The plot is kind of light. It seems more like wish fulfillment by the author than what we'd normally think of as a novel. This isn't necessarily bad. The author writes well so what's written is enjoyable. But think about what you'd do if you had a time machine that would fit in your pocket. It seems that the author spent quite awhile thinking about just that. This book is his way of telling what he'd do.
There is a plot. The main character's father has vanished. The father's lawyer was asked to deliver a note in the case of the father's disappearance. The note directs the son to several qPads (presumably advanced iPads) that he's directed to destroy. Instead the son sets to figuring out the password. After a few strange incidents he figures out that they're time machines and that his father is stuck somewhere in time. He gets a friend who has a knack for languages and they set off visiting some of his father's favorite people, places, and events in history. But when they find him he's a very old man. If they go back further to rescue him when he's younger the paradox will give them heart attacks.
The rest of the book tells about their further travels in time.
Mixed in with the rest is a story about recovering documents presumed lost when the Library of Alexandria burned. Well, maybe they were stolen before the fire. And maybe the librarian helped a bit. Modern scholars are left to debate whether these anonymously sent plays really are the work of an ancient Greek playwright or just a damn good forgery.
I'm not saying the book is bad. Not at all. I enjoyed reading it. If you're a history buff or if you've fantasized about what you'd do with a time machine then this book is for you.
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