Time's Echo (The Chronos Files, #1.5)

by Rysa Walker

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

I spent an Audible credit on this novella (something I never do) because I was left with such a massive book hangover after Time's Divide. Two things struck me pretty quickly upon beginning this story: 1) I wish we had seen more of Other-Kate/Kiernan together in the series because I actually think I prefer him to Trey and I definitely prefer her over the main character Kate. Okay, Trey isn't that bad, but he's no Kiernan. 2) I really wish I had listened to this in between the first and second series installments. With novellas, later publishing dates can make it hard to read them in chronological order with the series, but I began The Chronos Files series well after the last book's publication date. Even if I had known about these novellas while I was listening to the regular series, I'm still not 100% certain that I would have given them much stock. My opinion of novellas has usually been that they are largely insignificant to the overall plot. However, that opinion is changing. While I'm still not crazy over the idea of spending a $14.95 credit on an audiobook that lasts 2-5 hours, I am starting to see the importance novellas have in filling in certain plot gaps and "setting the stage" for upcoming installments. For instance, this novella provided us with a glimpse of Kate and Kiernan's time together in the previous timeline, which was something I was longing for in the series. The plot of this novella very closely followed Kiernan's account of the events that was given in the main installments. Think of it this way: The main series drew an outline of the events (as much as was relevant to the main plotline) and the novella colored in those lines with world-building & character development details, although they may not be as relevant to the larger story. There isn't a lot of new information revealed here, but plenty is reinforced. The territory covered is mostly unchartered, until the final 10 minutes, when we see Kiernan's meeting with Kate on the subway (as in Timebound) from his point of view. That is where my attention was lost just a little bit, but only because I am not one for alternate POV scenes (I find them redundant).

Narration review: I was super excited to see that Nick Podehl was narrating this novella. I have heard him in a handful of other audiobooks and I always really enjoy his work. To begin with, I thought that he had decided to drop Kiernan's Irish accent. MIA accents are nothing new to audiobook listeners and it wouldn't have completely ruined the experience, but after listening for a while longer I realized I could still detect the hint of an Irish accent. Come to think of it, a watered down accent may actually suit Kiernan's character more since he grew up in the US. ♣︎