A fractured future. A war across centuries. Moments of clarity and defiance that echo through time.
This curated selection of non-spoiler quotes and thematic passages highlights the voice, tension, and emotional core of The Ends of Time. Each excerpt offers a glimpse into the novella’s blend of dystopian action, time bending intrigue, and human connection.
“We won’t make the same mistakes again.”
A quiet promise forged from eight years of loss, survival, and regret.
“Waited for what? They would have known tomorrow too.”
Even in relentless pursuit, Gary sees futility in hesitation.
“I’m trying to set things right.”
Spoken to the boy he never meant to endanger, this moment reveals the wounded conscience beneath his hardened exterior.
“Don’t move.”
A simple command in the middle of chaos, one that shows his instinct to protect, even when outnumbered and outgunned.
“I don’t know.”
Ben’s trembling answer to why he followed Gary.
“I’ve never had a burger with red meat in it before.”
A small but poignant line that contrasts his world with Gary’s.
“If you’re pulling some kind of practical joke, I’m going to kick your ass.”
Josh’s personality shines through fear and disbelief. His humor is a lifeline in a world that has forgotten how to laugh.
“You asshole… you talked me into taking on the government?”
A perfect encapsulation of Josh and Gary’s dynamic, friendship held together by sarcasm, loyalty, and shared insanity.
“We just want to find our son and go home.”
The Farrows represent the heart of the human cost.
“Don’t make it any worse, honey.”
Anne’s fear and restraint underline how powerless they are in a future where every wrong word could mean disappearance.
“I am god here, Beel. Do you hear me?”
One of Thayne’s most chilling statements.
“Forget the boy. Just do as I say.”
This line crystallizes why Gary’s mission matters.
“The boy… he shouldn’t be put in danger.”
Beel’s humanity flickers, despite the oppressive system he serves. His moral conflict adds depth to the world’s bleakness.
To convey tone without spoilers, here are short, vivid, decontextualized moments drawn from the novel’s action sequences:
Gunfire shredded the walls as the doorway splintered apart. Gary ran without looking back, firing blindly behind him, each breath burning like the future he’d abandoned.
He swung the metal pole into the robot’s neck. Sparks erupted. The machine fell to its knees, its severed head tilting as if confused by the concept of dying.
He lunged into the electric blue light, feeling the bullet tear into his back as his middle finger vanished into the future.
The water erupted in fire. Gary shoved Ben beneath the surface as shockwaves rippled through the chamber, swallowing their screams in darkness.
“All this gunfire is more than I expected this soon.”
Even Gary, battle scarred and resolute, feels the weight of the endless chase.
Gary encountering his younger self forces a rare admission:
“Compared to you, you’re an idiot.”
A line both humorous and devastating.
Thayne’s rule rests on absolute obedience:
“Generations of families will just disappear.”
A threat that defines the world’s terror.
The Ends of Time is a story carved from desperation, loyalty, fractured timelines, and the fragile humanity that endures even in dystopia.
These excerpts offer only glimmers, but enough to feel the urgency, grit, and heart that drive the novel’s journey across centuries.
