Infinity Ring Book 1: A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner is the clever first book in the Infinity Ring series. Two friends, Dak and Sera, live in an alternate history under dire threat by SQ. Dak’s parents invented a device to travel in time that Sera was able to complete. The two friends and Dak’s parents go back in time but his parents are stranded when Dak and Sera return.
A group called the Hystorians (spelled with a Y) are convinced that history has gone off course and have spent centuries watching for time travel to become real. Now that the Infinity Ring is ready the two groups, Hystorians and SQ, will face off. Dak and Sera are tasked with returning to the points in history that Hystorians believe are “break points”, times when the wrong outcome threw the train of history off its tracks.
It’s puzzling how in stories like this the kids are the ones who do the work, but that’s the beauty of young adult fiction. Dak and Sera are like real kids, smarter and less socially adept than some, but you could imagine having them in a class or seeing them at the mall. Parents be warned, these characters are bratty, disrespectful know-it-alls.
The gimmick in this series is the Hystorians planted clues. You have to wonder why the clues are so mysterious since it’s unlikely someone will actually show up from the future to deal with them, but that’s the plot. The bound book includes a front section to fold back that will let the reader explore Revolutionary France in 1792 with links the the Infinity Ring website. That’s a nice way to get younger kids interested in history!
The book is very fast paced and a fun read. I was puzzled by why it would have mattered whether Christopher Columbus led the expedition to America or whether his lieutenants mutinied and completed the trip. The book never hinted why it would matter who discovered America. It’s also far fetched to think two societies, SQ and Hystorians, could maintain successful organizations for centuries on the off chance that someone might show up someday from the future. These points are minor, but the sort of thing that bother adults and might not occur to younger readers.
Many YA novels are classified as Young Adult Fiction because they feature young protagonists but the books have adult themes and conflicts that make them suitable for adults. Abhorsen by Garth Nix is a good example. The Infinity Ring series features kids and the writing, themes and plot are aimed squarely at the middle school readers. I doubt I’ll read any more in the series since it truly is written for young people, plus I don’t care for books about brats.
Infinity Ring Book 1: A Mutiny in Time is available at Amazon and probably at your library or school library
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