Stephen King, 11/22/63

About: High school English teacher Jake Epping slips through a time portal in the back of a greasy spoon in 2011 and emerges in 1958. His years-long mission, as the title and cover make clear: to prevent the assassination of JFK.

Verdict: I completely enjoyed being sucked into the world that King created (the "land of Ago"). It's neither idyllic nor unremittingly awful—just realistic, with sufficient charms to lure a time traveler into overstaying his visa. Throw in some temporal complications and occasional hints from the author about what is to come, and I was hooked. As many pages as this is, the book never feels too long.

Publication: 2011 · 849 pages
Rating: 5 stars