Jodi Taylor (1)

On the anniversary of the Battersea Barricades, former rebels Mrs Mack, Mrs Enderby and Mrs Shaw reminisce about old times over a couple of bottles of wine (courtesy of Dr Bairstow) and Max lending a listening ear while partaking of the drinks on offer.

I thought this was a very moving interlude in which those three ladies, so rarely glimpsed and barely mentioned, take centre stage. Even Max, being in the presence of people who had lived, rather than merely observed, history, is unusually quiet; there was an immense feeling of dignity and gravitas about the little gathering. As another reviewer mentioned, it did feel like the described events really happened, even though I couldn't always follow which of the three was currently talking.… (más)

The fourth volume of The Chronicles of St. Mary's is rather dark. Like the previous books, the characters travel to various time periods and historical events. These jaunts are still narrated with a liberal dose of humor and snark. Ms. Taylor does her usual good job of spinning the tale. But this time, Max is not leading teams of historians to research the past. Instead she's on the run from the bad guys, which makes for a lot more pain and bloodshed. Philosophically, I can appreciate the reframing of a typical St. Mary's novel. But, alas, it wasn't as fun to read.
--J.… (más)

Someone should have warned me that I'd need to strap myself in before picking up this book, because whoa, what a ride! I adored everything about St. Mary's: the quirky team, the time-travel elements, the interesting and inevitable politics while navigating academia.

Also, Jodi Taylor is a fabulous writer. She has a knack for humour and wit that's hard to find, but she tempers those lighthearted tendencies with some genuinely dark and emotional moments. Her prose is beautiful and sparkles with British charm.

I'm a huge fan of Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series, and this book brought me back to the first time I read DOOMSDAY BOOK, over two decades ago. Like Willis' work, this is a love letter to history and brings different time periods to life with a vividness that's almost tangible. The trips back in time are without a doubt the highlight of the book. (Although I have to say I also really enjoyed the romantic subplot - it's handled wonderfully and felt incredibly realistic.)

I do wish Taylor had stayed clear of info-dumping... there's a chapter where she threw in everything she knows about dinosaurs, and that got a little tedious. But those moments are few and far between, thankfully. I also thought the bad guys came across as stereotypical caricatures, but given just how damn propulsive this book was, I was able to overlook that. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!… (más)