The Traveler, Joseph Eckert
The Traveler, Joseph Eckert
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The Traveler

Author: Joseph Eckert

Narrator: Ray Porter

Unabridged: 16 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/09/2026

Categories: Fiction, Science Fiction


Synopsis

Meet an extraordinary father and son in this captivating, heart-wrenching speculative debut.

This program is read by award-winning narrator Ray Porter.

It’s a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling head-long down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his cell.

7:51am. Monday, April 13th.

A blink of an eye.

7:52am. Tuesday, April 14th.

An entire 24 hours, gone.

This one moment—this first spontaneous slip—marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals. First one day lost in a blink, then two, then four, until weeks, even years, are passing him by in an instant.

Meanwhile, his wife is left to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together alone, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius seven-year-old son, will surpass him in age.

Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up—graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back.

The Traveler is the story of a reluctant time-traveler and his son, and the bond between them that even millennia cannot break. An adventure full of heartbreak, hope, and futures beyond imagination.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books

About Joseph Eckert

Joseph Eckert grew up in Northern Wisconsin before heading to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study history. He later attended the University of Iowa and received a master’s in political science. He’s been writing speculative fiction since high school and remains most interested in placing believable characters in unbelievable situations. Joseph currently lives in Greater Seattle with his wife, daughter, and grumpy old cat.

About Ray Porter

Ray Porter is a prolific voice actor that has recorded for over 100 audio books and dozens of television series, video games and video shorts.  Among his wide variety of audiobook credits are The Silver Linings Playbook, The Black Hole War, and the Joe Ledger series. He claims, “With every book I’ve done, I have found that the author has a voice and if I can just do my best to stay out of the way of that voice, then the writer will convey what he’s trying to put across. So for me, it’s really more about enabling the text and what the author is trying to say.”


Reviews

Goodreads review by Desiree on April 12, 2026

An interesting concept about slipping through time in increasing (doubling) increments. I like the first half better, where the jumps were less significant timeframes, and Scott was dealing with the real effects of these jumps affecting his life. The later jumps, of thousands of years, were a bit hard......more

Goodreads review by Jen on May 11, 2026

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher. What a fascinating read this was! I was totally captivated by this story. We meet a man who finds himself driving along when suddenly he’s bruised and bumped on the side of the road. His job is angry, his wife is......more

Goodreads review by Ꮗ€♫◗☿ ❤️ on May 13, 2026

The Traveler Is Both Epic and Intimate The following ratings are out of 5: Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘📔 World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌎 Character development: 😋😉😎🤓🤯 Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙 Narration Type: Solo Narration Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary Scott Treder is on his way to work one ordinary morning, driving about twent......more

Goodreads review by Weronika on December 06, 2025

The premise of this novel immediately drew me in. Scott Treder—an ordinary man, on an ordinary day—suddenly feels the world slip while driving his car and lands on the road, without a car (it kept going without him and hit another parked car), bruised, and with missed phone calls from annoyed boss a......more

Goodreads review by Brittany S. on May 15, 2026

Read Completed 5/15/26 | 4.25 - 4.5 stars | Book #106 of 2026 (May round this up later) This was such a unique and interesting read. I will always try a time travel story, and I'm always impressed with an author can present me with something new in the way of how the time travel works and what the c......more


Quotes

Praise for The Traveler:

"If you loved books like The Time Traveler’s Wife, then you must read this story. It’s equal parts a harrowing time-travel novel and a family drama that will tear at your heart. It’s one of my favorite debuts this year. Do not miss it.”—James Rollins, #1 New York Times bestseller of A Dragon of Black Glass

"The Traveler is high-concept adventure fiction at its best. It’s compelling, full of heart, and contains some scenes of truly haunting beauty. But more than anything this novel is addictive as hell—at every point on Scott Treder’s fabulous journey I was desperate to know what happened next!"—Gareth Brown, USA Today bestselling author of The Book of Doors

"Moving and profound … a story that's heart-rending yet a powerful cry of hope."—Claire North, author of Ithaca

"A bold, ultimately uplifting saga of one man's accelerated journey into an unknowable future and its impact on the young boy who will one day change the world."—Shelf Awareness

"Joseph Eckert has used his enviable imagination to take the reader on a fabulous journey through a multitude of futures, both awesome and horrific, until you reach the ultimate end. Seriously recommended." —Peter F. Hamilton, bestselling author of Pandora's Star