Trapped in Time
by Lee Hardesty
- Graphic Violence
- Profanity
THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE FUTURE LIES IN THE PAST
When an adventurer is trapped in the distant past, the only person who can save him is his own granddaughter. The problem? She hasn’t been born yet.
When John Hammond found the time machine, he didn’t know what adventures it would lead him on, and he could not predict the sequence of events that would strand him in the distant past. Can he shape a future that will one day save him from his own mistakes?
Jenny Hammond was a child when her grandfather showed her the dinosaur tooth he wore on a cord around his neck. That moment set the trajectory of her life. Jenny had no idea of the dangers she would one day face. Only she can save her grandfather. Her existence and that of everyone she loves hangs in the balance.
Sneak Peak:
Teeth in the Night
Jenny wasn’t sure what woke her, some instinct that death was near. Perhaps it breathed on her. Jenny opened her eyes but only saw darkness. The smell made her freeze. It was a fetid smell of rotten meat, the smell of a lion or hyena that fed on carrion.
She had covered herself with cut ferns, but she could turn her head slightly and look up where she saw patches of the stars through the trees on this moonless night. Then a shape moved above her and blotted out the stars. She heard a huffing sound, and that fetid breath blew down on her like a wind.
She drew her gun and fired up into the shadow looming above her. The flash from the muzzle of the High Power lit up the inside of it’s mouth like a flashbulb, as she fired the gun down its throat. All she saw was teeth.
Jenny screamed, the sound lost as she pulled the trigger over and over, emptying the magazine of the gun as fast as she could. She pulled her arm back as the jaws snapped shut. In the flashes she saw a great head pull back. She kept firing, and then the slide locked back on the empty magazine.
She was engulfed in a darkness more complete than she had ever known, her night vision ruined. That void was filled with a roar. It was more than a sound. It surrounded her and shook her very core.
This novel is available on Amazon in print and e-book.
The e-book is also on a bunch of other small places that even I have never heard of.
The Audio Book is now up on Spotify!!! Search for Trapped in Time Lee Hardesty
Feel free to continue the story there.
Copyright © July 2025 Lee Hardesty. All Rights Reserved. Readers may not copy, alter, or steal this story.
Editing: Jason Letts, Shannon Kidd
Artwork: Tom Edwards
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Review: The Only Hope for the Future Lies in the P
Reviewed at: Chapter 18: Nairobi
Review: The Only Hope for the Future Lies in the Past
This one is an absolute treat—especially if you're into history, dinosaurs, or firearms. I happen to be all three, so this story hit every mark for me. It’s like The Time Machine and Jurassic Park had a baby, and then handed it off to someone with a deep love for detail, pacing, and character legacy. It’s part survival story, part time-travel adventure, part intergenerational mystery—and all of it works.
The writing is clear and grounded, with that classic Crichton-esque mix of speculative science and hands-on realism. Jenny is a fantastic lead: tough, smart, and grounded in a believable skillset. The firearms and survival gear descriptions are top-notch—accurate, practical, and narratively satisfying. I didn’t expect a time-travel dinosaur story to also be a love letter to well-designed gear, but it absolutely is, and I’m here for it.
The pacing is tight, the stakes are clear, and the emotional hook lands hard. There’s real weight behind Jenny’s mission, and the story respects its premise all the way through. The “timey-wimey” mechanics are used thoughtfully and with just enough unpredictability to keep things tense.
My only caveat: you really have to pay attention to the timeline and cast. I found myself flipping back a few times to recall who was where and when—but that might just be me.
I don’t say this lightly—this is almost a perfect 5 for me. Highly recommended.