The Imposed Path

The Gem Keepers Saga

Fiction - Science Fiction
432 Pages
Reviewed on 06/16/2023
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Timothy M. David is a recently retired 24 year veteran. He is an avid Sci-Fi and Comic Book fan, but enjoys horror fantasy and crime stories as well. As a hobby he would write short stories, and came up with the idea for the Gem Keepers Saga during his last overseas assignment. He enjoyed the characters and story so much, he started writing his first novel. What was expected to be a single novel, has now become an estimated seven part series. He has many other stories he would like to convert to novels, and make his author dream come true. He hopes people will enjoy his stories, and become fans of his work.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Emma Megan for Readers' Favorite

The Imposed Path: The Gem Keepers Saga by Timothy M. David is a fascinating science fiction novel. Mentor witnessed another world get decimated by the Stone Keepers, and he dared to hope that the next Gem Keepers would be able to unlock the gems' full potential and the ability to bring balance back to the universe. After losing her father and moving to a new home, Emma, a peculiar fifteen-year-old girl, met Natalie. They instantly became best friends. But once their friendship developed into true love, Emma and Natalie started to experience something weird. They discovered they had superpowers and could save other people's lives. They didn't know it yet, but they were the latest Gem Keepers chosen by a cosmic force and were about to be brought into a war they didn’t know existed. Will Emma and Natalie end this war? Will the cost of being a Gem Keeper be worth it?

I can't believe The Imposed Path is just the first book in the Gem Keepers Saga and Timothy M. David's first novel. It's the best kind of science fiction. It's complex, brilliant, and wildly imaginative. It combines science fiction, fantasy, romance, technology, and religious elements. It's an interesting read that touches on accepting one another regardless of our differences. Even though it deals with love, friendship, the dark side of human nature, a cosmic war, aliens, superpowers, portals, terrors, and unimaginable pain, I love that it focuses on the physical and emotional impact of being a hero. The Imposed Path will touch readers' hearts and make them root for the group of teenagers fighting against unimaginable evil.

Rabia Tanveer

The Imposed Path is the first book in The Gem Keepers Saga by Timothy M. David. The age-old battle between good and evil is at an all-time high, and this time, it is set in Emma’s world. Emma was a teenager when her father died, and she suddenly had to adapt to her new life. Her new school was challenging, but life was slowly becoming bearable thanks to Natalie, her new neighbor. They bonded over lost fathers and quickly fell in love. However, that was not the only thing they had in common: they also had gems inside them that made them superheroes. Being Gem Keepers was not easy, especially when they had to fight off the evil efforts of Stone Keepers and keep people safe at the same time. The Stone Keepers wanted world domination, and Emma was the hero who was meant to stop them. Was that even possible? Can two teenagers do what many adults before them couldn’t?

You don’t read a genuine superhero novel very often. The Imposed Path was an honest, action-packed superhero science fiction novel with plenty of drama, great characters, an incredible plot, and a fantastic narrative. I loved Natalie and Emma’s connection. They understood each other better than anyone else. They were like two peas in a pod who supported each other. It was a partnership, and I loved that. I was thrilled with the dialogue because it revealed so much about the characters and reflected their minds perfectly. It made me feel like I knew Emma and Natalie better than the other characters. Emma had sass while Natalie was there to calm her. The descriptions were fantastic, and author Timothy M. David made sure his readers were transported to the world of Natalie and Emma every time they opened the novel. I loved it!

Miche Arendse

Two ordinary teenage girls with similar backgrounds find love and acceptance in one another in The Imposed Path: The Gem Keepers Saga by Timothy M. David. Emma and Natalie were finally finding their own little piece of happiness in the tiny town they called home when a bright flash of light changed everything. Now with the help of Mac, they need to defend their world against the Stone Keepers together with the others chosen by the Gems.

Upon starting The Imposed Path by Timothy M. David, I soon found myself intrigued by the concept behind the story. At its core, it still follows the good versus evil theme through the opposing powers represented by the Stones and Gems, just with a modern twist. The author does an amazing job with the world-building as we start off learning about the history of the Stones and Gems before setting the stage for current events. One aspect I really enjoyed was the progression of Emma and Natalie’s relationship and how their bond related to their connection with the Gems. Their trust and openness with one another seemed to be linked to their ability to use their powers quicker than any other keepers before them.

This was an amazing and interesting read with defeated villains and quirky heroes who never intended to be heroes at all. I would definitely recommend this book and I look forward to future installments in this series and seeing how the world of Stones and Gems will progress.

Rosie Malezer

The Imposed Path is a science fiction novel written by Timothy M. David. Initially, Gem Keepers and Stone Keepers kept peace between all walks of life. When the gems fractured, harmony turned to chaos. Stone Keepers thrived on hatred, while Gem Keepers sought all that was good. This intergalactic war was unknown to the inhabitants of a nearby planet called Earth. Teenagers Emma and Natalie had recently lost their fathers and were in mourning but were brought together by fate. One evening, each was struck by something from the sky, giving them strength and power to fly and save people in disasters. They then learned that four more girls had these powers. When they teamed up, the girls met Mac, a giant blob of energy who became their mentor and trained them in their new strengths and the strength of their enemy, which would soon strike Earth. With the help of someone unexpected, a new hope was built among the girls, and for the first time, they believed they all had what it would take to save the planet and its inhabitants from complete annihilation.

Although science fiction is not my usual cup of tea, I have to say The Imposed Path is so well-written and beautifully structured that I immersed myself in the story with a genuine smile. The heroines of the tale had been through personal tragedy, which bonded them. I cried at the realism of the funeral, and the mourning and pain they felt, having lost my father recently. The characters were relatable as the story went from intense sci-fi to a family narrative. Initially, the story's human element was akin to books from my childhood by the likes of Enid Blyton, and the camaraderie and strength of friendships formed between the six teenage girls were heartwarming in every way. I believe that readers over the age of fifteen, regardless of the genre of book that they like to read, will find much enjoyment in The Imposed Path, a story of true love, growing up, loss, a love of family, and a willingness to do anything you can to survive in a situation that may destroy everything you hold dear in this world.

K.C. Finn

The Imposed Path is a work of fiction in the science fiction, fantasy, adventure, and interpersonal drama subgenres, and it forms the first novel in The Gem Keepers Saga. The work is best suited to mature teens and adult readers owing to the use of some explicit language, some violence, and moderate implied trauma and sex references. Penned by author Timothy M. David, the action centers around our protagonist, Emma, who finds herself set on a path of heroism that she cannot refuse. When she and her new compatriots are given the role of Gem Keepers, they find the fate of the Earth and all in it is in their hands, no matter the personal cost to them.

Author Timothy M. David has crafted a highly engrossing and cinematically described work of cosmic adventure that you can leap right into and find yourself blissfully lost in from the very beginning. The immersive quality of the work is immense, developed from every angle thanks to the author’s knack for vivid scene-setting, a plot with plenty of intrigue and mystery, and a set of central characters who are deeply, emotionally affected by the events all around them. The dialogue was a particular triumph for me, too, as we often get to see it work in combination with the narrative and read between the lines of Emma’s hero’s journey to feel her bravery and determination as she pushes through impossible feelings. Overall, The Imposed Path is an exciting tale of warfare and sci-fi battles that also has a deep psychological and emotional story to tell, and I’d certainly recommend it to readers seeking immersive, atmospheric, and well-penned novels.