“The Fortunes is the kind of book that raises far more questions than it resolves. Not only does it present a vast swathe of often-ignored history, in deftly fictionalized form, it’s an empathetic book, not just to its protagonists but to its secondary and tertiary characters and even, often, to its villains.

It’s 1863. America’s most legendary war leaders arrange a meeting ―a clandestine alliance that will never show up in any history book.

Some believe it began 700 million years ago, others say it started in 1947 in Roswell, New Mexico. Regardless of its exact origin, the war between the worlds is about to reach its final conclusion:

What would you do if you suddenly found yourself twenty-five years in the past? For the nine billion people living in the year 2042 it’s no longer a question…it’s a reality.

The characters are profoundly uninteresting; the protagonist and his wish fulfillment magical creature being the most obvious offenders. I would not be able to name one character trait the protagonist is supposed to have to save my life.

And in order to find a way home, he needs to save the people against an undescribed enemy in an unmotivated constant war.

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Rumors of the seemingly magical victory that allowed the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt have resonated through the archaeological world for decades.

Nathan Wexler is a brilliant physicist who thinks he’s found a way to send matter a split second back into the past. But before he can even confirm his findings, he and his wife-to-be, Jenna Morrison, find themselves in a battle for their very lives.