Here and Now and Then: A Novel

Product Description

A Goodreads Choice Awards 2019 SemifinalistOne of BookBub’s
Best Science Fiction Books
of 2019One of Book Riot’s
Best Books of 2019
So FarOne of The Nerd Daily’s
Best
Debut Novels of 2019Featured in
The Millions
“A Year in Reading”One of Entropy’s
Best
Fiction Books of 2019
He’ll go anywhere and any when to save his daughterKin Stewart is an everyday family man: working in IT, trying to keep the spark in his marriage, struggling to connect with his teenage daughter.

But his current life is a far cry from his previous career…as a time-traveling secret agent from over a century in the future.

Stranded in suburban San Francisco since the 1990s after a botched mission, Kin has kept his past hidden from everyone around him, until one afternoon, his “rescue” team arrives—eighteen years too late.

Their mission: return Kin to 2142, where he’s been gone only weeks, not years, and where another family is waiting for him. A family he can’t remember.

Torn between two lives, Kin’s desperate efforts to stay connected to both will threaten to destroy the agency and even history itself. With his daughter’s very existence at risk, he will have to take one final trip to save her—even if it means breaking all the rules of time travel in the process.

“Heartfelt and thrilling… Chen’s concept is unique, and [his characters’] agony is deeply moving. Quick pacing, complex characters, and a fascinating premise.”—
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

Review

Praise for HERE AND NOW AND THEN

One of BookBub’s Best Science Fiction Books of 2019

One of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2019 So Far

One of The Nerd Daily’s Best Debut Novels of 2019

Featured in The Millions “A Year in Reading”

One of Entropy’s Best Fiction Books of 2019

A Goodreads Choice Awards 2019 Semifinalist

“Clever, thrilling and full of heart, it is an instant sci-fi classic.” —
Hypable.com

“A subtly woven meditation about the fragility of time raises the bar in this smart, fun, and affectionate story.” —
Kirkus Reviews

“In this heartfelt and thrilling debut, Chen revitalizes the trope of the absent and unavailable father… Chen’s concept is unique, and [his characters’] agony is deeply moving. Quick pacing, complex characters, and a fascinating premise make this an unforgettable debut.” —
Publishers Weekly, starred review

“This gripping, fast-paced time-travel thriller is also a warm, moving story of a man pulled between two lives and families. With plenty of humor and suspense, Chen has crafted an original and captivating story.” —
Shelf Awareness, starred review

“At its core, Chen’s book is really about the prides and perils of parenthood, and I’m certain that’s what I’ll always remember about it…. The plot twists and turns…in speedy, page-flipping style, defying me each time I thought I knew what was coming. But even more than these delightfully surprising turns, the novel’s strength lies in Kin’s actions as he tries to save [his daughter,] Miranda.” —
NPR 

“Chen’s debut novel is a welcome addition to this well-traveled genre, with the theories and mechanics of time travel not getting in the way of the character- and plot-driven story. Highly recommended for readers both new and familiar with the genre, and for fans of Audrey Niffenegger’s
The Time Traveler’s Wife or books by Connie Willis.” —
Library Journal, starred review  

“Chen carefully balances heart, humor, and precise world building to bring alive an emotional and genre-bending story.” —
Booklist
 

“[An] enjoyable venture into time travel. … Although Chen’s novel is set in a futuristic world, it is ultimately about the bond between a father and his daughter. While Kin’s dilemma is one that readers will never face, they will be drawn in by the human questions at its heart.”—
BookPage

“A charming and satisfying tale of a father’s devotion and the hard choices required by love.…The people in the story are all well-drawn and believable, with no real villains.…The ending is cleve