When we talk about going back in time, it’s usually to kill Hitler or invest in Apple early or to see Led Zeppelin play The Whiskey in 1969.
But in Andrew Ludington’s new time travel science fiction caper novel Splinter Effect (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), the person going back isn’t a murderer, an investor, or a music fan. He’s a professional time traveling archeologist.
Which isn’t to say he’s always above board.
In the following email interview, Ludington discusses what inspired and influenced this sci-fi story, including his plans to send his main character on more trips.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Lawson
To begin, what is Splinter Effect about, and when and where does it take place?
The story follows Robert “Rabbit” Ward, a professional time traveler who works for the Smithsonian’s chrono-archaeology division. His job sends him on expeditions to the ancient past where he steals precious artifacts right before they drop out of the historical record and hides them for excavation when he returns to the present.
In this book, he is hunting down the lost menorah from the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 6th century Constantinople. Of course, he’s not the only one hunting for it, and before long he becomes convinced that someone in the ancient city is trying to kill him.
Because it’s a time travel story, it takes place in several settings. But my goal was to make Rabbit’s home era (roughly present day) very recognizable, very relatable. The only difference from our own world is that time travel exists.
Where did you get the idea for Splinter Effect?
I came up with the idea years before I wrote the book. In high school and college I loved role playing games. I conceived of the hook as a game setting. The players would be a team of time travelers seeking a precious artifact just like Rabbit. I thought it would be a great way to explore different historical settings in a fun, exciting way. Alas, I never got the game off the ground because we were all young professionals with too little time. But the idea never left me.
So, is there a reason why Rabbit is trying to find a menorah as opposed to, say, a dreidel or a copy of the Torah? Or, for that matter, a cross or a Muslim prayer rug? Or even an artifact with historical but not religious significance?
The menorah of the Second Temple has this amazing, mysterious history. It was plundered by the Romans in the first century when they destroyed the Temple in Jerusalem. It was a big deal in Rome. You can see the menorah on the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum.
The Romans displayed it in a museum for literally hundreds of years. Ancient tourists journalled about seeing it. And then it just…disappeared. There are a lot of hypotheses about where it ended up, but no one knows for sure. That mystery was what made it such an appealing MacGuffin.
Of course, the object itself means different things to different characters. Rabbit cares about it deeply because he tried and failed to steal it years before the book begins. His old partner was killed in that attempt, and Rabbit’s guilt over that incident has haunted him ever since.
A picture of the menorah displayed
on the arch of Titus
In a similar vein, is there a reason you have him looking for the menorah in ancient Rome as opposed to ancient Greece or ancient Egypt or not-so-ancient Isreal? It’s not against the law to fudge reality in the name of a good story.
One of my goals in the book is to follow the history as much as possible. Some historians have suggested that it might have been stolen by the Vandals when they sacked Rome and the subsequently stolen back by the Romans and taken to Constantinople. I didn’t make that up. I just fabricated some evidence that suggested that version of the history might be true.
Is there also a reason why Rabbit works for The Smithsonian as opposed to a museum, some super rich guy, or a corporation? Or for himself?
Time travel in this series is very expensive and heavily regulated by the world’s governments. I knew from the beginning that I wanted him to have official backing, because that would hem him in with rules and structure that would sometimes be an obstacle for Rabbit. The Smithsonian Institution is the best funded museum complex in America, so it was a natural choice for me.
Of course, there are people who do this job illegally too, but I’ll stop there before I drop any spoilers.
Also, Rabbit? What was the thinking behind calling him Rabbit? And I say that as someone who has an Uncle Bunny…who was a physics professor…at Stamford.
I knew I wanted a distinctive enough name that, once you heard it, you couldn’t mistake it for any other character. I was strolling through a cemetery near my home and happened upon a gravestone for someone named Rabbit O’Brien. I knew right then what I’d name him. Although I made it a nickname for reasons you can find out in the book.
It’s been surprisingly divisive. Some people love the name, and some people absolutely hate it. I mean hate with a capital H, take two stars away. I didn’t expect a character name to spark that kind of emotion.
Splinter Effect is obviously a time travel science fiction story, though it also sounds like a work of historical fiction. How do you describe it, genre-wise?
Someone described it to me as a “time travel caper,” and I think that’s pretty good. Call me naïve but, when I wrote it, I really wasn’t thinking about the cross-genre nature of the story. I just thought it sounded like a fun adventure. And while it certainly contains as much historical accuracy as I could insert without weighing down the story, the fact that you are seeing it through the lens of a modern character gives it a different feeling from straight historical fiction.
Now, Splinter Effect is your first novel, though I’m guessing you’ve written other things. Are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on Splinter Effect but not on anything else you’ve written?
Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague De Camp and A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain both used a similar time travel conceit, but I wouldn’t say they were major influences. I was more heavily influenced by the Masters Of Rome series by Colleen McCullough and the Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis. Davis, especially, made her Rome so vivid and relatable. To a lesser extent, The Alienist by Caleb Carr. His focus on things like food, clothing and decoration that make a place come alive.
What about non-literary influences? Was Splinter Effect influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games? Because it kind of reminds me of the end of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, and author Jonathan Maberry [NecroTek, Burn To Shine] says it reminded him of Indy as well. Plus it looks like the guy on the cover is wearing a fedora, and you know who rocks a fedora…
For folks who aren’t familiar with the publication business, things move…slowly. I wrote Splinter Effect before Dial Of Destinywas released, so it wasn’t a direct influence. But Indy certainly was. Raiders Of The Lost Ark is still one of my favorite movies of all time, and I loved the idea of riffing on that theme by introducing a time-travel element to an eminently capable archaeologist hero.
Time travel stories are sometimes stand-alone adventures and sometimes they’re just the first trip of many. What is Splinter Effect?
Publication gods willing, this will be a closed series of four to five books. I knew from the beginning I had a larger story to tell, but it has a clear arc and ending; it was never intended to run indefinitely. The second book is titled Herod’s Triangle. It’ll be out in the spring of 2026.
Earlier I asked if Splinter Effect was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think Splinter Effect could work as a movie, a TV show, or a game?
There are so many examples of stories translating well into multiple storytelling formats and I personally think this series would work well as either. Or both!
In that case, if someone wanted to make a movie or TV show based on Splinter Effect, who would you want them to cast as Rabbit, Helen, and the other main characters?
Ugh! I’m terrible at this game. Okay, I think Blake Lively [A Simple Favor] and Ryan Reynolds [Deadpool And Wolverine] could kill this. Their real-life chemistry reminds me of the energy between Rabbit and his competitor slash love interest, Helen.
And if someone wanted to make a game out of Splinter Effect, what kind of game should it be and who should make it?
I would love to see this as a role-playing video game, Baldur’s Gate style. Sprawling environments, colorful characters, and lots of expandability for different quest objectives. Larian, feel free to give me a call any time.
So, is there anything else you think potential readers need to know about Splinter Effect?
There is so much more to come! Splinter Effect is loaded with clues about what’s coming in future books.
Finally, if someone enjoys Splinter Effect, what time travel sci-fi novel or novella would you suggest they check out next while waiting for Herod’s Triangle to come out?
Not like they need my endorsement, but I really enjoyed The Rise And Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland. Very different from Splinter Effect, but a neat approach to time travel.
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is also excellent and, again, very different.
