The Man From 2063
by Jack Duffy
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 270
Read: Jan. 27-29, 2013
Challenge: No Challenge
Yearly count: 6
Format: Print
Source: Pump Up Your Book Promotions
Blurb: I knew it. I knew it, he repeated to himself. A conspiracy. But who had planned the murder? Was Lee Harvey Oswald even involved? If only one could go back in time and solve the mystery. I have to pursue this, he told himself. Someone has to find out the truth once and for all.
On November 22, 2063 a new film finally proves a conspiracy was involved in the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Sean Zumwalt dares to go back in time to alter the course of world history and save JFK. But he soon finds that the truth is much more complicated than he ever could have imagined.
Based on actual events and forty years of research, The Man From 2063 will take you through the golds of time and historical conspiracies, leaving you wondering ‘What if?’
Review: I have to start out this review by just stating that I am a total Kennedy junkie. I remember watching all the 40th anniversary Kennedy assassination shows back in 2003 from my dorm room. I was a college freshman. I think my roommate wanted to kill me because I essentially took over the television for the entire week – hey, it was my TV so she couldn’t complain too much. But she definitely thought I was nuts. And I probably am a little bit, but I have always been a little obsessed with the Kennedy family, but especially with the assassination.
So when I was pitched this book for the Pump Up Your Book Blog tour, I was immediately intrigued. I knew it was a book I would love. Mr. Duffy addresses the fact that his storyline is very similar to Stephen King’s 11/22/63. I actually DNF’d that book a while back. So I went into this book knowing that I once set aside a book that dealt with the Kennedy assassination and time travel … would I make it through this book?
Why, yes … yes I would! And I would end up truly enjoying it. From the first page it sucked me in. I had to know if Sean would accomplish his goal in preventing the assassination.
Overall I enjoyed this book, but there were two main issues that I must address: the dialogue and the middle section of the book. Let me start with the dialogue. One thing that I noticed was that Mr. Duffy started too many sentences with “Well…” It was to the point where it was a little overdoing it. The dialogue also felt a little forced in places. It didn’t flow very well at certain times. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book, but it was definitely something that I noticed. Also, the middle portion of the book bothered me at times. The book itself is divided into three sections. It was really the middle section that bothered me – the main character, Sean, was not mentioned once. I understood why this occurred because of the way Mr. Duffy set up the book, but I felt as if it kind of took away from character development. Once again, this was not something that made me dislike the book in any way, just another slight problem that I had (I’m big on character development).
Okay, so now that the “negatives” are out of the way, let me tell you why I actually liked this book a lot. It introduces a very interesting “what if” to the Kennedy assassination. I personally believe that there was some sort of conspiracy involved and while I felt like the conspiracy that Mr. Duffy set up is a little far-fetched (rogue CIA agent paying three mechanics (assassins) $1 million each .. where would an individual get that kind of money?), I felt as if it made a great storyline. You could also tell that Mr. Duffy knows the Kennedy assassination – he sure has done his homework! The book is very fast paced and exciting. I could hardly wait to find out what the outcome would be … if Sean would succeed and how it would affect the course of history. I read it so quickly, I just really enjoyed it.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book.
About the Author:
Jack Duffy is an attorney from Fort Worth, Texas. The Man from 2063 is his first book. On November 22, 1963 he was in school at Bruce Shulkey Elementary when he heard the news about President Kennedy’s assassination. His parents were at the breakfast in Fort Worth, Texas, that morning when President Kennedy gave his last speech. In 1970 he saw the Zapruder film for the first time. He has been researching the JFK assassination since then. He has interviewed many eyewitnesses including Marina Oswald and several Parkland physicians who treated JFK. He has met many researchers who have written books on the assassination. He came up with the idea for a time travel novel in 1998. He has one of the largest private collections of materials on the JFK assassination. He graduated from Texas Tech University with a B.A. in Political Science. He then earned an M.B.A from Baylor University. He then graduated from South Texas School of Law with a J.D. He is an Eagle Scout.
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Praise for The Man From 2063:
Although I reject the premise of “The Man From 2063″ that Lee Harvey Oswald did not kill President John F. Kennedy and that there was a conspiracy in the assassination, from a purely historical standpoint Jack Duffy has succeeded in writing a very clever and engrossing “what if” story surrounding the events of November 22, 1963.
-Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter
**This review is posted in conjunction with the Pump Up Your Book! blog tour. I received a copy of this book to review in exchange for my honest opinion. I
received no monetary compensation.
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