Save Him


Fiction - Thriller - General
243 Pages
Reviewed on 09/18/2019
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

Author William M. Hayes blends a lethal fusion of science fiction and faith in this gritty, military, science fiction novel, Save Him. It shows us an accidental means of time travel; its original intent is to save wounded soldiers in battle. We are introduced to a brilliant scientist by the name of Rydel Scott, who takes on a mission to save Christ as his sister’s dying wish indicates. But tinkering with the past presents ramifications for the present--even the most infinitesimal detail altered can change the course of human destiny. The US military has deployed an elite unit to track down Rydel in Jerusalem during the time of the Messiah’s active ministry. The men hunting Rydel are on the top of their game but are divided by their beliefs. Humanity’s fate then hangs in the balance with this cat and mouse game.

Other than the futuristic military element, Save Him is also an examination of the moral philosophy that justifies the individual motives of every character. The reader may not be interested in the faith versus reason undertones that Hayes lays out here, but there isn’t much proselytizing; rather more solidification of conflicts that the author is trying to establish and settle at the end. Hayes is fast-paced in narrating his story but he is very engaging. And this presents a danger. He has a style of clinching his scenes per chapter and it could make you tense with anticipation. This is the kind of story that you wouldn’t mind reading again because you want to recall how it made you feel.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Save Him by William M Hayes is a thrilling tale of time travel. Rydel Scott is a genius, a scientist who works at a secret military lab. Completely by accident, while working to save soldiers wounded in the field, he stumbles on a way to travel through time. His sister, Karen, a nun, is dying and on her deathbed, she tells Rydel that she has a message for him, a message from God telling him to save Jesus Christ. Traveling back in time, Rydel aims to do just that but, as everyone knows, one slight change to the past can change the future forever and never in a good way. An elite military unit follows him through time, trying to stop him before he can change history and destroy millions of lives. With a unit divided by their faith, they have a choice to make – the fate of the human race or that of Jesus Christ. Will they choose to save Him or save the world?

Save Him by William M Hayes is an original story and one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It’s a thriller packed with action, packed with discovery and one that has a nail-biting finale. The main story took a while to get started but everything you read before it is totally relevant. The characters are a group of very different people, all easy to relate to and likable, and you will find yourself divided – do you root for Rydel or do you get behind those trying to save humankind? The story flowed really well, plenty of detail, plenty of action, no small amount of suspense, all wrapped in one unique package. I can honestly say I have not read a story like this before and I will definitely be reading more from Hayes. Highly recommended for those who want a great story to get stuck into – just don’t expect to put it down until you get to the very last page.

Joel R. Dennstedt

Save Him, by William M. Hayes, is a lot of fun to read. As if Michael Crichton wrote a screenplay for Mission Impossible. Maybe with Q from James Bond thrown in for good measure. Let’s start with him. In this case, Rydel Scott is a most likable, nerdy, quiet mannered genius who invents many plot-related devices guaranteed to make this MI team – here called simply The Unit – as effective a special ops cadre as any SEAL or British MI6 gang comprised of top-notch fighting men and women. Like masks that morph into local features, controlled and altered by someone far away. And instant translators. All well and good. But when a nasty incident during one mission reveals a newly designed salvation chip’s extraordinary ability to transport a person through space and time … well then, all holy fun begins. Literally.

Save Him is the totally appropriate if perhaps ironic title of William M. Hayes imaginative thriller, which moves locomotive-like from a secret-government-base-research-facility to a black-ops-foreign-operation to a lone-likable-man’s desperately risky attempt to save the life of Jesus Christ. Of course, he travels back in time to do so. After all, Rydel Scott discovered (or was God-chosen to discover) how to manage that improbable feat. And off he goes. And things get quite weird afterward. A reptilian girl. A rabid man-dog. Stuff like that. One would think perhaps such a tale might become unreadable. Surprise: Mr. Hayes’s writing is mostly very good. Despite an extremely high incredulity factor, the reader’s interest remains fixed by the story’s high-octane momentum. Hayes actually pulls this off. In any event, it’s a whole lot of fun.

K.C. Finn

Save Him is a powerful work of thriller fiction, written for adults by author William M Hayes. Combining time travel fiction with thriller and religious themes, this intense dramatic work centers around an amazing discovery by military scientist Rydel Scott. When Rydel unleashes the power of time travel, his sister’s final wishes ring in his ears: he must go back and save Jesus from the cross. But even as he tries to embark on his mission, a team of special soldiers is sent out to prevent him from doing so, in case the change in the course of history is too catastrophic. But amongst the team itself, faith and belief in what is right are also in question.

Author William M Hayes has created a fascinating conceptual combination of faith-based discussion, action-adventure and time travel mayhem with all its complexities and implications for the future. The clash of ideas between characters is well achieved through realistic and thought-provoking dialogue, as well as close narration that allows us into some of the characters' heads a little deeper. Colonel John Adams comes out a star with some fascinating moments of character development against his perceived rival Commander Catlin. The scenery and atmosphere of Jerusalem and other biblical locations are beautifully described and brought to life with vivid accuracy, making the time travel element all the stronger. Overall, Save Him is an accomplished work of fiction for its psychological and narrative qualities but is also a tense thriller with exciting ideas and a fast-paced plot that rockets to a sharp, surprising ending.