Out of Time

This is one Alton Gansky's many books that I have read and am reading currently and all of them, you don't want to put down once you start reading! Fantastic reading. I am sure I will every book he has written and will write.

I don't know how Alton Gansky continues to do it, but his J D Stanton books always keep me turning pages as fast as I can. This well-crafted work was hard to put down. And don't make the mistake of trying to read the last fourth of the book when you're alone, late at night--you'll sleep with the lights on. I did. Here's hoping that there are more J D Stanton books hidden in Gansky's fertile brain.

Retirement for most people is the time in life when they can sit back, relax, and not worry about any problems. Not for J.D. Stanton! A retired naval officer, Stanton has a plan to help troubled Navy brats by taking five kids out on a catamaran to travel the seas. Stanton and his crew of two quickly learn that the kids' troubles run deeper than a little salt air will reach. When a pre-WWI dreadnought (a ship) appears out of the fog, those with Stanton continue to fight against each other, and now an unknown force, realizing they can only win one battle. Mixed with excitement and mystery, this book gives time a twist so the reader must change their whole view of a time line. The author of the book, Alton Gansky, knows just how to hit the reader with a surprise. Time is not contained in just the present. Stanton, his crew, and the kids board the ship, which is the size of a floating city, only to find that it is empty. The motors are off and there's no crew in sight, but the vessel surges on ahead, cutting through the waves. In what turns out to be a deadly fight against the laws of time, the kids learn they can trust J.D. and his crew. In one scene aboard the ship, they realize they must get off the ship to survive, but the most challenging kid has hidden himself on the boat. He continues to elude them as time runs out, though they risk their own lives to save him, but J.D. will not give up until he is found. All this works together to weave a gripping book: plot, character development, and downright suspense. Gansky has shown that he can write a book that will not leave your hand until you're done in both Out of Time and another work entitled Beneath the Ice. Out of Time is neat and straightforward, without any subplots unrelated to the voyage or the boat's passengers. The passengers face each other, laws of the universe, and even themselves, and they're running out of time. Tackling life, J.D. Stanton finds in God the strength and protection they will all need for survival.

Call me spoiled, but the first two books in the J.D. Stanton series set the bar high in my opinion. Mr. Gansky is one of my favorite Christian authors, and I was eagerly anticipating another thriller in the same vein--and this was close. The story is good, the concept is unique, and the ending works. The thing I missed was the intrigue of "Vanished" and "A Ship Possessed". This one seemed to lag just a little at the beginning, but it does pick up speed as it goes on. I guess it just seems a little too close to "A Ship Possessed" to stand on its own (both involve old ships coming from the ocean looking as new as when they were made). And while ASP had strange noises and good atmosphere, this one had visions of people on deck. Still, this was a good novel, and if it's the first you've read of Mr. Gansky's, then it's strong enough to prompt you to read another. For a follow up, go for "The Prodigy" or "A Treasure Deep" next. Neither are one of this series of books, but they're STRONG storytelling and shows the range this author can reach. As always, I'll be eagerly awaiting the next Gansky novel, and I recommend this one.

After reading a few of Mr. Gansky's books I had to read his latest one, I love books about subs and ships so I just had to get this one. I thought the book was great, took it with me to work and read it every change I got. What a great mystrey and the end had a great twist. The only thing that was dissapointing was it was too short.