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Vital Historical Knowledge
Jigsaw: Shadow Ball follows a group of Temporal Guardians trying to preserve and repair the timeline from a ruthless organization set on altering history and erasing the racial integration of Major League Baseball. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Excellent question. I love baseball, and I have always wanted to do a story on that. However, in the vein of my formerly titled History’s Forgotten series, I wanted to focus this book on Larry Doby, the second man to break the color barrier in baseball after Jackie Robinson. Most know the story about Robinson, but not as many know about Doby, and I wanted to delve into his importance in baseball and integration in American society in general.
When discussing the civil rights movement, most people automatically think of figures like Dr. King and other politically recognized activists; the involvement of athletes is not as well known, and I appreciate that you brought this aspect into the series. Was it important for you to deliver a moral to readers, or was it circumstantial to deliver an effective novel?
Yes. I want my stories to be both entertaining and educational where readers enjoy the tale but also take away vital historical knowledge, character education lessons, and moral parables.
I find that authors sometimes ask themselves questions and let their characters answer them. Do you think this is true for your characters?
Sometimes, especially with my two major protagonists, Francesca and Noah.
I hope the series continues in other books. If so, where, and when, will the story take readers next?
The next installment in the Jigsaw Series, titled Temporal Apocalypse will be released in the spring of 2026. It will center on the post-World War I era and take place in Jerome, Arizona, the Russian-Polish war front, and Fiume off the Adriatic Coast.
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A rip in reality is spreading, and the fate of history hangs by a thread.
The ruthless organization Global Harmony has launched Project Shadow Ball, a devastating mission to erase the racial integration of Major League Baseball—rewriting the past to build their own twisted future.
Temporal Guardians Francesca and Noah are the only ones standing in their way. As they hurtle through time, they must protect baseball greats Rube Foster and Larry Doby, whose very existence is at risk.
With every pitch, every stolen base, and every moment altered, the fate of history—and the fight for truth—hangs in the balance.
Time is slipping away. The stakes have never been higher.
Can Francesca and Noah outwit their enemies before baseball’s greatest revolution is erased forever?
Or will history be rewritten in the shadows?
If they fail, history shatters. If they fall, the future is lost.
Jigsaw: Shadow Ball
Jigsaw: Shadow Ball is a thrilling time-traveling adventure that mixes sci-fi action with powerful lessons from America’s racial past. Centered around a group of Temporal Guardians trying to preserve and repair the timeline, the story follows Noah and Francesca as they battle against shadowy forces like Global Harmony and the Grey Branch Foundation. Along the way, they cross paths with historical legends such as Larry Doby, Rube Foster, and Bill Veeck, learning how Black baseball helped kickstart civil rights movements. The book deftly interweaves speculative fiction with real history, taking readers on a rollercoaster from 1897 Texas to a dystopian 1980 Phoenix ruled by fascism and eugenics.
Reading this felt like binge-watching a high-stakes Netflix series. Gordon’s writing is snappy, visual, and deeply emotional when it needs to be. The characters are flawed but brave, and the dialogue flows like people talking in real life, not stiff, not overly clever. I loved how the story used baseball as a lens to view much bigger things: racism, resistance, and the price of progress. Rube Foster’s quote, “We are the ship. All else the sea,” really stuck with me. It gave the book a kind of heartbeat. But what hit me even harder was Cheryl’s descent. Her idealism turns to horror, and watching her realize how she accidentally created a nightmare world was genuinely heartbreaking.
At times the historical exposition gets a little dense. You might be deep in a firefight or an emotional reunion, and suddenly the story drops into a history lesson. It’s good stuff, important stuff, but it can slow the pace. Still, I’d rather have a story try something ambitious than play it safe the whole time. Gordon clearly cares deeply about this history, and it shows in every scene.
I really dug this book. It’s smart, bold, and weird in the best ways. If you’re into baseball, time travel, civil rights, or just want a wild story that respects its characters and its readers, this one’s for you. Shadow Ball would be perfect for high schoolers, history buffs, teachers, or anyone who believes that stories still have the power to change the future.
Pages: 160 | ASIN : B0DXMQXXZ8
LITERARY TITAN 