Jigsaw: Temporal Apocalypse by David Alyn Gordon is the tenth book in the Jigsaw Series and fifteenth in the Jigsaw Universe, but it can also be read as a standalone book. The story opens with Guardians Francesca and Noah unconscious and imprisoned in Lilith’s tanks. They are dreaming of their engagement and their son’s birth, as the vampire queen prepares her endgame. The story spans from 15 B.C.E. Ein Gedi to 2029 Arizona, pitting the Foundation against two devastating threats. Lilith hunts the three pieces of the Akoman's amulet, an ancient relic with tremendous power. Her resurrected vampire consort, Pilo, aids her. Meanwhile, Ahriman wears the body of billionaire Leopold Jones and plans to build a fascist “Liberty Town” in 1918 and rewrite history. The Guardians must race across Warsaw, Fiume, and Arizona to stop an apocalypse.

Temporal Apocalypse is a rewarding read as the author skillfully includes backstories for the characters. They are elaborately developed and memorable. The guardians will inspire sympathy, just as the villains will make you hate them. The plotting is woven with time travel and teleportation, and races across countries and timelines. David Alyn Gordon never seems to lack intriguing ideas. Whether it is an insidious character wearing a billionaire’s body or duplicates of some of the heroes created through a teleportation accident, there is always something exciting that raises the stakes. The pacing is fast, and the action is pulsating. This epic tale includes guardians, werewolves, vampires, and other characters with supernatural abilities. You will be thrilled with action like a werewolf rampaging to a death trap or a villain surrendering to a classic serial mastermind. The payoffs are cleverly delivered in this action-packed, spellbinding fantasy with characters you won’t forget.

David Alyn Gordon’s Jigsaw follows the Foundation’s Temporal Guardians as a hidden war over history begins after World War I. Lilith has imprisoned Noah and Francesca while searching for the three scattered pieces of Akoman’s amulet, an ancient weapon capable of altering reality. At the same time, Ahriman is using the body of billionaire Leopold Jones to build his own plan for a fascist world order. After Noah and Francesca escape, the Guardians discover that disturbances from the past are connected to the same attempt to reshape the future. Their pursuit leads them to Fiume in 1920, where the pieces of the amulet are drawing rival forces toward a confrontation. If the Guardians cannot prevent the weapon from being restored, the history they know may be replaced forever.

David Alyn Gordon’s Jigsaw is a great time travel story, and I appreciate that it's a no-frills square device that sends travelers to another date after a few keystrokes. The time hops are refreshingly simple. Noah is my favorite main character because I always enjoy dry humor and adaptability. Jose Armengol is another extraordinary character who proves his loyalty in 1919 Arizona. After Luchese unlocks his cell inside the Verde River mine, Armengol kicks away a guard’s gun, then leads the miners toward safety while the agents remain underground. Where Gordon shines is in making each setting easy to visualize, to the point where I often felt like I was there. On a 921 Rus trade route, Asbjørn plays shatranj while traveling from Baghdad toward Kyiv, while in 1918 Tempe, caramel apples scent Mill Avenue as the July Fourth crowds gather in near 100-degree heat. For readers who like really excellent historical time travel, this book is the ticket. Very highly recommended.