Andy Weir Meets Blake Crouch In The 2020s Best Book: The Travelers by Joseph Eckert

Published Aug 28, 2026, 8:19 PM EDT Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes. Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses. They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer. In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18. Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity. Blake Crouch and Andy Weir are two of the most renowned modern sci-fi writers, and the best sci-fi book of the 2020s so far feels like the perfect combination of both. The sci-fi genre is vast, exploring everything from biology and cloning to space travel and aliens. As the genre has become more mainstream, soft sci-fi has been the most widely used format. Hard sci-fi can be seen as more inaccessible, requiring an understanding of science and math, and sometimes it reads more like a textbook than a story. However, two bestselling authors, Blake Crouch and Andy Weir, have become known for their ability to make hard sci-fi books that feel accessible, diving into human emotions without losing their scientific core. Both have become big names in recent years thanks to the on-screen adaptations of their stories. Project Hail Mary was an absolute success at the box office, and Dark Matter just returned for season 2 on Apple TV. Ballantine Books is also releasing Project Hail Mary (Deluxe Edition) this December 1st, and it's truly a gorgeous book. It’s tough to find stories that feel similar to either author, let alone both, because they are so distinctive in their narrative styles. This makes it all the more surprising that a top-notch time travel book you’ve probably never heard of, The Traveler by Joseph Eckert, feels like the perfect blend of the two. Eckert’s novel is so exciting and profound that it is a serious contender, if not the winner, of the “best sci-fi book of the 2020s” title. The Traveler Is The High-Concept & Hard Sci-Fi Of Blake Crouch & Andy Weir I’m an avid sci-fi reader, and The Traveler by Joseph Eckert is easily the best book of the year in the genre, and certainly a contender for the best of the decade so far. The story follows Scott Treder, a loving husband to Amy and father to a gifted 7-year-old named Lyle, who goes through a terrifying experience. One day, he starts slipping through time at 7:52 every morning. First, it’s 24 hours, then 48 hours, then 4 days, then 8, doubling perpetually. Each time, he only gets 24 hours to spend with his son before moving again. Unfortunately, he must reckon with the fact that his son’s life is aging so quickly that Lyle will soon be older than Scott and then gone from the world. Meanwhile, Lyle dedicates his entire life to discovering the cause of the time slips, desperate to get his father back. The first two and a half chapters of The Traveler by Joseph Eckert are available to read here. In many ways, The Traveler feels like a Blake Crouch or Andy Weir book. The story is extremely high-concept and mind-bending, using Crouch’s approach of pushing a scientific idea to its extreme. The story moves at breakneck speed and mirrors Scott’s loss of control, putting him in an impossible situation similar to that of Weir's characters. The book takes a hard-science approach to time travel. As scientists and Lyle try to understand what’s happening, he turns to real-world physics concepts such as time dilation and quantum mechanics. Both iconic authors also tend to put the ordinary person in the extraordinary position. In Weir’s writing, Project Hail Mary’s Ryland Grace is a middle school science teacher, and Artemis’s Jazz Bashara is a courier and smuggler. Meanwhile, Crouch’s Jason Dessen is a college physics professor in Dark Matter, and Barry Sutton is a New York City police detective in Recursion. Along the same lines, Joseph Eckert’s protagonist is a biology technician. Why The Traveler By Joseph Eckert Is Truly Special The Traveler is the kind of book that will appeal to folks who love sci-fi, as well as to a broader audience. Eckert makes The Traveler feel just as much like a thriller and a mystery as it does science fiction. The stakes are high. Scott could only have a few dozen days left with his son before losing him. He’s eager to get to his son every time he slips through time, and Lyle needs to find an answer to save his father. The desperation is palpable. Mysteries are also woven throughout the story, driving it forward. What’s causing the time travel? Is there a way to stop it? How will Scott survive the jumps? The story has plenty of action, making it feel like an adventure. There’s a speculative edge, imagining what the world might look like in time. Society changes, and Scott is forced to observe it. For this reason, it's not the best choice for people who need grounded realism. Still, Eckert makes it virtually impossible to stop reading for the right audience. For those who enjoy audiobooks, I highly recommend reading the book in this format, as it is narrated by the renowned Ray Porter, who has recorded over 500 audiobooks and won an Audie Award for his narration of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. On top of that, The Traveler's father-son relationship serves as an extremely effective emotional core. Multiple parts of the book can elicit tears, equal parts heartwrenching and heartwarming. It uses a completely unrelatable experience, being forced through time, to tap into very universal human experiences like loss and fear of the unknown. You’ll find yourself wanting to hold your loved ones a little tighter. As the story progresses, it also explores existential themes such as the vastness of the universe, the impermanence of the world around us, and the meaning of life. These subjects are pondered without coming across as didactic, allowing readers to reflect on their own values and beliefs. Ultimately, by combining a high-concept sci-fi with a deeper philosophical exploration, The Traveler will entertain you as much as it makes you think, making it truly special.