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Servants of Time
Serving Time
Life and death have been industrialized. The Forge, the birthplace of every soul, is a rumbling factory owned by the goddess Time, managed by Lucifer, and powered by the labor of demons and imps. In this dystopian world, a renegade interplanetary pilot running from his past doesn't stand a chance.
Handling Neptunian meth and dodging security cannons are all in a day’s work for Tristan Cross—not that he's one to complain. Working for the smuggling company StarCorp is an improvement over what he used to do for a living.
However, when StarCorp gives Tristan a one-way ticket into the brainwashed—and disturbingly suicidal—Loyal League, he decides to run from the company and start a new life in the only safe haven he knows: Earth. With the help of his brother, Tristan embarks on the most hazardous journey of his life, one that will place him at Time’s mercy. Little does he know the demons running the universe are craving a feast, and his own soul is the next item on the menu.
Handling Neptunian meth and dodging security cannons are all in a day’s work for Tristan Cross—not that he's one to complain. Working for the smuggling company StarCorp is an improvement over what he used to do for a living.
However, when StarCorp gives Tristan a one-way ticket into the brainwashed—and disturbingly suicidal—Loyal League, he decides to run from the company and start a new life in the only safe haven he knows: Earth. With the help of his brother, Tristan embarks on the most hazardous journey of his life, one that will place him at Time’s mercy. Little does he know the demons running the universe are craving a feast, and his own soul is the next item on the menu.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
380 pages, ebook
First published May 2, 2013
4 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 18, 2013
Review originally from my website www.floresfactor.com:
When I saw this cover art, I was instantly drawn into the idea of this story. I’ve said it before, but cover art matters, and this art work was stunning.
Serving Time follows two brothers, Tristan and Eneld Cross. Eneld finds himself abandoning his ambitions and helping his brother (with the help of a demon’s “visit.”). Tristan is far from a good person who goes from a murderer for hire to a drug mule. Together they hope to escape persecution from StarCorp.
This is a Space Opera on the grandest of scales. The world that Ducca has created is so in depth that it has to be real. You have no choice but to believe the story is one of legends rather than fiction. I have to say that the thought that went into this world and how it behaves is phenomenal.
There is not a character in this book that I don’t like. Tristan is real. He is a struggling man trying to find away to change his life against all odds. A character I can relate to. His brother, Eneld is not much “better” than his brother. He is fighting his own addictions and struggles to be the guidance counselor his brother needs.
I think Time is my favorite character in this book. Goddesses are so rarely intriguing to me. But her character is strong, she has her own problems that I can relate to, and I believed her as more of a person than a Goddess.
Robert, Time’s butler so to speak, is introduced in the prologue and I began to question why he was introduced. He doesn’t have much involvement until the middle of the story. But I like Robert, he craves power, but he wants acceptance too.
The best part about these characters is that there is no defined evil characters. There are no good guys and bad guys here. You want them all to succeed in their own way and that makes for a more believable story. In real life, good and bad are so much harder to define. The same is true of the characters in Serving Time.
The story was deep. There is so much more going on in this story than what you read in the words on the page. There is a universe full of activity going on in this story. We follow Tristan and Eneld’s story. But there is Robert’s Story, Time’s story, and even Verin’s (a demon) story. If you are looking for a story that will suck you right in, you’ve found it with this one.
If I was to put down a issue, it would come with the ending of this story. There is a strong punch at the end and it felt good to see it. Then is trails off for a bit before hitting me with the second blow and ending the book. I’d have preferred more of a one, two punch at the end. But trust me, I was far from disappointed.
Nadine Ducca has a way with words that I envy. Her prose is astounding. I only wish I could harness half her talent with words. Her descriptions engage all your senses and she has a way of describing things that most would not think of. But is works. She really makes you feel like you are part of this story.
This book is only 99 cents on Kindle. Ducca is practically giving is away at only a dollar. The bottom line is you will read this book more than once. I’d easily have paid more for this. If you’re a book collector, you’ll want to buy the paperback. As soon as I can, I’ll be adding the paperback to my collection. Some books you just have hold, Serving Time is one of those books.
This is one of those books where I wish the sequel was out now. I really don’t want to wait to read the next one. If you love science fiction, especially the depth of a true Space Opera, you’ll want this book.
When I saw this cover art, I was instantly drawn into the idea of this story. I’ve said it before, but cover art matters, and this art work was stunning.
Serving Time follows two brothers, Tristan and Eneld Cross. Eneld finds himself abandoning his ambitions and helping his brother (with the help of a demon’s “visit.”). Tristan is far from a good person who goes from a murderer for hire to a drug mule. Together they hope to escape persecution from StarCorp.
This is a Space Opera on the grandest of scales. The world that Ducca has created is so in depth that it has to be real. You have no choice but to believe the story is one of legends rather than fiction. I have to say that the thought that went into this world and how it behaves is phenomenal.
There is not a character in this book that I don’t like. Tristan is real. He is a struggling man trying to find away to change his life against all odds. A character I can relate to. His brother, Eneld is not much “better” than his brother. He is fighting his own addictions and struggles to be the guidance counselor his brother needs.
I think Time is my favorite character in this book. Goddesses are so rarely intriguing to me. But her character is strong, she has her own problems that I can relate to, and I believed her as more of a person than a Goddess.
Robert, Time’s butler so to speak, is introduced in the prologue and I began to question why he was introduced. He doesn’t have much involvement until the middle of the story. But I like Robert, he craves power, but he wants acceptance too.
The best part about these characters is that there is no defined evil characters. There are no good guys and bad guys here. You want them all to succeed in their own way and that makes for a more believable story. In real life, good and bad are so much harder to define. The same is true of the characters in Serving Time.
The story was deep. There is so much more going on in this story than what you read in the words on the page. There is a universe full of activity going on in this story. We follow Tristan and Eneld’s story. But there is Robert’s Story, Time’s story, and even Verin’s (a demon) story. If you are looking for a story that will suck you right in, you’ve found it with this one.
If I was to put down a issue, it would come with the ending of this story. There is a strong punch at the end and it felt good to see it. Then is trails off for a bit before hitting me with the second blow and ending the book. I’d have preferred more of a one, two punch at the end. But trust me, I was far from disappointed.
Nadine Ducca has a way with words that I envy. Her prose is astounding. I only wish I could harness half her talent with words. Her descriptions engage all your senses and she has a way of describing things that most would not think of. But is works. She really makes you feel like you are part of this story.
This book is only 99 cents on Kindle. Ducca is practically giving is away at only a dollar. The bottom line is you will read this book more than once. I’d easily have paid more for this. If you’re a book collector, you’ll want to buy the paperback. As soon as I can, I’ll be adding the paperback to my collection. Some books you just have hold, Serving Time is one of those books.
This is one of those books where I wish the sequel was out now. I really don’t want to wait to read the next one. If you love science fiction, especially the depth of a true Space Opera, you’ll want this book.
February 15, 2015
If you enjoy this review, please check out my reviews at bsidebookreviews.wordpress.com. I review only independently published books so you can always find something new!
On a day when I am irrevocably snowed in and the only thing I have to do is shovel out the goats for the third time, a book called “Serving Time” seems incredibly appropriate.
Reviewing “Serving Time” is a bit more convoluted than many of the books I have reviewed. I find myself unable to simply say “yes I liked it” or “no I didn’t.” This is mainly because I did like it – right from page one. And yet, when I try to consider why I did, I am too easily drawn to the things about the book that irritated me.
The world revolves around the idea that God has abandoned humanity and taken the angels with Him. Lucifer and his devils are forced into new roles as protectors and bureaucrats in order to keep the universe from completely unraveling. While the concept of “evil-as good” is concept I’ve run across before, it’s one of my favorite building blocks for a story. It hasn’t been overdone yet, and there are still dozens of new ways to work the idea.
Here, Nadine Ducca chose to have the demonic hordes overseen by the demi-goddess Time. While she is referred to as Time throughout the story, the implication is that she is the avatar of The Present and her sisters are simply too crazy to assist in the universe’s upkeep. Ducca does a wonderful job of combining her Goddesses and demons with a sci-fi space adventure and creates a new mix of genres that is wonderfully spicy.
Not only does she avoid falling into a science fiction template, Ducca does an excellent job of avoiding cliched characters in her book as well. Our protagonists are brothers – a murderer who cannot be redeemed and a junkie. Time herself is a vain, easily manipulated goddess who would rather wipe out an alien race than develop wrinkles. Her consort is a human who has sold his soul to demons in return for power and his talents to Time in exchange for near-immortality. How these characters come together to be our heroes is complex, to say the least.
As I mentioned, the book does have its downsides. The story arch was chaotic in places. There are chapters that I didn’t realize were flashbacks until they were long past. The main point of the story took about a third of the book to finally pop. All in all it was not for those with a short attention span.
While I personally found the wait worth it, I confess I felt a bit betrayed at the end when I realized all my patience was for naught. “Serving Time” is only the first book in a trilogy. Despite my scream of frustration when this was revealed however, I will be reading “Making Time” when it comes out. I have to know how this journey concludes.
In the end, “Serving Time” suited my snow day mood nicely despite its flaws. All the twists and turns made it a fun read and it never bored me. For a dedicated reader’s pallet, it is more a warm apple crisp than a perfect chocolate souffle. The up side is, that even in those areas where falls flat, “Serving Time” still tastes good. Enjoy it with a cup of tea and Time will be much kinder to you.
I can’t help but wonder though, as I wait for the next snow storm to role through, will the third installment of this book be entitled “Killing Time?”
On a day when I am irrevocably snowed in and the only thing I have to do is shovel out the goats for the third time, a book called “Serving Time” seems incredibly appropriate.
Reviewing “Serving Time” is a bit more convoluted than many of the books I have reviewed. I find myself unable to simply say “yes I liked it” or “no I didn’t.” This is mainly because I did like it – right from page one. And yet, when I try to consider why I did, I am too easily drawn to the things about the book that irritated me.
The world revolves around the idea that God has abandoned humanity and taken the angels with Him. Lucifer and his devils are forced into new roles as protectors and bureaucrats in order to keep the universe from completely unraveling. While the concept of “evil-as good” is concept I’ve run across before, it’s one of my favorite building blocks for a story. It hasn’t been overdone yet, and there are still dozens of new ways to work the idea.
Here, Nadine Ducca chose to have the demonic hordes overseen by the demi-goddess Time. While she is referred to as Time throughout the story, the implication is that she is the avatar of The Present and her sisters are simply too crazy to assist in the universe’s upkeep. Ducca does a wonderful job of combining her Goddesses and demons with a sci-fi space adventure and creates a new mix of genres that is wonderfully spicy.
Not only does she avoid falling into a science fiction template, Ducca does an excellent job of avoiding cliched characters in her book as well. Our protagonists are brothers – a murderer who cannot be redeemed and a junkie. Time herself is a vain, easily manipulated goddess who would rather wipe out an alien race than develop wrinkles. Her consort is a human who has sold his soul to demons in return for power and his talents to Time in exchange for near-immortality. How these characters come together to be our heroes is complex, to say the least.
As I mentioned, the book does have its downsides. The story arch was chaotic in places. There are chapters that I didn’t realize were flashbacks until they were long past. The main point of the story took about a third of the book to finally pop. All in all it was not for those with a short attention span.
While I personally found the wait worth it, I confess I felt a bit betrayed at the end when I realized all my patience was for naught. “Serving Time” is only the first book in a trilogy. Despite my scream of frustration when this was revealed however, I will be reading “Making Time” when it comes out. I have to know how this journey concludes.
In the end, “Serving Time” suited my snow day mood nicely despite its flaws. All the twists and turns made it a fun read and it never bored me. For a dedicated reader’s pallet, it is more a warm apple crisp than a perfect chocolate souffle. The up side is, that even in those areas where falls flat, “Serving Time” still tastes good. Enjoy it with a cup of tea and Time will be much kinder to you.
I can’t help but wonder though, as I wait for the next snow storm to role through, will the third installment of this book be entitled “Killing Time?”
September 12, 2013
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review.
To be honest, there were so many reasons for me not to want to read this book. For a start, I made a vow never to read anything from the science fantasy genre years ago because my first encounter with one was absolutely horrible. Also, I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover and this book's cover certainly isn't all that breathtaking. On top of all that, the blurb wasn't all that fascinating. Getting the book from the giveaway was a complete accident. The next thing I knew, Ducca sent me a coupon code to get the book for free from Smashwords. Somehow, that got to me in a way that she wouldn't have if she had simply attached a pdf file in her email so I decided to give the book a go. I certainly did not regret it.
Reading "Serving Time" felt very much like playing a game of "Tag" - you run round and round in circles, not really knowing what you're doing but having a great time all the same. Before you start reading this book, I must first warn you that the Prologue simply isn't the most impressive beginning that you can encounter in a book. In fact, you'd be thinking that it's one of those cliché stories you've spent your entire childhood reading. I can't guarantee that you will love the book, but I can certainly guarantee that it's not going to be the most cliché thing you've ever read, either.
I love how Ducca decided to skip the whole lovey-dovey teenage romance angst crap and give us a story of two brothers instead. Two brothers who happen to be in two different sort of mess and very much require one another to stay sane. The only problem is, I don't feel emotionally connected to either of them. I don't feel the brotherly love between them. There were so many scenes which have so much potential to be heartwarming and yet they merely made me feel like, "meh". In many ways, the two of them merely felt like two long lost friends and I had to be reminded over and over again that they were indeed siblings. Robert and Seth had a lot of potential to be great and yet I felt like both their characters fell flat. The other supporting characters weren't much better, even though I did like the rat quite a bit.
The world setting was fairly interesting, even if most of everything did not get sorted out properly. The whole concept about how Logos (the Creator of the universe) went MIA, leaving Time, Lucifer and his cronies to run the world was fun and interesting. I especially liked the part with the Triangulate Sisters. Also, I hope that we get to see more of the Cloud Stone and Imagine people in the future. The plot was interesting but as I mentioned earlier, left me feeling like I was running around in meaningless circles. The ending made me feel betrayed, angry, sad, happy, relieved and confused all at once, if that was even remotely possible..
Long story short, this is one of those stories that have a lot of potential to be great. We'll just have to stay tuned to find out how the sequel turned out to be.
To be honest, there were so many reasons for me not to want to read this book. For a start, I made a vow never to read anything from the science fantasy genre years ago because my first encounter with one was absolutely horrible. Also, I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover and this book's cover certainly isn't all that breathtaking. On top of all that, the blurb wasn't all that fascinating. Getting the book from the giveaway was a complete accident. The next thing I knew, Ducca sent me a coupon code to get the book for free from Smashwords. Somehow, that got to me in a way that she wouldn't have if she had simply attached a pdf file in her email so I decided to give the book a go. I certainly did not regret it.
Reading "Serving Time" felt very much like playing a game of "Tag" - you run round and round in circles, not really knowing what you're doing but having a great time all the same. Before you start reading this book, I must first warn you that the Prologue simply isn't the most impressive beginning that you can encounter in a book. In fact, you'd be thinking that it's one of those cliché stories you've spent your entire childhood reading. I can't guarantee that you will love the book, but I can certainly guarantee that it's not going to be the most cliché thing you've ever read, either.
I love how Ducca decided to skip the whole lovey-dovey teenage romance angst crap and give us a story of two brothers instead. Two brothers who happen to be in two different sort of mess and very much require one another to stay sane. The only problem is, I don't feel emotionally connected to either of them. I don't feel the brotherly love between them. There were so many scenes which have so much potential to be heartwarming and yet they merely made me feel like, "meh". In many ways, the two of them merely felt like two long lost friends and I had to be reminded over and over again that they were indeed siblings. Robert and Seth had a lot of potential to be great and yet I felt like both their characters fell flat. The other supporting characters weren't much better, even though I did like the rat quite a bit.
The world setting was fairly interesting, even if most of everything did not get sorted out properly. The whole concept about how Logos (the Creator of the universe) went MIA, leaving Time, Lucifer and his cronies to run the world was fun and interesting. I especially liked the part with the Triangulate Sisters. Also, I hope that we get to see more of the Cloud Stone and Imagine people in the future. The plot was interesting but as I mentioned earlier, left me feeling like I was running around in meaningless circles. The ending made me feel betrayed, angry, sad, happy, relieved and confused all at once, if that was even remotely possible..
Long story short, this is one of those stories that have a lot of potential to be great. We'll just have to stay tuned to find out how the sequel turned out to be.
May 22, 2013
I started reading this book 2 days ago, figuring it would be something I could read myself to sleep with. I was so wrong! because once I started, I couldn't stop, and it kept me AWAKE instead of putting me to sleep, lol. =D
The thing that instantly struck me was how professional and polished it was. I felt like I was reading a regularly published book, instead of self published (no offense to self publishers!)
The first 2 characters I met, I fell in love with. And that continued through out. Loved the characters! Some made me chuckle, some made me furious, some were adorable, one in particular was pretty dang sexy. ;-)
And the story is unique, unpredictable, and completely entertaining! It's definitely science fiction, but it's the great kind that doesn't leave you wondering what the heck is going on. And it's not bogged down in endlessly useless overly complicated "science fiction".
I couldn't help but think of Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" series, which is one of my all time favorites. Even so, it's not a "rip off" of the series or anything, no even close. But, if you like that series as well, I guarantee you will love this book.
highly recommended to any sci fi fan or even Fantasy. Can't wait for the follow ups!
The thing that instantly struck me was how professional and polished it was. I felt like I was reading a regularly published book, instead of self published (no offense to self publishers!)
The first 2 characters I met, I fell in love with. And that continued through out. Loved the characters! Some made me chuckle, some made me furious, some were adorable, one in particular was pretty dang sexy. ;-)
And the story is unique, unpredictable, and completely entertaining! It's definitely science fiction, but it's the great kind that doesn't leave you wondering what the heck is going on. And it's not bogged down in endlessly useless overly complicated "science fiction".
I couldn't help but think of Piers Anthony's "Incarnations of Immortality" series, which is one of my all time favorites. Even so, it's not a "rip off" of the series or anything, no even close. But, if you like that series as well, I guarantee you will love this book.
highly recommended to any sci fi fan or even Fantasy. Can't wait for the follow ups!
June 5, 2013
I’ve read a lot of books, so it isn’t often I come across one that is truly innovative. The quirky Serving Time, however, is something different. It seamlessly weaves together the science-fiction and fantasy elements of the story to create an outstanding read that isn’t a rehash of other stories. The fantasy elements dealing with reincarnation and True Selves are an interesting innovation, and the science fiction elements are believable without overbearing the characters and plot. All the main characters are fascinating and keep you cheering for their success. I especially liked the imperious goddess, Time, and Tristan, the former assassin, drug-running hero. Even the minor characters are well-developed and curiously believable despite the outrageous nature of the plot. The book kept me up late and never drags. I give it an enthusiastic five stars and high recommend it to fans of science fiction or fantasy or anyone who likes a quirky, out-of-the-mainstream tale.
June 6, 2013
Serving Time hits the ground running with vibrant characters, a complex world, and a good sense of humor. The moment that I read wrinkles in time were actual crows' feet on the face of the goddess of Time, I knew I was in for a fun ride, and the rest did not disappoint. The book kept pulling me back in and I had to keep reading until I reached the very end. I'll be looking forward to the sequel!
November 7, 2013
For this review, another thank you is in order to the LibraryThing giveaways program, and of course Nadine Ducca herself for offering the first volume of her Timekeepers trilogy.
Although I was often confused over what was going on, the original mythological background of Serving Time was strong from the beginning. The author has clearly spent time developing this mythology and shows it by demonstrating her characters' familiarity with its workings. I found Robert, the wizard who figured out how to blackmail Time, a fascinating character. He didn't play a major part until the end, though, as there is a wide cast of characters scattered across multiple planets, satellites, and outposts. And as for the story's mythology, it's far from comforting. After the Angels meant to guide souls through their many incarnations have fled, the demonic powers, kept barely in line by a frazzled Time, try to pick up the task. Nobody is particularly happy about this. Not Time, who has her own concerns. Nor the demons, who are meant to devour souls, not look after them! And who must contend with the ever-present threat of clerical work.
Things are no more comfortable on the mortal plane, where big businesses now run pretty much everything with no sense of corporate social responsibility. It forms an interesting parallel with the bureaucracy on the mythological plane. Our protagonist's Tristan's opening scene, which shows a day in his life as a hired assassin dogged by robots ready to clean up after his "job," was pulpy goodness worthy of Blade Runner, or perhaps The Fifth Element.
The demands of being a killer for hire have driven Tristan to a breakdown, making him less than useful to his bosses, who sell his contract cheap to another corporation even more lacking in concern for employee welfare. Meanwhile, Tristan's brother Eneld is visited by a demon who gives him a warning: it's his task to look after his brother's soul in this, Tristan's final incarnation before he's damned to the Respository (hell in this setting) as damaged metaphysical goods. Although the brothers may be less than convinced by this vision, they clearly have pressing problems as Tristan is pursued by his new bosses, who he's trying to escape.
The prose and tone of the story varies widely. I admit I have nitpicks--like when the Goddess Time is described as a "fifteen foot" colossus on a limitless plain. The exact number makes her size ever so slightly less impressive (I like to think most mortals won't whip out a yardstick on their first confrontation with a deity). But the dialogue is plausible and mostly snappy. There are also points where the prose becomes playfully visible-"It was on the verge of hyperventilating, if soul dew could ventilate in any way." Fun and fitting with the bizarro tone. And yet in other cases I just couldn't figure out where the author was coming from. What does it mean that Time has strands of hair "like honeyed spiderwebs"? And another thing that puzzles me, and makes me wonder how seriously the science-fiction worldbuilding is being taken: why is Tristan's drug run for his corporate overlords done under cover of an interplanetary shipment of tiramisu? Glad as I am to know we'll still be eating tiramisu centuries from now, wouldn't it be a thousand times faster and cheaper to bake it on-planet? Did nobody find this sort of suspicious?
Speaking of baked goods in the future, fruitcake and Christmas are still going strong, even as the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona has not only been completed but also fallen into ruin again (I see what Ducca did there, and it amuses me, not least because of the sense of scale it gives). All the homey anachronisms could probably be excused in the end, although I always like to see spec fic writers dream a little weirder. But the tone never quite recovered from the revelation that the highly laid-back population of the Stone Cloud spaceship call themselves "Stoners". I love puns from the likes of Peirs Anthony, but I felt rather offended on behalf of my sense of humor at that one. How much danger in Tristan's soul really in, and how much should I fear for him, in a world built with puns?
Puns aside, a sort of wordplay does go into the mythology-building of this story too, at least for fans of Madeline L'Engle. Over the ages, Time has developed quite a few *wrinkles*, and is displeased twice over when various galactic species start exploiting them for time travel--plus the apparently unforgiveable indignity of being a female deity who does not look like a teenager. I mean, Lucifer certainly isn't worried about his looks. Then again, Lucifer doesn't have the problem of being a gorgeous young woman everyone pictures as a white-bearded Father, so I guess I can cut Time some slack here. Mythological figures being irritated by mortals' mistaken impressions of them is a trope I usually enjoy, but I enjoy them because of the surprise factor; a female character being caught up in her looks is, alas, not much of a surprise. In any event, Time's vanity is assuaged by Robert's offer of a cure, in exchange for perks like power and immortality. But Time has another favorite human: Tristan, who in a past life was Time's good friend Alexia. Perhaps I only dreamed the lesbian subtext between those two, but they were certainly very close--Alexia medicated Time's vanity just as Robert does in the present, but they also went on adventures together literally to hell and back. The sweet girlfriendship plot, and Time's tendency to call Tristan "Alexia" even when he's romancing her, redeemed the otherwise disappointing representation of female characters. I warmed to Eneld only very slowly after his intro shows him in bed with a woman who he calls a slut (granted, logical thinking is never his strong point, but why is this supposed to be attractive in the character who serves as the moral center? Tristan's much more screwed up, in that he actually kills people for a living, but he's very upfront and equal-opportunity in his screwedupness). Jim Kirk spoiled me; I expect the 23rd century to be a touch more progressive, to say nothing of free love.
This story ends on a definite cliffhanger, but its resolution centers more around Robert than Tristan in my mind. This is fine, except Tristan has been the more central character, and winds up nothing but a pawn for the last chapters. His story will be continued in the sequels (Serving Time is the first of the Timekeepers Trilogy). Overall, while this story has an entertaining setup and I appreciate the devil-may-care attitude blending mythology and gritty science fiction, the sometimes corny tone and lackluster character development made it hard to lose myself in. Readers more used to irreverence in their stories (use the "Stoners" pun as a guideline) might even love it.
This review is cross-posted from Story Addict.
Although I was often confused over what was going on, the original mythological background of Serving Time was strong from the beginning. The author has clearly spent time developing this mythology and shows it by demonstrating her characters' familiarity with its workings. I found Robert, the wizard who figured out how to blackmail Time, a fascinating character. He didn't play a major part until the end, though, as there is a wide cast of characters scattered across multiple planets, satellites, and outposts. And as for the story's mythology, it's far from comforting. After the Angels meant to guide souls through their many incarnations have fled, the demonic powers, kept barely in line by a frazzled Time, try to pick up the task. Nobody is particularly happy about this. Not Time, who has her own concerns. Nor the demons, who are meant to devour souls, not look after them! And who must contend with the ever-present threat of clerical work.
Things are no more comfortable on the mortal plane, where big businesses now run pretty much everything with no sense of corporate social responsibility. It forms an interesting parallel with the bureaucracy on the mythological plane. Our protagonist's Tristan's opening scene, which shows a day in his life as a hired assassin dogged by robots ready to clean up after his "job," was pulpy goodness worthy of Blade Runner, or perhaps The Fifth Element.
The demands of being a killer for hire have driven Tristan to a breakdown, making him less than useful to his bosses, who sell his contract cheap to another corporation even more lacking in concern for employee welfare. Meanwhile, Tristan's brother Eneld is visited by a demon who gives him a warning: it's his task to look after his brother's soul in this, Tristan's final incarnation before he's damned to the Respository (hell in this setting) as damaged metaphysical goods. Although the brothers may be less than convinced by this vision, they clearly have pressing problems as Tristan is pursued by his new bosses, who he's trying to escape.
The prose and tone of the story varies widely. I admit I have nitpicks--like when the Goddess Time is described as a "fifteen foot" colossus on a limitless plain. The exact number makes her size ever so slightly less impressive (I like to think most mortals won't whip out a yardstick on their first confrontation with a deity). But the dialogue is plausible and mostly snappy. There are also points where the prose becomes playfully visible-"It was on the verge of hyperventilating, if soul dew could ventilate in any way." Fun and fitting with the bizarro tone. And yet in other cases I just couldn't figure out where the author was coming from. What does it mean that Time has strands of hair "like honeyed spiderwebs"? And another thing that puzzles me, and makes me wonder how seriously the science-fiction worldbuilding is being taken: why is Tristan's drug run for his corporate overlords done under cover of an interplanetary shipment of tiramisu? Glad as I am to know we'll still be eating tiramisu centuries from now, wouldn't it be a thousand times faster and cheaper to bake it on-planet? Did nobody find this sort of suspicious?
Speaking of baked goods in the future, fruitcake and Christmas are still going strong, even as the Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona has not only been completed but also fallen into ruin again (I see what Ducca did there, and it amuses me, not least because of the sense of scale it gives). All the homey anachronisms could probably be excused in the end, although I always like to see spec fic writers dream a little weirder. But the tone never quite recovered from the revelation that the highly laid-back population of the Stone Cloud spaceship call themselves "Stoners". I love puns from the likes of Peirs Anthony, but I felt rather offended on behalf of my sense of humor at that one. How much danger in Tristan's soul really in, and how much should I fear for him, in a world built with puns?
Puns aside, a sort of wordplay does go into the mythology-building of this story too, at least for fans of Madeline L'Engle. Over the ages, Time has developed quite a few *wrinkles*, and is displeased twice over when various galactic species start exploiting them for time travel--plus the apparently unforgiveable indignity of being a female deity who does not look like a teenager. I mean, Lucifer certainly isn't worried about his looks. Then again, Lucifer doesn't have the problem of being a gorgeous young woman everyone pictures as a white-bearded Father, so I guess I can cut Time some slack here. Mythological figures being irritated by mortals' mistaken impressions of them is a trope I usually enjoy, but I enjoy them because of the surprise factor; a female character being caught up in her looks is, alas, not much of a surprise. In any event, Time's vanity is assuaged by Robert's offer of a cure, in exchange for perks like power and immortality. But Time has another favorite human: Tristan, who in a past life was Time's good friend Alexia. Perhaps I only dreamed the lesbian subtext between those two, but they were certainly very close--Alexia medicated Time's vanity just as Robert does in the present, but they also went on adventures together literally to hell and back. The sweet girlfriendship plot, and Time's tendency to call Tristan "Alexia" even when he's romancing her, redeemed the otherwise disappointing representation of female characters. I warmed to Eneld only very slowly after his intro shows him in bed with a woman who he calls a slut (granted, logical thinking is never his strong point, but why is this supposed to be attractive in the character who serves as the moral center? Tristan's much more screwed up, in that he actually kills people for a living, but he's very upfront and equal-opportunity in his screwedupness). Jim Kirk spoiled me; I expect the 23rd century to be a touch more progressive, to say nothing of free love.
This story ends on a definite cliffhanger, but its resolution centers more around Robert than Tristan in my mind. This is fine, except Tristan has been the more central character, and winds up nothing but a pawn for the last chapters. His story will be continued in the sequels (Serving Time is the first of the Timekeepers Trilogy). Overall, while this story has an entertaining setup and I appreciate the devil-may-care attitude blending mythology and gritty science fiction, the sometimes corny tone and lackluster character development made it hard to lose myself in. Readers more used to irreverence in their stories (use the "Stoners" pun as a guideline) might even love it.
This review is cross-posted from Story Addict.
November 8, 2013
"Humans took delight in so many petty joys. If only they knew how haphazardly the universe functioned."
–The Goddess, Time, Serving Time, Ch. 8, Paragraph 4.
God and his angels have skipped out on the universe, leaving the Goddess Time and demons to run everything. This is the backdrop of the space odyssey “Serving Time” By Nadine Ducca.
“Serving Time” is a mix of Sci Fi and Fantasy, with a sprinkling of Philosophy and a dash of Dark Comedy. Does this Science Fantasy work? Let’s take a look.
Plot:
For the most part the book stays on course and is engaging, but it does take some time to get going. Part of the reason for this is all the world building and character introductions in the early chapters of the book. While necessary and enjoyable, the early chapters could have been tightened to flow a bit better with the rest of the story.
Don’t let the slower pace in the early chapters dissuade you from picking this book up. The set up and characters are interesting enough that you might not even notice the slower pace.
Once the plot does get going, the story is a page turner making you wonder how the main characters will escape. Ducca is delightfully merciless to her characters. She does not let up until the end.
The one final issue is the story ends on a cliffhanger. Believe it or not, it fits the story perfectly, yet it would have been nice to have a more complete ending. Still, this is book one of “The Timemakers Trilogy” so that ending will come in time.
Characters:
The Characters are the gems of this book. Watching them go through their trials is what makes it all worth the read.
The story centers around the Cross brothers: Tristan and Eneld. They were reborn together for the purpose of saving Tristan’s immortal soul. The book begins with Tristan as a reluctant assassin with lots of blood on his hands. Yeah, the saving of Tristan’s soul thing isn’t working out too well. Which is really bad because, it turns out, this life is his soul’s last chance for redemption. At least, when he gets back with his brother he is no longer an assassin. Instead he’s a THC brownie delivery boy.
Eneld chose to be Stan’s brother to help get him on the right path in this life. When Stan find’s him again he is a drug addict and womanizer. And he’s supposed to be the good one.
No wonder Tristan is going to hell.
The brothers are a mess but they are a fun mess to read about. I found myself caring a great deal for this murderer turned space travelling drug dealer and his druggie, engineer brother. Things take a turn for the worse when Tristan decides it’s time to turn over a new leaf and leave the drug foods business. His company disagrees and implants a brainwashing chip in his head, making him love his company and his spaceship. From that point on it becomes a race to get Tristan back to Earth to save his life, mind, and soul.
And it only gets worse from there.
On their journey, they are watched over by the master of the Universe, the Goddess Time herself. Time seems to blame Tristan’s faults on herself and wishes for his redemption. A rare flaw in her otherwise perfectly inflated ego. But she did take over running the universe when God left, so she is allowed her hubris.
Time sends out her servant Robert Westbook, the Demon Master and Necromancer, to find the brothers and bring them to her. Robert is jealous of Time’s interest in Tristan and is greedy for power. He came into Time’s service by offering her cream to smooth out her wrinkles, preventing spacefaring races from abusing them. In exchange she gave Robert one of her hairs, which he swallowed making him practically immortal.
The interaction between Time and Robert is wonderful and shows how messed up the Universe really is.
The book features: demons, cyborgs, androids, a rat-brain powered robot, crazy intergalactic colonists, wacky scientists, and Lucifer(Lucy) himself. All of them are trying their best, or worst, in a universe that is off the rails.
World building/Setting:
As the opening quote suggests the Universe is a mess. The God, Logos, set up the forge to make all mortal beings and gave all the true selves(souls) guardian keepers (angels) to guide them. He then made demons to devour all the faulty true selves and the devil to control the demons. After that he made the goddesses of Time: Past, Present(the Goddess who is running the universe), and Future. After he created this perfect balance, for no reason, he and the guardians left, leaving Time, the Devil, and his demons holding the bag.
The setting itself could make an interesting story and I hope later books will go into more depth about the history of the Universe. Fortunately, not only is the setting of the story clear, it weaved into the narrative naturally not overwhelming the reader. This setting enhances the plot and heightens the conflicts for all the characters.
I look forward to reading more about the Universe of this story.
Themes:
This story gives a satirical look at life, God, time, religion, the universe, reincarnation, good and evil, fate, demons, space travel, space colonization, human relations, and many more topics you could find in any college philosophy or sociology class. All of these topics are laced delicately within the narrative allowing the reader to be entertained and yet to think over the topics presented. And even if the reader does not agree with the ideas suggested by the story, the thought experiment presented by the tale leaves the reader with a fulfilling experience.
Grammar/Style/Word usage:
This is one of the best edited books I’ve read by a self-published author.
This quirky Science Fantasy adventure is a joy to read. You will not regret adding this gem to your collection.
–The Goddess, Time, Serving Time, Ch. 8, Paragraph 4.
God and his angels have skipped out on the universe, leaving the Goddess Time and demons to run everything. This is the backdrop of the space odyssey “Serving Time” By Nadine Ducca.
“Serving Time” is a mix of Sci Fi and Fantasy, with a sprinkling of Philosophy and a dash of Dark Comedy. Does this Science Fantasy work? Let’s take a look.
Plot:
For the most part the book stays on course and is engaging, but it does take some time to get going. Part of the reason for this is all the world building and character introductions in the early chapters of the book. While necessary and enjoyable, the early chapters could have been tightened to flow a bit better with the rest of the story.
Don’t let the slower pace in the early chapters dissuade you from picking this book up. The set up and characters are interesting enough that you might not even notice the slower pace.
Once the plot does get going, the story is a page turner making you wonder how the main characters will escape. Ducca is delightfully merciless to her characters. She does not let up until the end.
The one final issue is the story ends on a cliffhanger. Believe it or not, it fits the story perfectly, yet it would have been nice to have a more complete ending. Still, this is book one of “The Timemakers Trilogy” so that ending will come in time.
Characters:
The Characters are the gems of this book. Watching them go through their trials is what makes it all worth the read.
The story centers around the Cross brothers: Tristan and Eneld. They were reborn together for the purpose of saving Tristan’s immortal soul. The book begins with Tristan as a reluctant assassin with lots of blood on his hands. Yeah, the saving of Tristan’s soul thing isn’t working out too well. Which is really bad because, it turns out, this life is his soul’s last chance for redemption. At least, when he gets back with his brother he is no longer an assassin. Instead he’s a THC brownie delivery boy.
Eneld chose to be Stan’s brother to help get him on the right path in this life. When Stan find’s him again he is a drug addict and womanizer. And he’s supposed to be the good one.
No wonder Tristan is going to hell.
The brothers are a mess but they are a fun mess to read about. I found myself caring a great deal for this murderer turned space travelling drug dealer and his druggie, engineer brother. Things take a turn for the worse when Tristan decides it’s time to turn over a new leaf and leave the drug foods business. His company disagrees and implants a brainwashing chip in his head, making him love his company and his spaceship. From that point on it becomes a race to get Tristan back to Earth to save his life, mind, and soul.
And it only gets worse from there.
On their journey, they are watched over by the master of the Universe, the Goddess Time herself. Time seems to blame Tristan’s faults on herself and wishes for his redemption. A rare flaw in her otherwise perfectly inflated ego. But she did take over running the universe when God left, so she is allowed her hubris.
Time sends out her servant Robert Westbook, the Demon Master and Necromancer, to find the brothers and bring them to her. Robert is jealous of Time’s interest in Tristan and is greedy for power. He came into Time’s service by offering her cream to smooth out her wrinkles, preventing spacefaring races from abusing them. In exchange she gave Robert one of her hairs, which he swallowed making him practically immortal.
The interaction between Time and Robert is wonderful and shows how messed up the Universe really is.
The book features: demons, cyborgs, androids, a rat-brain powered robot, crazy intergalactic colonists, wacky scientists, and Lucifer(Lucy) himself. All of them are trying their best, or worst, in a universe that is off the rails.
World building/Setting:
As the opening quote suggests the Universe is a mess. The God, Logos, set up the forge to make all mortal beings and gave all the true selves(souls) guardian keepers (angels) to guide them. He then made demons to devour all the faulty true selves and the devil to control the demons. After that he made the goddesses of Time: Past, Present(the Goddess who is running the universe), and Future. After he created this perfect balance, for no reason, he and the guardians left, leaving Time, the Devil, and his demons holding the bag.
The setting itself could make an interesting story and I hope later books will go into more depth about the history of the Universe. Fortunately, not only is the setting of the story clear, it weaved into the narrative naturally not overwhelming the reader. This setting enhances the plot and heightens the conflicts for all the characters.
I look forward to reading more about the Universe of this story.
Themes:
This story gives a satirical look at life, God, time, religion, the universe, reincarnation, good and evil, fate, demons, space travel, space colonization, human relations, and many more topics you could find in any college philosophy or sociology class. All of these topics are laced delicately within the narrative allowing the reader to be entertained and yet to think over the topics presented. And even if the reader does not agree with the ideas suggested by the story, the thought experiment presented by the tale leaves the reader with a fulfilling experience.
Grammar/Style/Word usage:
This is one of the best edited books I’ve read by a self-published author.
This quirky Science Fantasy adventure is a joy to read. You will not regret adding this gem to your collection.
September 29, 2013
Right from paragraph one of the prologue it was clear that this was going to be something special - Ducca has a wonderfully pithy turn of phrase which she deploys liberally. In her opening lines setting the scene in a universe abandoned by Logos its creator, she describes the three goddesses who remain (past, present and future) and concludes that "With them came nostalgia, audacity, and uncertainty" from that moment I knew I was hooked.
The style of the novel is a fantasy/sci-fi cross over and I felt Ducca straddled this divide effortlessly. Not only did she create a fantasy world filled with goddesses, necromancers and demons, she managed to come up with a darkly humorous image of an almost corporate afterlife: "Life and death have been industrialised. The forge is one big company, owned by time, managed by Lucifer, powered the labour of demons and imps" I loved the image of a bunch of pen-pushing demons struggling with paperwork, working over-time trying to keep the whole shebang running and ensure that True Souls, destined for either reincarnation or the dreaded repository are processed efficiently.
The material plane that Ducca creates, and through which Tristan and Enneld travel on their picaresque and eventful journey, is a fully realised, thoroughly believable and also totally 'out-there' future world. It is filled with delicious treats such as naughty space nuns with a taste for hallucinogenic tiramisu; self-important stoner hippies flying a giant potato shaped space-ship; an eight legged mechanical bio-rat called Petey and of course the Goddess of Time herself , who can destroy time-travelling space-ships simply by applying anti-aging face-cream produced by her necromancing butler! I ask you - what's not to like!
This is a novel filled with rich detail, lots of humour (often of the dark variety) and gripping adventure. However, it is also a novel where every character is well-rounded and plausible. Both Tristan and Enneld have deeply flawed personalities and have to contend with both temptation and self-doubt in order to survive. Ducca's characters are often neither entirely good or bad, but more realistically a composite of many different qualities. She also makes both Tristan and Enneld suffer (a lot) in this novel, and as they are both such attractive characters (sexy bad-boy Tristan is my personal favourite) this just adds to their appeal - after all there's nothing sexier than when the hero becomes vulnerable...and in a world with goddesses, demons and the Loyalty League Tristan and Enneld have a lot to contend with!
This is a full-blown space-opera/picaresque sci-fi/fantasy novel with grand over-arching baroque plot-line filled with ambition, betrayal and (of course) the possibility of redemption. As the first novel in The Timemakers Trilogy it also sets the scene for future books in the series with a number of teasers and hints of what might be to come. I loved this book and I can't wait for book two: Making Time to be released!
The style of the novel is a fantasy/sci-fi cross over and I felt Ducca straddled this divide effortlessly. Not only did she create a fantasy world filled with goddesses, necromancers and demons, she managed to come up with a darkly humorous image of an almost corporate afterlife: "Life and death have been industrialised. The forge is one big company, owned by time, managed by Lucifer, powered the labour of demons and imps" I loved the image of a bunch of pen-pushing demons struggling with paperwork, working over-time trying to keep the whole shebang running and ensure that True Souls, destined for either reincarnation or the dreaded repository are processed efficiently.
The material plane that Ducca creates, and through which Tristan and Enneld travel on their picaresque and eventful journey, is a fully realised, thoroughly believable and also totally 'out-there' future world. It is filled with delicious treats such as naughty space nuns with a taste for hallucinogenic tiramisu; self-important stoner hippies flying a giant potato shaped space-ship; an eight legged mechanical bio-rat called Petey and of course the Goddess of Time herself , who can destroy time-travelling space-ships simply by applying anti-aging face-cream produced by her necromancing butler! I ask you - what's not to like!
This is a novel filled with rich detail, lots of humour (often of the dark variety) and gripping adventure. However, it is also a novel where every character is well-rounded and plausible. Both Tristan and Enneld have deeply flawed personalities and have to contend with both temptation and self-doubt in order to survive. Ducca's characters are often neither entirely good or bad, but more realistically a composite of many different qualities. She also makes both Tristan and Enneld suffer (a lot) in this novel, and as they are both such attractive characters (sexy bad-boy Tristan is my personal favourite) this just adds to their appeal - after all there's nothing sexier than when the hero becomes vulnerable...and in a world with goddesses, demons and the Loyalty League Tristan and Enneld have a lot to contend with!
This is a full-blown space-opera/picaresque sci-fi/fantasy novel with grand over-arching baroque plot-line filled with ambition, betrayal and (of course) the possibility of redemption. As the first novel in The Timemakers Trilogy it also sets the scene for future books in the series with a number of teasers and hints of what might be to come. I loved this book and I can't wait for book two: Making Time to be released!
February 7, 2014
As reviewing on Indie Books R Us:
Rating: Yay with qualifiers
It’s been awhile since I’ve been graced with a sci-fi book for the Indies pile! I was more than pleased. And this book, with its twists and turns, certainly serves up sci-fi fun times, with a bit of a twist.
We follow two brothers, Eneld and Tristan as they attempt to save each other from their personal burdens—Eneld’s drug addiction, and the shadows haunting Tristan’s past. We soon discover that Tristan’s shadows are from more than just the murders he’s committed.
I loved the book and how this spoke to relationships—not just the brother’s, but a host of other people who are involved in the unfolding story. The goddess Time and her servant Thomas also feature heavily, as well as others. A huge thanks goes to the author for providing characters without a crazy love triangle.
And this involvement, ironically, is what made a huge drawback. There are so many points of view in this book, a few of which only receive one scene in their POV, that it diluted the story’s strengths. It took me longer to really get into the story, and because of that, I wasn’t really invested until a third to halfway through. It got to the point where I almost resented having yet another throwaway POV.
I sat and thought about this for a while, and after a few days, I still feel less POVs would’ve made for a stronger, tighter, more engaging story.
Still, the ending is a whirl of problems spiralling together, and the finale was really enjoyable. I’d love to read on and see what happens after, but I really hope it’s with a few less POVs.
Rating: Yay with qualifiers
It’s been awhile since I’ve been graced with a sci-fi book for the Indies pile! I was more than pleased. And this book, with its twists and turns, certainly serves up sci-fi fun times, with a bit of a twist.
We follow two brothers, Eneld and Tristan as they attempt to save each other from their personal burdens—Eneld’s drug addiction, and the shadows haunting Tristan’s past. We soon discover that Tristan’s shadows are from more than just the murders he’s committed.
I loved the book and how this spoke to relationships—not just the brother’s, but a host of other people who are involved in the unfolding story. The goddess Time and her servant Thomas also feature heavily, as well as others. A huge thanks goes to the author for providing characters without a crazy love triangle.
And this involvement, ironically, is what made a huge drawback. There are so many points of view in this book, a few of which only receive one scene in their POV, that it diluted the story’s strengths. It took me longer to really get into the story, and because of that, I wasn’t really invested until a third to halfway through. It got to the point where I almost resented having yet another throwaway POV.
I sat and thought about this for a while, and after a few days, I still feel less POVs would’ve made for a stronger, tighter, more engaging story.
Still, the ending is a whirl of problems spiralling together, and the finale was really enjoyable. I’d love to read on and see what happens after, but I really hope it’s with a few less POVs.
February 18, 2014
I was sent an copy of this book by Netgalley and thought it would appeal to me because of the mix of science fiction/ fantasy and mythology. However I found it quite heavy going in places and the main characters were rather difficut to relate to. In fact I was more interested in the fate of Petey the bio-robotic rat and Seth, Petey's creator, than I was in Tristan and Eneld Cross. Time is supposedly very beautiful but does not gain the empathy of the reader because she seems more concerned with keeping on top of her developing wrinkles than taking care of the True Souls she says she cares about. Altogether I thought Serving Time had a good plot I was tempted to give up on it part way through because it didn't make me invest enough care for any of the characters. I don't think I would be likely to read the promised sequels.
July 23, 2014
An interesting combination of sci-fi and fantasy where gods and demons are at work behind the scenes of a space faring humanity. The gods are the anthropomorphic Greek style with faults and quirks rather than the boring omniscient killjoy types. The story also loops in reincarnation and a few other metaphysical ideas. One of the more creative premises for a story I've seen in a while.
August 6, 2013
I so wanted to like this book. Even now that I'm done I find myself thinking about the plotlines. But the book never quite came together, and the ending was disappointing and a little confusing. Disappointing.
August 21, 2014
I got this one from NetGalley.
The story sounded intriguing, but the storytelling was nothing short of ludicrous--it was just so silly that I couldn't take it seriously enough to read it.
The story sounded intriguing, but the storytelling was nothing short of ludicrous--it was just so silly that I couldn't take it seriously enough to read it.
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