The Complete Gideon Trilogy (Boxed Set): The Time Travelers; The Time Thief; The Time Quake

The Gideon Trilogy

by Linda Buckley-Archer

Time travel to eighteenth-century London in this complete trilogy of what Entertainment Weekly calls “a rollicking historical adventure,” now available as a collectible boxed set.

Time itself is splintering. It turns out that traveling through time has catastrophic consequences, but in 1763 London, Lord Luxon only has eyes for time travel’s awesome possibilities. He has his sights set on capturing the prize of America, and he abducts Peter and Kate from the present day in order to enact to his plan. Suddenly in another century, Peter and Kate begin to understand that history has arrived at its tipping point. And as they pursue their nemesis through the dark streets of eighteenth-century London, they realize that a monster may hold the fate of the world in his hands.

Ideal for fans of J.K. Rowling and with the lively thrills of Quantum Leap and Back to the Future , this boxed set includes paperback editions of The Time Travelers , The Time Thief , and The Time Quake .

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

1424 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2014

About the author

Linda Buckley-Archer is a London-based writer. Originally trained as a linguist and subsequently a scriptwriter, she became a novelist after writing a story for her son, who was a reluctant reader. That story became the first volume of the time-traveling GIDEON TRILOGY, which featured the dark side of 18th-century London as well as the French and American Revolutions. The trilogy was translated into ten languages. Her latest novel, THE MANY LIVES OF JOHN STONE, is published on 20th October, 2015.

Reviews

[Enrique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently I started the first book of the trilogy. Right now I think it's good because the author wrote so well at the part I'm at. The quality of the text made me want to keep reading. The text made me a bit excited at the part I'm at at the moment because of the conflict that occurred. I could easily think that it was a movie when I used my imagination while I was focused on reading. I would recommend this book to people that are in to time traveling, and adventure.

[Scot Eaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I specifically wanted to read a young adult time travel series. I love the concept of time travel, but adult series tend to get way too caught up in the mechanics and philosophy, and don't tell a good story (with the notable exception being All Our Wrong Todays). This series had some very interesting ideas and takes, such as someone being tethered to their original time, or exposure to dark matter having a lasting effect on someone. The concept of time quakes was why I picked up the book in the first place. Lord Luxon, as a villain, was particularly interesting, with a believably sinister plot. For those reasons, I'm glad I read I read the series.

It wasn't amazing though; merely good.

I am rating the series itself slightly below the ratings I gave to the individual books, because as a series, it is less than the sum of its parts. There are 3 major issues:
1. This is called the Gideon Trilogy, and I think that the AUTHOR thinks that Gideon is he most-interesting character. However, Gideon is maybe the 4th or 5th-most important character to the plot. This series is much more about Kate and her journey.
2. The 2nd book, the Time Thief, is only important to the series because of the villain's subplot. The heroes' plot in the book is largely irrelevant. I'll also note, to point #1, that Gideon doesn't even show up in this book.
3. This series has one of the worst endings I have ever read, and it retroactively colors the first 2 books. It is not a spoiler, going in, to say that in the end, all of the events of the trilogy get erased in an "it never happened" ending. The only worse ending I've read is from David Eddings' "The Dreamers".

[Sabine Bamber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had bought this series for my son about 10 years ago and decided to re-read them during the pandemic as traveling to another time and another place seemed appealing. While the book is advertised as for "Harry Potter fans," it has little in common with the wizard world. There is no magic, but the concept of time travel and the suggestion of alternative universes. The writing style is captivating and introduces the young reader to interesting vocabulary.
Book 1 "The Time Travellers" introduces the reader to the main characters: Peter, Kate, Gideon, the Tar Man, and Lord Luxon. The adventures in book 1 are self-contained, but also leave some questions open. Not until book 3 will all connections completely revealed and mysteries solved. Peter, an unhappy 12 year old accompanies his nanny to her friends in Derbyshire where he meets Kate, their daughter. Together, they are accidentally transported to 1763 London. Book 1 keeps the reader on his toes, exposes him to the sounds, smells, and mindsets of 1763 England. Th two children meet Gideon, a reluctant thief and the Tar Man, the henchman of Lord Luxon. As they become accustomed to their new surroundings, that seem in Peter's case better than the time he's left, will the children make it back to their own time unchanged?
Book 2 "The Time Thief" reveals the connections between Gideon and the Tar Man. As Dr. Dyer and a NASA scientist try to undo the consequences that their invention has caused, Kate and Peter see an alternative history of their own lives - Peter, having settled in the past, pretends to be Joshua Seymore and meets his own father. Can he deny the family connection as he has come to terms with his new life? Is Gideon the father figure that he always sought, or does he discover his father's character and realize how misguided his opinion of him was?
Book 3 "Time Quake" Find all the characters in a race to stop Lord Luxon change the history of the American colonies forever. The final book seems more confusing, even for an avid adult reader, as new parallel worlds are created every time a character travels through time. The fading of Kate is an indication how a person can lose herself in time, but the final solution seems simplistic after all the build-up.
The author shows through her dynamic characters that choices have consequences and how one person's choice can alter someone else's history. Throughout the three novels, readers are exposed to history in a unique way that helps children as young as 10 realize that each time period had something unique that its inhabitants valued.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series started out so promising. The story was exciting, and my son and I were enjoying it as I read it out loud to him. The second book started losing my son's interest. The story line just slacked off and it went into character details to a frustrating degree. I continued to read it myself, and then got to the third and last book in the series. I could not finish it. I tried scanning it but finally just gave up. The second and third books were just not coherent with the writing of the first. They were more like detailed exposes on the melancholy of the characters, while they were stuck in their situation. Normally I will finish a book or series even if its pulling teeth, just to find out how it ends. This was one case where I didn't care enough about how it ended to keep me slogging through.

[The Damsel in the Library]

*Thanks to the publisher/goodreads/author for sending me a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

DNF (barely got through the first third of book one)
Gotta be honest, this was way more juvenile than I was expecting. The kids were so whiny and annoying and the writing lackluster. I skimmed the last book to see where it ended up and of course the bad guy was Gideon's brother. The ending also seemed like a cop out with them forgetting everything. Wish I had liked it as it's a fun premise.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to a granddaughter, I read this delightful story with terrific characters, and a great finish. It is well written and grips the reader almost immediately. Loved it.

[Ellwyn Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best trilogies I've ever read. Superb writing, wonderful characters and pacing. Excellent world building.

[Varvara Krasneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book many years ago, but it is one of the few books I love to recall many years later. These 3 books were one of the first books that got me into historical fiction.