Borrowed Time

By: John Nolte

Narrated by: Jim Seybert

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Joshua Mason is an everyday man cursed with immortality.

Joshua Mason has been alive for thousands of years. He doesn't know how or why it happened, only that he can die like any man, but will always return.

When you live forever, everything you love will die, so he decided long ago to not become attached. That all changed when he met Doreen. With her, he found something more than the woman he loves, after thousands of years of wandering, he found his place in the world. Now she's dying of old age. Distraught, Joshua promises to look after Charlie, Doreen's grandson, who is thirty-six, but forever a child due to a terrible brain injury.

Keeping Charlie safe means making money to keep Charlie's world—a crumbling motel in the middle of a barren desert—afloat. Mason makes this money by selling his life on the dark web to wealthy people who enjoy the ritual of murdering him.

And now, when Mason only wants to mourn the loss of his wife, he discovers he sold his life to some very dangerous people and that Charlie is not as innocent as he seems.

©2023 John Nolte (P)2023 Tantor

I didn’t want it to end.

One of the hallmarks of a good story is the audience doesn’t want it to end. This sums up Borrowed Time for me. I know Mr. Nolte said he wanted to write a page turner, but I can only speak to the audiobook; I couldn’t stop listening. The narrator was excellent. The plot, the pace, the commentary upon the human condition, all made for an enjoyable experience. Thank you. I look forward to an independent film adaptation,

Awesome & Amazing!

I really loved this book. I hope John writes a bunch more! He's Great! Very Good Narrator!

Nolte Rocks !

John Nolte is a talented writer and storyteller. The book goes to bright happy places, and dark wicked places. Highly recommended.

I was mesmerized

Listened to it all the way through. With only a couple of breaks. The narrator was really good. Loved the ending. Masterful.

Great read

I heard about this book during an interview the author did on a podcast. I thought it sounded interesting and gave it a try. I’m so glad I did. This was a great read and you won’t regret the time spent on it. Can’t wait to see what else the author comes out with in the future.

Wonderful and disturbing

This is one of the most unique and captivating books I've ever encountered. The story is unexpected and engaging. It's also very disturbing. The premise of the protagonist living forever has been done before, but I've never read anything like this before. Several sections are quite graphic and violent, but the conclusion is surprising and satisfying. Be prepared for a storyline of both Christian faith and graphic decadence coming to a surprising conclusion.

Best book I read in the past five years

This was the best book I read in the past five years. The story and characters were beyond what I had expected. I love mystery stories, but this one was so well thought out, I'm not even sure I can describe why it was riveting and a page-turner. I would find myself staying in my car in the driveway to finish a chapter because the story was so compelling. Congratulations to the author for a job well done.

Wild Ride

Your imagination will go on a wild Ride all the way to the end. So much fun.

Refreshingly New Fiction

It’s as if peak Stephen King meets Gaiman’s American Gods, without the thinly veiled political propaganda…. Great storytelling from a great writer.

Ambitious & Clever Story

Excellent first novel. Joshua Mason has lived for millennium. He never ages, never gets old. When he gets killed, he regenerates a new body. Themes of immortality vs. mortality, indulgence and responsibility. A page-turner mashup with hints of Flannery O’Conner, Chaucer’s Pardoners Tale, Washington Irving and Cormac McCarthy. Set in a backdrop of modern day self indulgence, the ever-reaching tentacles of the state, and the denizens of power, it is a back-handed critique of modern society. it is also an exceedingly ambitious and clever story. Bravo. While a bit crass and a bit choppy in the time-sequencing, it is still a worthwhile read.