Review of "Lizard Larson and the Time Keeper" by Gary Natoli

Score: 92+/100 (9.2+ out of 10)

Some books take you on a journey, and others rewrite the rules of time itself. Lizard Larson and the Time Keeper is a thrilling, mind-bending tale that blends the intensity of a government conspiracy with the existential weight of time manipulation.

Through Lizard Larson and the Time Keeper, Gary Natoli crafts an intricate narrative, centering on a heroine who is as stubborn as she is brilliant. Readers will find themselves tangled in the paradoxes of fate, free will, and identity, all while racing against forces that should not exist.

Elizabeth “Lizard” Larson never wanted to be a scientist like her parents. In fact, she actively avoided science, preferring art and literature over the cold, hard logic of equations. But when her parents pick her up from school one afternoon, rushing her toward Grand Central Terminal with no explanation, Lizard’s life changes in an instant. An explosion—unlike anything the world has ever seen—rips through the station, sending her parents into oblivion and landing her in the hands of a shadowy organization known as the Bureau.

As Lizard awakens in an isolated facility, she quickly realizes that nothing makes sense. Dr. Alyssa Kali, a high-ranking Bureau scientist, interrogates her under the pretense of public safety, but Lizard soon understands the truth: she is an anomaly in time, something that should not exist. Her parents' research had uncovered secrets about time itself—secrets the Warpers, an enigmatic force beyond human comprehension, are determined to erase.

Aided by the mysterious Jeret—who may be an ally or a betrayer—Lizard uncovers fragments of her parents' work, revealing that she herself is the key to the greatest time paradox in history. As the Warpers close in, intent on erasing her from existence, Lizard is forced to make an impossible choice. In a breathtaking climax, she steps outside of time itself, ensuring that no one—not the Bureau, not the Warpers—can control her fate. But in doing so, she becomes something both more and less than human, a guardian of time who can never truly go home.

Lizard is a fiercely independent and sharp-witted protagonist who grows from a rebellious teenager to someone who understands the heavy cost of her own existence. Her arc is one of self-discovery, loss, and ultimately sacrifice. She begins as a reluctant participant but ends as a force beyond time.

Dr. Alyssa Kali is a chilling antagonist who embodies control at all costs. While she initially presents herself as a scientist seeking the truth, it becomes clear that she views Lizard as an error to be corrected rather than a person to be saved.

Jeret is the classic rogue with shifting allegiances, Jeret appears to be helping Lizard but is later revealed to be working with the Warpers. His betrayal stings, but it also adds depth to the narrative, forcing Lizard to realize she cannot trust anyone in a game where the rules are constantly changing.

The titular Time Keeper is a mysterious figure who exists outside of linear reality, offering guidance but never direct interference. His cryptic warnings hint at larger cosmic stakes beyond what Lizard initially perceives. Lizard and the reader is often torn between considering him a villain, a hero, or something in between.

Likewise, there's Nick, a character who is one part love interest and one part traitor.

However, Lizard has loyal and trustworthy companions. For example, Jakson becomes one of Lizard’s closest friends and the only real tether she has to a normal life. While Mahalia (Lizard's best friend) fades from the altered timeline, Jakson somehow remains, suggesting that his connection to Lizard might be more significant than even time itself.

There are a bunch of competing organizations and special interests in this book. They range from benevolent to unscrupulous to outright villainous and antagonistic.

The Bureau is a secretive government agency tasked with researching and controlling time anomalies. Initially presented as a protective force, they are later revealed to be developing time as a weapon, with Dr. Alyssa Kali secretly working for the Warpers to eliminate threats like Lizard. Their failed Project Chronos, led by Lizard’s father, sought to manipulate time for predictive and strategic advantages but ultimately led to catastrophic consequences, including the Grand Central explosion.

The Warpers, in contrast, operate as an enigmatic force outside of time, ensuring the "natural order" remains intact by eliminating paradoxes. They view Lizard as a mistake and attempt to erase her from existence, manipulating the Bureau to achieve their goals. Meanwhile, The Time Keeper exists in a desolate, crumbling realm outside of reality, warning Lizard about the dangers of altering time and ultimately respecting her decision to step beyond its reach.

Jeret’s Resistance Network appears to be a rogue faction fighting against the Bureau, but it is later revealed to be a front for the Warpers, with Jeret betraying Lizard to serve his own interests. While his group initially provides valuable information, their true purpose is to gain access to time-related data for the Warpers' objectives.

Lurking in the background is the Corporation of Time, a powerful and mysterious organization that may be more influential than the Bureau itself. Unlike the Bureau, which operates under government oversight, the Corporation seems to function with its own independent agenda, funding secret projects and potentially shaping history for profit. Their involvement with Project Chronos suggests that they could be the ones poised to seize control in the aftermath of Lizard’s disappearance, setting the stage for future conflicts.

These forces converge around Lizard, whose ultimate decision—to step outside of time—ensures that neither the Bureau nor the Warpers can control her fate. However, her departure leaves a power vacuum, and with the Corporation of Time still intact, the war over time is far from over.

In all honesty, this book is incredibly involved and—arguably—overly complex for the cool, fun story it seems to be trying to tell. It took some of us nearly 20 hours to read, not because it's long but because it's dense and frequently failed to keep our interest for more than an hour at a time. In other words, we found ourselves closing the book and putting it away to revisit at a later time because reading it for any significant length of time was too challenging.

It's also one of those books that likes to start and stop, then go back on itself several times over. At a certain point, we ended up with multiple different versions of Lizard with their own experiences. It became a bit much.

It's a lot to follow and a lot to keep track of.

However, if you're up for a sci-fi mystery involving time-travel, this might be the book for you. Check it out on Amazon!