Logic not being the strong suit here, the Time Nerds' first mission with the newly invented Infinity Ring takes them not to ancient Macedon but to 15th-century Spain. The Hystorians are opposed by a powerful group called SQ for no clear reason except that, you know, there have to be Bad Guys.

Set up by Aristotle after the premature assassination of Alexander, this secret organization is meant to identify other history-derailing Great Breaks (through intuition, apparently) and to assist travelers from the future in fixing them. Strewing early scenes with clever 'what's wrong with this picture?' references like a flag with 48 stars and the national capital as Philadelphia, Dashner hooks up self-described 'Time Nerds' Dak (mad about history), Sera (ditto science) and Riq (ditto languages), with the Hystorians. (Aug.Kicking off a multiauthor, multimedia thriller series modeled on The 39 Clues, this paint-by-numbers opener endows three teenagers with a football-sized time device and sends them back to 1492 to keep Columbus from being killed in a mutiny. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. An interactive online Infinity Ring game debuts alongside this installment the second book, Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan, arrives in November. It’s a quick, straightforward adventure with a successful mix of action, adventure, and historical substance. Via the Infinity Ring device Dak’s parents invented, Dak, Sera, and 16-year-old Hystorian Riq travel to 1492 Spain to prevent a mutiny against Christopher Columbus aboard the Santa Maria.

Passionate about history (Dak) and science (Sera), both friends are drawn into an ancient conflict between the SQ and the Hystorians, who hope to correct “Breaks” in Earth’s time line.

Dak and Sera live in an America beset by natural disasters and controlled by an organization known as the SQ (also, there are 48 states, and the U.S. “History is broken, and we need your help to fix it.” What kid could turn down an invitation like that? Not fifth-grade best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste, who star in this kickoff to the seven-book Infinity Ring series (Lisa McMann, Matt de le Peña, and others will write subsequent titles).

James dashner a mutiny in time