I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

The exploration of ancient history by modern scientists and historians becomes political as government bodies work behind the scenes to develop their own versions of the Traveller technology, and former Traveller Michael Hunter must flee with his wife and daughter in 11th century Giolgrave and the whole of Aengland whilst avoiding the modern-day military sent to hunt him down in author Rob Shackleford’s “Traveller Manifesto”, the third book in the Traveller series.

The Synopsis

Traveller Manifesto is Book 3 of the Traveller Trilogy, the explosive final sequel to Traveller Inceptio and Traveller Probo.

To use the enigmatic Transporter and send Special Forces trained Researchers back a thousand years is now the biggest game in world politics.

But not only politics, as academics scramble to outdo each other and harness prestige in the increasingly influential field of History.

As Professor Taylor is rescued from Byzantine Rome, a heavily-armed US Traveller team explores Mississippian Cahokia to experience a situation beyond even their control. Michael Hunter and Tatae flee Giolgrave in the hope of finding safety from modern interference. But at a terrible cost.

And something seems to be happening in Israel, resulting in the creation of a high-profile investigation team to uncover if there is a clandestine Traveller mission operated by the US and Israel.

From the windswept mountains of Wales to the hills of Cahokia and the dusty wadis of the Negev, researchers find that visiting the past may not necessarily provide the answers they seek.

The Review

This was such a compelling and monumental narrative for fans of this sci-fi and historical fiction thriller series. The way the author elevated the narrative of this series by taking the hinted at black-ops level military operations being taken out in various historical periods using the technology, and increasing this tenfold as not only does the military hunt down one of the Traveller programs former operatives, but attempt to utilize the technology illegally to further their own interests, really does a great job of mirroring events using technology or discoveries of our own world, and how government bodies often will claim “national security” to further their own attempts at seizing more power and control. This added an increased level of intrigue and suspense as this impacted several of the main cast of characters throughout their various Traveller missions.

What always strikes me about this series and the author is the vast amount of detail the author puts into the series. From both a historical and a narrative standpoint, the author explores not only the sci-fi side of the series from the use of the Traveller technology, but the historical fiction side of each period of time these missions take on with an attention to detail that creates a sense of imagery and tone that bursts with life and vibrancy. The exploration of history’s impact on our world and the means by which the direction that history takes is often dictated by those who emerge victorious from a situation made this story feel so thought-provoking, and readers won’t be able to help being drawn down the rabbit hole that is this heart-pounding historical fiction thriller.

The Verdict

A gripping, intense, and richly diverse historical fiction thriller and sci-fi tale, author Rob Shackleford’s “Traveller Manifesto” is a must-read novel and the perfect historical fiction read to finish out 2021 with. The rich cast of characters and detailed settings bring together a beautiful yet dangerous world of the past and present and the dramatic final chapters lead to a shocking loss and an open-ended finale that leaves plenty of room for more stories to be told in the future. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

This is just a quick bio about me, Rob Shackleford.

• Born in Leicester, Leicestershire, England.
• Emigrated to Australia with parents and brother, Neil, as 10 pound poms in the early 1960’s.
• Childhood in working class suburb of Acacia Ridge, Brisbane. Brothers Aaron, Paul, and Philip and sister Kathy were born.
• Attended Watson Road State School and Acacia Ridge State High School. I don’t think the high school exists any more.
• Attended University of Qld and studied Journalism and Ancient History.
• My work experience is varied and has included Customs Officer, SCUBA Instructor, in the media, college teacher and as operated own businesses.
• I have two wonderful kids: Son – Kyle, and Daughter – Bree.
• Finally completed 2 degrees – in Arts and in Business at Central Qld University. Each completed With Distinction.
• Completed first novel “Traveller – Inceptio”, Traveller book 1 – published in 2019 by Austin Macauley.
• The rest of the Traveller Books are ready to go, as are 3 other completed manuscripts, so I have completed 6 novels in all.
• I am also currently finalizing the illustrations on 3 children’s books with my daughter Bree.