler-filled synopsis of the prior book in this book’s prologue but the series is best read in order, if possible. If you read the prologue in this book, you will ruin all the surprises in the first book.

Admittedly, math is not my favorite subject despite having taken it through calculus in college. I also never took a physics class anywhere due to my previously mentioned aversion to math. I do like string theory, in theory at least, so the time traveling multiple universe plot was fine. However, the parallel universes did get a bit confusing as the plot was much more complex than One Word Kill. However, there is still some human emotion and humor on hand here too. Overall, Limited Wish is highly recommended for science, math and science fiction fans. For all of us just regular thriller readers, I give it 4 stars and again recommend reading One Word Kill first. Still, I can’t wait for the final book in this series, Dispel Illusion, out in November 2019!

Thanks to 47North and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

"The dice were rolling. We just had to wait and see how they fell."

* * * *
4 / 5

In my humble opinion, Limited Wish was a much better book than One Word Kill. It benefits massively from a more interesting setting, a more comfortable relationship with the book's already-known characters, and a more complex and less predictable time  travel conundrum. 

"Mathematics is its own language. The language of everything. It doesn't need someone to explain it. It explains itself and leaves almost no room for ambiguity."

Picking up a little while after the end of One Word Kill, Nick Hayes is a mathematics undergraduate at Cambridge University. I loved this as a setting - I'm a mathematics student myself (though not in Quantum Mechanics!) and I thought this was very nicely incorporated into the plot. He's broken up with Mia, she's got a new boyfriend, and Nick runs into a curious new woman called Helen who seems to have something to do with some mysterious ripples in time. There's also Eva, a new time traveller. 

I really liked the new characters - primarily Helen and Eva - and most of the old ones. Limited Wish didn't do much to improve my view of Mia, however. I also really liked how this book ramped up the plot and the stakes: instead of being followed, Nick is experiencing strange aberrations in time. He's sees people who don't remember meeting him. There's a book that he can't seem to touch. Books throw themselves off shelves. It's puzzling and curious. 

"Time would eventually dance to our tune rather than we to its."

To me, Limited Wish felt like a more mature version of One Word Kill. The D&D campaign is still present and I found it more interesting this time around, and the way it related to the plot was more subtle. I wasn't a huge fan of the love triangle (I never am...) and I wasn't fond of the way the book resolved the "issue" of Helen and Mia's boyfriends - it felt like a cheap get-out rather than a well thought out twist or proper representation. 

All in all, I loved Limited Wish. It felt strange and whimsical and fascinating. I enjoyed the change in setting and the faster pace, and I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.

My thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an ARC of Limited Wish.

Love love this book! The characters, the writing, and the nostalgic feel puts off Ready Player Over and Stranger Things vibes that made me fall in love, not only with Mark Lawrence's writing but Nick as well.

Wow! I really enjoyed the first book, and I liked this one even more! It just keeps getting better!! I love the relationship Nick has with his friends, and I love that parts of it make me laugh, even when it's really, really sad, but what I really love about these books is that I'm still able to enjoy them even though I don't understand all the science stuff and even though I hate math. This book makes me wish I understood all that stuff, and I have never before in my life wished I could understand higher math or that it would be fun to do so! Mark Lawrence is one of my favorite writers, and I always know I'm going to love whatever he's written. He's a guaranteed good read, so definitely check him out if you haven't already!


A super big thank you to NetGalley and publisher for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!!!

Limited Wish by Mark Lawrence
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A perfectly awesome time-travel tale served up on a platter of fun D&D mirroring, future-knowledge angst, time-ghosts, paradox, and mathematical hijinx that does more than skirt the edges of a heist novel.

Again.

But don't worry! While this may have a lot of the same elements of the first book in broad strokes, the story ramps up with some rather awesome snags that aren't just romantic. And even the other kinds of encounter-mirroring is fully explained in the recesses of the paradox. :) Very cool stuff, well thought-out, delightfully fast read.

And it is fully taking advantage of our recent loves of Stranger Things (80's geekdom!) and quick-paced thrillers. Only, this is a math-genius cancer-sufferer going to college a bit early and falling face-first into a ton of critical-failure rolls. :)

Well worth it. I'm absolutely loving the hell out of these.

Limitless Praise for Limited Wish!

*Received from Netgalley in exchange for review, but the infinite gushing is all me*

Well hello there! No, you’re not getting déjà vu, I am wearing the same outfit that I did when I reviewed One Word Kill, but that’s not cos I time travelled from an alternate reality, it’s cos I’m here to review the sequel! (plus I didn’t want it to go to waste )

Reading the recap, I was immediately reminded how complex Lawrence’s creation is. With more time travelling fun, this sequel has the added benefit of dual timelines, hinging on multiple choices.

From the outset, there were even more laugh out loud moments and perfectly balanced descriptions. Each sentence had a careful equilibrium, making me appreciate the writing in new ways. With unbelievable skill, Lawrence showed us maths through the eyes of the protagonist, making it more beautiful than I ever could have imagined.

This all works to create a world that is both vivid and a little mind-boggling. What I especially like about it is the way there’s a supernatural strangeness to the story. And of course, I love the characters that populate this world.

I was blown away by the characterisation here. For instance, when Sam introduces himself as Sir Algeron, we instantly know what he is about. All of them are made from an intelligent blend of chaotic and orderly traits, making sense on the surface and yet having enough incongruities so that they feel astoundingly realistic.

This not only equates to a fascinating window into human nature, it also allows the reader to be fully immersed in the story. And what a fantastic story it is! There’s no middle book syndrome here, as we’re thrown straight back into the narrative. Remarkably, the ideas are just as sophisticated as the last. I particularly loved the idea of Nick being a “statistical anomaly” and the clever consequences that produced. I did guess who Eva was, but that didn’t subtract from my enjoyment in any way, though I will say I was more impressed by how D&D was entwined with the plot again! If you do pick this up, you can expect non-stop action and excitement. And, miraculously, Lawrence managed to pull all this off, whilst also managing to end on a sweet note yet again!

The sum total of all this is I enjoyed the heck out of this sequel!

Rating: 5/5 bananas

I enjoyed this series so far.

This book (and series) are fantastic if you are just starting to read sci-fi/fantasy.

This book is very well written and it kept me hooked from the beginning.

I do highly recommend.

So, I received this second book for a free download. With that in mind, I bought the first book. Thinking that I love Lawrence's book's, so this would be a no brainer. I did like the first book. But, I guess I wasn't much impressed with this one. Nor do I have interest in the third. I'm not sure really what lost me. The d&d stuff was a drag. Yes, I once dated someone who was fairly awesome, then on a Saturday he took me to a d&d thing. He played. I read and watched m.t.v. He was hot. Then not! Maybe, that's it for me. I don't think nerds or geeks are cute. Never have, and I never will. I ain't gonna blow smoke.up.your ass and say the first book was great either. Except for the kick ass gal, "who's name I can't even remember," the rest were everything I avoided back in school. Don't get me wrong, because I didn't like jocks either. I was always middle of the road. I love Mark Lawrence when he does fantasy. This is not for me. I understand how others would like it, but again.....Not me. I actually want to know about the Sisters. That world. This is puff.

Well, I didn't for one second believe that Mark Lawrence could surpass the standard of the first book but he has! This second novel in the Impossible Times series is a fantastic and fiercely compelling tale of time travel, gaming, maths, paradoxes, action and excitement. The cast happens to be exquisitely drawn with complex, multi-dimensional personalities and the plot well constructed with tension aplenty. We learn so much more about Nick in this instalment as this was a lot more introspective than Limited Wish. Nick is incredibly real and relatable as he's quite awkward and introverted just like me and it can cause a few issues in life which he experiences throughout this book.

It is an excellent piece of fun, epic, speculative fiction with a plethora of original and intriguing ideas which come together in a flurry of different threads and eventually merge. I was expecting a cliffhanger given that it is leading into and setting up for the final book but Lawrence manages to craft a satisfying conclusion to it too; I certainly wasn't expecting that so it was a welcome surprise. The humour the author interspersed throughout was a stroke of genius and appears at just the right moments to provide a little light relief. This is a detailed, immersive world and a story that moves at a decent clip. Focusing on the issues surrounding time travel, this episode explores paradoxes and multiple universes, timelines, realities and is a real adventure. Many thanks to 47North for an ARC.

Yet another brilliant book from Mark Lawrence. Believable characters, imaginative plot, can’t wait for the final instalment.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.


Not to spoil anything, because it is the second book in the series, but oh my god. If you thought the first book was a wild ride, just wait until you read this one.

Mark Lawrence is such a skilled writer. In only 250 pages, he manages to give you everything you want in a story - enough exposition, enough action and a great, exciting and believable ending.

Limited Wish continues where One Word Kill left off and introduces some new characters. We still follow Nick and his friends, they still play Dungeons and Dragons and Nick still has leukaemia. But, as in the last one, there's so much more to the story. We get plenty of time travel, paradoxes and intrugue.

I loved it as much as the first one and can't wait to read the final instalment.
5/5 stars

This is the second book of a trilogy about time-travelling maths prodigy Nick Hayes and his Dungeons & Dragons playing friends. I read the first, One Word Kill, very recently which meant the plot and characters were all fresh, although the author helpfully includes a quick recap at the beginning - I wish more writers would do this! I definitely recommend reading these in order regardless.

A few months after the events of OWK, Nick’s life has changed dramatically - he is now studying at Cambridge under a famous professor, who will work with him on the equations which will ultimately help him travel through time. Mia has dumped him in favour of a flamboyant teen actor but is still showing up for their weekly D&D games. When a strangely familiar girl appears and the universe starts trying to kill him, Nick learns that the paradox he creates is putting multiple timelines at risk, and only he can fix it.

I confess I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, but it’s still a highly readable adventure - there was a bit too much D&D in this one - not something I was ever into - although I learned the origin of the personality grids that have been showing up on Facebook lately, referring to Lawful, Neutral and Chaotic, so that’s something.

I loved the time travel jokes and eighties throwback references, and while the mind-bending Timey-Wimey stuff got a bit confusing for me, the author did a good job of straightening it out again. I worried we were heading for a cliffhanger ending - the next book is apparently not due until November so that would’ve been annoying - but he actually wraps it up very satisfactorily while still leaving plot lines to be completed. 4.5 rounded up for the wonderful characters and originality of ideas (at least for someone who doesn’t read much sci-fi/fantasy).

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc which allowed me to give an honest review. Limited Wish is published on 28.05.19.

[Excerpt]:

Well. I was intrigued by this series for two reasons: time travel and the fact that a young kid gets cancer and has to deal with all these crazy happenings at the same time he undergoes treatment. Something about the combination caught my attention – it seemed unusual. So I downloaded the first book, “One Word Kill” for free from April’s Amazon First Reads list. Then I received an ARC of “Limited Wish” before I’d even got to book 1, so I hunkered down to read them both.

These books are well-written. They contain LOTS of mathematics and physics-speak. I’m sure to people who like both and/or one of those topics, the books would be extremely fun and interesting. However, I am not one of those people.

I was bored most of the time and confused at least half the time. I found events hard to follow. The time travel aspect was so ingrained within the actual mathematics that it lost its “shine.” I also didn’t feel connected to ANY of the characters, which is always a big indicator to me that I won’t like / enjoy a book. I’ve noticed in the past few years that I’m not as invested in stories with a male protagonist. I thought Nick was okay, and Simon was odd but likeable, but I didn’t care for either of the girls (Mia or Helen), and the whole Demus plotline was just….I don’t know, extraordinarily uninteresting to me. Also, Dungeons and Dragons features HEAVILY in this series, and since I have never played this game a day in my life, nor do I understand a single thing about it, I was equally bored and frustrated because nothing made sense. I did think it was cool that Nick’s daughter with Helen, Eva, time traveled to meet her father. But that wasn’t nearly enough to redeem this book.

[Full review on my blog!]

Limited Wish wasn’t quite as enjoyable to me as One Word Kill but it still carries some of the same magic I found in the first book. There is a paradox as two possible time lines are too close together and our Nick seems to be in both of them. He is the key to fixing things but since he is also the source of the paradox the universe is trying to kill him.

Nick and company are great again. I really like how most of this group of friends sticks together through thick and thin. Even Nick going off to university early is not going to mess up the Saturday D&D game, although the new Paladin might. Sam is Mia’s new boyfriend, yes you heard that right Mia has a new boyfriend and she invited him to the D&D game. I guess when the universe tells you, you’re going to be with a certain person sometimes you still fight it.
But now, it’s like… It’s like me and Mia are fated to be together. It’s like there’s no choice and we know where we’re heading.’
‘Pressure, dude!’
John always said ‘dude’ as if he were trying it on for size. But he was right. Romance and love can endure external pressure to end them. Being told no just made Romeo and Juliet get serious. But those emotions don’t do so well if that pressure is trying to make them happen instead of trying to make them stop. It’s like having a gun to your head and being told to laugh convincingly at a joke or you get a bullet.

So Nick is dealing with University, the girl he is supposed to be with fighting it, another girl who looks familiar popping up at strange times, a bully or two at school and just to round it all out a do-gooder Paladin.

The struggle I had with this book is that the tie in to the D&D game didn’t go along quite for me. Also, the dueling time lines starting to get a little confusing. The impending paradox and everything that entailed along with some of the other events like busting into a Nuclear Power plant did seemed a bit far out there too. But it was all entertaining, even if I possibly over thought some things.

Eva was a great character addition to the story and I was happy to see Demus again. I did like how this all hinged on Nick being in the right place at the right time to do ‘something’ to set both timelines right again
‘Hope,’ said Demus, ‘is an essential tool in any torturer’s kit bag. Hope is the thing that we will torture ourselves with after he’s knocked off and gone home for the night. That, sadly, is one of the lessons standing between you and me.’

One Word Kill had more of a Stranger things vibe to it. Still a decent second book to a series and enjoyable, but didn’t quite hold my attention as much. Looking forward to seeing what other time shenanigans our questing party will have in the next book of the series.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This does not affect my unbiased review of the book.