The Turing Protocol
A Novel
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“An incredible debut thriller where the past can be changed to save the future.” —Don Winslow, #1 internationally bestselling author
A riveting speculative historical suspense debut told in alternating timelines that asks: Will the most powerful invention in history save the world—or destroy it?
In the midst of World War Two, Enigma codebreaker Alan Turing finds himself on the brink of a discovery that will change the world: a way to send a message back into the recent past. But when his invention successfully averts disaster on D-Day, the danger it poses in the wrong hands becomes terrifyingly clear. As Turing’s enemies close in, only one decision is possible: Nautilus must be kept hidden from the world, safe in the care of the only person he can trust.
Seventy-five years later, Annabelle McIntosh’s life is upended when she learns she will become the latest custodian of the greatest secret of the modern age—Turing’s Nautilus machine. Following in her family’s footsteps, and bound by Turing’s strict principles governing the use of his creation, Annabelle is soon faced with the same impossible choices.
Weaving together past and present, The Turing Protocol honors Alan Turing—a genius who was misunderstood and persecuted by his own time—and takes the reader through pivotal moments in history, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and 9/11. All of this leads us to the present day, where Annabelle must prevent major catastrophe—but when the stakes are at their highest, is using Nautilus the perfect solution? Or a risk too dangerous to take?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Croydon, CEO of the Australian bookstore chain QBD Books, reimagines WWII codebreaker Alan Turing as an architect of time travel in his ambitious debut. In the present, British MP Annabelle McIntosh learns that she's Turing's granddaughter. Flash back to 1944, when Turing successfully uses a time machine he's invented called Nautilus to save lives on D-Day, though he remains wary of tampering too much with fate. As the war grinds on, Turing's wife, Joan Clarke, gives up their son David for adoption, and she and Turing establish a set of ethical rules for Nautilus's deployment. After WWII ends and gives way to the Cold War, Turing returns to intelligence work, only to be betrayed by real-life double agent Kim Philby. After Turing's death, Joan guards Nautilus, employing it only to avert catastrophe, while David becomes involved in espionage at great personal sacrifice. Though the shifting timelines lead to some repetition, and the wartime arc receives an outsize share of the page count, Croydon proves himself a clever reinterpreter of history. Flaws aside, this pays tribute to Turing's genius and serves as a thoughtful meditation on power, secrecy, and sacrifice in times of conflict.
