Heather’s Bookshelf: The Thief of That
Author: David Ewald
Released: 09/08/25
Genre: Adult Sci-Fi (Time Travel)
“Forgotten. That one word was what he feared most, feared more than death, for what did it matter if he died as long as he was remembered?”
“The Thief of That” introduces Ravel Averof, the son of a famous author who has been trying to finish his own story for years.
Estranged from his father, in a rut at his mindless job, and concerned about the lack of passion in his marriage, Ravel believes his choices led him to this point. When an ex-student, Laney Greer, reaches out to purchase an expensive piece of equipment. Ravel soon discovers that Laney works for a company called Chronotrex and that she’s in the business of building time machines.
Given the opportunity to travel back in time, Ravel decides he’s going to do something about his predicament. He plans on erasing all signs of a bestselling horror, That, in order to steal it from his favorite author and make it his own.
Ravel initially succeeds in his mission, but soon realizes the consequences of his actions. Will he be able to fix all that he’s destroyed or will he be forced to live with the results of his misguided actions?
Trigger Warning: sexual situations, assault
Overall, I enjoyed this tale. It is clear from early in the book that the author loves writing and has dived into this within the pages. The story is told through the POV of Ravel- who is very relatable, but flawed. He has a tendency to blame others for his choices and he doesn’t quite get himself together throughout his life. He’s pressured from his high achieving father, ambitious wife, and shadowed by his peers. He’s so consumed by his perceived challenges that he can’t see the positives surrounding him. The pacing of the story is even throughout. The story is pushed forward with conflicts and stories from Ravel’s past- he has a complex relationship with his absentee father which is revealed throughout the pages. The correlations to Stephen King and his works were a lot of fun. I was just in Bangor, ME where my family and I went on a Stephen King tour plus there’s the new HBO series Welcome to Derry… so this tie in was very timely. The ending wraps everything up nicely instilling a feeling of completeness and content. Of course, time travel stories could always be open to a sequel…or a prequel.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A time travel exploring family connections, consequences of actions. The author’s love of writing and books jumps off the pages.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with David Ewald
Interested in checking out the book for yourself?
Find it for purchase here
Interested in submitting your book for review? Visit my review page for guidelines and submission requirements.
