Discover Amy Orrell’s debut novel

Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once

A page-turning sci-fi thriller

Tomorrow was beautiful once, and it could be again. But Jack can only choose one future…

England, 2150. Time travel has accelerated climate change and set humanity on the brink of destruction. As a Person of Mixed Era Origin with the ability to recall parallel versions of time, British historian, Jack Elliot, seems the perfect candidate to travel to the past and prevent the advent of time travel.

The catch? Success means Jack will cease to exist.

Critically injured when he arrives in the past, Jack’s life is saved by Maddie, a second-generation immigrant and resistance fighter, who mistakenly believes he’s connected to the disappearance of her sister, Suraya.

Jack’s denial soon unravels with the discovery that Suraya can lead him to his father — the man who robbed him of his mother — and the inventor of time technology.

What begins as a fragile alliance soon puts their feelings and their missions to the test. Jack’s won’t be the only life affected by his sacrifice, but does he have the right to decide who should live and who should die — and will it be worth it for the futures he and Maddie hope to create?

Praise for Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once

Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once cover image, sci-fi thriller by Amy Orrell

“Cling to your memories and hope that the world you are living in is the one you remember. In this impressive first novel, Amy Orrell creates a credible theory and practice for time travel where various factions try to manipulate time for their own benefit, and the fate of the human race. Clever and absorbing.”

— Mike Ashley
Hugo nominated author and editor, and winner of the Pilgrim Award for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship.

Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once is out now as an eBook and out in paperback on 24th March 2025.

Amy Orrell smiling whilst writing in notebook, author of science fiction, fantasy, thrillers and romantic comedy

Did you know?

  • The concept for this story was conceived during a high school English lesson. Amy still has the original, hand-written pages, complete with her teacher’s feedback.

  • Amy spent several years living between Norwich and Battersea, and knew straight away that Battersea’s iconic Power Station would feature in the story.

What you can expect from Tomorrow Was Beautiful Once:

  • Dystopian future

  • Time travel

  • Lost and unreliable memories

  • Impossible love

  • Genetic anomalies

  • Ticking clock

  • Climate change

  • Morals and ethics

  • Sacrifice and redemption

Perfect for fans of:

  • Recursion by Blake Crouch 

  • 11.22.63 by Stephen King

  • Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

  • Travellers (Netflix, 2016—18)

    • Violence

    • Death

    • Reference to sexual assault