SPLENDIDLY WRITTEN POLEMIC THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS
By Leigh Podgorski on October 1, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Kronos can reference both the father of Zeus and a time-sharing computer operating system – both apt metaphors for A.H. Richards novel Kronos Duet-- an at times so splendidly written polemic on God, the universe, the mind, eternity, and space—both inner and outer-- it will leave you breathless. The story focuses on Gareth Pugh, time-traveler of the mind, and his daughter Adrianna, who traverse the universe in search of nothing less than the meaning of everything…well, that is his search. We don’t really know what she is searching for and neither does she until the very end where the tale comes together in an explosive and extraordinary finale—reminding one of the fiery nature of the cosmos itself. If there is a challenge here—it is in the long wait for this denouement.
The premise Mr. Richards uses of time-travel within one’s own mind is brilliant and engaging. The use of the alien plant species Anis to assist is a wonderful addition – I would have loved to have even more development of the Anis as a character. Gareth is painted as brilliant but something of a stumblebum—which lands him in all kinds of trouble as he zings across the universe in search of the ultimate answer. It is in these searches where we tend to get a little lost: sometimes the places Gareth lands sounding too much alike as does the characters’ dialogue.
This is a book that demands your attention—there is a lot of information about what the Anis does and how one travels in time and what becomes of one—how the ephemeral body slowly devolves back to solid. It is well worth your time and attention. And then there are those gorgeous narratives.
I look greatly forward to more from A.H Richards. Full disclosure: I became acquainted with Mr. Richards via an Internet author’s group. My acquaintance and agreement to read and review his book has not colored my opinions or this review.

Character Driven, Intelligent, Literary Science Fiction
By Amazon Customer on July 8, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
Kronos Duet by A.H. Richards is a time travel novel that offers a unique look at how the universe operates. Most time travel stories utilize an external machine of some sort, but Kronos uses the greatest machine ever created - the mind - aided by a conscious jungle plant called Anis. His main characters, Gareth and Adrianna, a father and daughter duo, are so well drawn, it's impossible not to care about them as their adventure through time-space delivers an intense combination of suspense, heartache and joy as well as many surprises along the way.

The heart of any good science fiction is not the technology, space ships, aliens or robots, but the characters and story. Kronos Duet has enough science fiction elements to satisfy that requirement, though it reads much like a literary suspense thriller. But the major premise focuses on how the main characters deal with some alarming situations that I found quite amazing. The author paints pictures with words so well that no matter where the story was in time, whether 17th century Wales or 20th century Russia, I felt as if I was right there beside them. I was in their heads, feeling their pain or joy. I understood their motivations and I cared about how everything would turn out.

The villains, Cabot and Dr. Buckleigh are pure evil, especially Cabot who is, on the surface, just an ordinary guy, but who takes male ego to the extreme and causes Adrianna to take uncharacteristic action that will have every reader cheering. There is also a marvellous section on the death of notorious historical figure, Rasputin, that is especially rewarding in how it captures those moments in time with clarity and suspense.

I've read a few authors in the past whose writing was so good, even though I wasn't all that interested in the story, I couldn't help reading right through to he end. A. H. Richards has accomplished both beautiful, literary writing along with a story that challenged me to contemplate his ideas about the potentials of the mind, God, and the universe.

I rarely read any novel a second time, however, Kronos Duet is a novel that deserves a second or even a third reading just to revisit and absorb the beautiful use of language and the ideas about life and what a person can accomplish if they just put their "mind" to it. I'm looking forward to more works by A.H. Richards.

Time Travel, History, and Philosophy-- Oh my!
By S.A. Jones on August 8, 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
I'm going to say right up front that it was difficult for me to come up with a rating for this one. There were large chunks of the story that completely lost me, but the parts where I wasn't lost were terrific.

Kronos Duet's beginning was very well done and kept me intrigued. I really liked where A.H. Richards was taking the story. Then somewhere around the middle, the story started going in a few different directions, and I found it a little difficult to follow. It became unclear what the main character's purpose was in traveling through time. First, I thought Gareth Pugh was trying to find a way to connect with his true love who died many years before. Then, it seemed he was looking to meet up with God.

About three-quarters of the way through, the story got even more convoluted. I felt like I was reading a different book than the one I started. Up until that point, I was enjoying Richards' style of writing. He is gifted in how he weaves words and ideas together to create descriptive scenes and interesting characters. With that said, I think the reason I got so lost during this part of the book is because of paragraphs like this one:
They stood on a high hill at night. A camel's hump, at the foot of which flowed the dark tan, moon-glowing fields of grain. Or were they people? They heard a sound of rushing, as of a million tongues, or of wind through grain. There was no time to distinguish if one, or both, existed below; for above them, out of a black that glittered like jet, there came masses of flying stars, surf-waves of stars of different colors advancing silently and at light speed, like fireworks exploding, spitting fiery trails. They kept on, rising out of infinite distance; something profound, something eternally desirable dwelled in the stars. Not in the dancers, but in the dance; making all bliss. - Location 4050 in Kindle format
Beautiful? Undeniably. Confusing? To me, yes.

Now, I do not want anyone to think I do not like Kronos Duet. As a whole, I do like the book. It started out great, got a little confusing in the middle, lost me about three-quarters of the way through, and captured me again towards the end.

Here are the positives about the book and why I definitely think it's worth a read for those who enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and stories of time travel:

-- The characters are well-developed; the good guys are good and the bad guys are really, really bad.
-- There are many interesting concepts presented in the story, making it an intellectual read.
-- As mentioned above, the style of writing is quite beautiful... almost poetic.
-- The references to history and historical events are well-done; if you like history, you will enjoy that aspect of the book.
-- There are many philosophical ideas placed in the story, so if you enjoy that sort of thing, you will most likely enjoy Kronos Duet.