What do you think?
Rate this book
The Chronicles of St Mary's #6
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Max is back! New husband, new job, and a training regime that cannot fail – to go wrong!
Take one interim Chief Training Officer, add five recruits, mix with Joan of Arc, a baby mammoth, a duplicitous Father of History, a bombed rat, Stone Age hunters, a couple of passing policemen who should have better things to do, and Dick the Turd. Stir well, bring to the boil – and wait for the bang!
Join Max in the sixth instalment in the off-the-wall Chronicles of St Mary’s series.
Take one interim Chief Training Officer, add five recruits, mix with Joan of Arc, a baby mammoth, a duplicitous Father of History, a bombed rat, Stone Age hunters, a couple of passing policemen who should have better things to do, and Dick the Turd. Stir well, bring to the boil – and wait for the bang!
Join Max in the sixth instalment in the off-the-wall Chronicles of St Mary’s series.
310 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 2015
About the author
Jodi Taylor
100 books5,583 followersJodi Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's series, the story of a bunch of disaster prone individuals who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel! She is also the author of the Time Police series - a St Mary's spinoff and gateway into the world of an all-powerful, international organisation who are NOTHING like St Mary's. Except, when they are.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 727 reviews
February 9, 2017
Oooooh kids... you gotta place nice or someone's gonna lose an eye or an arm. Play by Hoyle's Rules, at least! Oh gosh. I guess something went wrong.
This book had a whole bunch of great time-travel locations, some of which I'd give an arm to visit, too. To see the Neanderthals and Modern Humans coexisting and working together? See the harsh conditions and the Mammoths? Maybe sneak one back to the future? No, no, we wouldn't do that. Certainly not. That's against regs and watch your feet... it looks like someone left us a little present in the hallway... Markham???? Is this your work???
Of course, there were a whole bunch of other great locations, and who would have believed that someone might have signed off for a bunch of stupid kids to be dropped in the middle of the battle where Richard the Third bit it. Not me!
I'm really loving this series. I think it might possibly go on forever, if only we could keep some of these poor recruits and old-timers alive. Yeah. There's more death. Two, this time. This is getting hard on my poor heart.
At least there's a really, really good surprise at the very end of the book. I mean, at first glance, it could be sooo great, right? And then there was that bit of foreshadowing after a certain nailed-it exercise of Max's and no.... that couldn't be, could it???
Well, Max will go down as a legend and a... no, no spoilers. This series is just too good to miss. :) Perfect voice, perfect speed, and perfect locations. :)
This book had a whole bunch of great time-travel locations, some of which I'd give an arm to visit, too. To see the Neanderthals and Modern Humans coexisting and working together? See the harsh conditions and the Mammoths? Maybe sneak one back to the future? No, no, we wouldn't do that. Certainly not. That's against regs and watch your feet... it looks like someone left us a little present in the hallway... Markham???? Is this your work???
Of course, there were a whole bunch of other great locations, and who would have believed that someone might have signed off for a bunch of stupid kids to be dropped in the middle of the battle where Richard the Third bit it. Not me!
I'm really loving this series. I think it might possibly go on forever, if only we could keep some of these poor recruits and old-timers alive. Yeah. There's more death. Two, this time. This is getting hard on my poor heart.
At least there's a really, really good surprise at the very end of the book. I mean, at first glance, it could be sooo great, right? And then there was that bit of foreshadowing after a certain nailed-it exercise of Max's and no.... that couldn't be, could it???
Well, Max will go down as a legend and a... no, no spoilers. This series is just too good to miss. :) Perfect voice, perfect speed, and perfect locations. :)
June 25, 2019
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The sixth instalment in the St Mary’s series finds our heroes hurtling through the Pleistocene period, the Valley of the Kings and a fiery encounter with Joan of Arc, among others. This time Max is forced out of her comfort zone, having switched roles with Tim Peterson, in order to train a bunch of new recruits in the ways of St Mary’s. As usual, the disaster magnets can’t seem to manage a simple ‘jump’ with experiencing some kind of incident. Normally involving violent contemporaries or a vengeful History.
This certainly picks up the pace compared to the previous novel, as Max struggles to get to grips with embracing a more ‘cuddly’ sensitive side. Unlike Peterson, who naturally oozes calm and charisma, Max is a bit more prickly - and it was fun seeing her try and suss out her new trainees. The new characters are also a lot of fun too, from the frosty North and enigmatic Hoyle to tiny terror Sykes and oddball Lingoss. They have injected a lot of humour and dimension to the story, while still fitting around the original dysfunctional gang. As Max herself points out, most people either fit in at St Mary’s or they don’t. It certainly seems to require a high level of insanity at any rate, coupled with an ability to undertake crazy experiments, such as exploding pigs in coffins and concealing cats called Vortigern in bedpans.
I loved all the time periods explored this time around, especially the jump to the Ice Age, which seemed different enough from all the previous jumps to be both deeply entertaining and fascinating. To walk alongside our ancestors, and watch them hunt, must be a wonderful sight to see. Also, I want my own Mary Mammoth. The conclusion here also ends on a high, after a dramatic battle filled jump to Bosworth, with hints of big changes to come in future instalments both from the ‘big bad’ that is Clive Ronan and on a more personal level too. St Mary’s might not ever be the same again for Max.
A high jinks historical adventure perfect for those looking for madcapped and humour filled stories coupled with an educational look at some of history’s most important time periods. I really love this series.
The sixth instalment in the St Mary’s series finds our heroes hurtling through the Pleistocene period, the Valley of the Kings and a fiery encounter with Joan of Arc, among others. This time Max is forced out of her comfort zone, having switched roles with Tim Peterson, in order to train a bunch of new recruits in the ways of St Mary’s. As usual, the disaster magnets can’t seem to manage a simple ‘jump’ with experiencing some kind of incident. Normally involving violent contemporaries or a vengeful History.
This certainly picks up the pace compared to the previous novel, as Max struggles to get to grips with embracing a more ‘cuddly’ sensitive side. Unlike Peterson, who naturally oozes calm and charisma, Max is a bit more prickly - and it was fun seeing her try and suss out her new trainees. The new characters are also a lot of fun too, from the frosty North and enigmatic Hoyle to tiny terror Sykes and oddball Lingoss. They have injected a lot of humour and dimension to the story, while still fitting around the original dysfunctional gang. As Max herself points out, most people either fit in at St Mary’s or they don’t. It certainly seems to require a high level of insanity at any rate, coupled with an ability to undertake crazy experiments, such as exploding pigs in coffins and concealing cats called Vortigern in bedpans.
I loved all the time periods explored this time around, especially the jump to the Ice Age, which seemed different enough from all the previous jumps to be both deeply entertaining and fascinating. To walk alongside our ancestors, and watch them hunt, must be a wonderful sight to see. Also, I want my own Mary Mammoth. The conclusion here also ends on a high, after a dramatic battle filled jump to Bosworth, with hints of big changes to come in future instalments both from the ‘big bad’ that is Clive Ronan and on a more personal level too. St Mary’s might not ever be the same again for Max.
A high jinks historical adventure perfect for those looking for madcapped and humour filled stories coupled with an educational look at some of history’s most important time periods. I really love this series.
March 5, 2018
Again Max finds herself hurtled through time where everything that could go wrong does but in totally unexpected ways and this time she has students with her. St. Mary’s will never be the same if any of the students actually make it to graduation.
Since Max is on the mend after all the trouble she put herself through in prior books it was though wise by the powers that be for her and Peterson to switch roles for a little while and have Max give teaching a go. This leads to all kinds of new mayhem and hilarity. We all know what the regular graduation rate is for St. Mary’s but with Max in the mix they will be lucky if any recruits make it to graduation.
As always I love the jaunts into history that never go where you think they will. This is my first 5 star read of the series but Jodi Taylor continues to not be afraid to torture her main character, this time with an American student (the horror). Not to mention throwing some characters right into the line of fire and if you’ve read any of her prior books you know they don’t always make it out alive.
I liked the overall plot of this book and having the trainees in tow really gave Max’s character even more depth and she had students to torture a little so fun for everyone involved.
Plus that little tid-bit at the end should make things in the future even more interesting for our Historical Heroine.
“These days, people actually sought me out and asked me for advice on personal relationships, romantic problems, and social issues which, quite honestly, is a bit like asking an anorexic for recipes.”
Since Max is on the mend after all the trouble she put herself through in prior books it was though wise by the powers that be for her and Peterson to switch roles for a little while and have Max give teaching a go. This leads to all kinds of new mayhem and hilarity. We all know what the regular graduation rate is for St. Mary’s but with Max in the mix they will be lucky if any recruits make it to graduation.
As always I love the jaunts into history that never go where you think they will. This is my first 5 star read of the series but Jodi Taylor continues to not be afraid to torture her main character, this time with an American student (the horror). Not to mention throwing some characters right into the line of fire and if you’ve read any of her prior books you know they don’t always make it out alive.
I liked the overall plot of this book and having the trainees in tow really gave Max’s character even more depth and she had students to torture a little so fun for everyone involved.
Plus that little tid-bit at the end should make things in the future even more interesting for our Historical Heroine.
February 6, 2021
Max is Chief Training officer and not very enthused about it or her trainees.
Travels to see poor Joan of Arc burning, a visit to the Stone Age era, the subsequent baby mammoth escapade, and a little tragedy at the battle of Bosworth.
Travels to see poor Joan of Arc burning, a visit to the Stone Age era, the subsequent baby mammoth escapade, and a little tragedy at the battle of Bosworth.
November 16, 2015
That three might be a little harsh, but it'll be lost in the sea of 5-star ratings anyway, and is there for a reason, despite how wonderful many things in this book were. (This is the first novel I've listened to, after really liking the narrator on the short stories, which I'd read but were being offered free on Audible. I wish it were possible to give a separate rating for performance, as I loved it so much I may get 4 & 5 on audio although I have the ebooks already.)
I'm not sure any friends are up to this latest book, so I'm trying to do a bit of indication of where my dissatisfaction lay and whether it has much to do with the series as a whole or not, as well as an issue which isn't a spoiler for people who've read through at least #4, and will try to indicate which spoiler cuts are which.
Firstly, there is as much humour as in all the other books, and occasionally it's slightly retreaded, occasionally it ties in with my belief that there are some problems with consistency developing over the series, but sometimes it's just wonderful. I was particularly taken with the non-dialogue between Max and Mrs Partridge in which each alternately 'said nothing in a manner that indicated...'. Guess who won? Seeing Max in charge of a bunch of trainees was fun too, for the most part, although possibly nobody could have been a worse choice than Max for teacher if you actually wanted any kind of survival rate. (St Mary's is, as I said about the first book, remarkably able to keep going with their attrition rate.) And as usual, even when frustrated and making cranky noises about the things that were wrong, I got teary at points where I was supposed to. As I again said about the first book, this is not like To Say Nothing of the Dog in that people die, and not just contemps, either. It was genuinely moving, even while not always making sense.
There were five outings into history in this book, and I'd rate them as 1) pretty good; 2) great; 3) a bit fillerish possibly; 4) terrible in almost every way and 5) good but with a seriously off ending. The first was back to the Valley of the Kings just before the huge storm that had washed soil and debris down to cover Tutankhamun's tomb, leaving it intact for discovery in the early 1900s. If you're willing to brush aside the sheer implausibility of their wrong-going on this trip ; allow Max to tell the endangered member of the team 'We're St Mary's and we never leave our people behind' when this person knew, and had known for many years, that he was part of St Mary's; and ignore the oddly repetitive writing at points, it's a solid adventure. Also one that makes sense as an exciting and interesting assignment for trainees, which some just don't.
The second outing was fun and sometimes funny and had an unexpectedly chaotic outcome, so I won't say anything more about it than that. The third I expected to be more of a delight than it was, but again, no major complaints. The fourth, though. Not one single thing about it made sense to me, and it annoyed me on top of all the non-sense-making too. What they did was go back to watch Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. Having listened shortly after to The Very First Damned Thing, which tells of Dr Bairstow's efforts in setting up St Mary's, I was even more confused about the worth of taking trainees to see this very well-documented event. Max *says* that historians have to watch people die all the time, and it was important to spot the trainees who wouldn't be able to cope, but when they're there, sitting and watching an agonising and slow death, she says their job is to bear witness. But then why Joan of Arc, about whom both historians and religious authorities have written much, and not any of the often nameless women burned as witches, say? The line Dr Bairstow gives for the use of time-travel (though he will never allow it be called that) is that it's important there be a 'record of events as they actually occurred; not the politically airbrushed record or religious wishful thinking, or the socially acceptable version, but the often inconvenient truth'. So again, even if the historians do want to learn something of the truth of Joan of Arc's life, what can be gained from watching her burn? Max also trots out a lot of stuff about how nobody tells you how horrific burning at the stake really is, which made me wonder what history *she* had been reading, although perhaps it's historical fiction she's missed.
In the midst of what began to seem like gratuitous horror, both for the poor trainees and for readers, Max then said that Joan had been deserted both by the King of France and her God. Which was just irritating. She's said before, I think, that she's got no religious beliefs, and that's fine. But equating a human leader who'd been glad enough of Joan's military aid and then apparently equally happy to abandon her to the English with God, because she was being killed, is neither historical thinking nor rational either. If there's no God, there's no God to abandon her. If you believe there is, or even might be, then you have to see that Joan's death is not evidence, let alone proof, of her having been abandoned. We all die, which I'd have thought most historians would have realised at some point.
And there just keep being problems, though these are fairly big spoilers for this book, and one is irrelevant to the series inconsistencies I mentioned anyway. The one that isn't irrelevant involves the oft-stated certainty that History will act to prevent historians changing the past. Some of it is your typical time-travel paradox, where killing a contemporary means that you could have killed an ancestor so wouldn't exist to kill them. Saving someone who shouldn't have been saved might result in someone else's death, etc, etc. On the other hand, some of it seems a more active intervention, or prevention of an historian intervention, except when History (seen in the person of wants the change. Yes, that comes across as a bit muddled, but it's not so messy I'd usually get bumped out of the story. Here, though, it gets too senseless...
And the final assignment. It started so well, and went so wrong, though *not* in the way Max/the author meant. Again, there were characters who didn't make much sense And in going for a tearjerker bit of St Mary's team spirit and all, Max appeared to make a leap to saying that things (or this one, convenient to plot thing) that have been recorded as having happened, wouldn't have happened if they hadn't jumped back and *made* it happen. Thereby reversing the logic of the whole first assignment, in which their presence would have made it NOT happen the right way. Also, sorry, but if a freaking great destrier has stepped on your chest, I think you don't have time for much of anything.
Finally, the big bombshell of an ending didn't surprise me at all, and has the potential to be really aggravating, if Max doesn't change (A LOT) as a result. Which on evidence of past behaviour.... My final gripe/bemusement is another spoiler, although this is only a spoiler if you haven't read book 4, and otherwise safe enough.
I'm not sure any friends are up to this latest book, so I'm trying to do a bit of indication of where my dissatisfaction lay and whether it has much to do with the series as a whole or not, as well as an issue which isn't a spoiler for people who've read through at least #4, and will try to indicate which spoiler cuts are which.
Firstly, there is as much humour as in all the other books, and occasionally it's slightly retreaded, occasionally it ties in with my belief that there are some problems with consistency developing over the series, but sometimes it's just wonderful. I was particularly taken with the non-dialogue between Max and Mrs Partridge in which each alternately 'said nothing in a manner that indicated...'. Guess who won? Seeing Max in charge of a bunch of trainees was fun too, for the most part, although possibly nobody could have been a worse choice than Max for teacher if you actually wanted any kind of survival rate. (St Mary's is, as I said about the first book, remarkably able to keep going with their attrition rate.) And as usual, even when frustrated and making cranky noises about the things that were wrong, I got teary at points where I was supposed to. As I again said about the first book, this is not like To Say Nothing of the Dog in that people die, and not just contemps, either. It was genuinely moving, even while not always making sense.
There were five outings into history in this book, and I'd rate them as 1) pretty good; 2) great; 3) a bit fillerish possibly; 4) terrible in almost every way and 5) good but with a seriously off ending. The first was back to the Valley of the Kings just before the huge storm that had washed soil and debris down to cover Tutankhamun's tomb, leaving it intact for discovery in the early 1900s. If you're willing to brush aside the sheer implausibility of their wrong-going on this trip ; allow Max to tell the endangered member of the team 'We're St Mary's and we never leave our people behind' when this person knew, and had known for many years, that he was part of St Mary's; and ignore the oddly repetitive writing at points, it's a solid adventure. Also one that makes sense as an exciting and interesting assignment for trainees, which some just don't.
The second outing was fun and sometimes funny and had an unexpectedly chaotic outcome, so I won't say anything more about it than that. The third I expected to be more of a delight than it was, but again, no major complaints. The fourth, though. Not one single thing about it made sense to me, and it annoyed me on top of all the non-sense-making too. What they did was go back to watch Joan of Arc being burned at the stake. Having listened shortly after to The Very First Damned Thing, which tells of Dr Bairstow's efforts in setting up St Mary's, I was even more confused about the worth of taking trainees to see this very well-documented event. Max *says* that historians have to watch people die all the time, and it was important to spot the trainees who wouldn't be able to cope, but when they're there, sitting and watching an agonising and slow death, she says their job is to bear witness. But then why Joan of Arc, about whom both historians and religious authorities have written much, and not any of the often nameless women burned as witches, say? The line Dr Bairstow gives for the use of time-travel (though he will never allow it be called that) is that it's important there be a 'record of events as they actually occurred; not the politically airbrushed record or religious wishful thinking, or the socially acceptable version, but the often inconvenient truth'. So again, even if the historians do want to learn something of the truth of Joan of Arc's life, what can be gained from watching her burn? Max also trots out a lot of stuff about how nobody tells you how horrific burning at the stake really is, which made me wonder what history *she* had been reading, although perhaps it's historical fiction she's missed.
In the midst of what began to seem like gratuitous horror, both for the poor trainees and for readers, Max then said that Joan had been deserted both by the King of France and her God. Which was just irritating. She's said before, I think, that she's got no religious beliefs, and that's fine. But equating a human leader who'd been glad enough of Joan's military aid and then apparently equally happy to abandon her to the English with God, because she was being killed, is neither historical thinking nor rational either. If there's no God, there's no God to abandon her. If you believe there is, or even might be, then you have to see that Joan's death is not evidence, let alone proof, of her having been abandoned. We all die, which I'd have thought most historians would have realised at some point.
And there just keep being problems, though these are fairly big spoilers for this book, and one is irrelevant to the series inconsistencies I mentioned anyway. The one that isn't irrelevant involves the oft-stated certainty that History will act to prevent historians changing the past. Some of it is your typical time-travel paradox, where killing a contemporary means that you could have killed an ancestor so wouldn't exist to kill them. Saving someone who shouldn't have been saved might result in someone else's death, etc, etc. On the other hand, some of it seems a more active intervention, or prevention of an historian intervention, except when History (seen in the person of wants the change. Yes, that comes across as a bit muddled, but it's not so messy I'd usually get bumped out of the story. Here, though, it gets too senseless...
And the final assignment. It started so well, and went so wrong, though *not* in the way Max/the author meant. Again, there were characters who didn't make much sense And in going for a tearjerker bit of St Mary's team spirit and all, Max appeared to make a leap to saying that things (or this one, convenient to plot thing) that have been recorded as having happened, wouldn't have happened if they hadn't jumped back and *made* it happen. Thereby reversing the logic of the whole first assignment, in which their presence would have made it NOT happen the right way. Also, sorry, but if a freaking great destrier has stepped on your chest, I think you don't have time for much of anything.
Finally, the big bombshell of an ending didn't surprise me at all, and has the potential to be really aggravating, if Max doesn't change (A LOT) as a result. Which on evidence of past behaviour.... My final gripe/bemusement is another spoiler, although this is only a spoiler if you haven't read book 4, and otherwise safe enough.
January 20, 2025
Solo Series Read 2024 - 2025
This is the sixth book in the series. After suffering injuries in the previous adventure, Max is now the Chief Training Officer, and St Mary’s has finally got some new trainees, 5 of them.
Setting out the whole programme, Max intends to expose them to Joan of Arc, prehistoric man, the father of history (Herodotus) and Richard the Third. All quite safe, well as safe as the “historians” can make it, so when supervised by Max and the security department, what could possibly go wrong.
The 5 trainees are a real mixture, from an up tight silent type, to an extrovert with a vast Mohican, to a very self confident outgoing young woman. Max wonders how many of them will make it through the training schedule and how on earth she is going to to cope with this new role.
Well as ever things do go wrong, hugely wrong and Dr Bairstow, St Mary’s Director, has to have words with Max, is she sure they should be going on so many jaunts when they are so junior ?
As ever the writing is excellent and the humour, pathos and sadness just leap off the page. And without getting bored or jaded by this series I’m on to the next !
This is the sixth book in the series. After suffering injuries in the previous adventure, Max is now the Chief Training Officer, and St Mary’s has finally got some new trainees, 5 of them.
Setting out the whole programme, Max intends to expose them to Joan of Arc, prehistoric man, the father of history (Herodotus) and Richard the Third. All quite safe, well as safe as the “historians” can make it, so when supervised by Max and the security department, what could possibly go wrong.
The 5 trainees are a real mixture, from an up tight silent type, to an extrovert with a vast Mohican, to a very self confident outgoing young woman. Max wonders how many of them will make it through the training schedule and how on earth she is going to to cope with this new role.
Well as ever things do go wrong, hugely wrong and Dr Bairstow, St Mary’s Director, has to have words with Max, is she sure they should be going on so many jaunts when they are so junior ?
As ever the writing is excellent and the humour, pathos and sadness just leap off the page. And without getting bored or jaded by this series I’m on to the next !
August 16, 2016
What could possibly go wrong?
What indeed?! I mean, hasn't Max learnt that You Never Should Say That! :O)
Anyway, another great instalment in the St Mary's adventures. Taylor is just amazing at turning seemingly dry historical events into vivid sequences, often very violent, always fascinating. In this instance, we have a trip to the Valley of the Kings and the Stone Age (Cro Magnons and Neanderthals co-existing, not forgetting mammoths of course), but also Herodotus, Jeanne d'Arc's execution, Victorian England and finally the battle of Bosworth on that fateful 22nd August (I like my roses white, historically). Any teacher out there, seriously, use this to grab your students' attention.
If this wasn't enough, the author adds complex and ever so likeable/hateful characters to the mixture, and makes us care about them! Finally, a heavy dosage of humour and tea drinking. Hey presto, you have a winning and irresistible result.
What indeed?! I mean, hasn't Max learnt that You Never Should Say That! :O)
Anyway, another great instalment in the St Mary's adventures. Taylor is just amazing at turning seemingly dry historical events into vivid sequences, often very violent, always fascinating. In this instance, we have a trip to the Valley of the Kings and the Stone Age (Cro Magnons and Neanderthals co-existing, not forgetting mammoths of course), but also Herodotus, Jeanne d'Arc's execution, Victorian England and finally the battle of Bosworth on that fateful 22nd August (I like my roses white, historically). Any teacher out there, seriously, use this to grab your students' attention.
If this wasn't enough, the author adds complex and ever so likeable/hateful characters to the mixture, and makes us care about them! Finally, a heavy dosage of humour and tea drinking. Hey presto, you have a winning and irresistible result.
April 2, 2017
Some days are better than others. These days, the good ones are sufficiently distant from each other that I go looking for them. This book was purchased to make one of those journeys.
Success. Good day had. Opened to "List of Characters", got to "Henry Tudor__A man who would drink his own bathwater", had a long guffaw, and the pages turned and the chuckles got chuckled and the sniffs over the required tragedies got sniffed and Herodotus will absolutely never be the same in my eyes...then the last page and the spoiler to end all spoilers appeared in type.
It's a good'un. I'm thrilled to say the formula is still as mother's milk to me.
Success. Good day had. Opened to "List of Characters", got to "Henry Tudor__A man who would drink his own bathwater", had a long guffaw, and the pages turned and the chuckles got chuckled and the sniffs over the required tragedies got sniffed and Herodotus will absolutely never be the same in my eyes...then the last page and the spoiler to end all spoilers appeared in type.
It's a good'un. I'm thrilled to say the formula is still as mother's milk to me.
February 26, 2018
If you've read any of the books in this series you'd know that this title is simply a challenge to fate. Every time I heard Max utter those words I knew that things will go from bad to worse. The St Mary's are just natural disaster waiting to happen. But damn they're funny. You just need to get used to them :)
February 7, 2017
This one was so much fun!!!! It follows Max in a new role as training officer. She's in charge of the course for 5 new trainee historians as they try to settle in to the crazy world of St Marys.
What I found most enjoyable about this one is just how many jumps into the past we have and the way the characters keep being built upon. I've really really enjoyed getting to see some of the side characters come into their own and get backstories, and the new trainees are also a hoot :)
Great fun as ever :) 4.5*s
What I found most enjoyable about this one is just how many jumps into the past we have and the way the characters keep being built upon. I've really really enjoyed getting to see some of the side characters come into their own and get backstories, and the new trainees are also a hoot :)
Great fun as ever :) 4.5*s
November 30, 2017
Many laugh out loud moments as usual. A real smorgasbord of times and location. Max is such a fantastic character. In fact the whole cast are great. And as usual, the audio was fab! With this ending, it will interesting to see how life adjusts in the next volume.
December 14, 2024
What Could Possibly Go Wrong is the sixth outing for St Mary's and Max's life seems simpler - married to Leon and heading up the training department, she ought to be a lot safer. But this is Max and her trainees seem hellbent on getting themselves into trouble.
With trips to see the father of history, Herodotus, the opening of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and (for the violent death part) the burning of St Joan amongst other outings what could possibly go wrong.
Well, add new trainees like North and Sykes, who loathe each other, Lingloss who doesn't want to play by the rules along with a rather intense young man who reminds everyone of someone else - you know that nothing will go smoothly. Add Max and Markham to the mix and the results are surprising to say the least.
I think the only parts of Jodi Taylor's books that irritate me are the inevitable love scenes between Max and Leon, which have always felt out of place in such a funny book and the fact that no mission ever seems to go off without incident. If I were Thirsk I'd find another bunch of time travellers to do the observing but then again the books would be terribly dull if St Mary's weren't such awful disaster magnets.
With trips to see the father of history, Herodotus, the opening of the Clifton Suspension Bridge and (for the violent death part) the burning of St Joan amongst other outings what could possibly go wrong.
Well, add new trainees like North and Sykes, who loathe each other, Lingloss who doesn't want to play by the rules along with a rather intense young man who reminds everyone of someone else - you know that nothing will go smoothly. Add Max and Markham to the mix and the results are surprising to say the least.
I think the only parts of Jodi Taylor's books that irritate me are the inevitable love scenes between Max and Leon, which have always felt out of place in such a funny book and the fact that no mission ever seems to go off without incident. If I were Thirsk I'd find another bunch of time travellers to do the observing but then again the books would be terribly dull if St Mary's weren't such awful disaster magnets.
November 13, 2016
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Anyone asking this in relation to St Mary's must be either very brave or very stupid. The disaster magnets are back and the chaos will only be bigger this time as Max is set to train a new bunch of them. Lots of nice adventures in this one, but it is slightly darker then the previous one, I think.
While I've enjoyed all the novels in this series so far, it was not before this book that I fully realized how much I liked it. It might easily be one of the best series I've read in the last few years. It's easy reading, but it is so much fun. That's why I've been reading them all back to back, but with this sixth book, I'm almost at the end (and I don't want it to end).
What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Anyone asking this in relation to St Mary's must be either very brave or very stupid. The disaster magnets are back and the chaos will only be bigger this time as Max is set to train a new bunch of them. Lots of nice adventures in this one, but it is slightly darker then the previous one, I think.
While I've enjoyed all the novels in this series so far, it was not before this book that I fully realized how much I liked it. It might easily be one of the best series I've read in the last few years. It's easy reading, but it is so much fun. That's why I've been reading them all back to back, but with this sixth book, I'm almost at the end (and I don't want it to end).
August 15, 2017
I'm undecided whether or not I enjoy this series. There's much to like about it, the time travel, the historians, the humour etc. But. The plots are reasonably repetitive, Max often acts like a total arsehole and every time they go on a mission, despite the oft stated non interference guidelines, they act like fucking amateurs. Every single time.
July 2, 2022
Another fab trip to St. Mary's with the usual mayhem, investigations, new historians and general chaos and laughs. Looking forward to the next instalment after that ending!
May 16, 2017
Seriously, if you haven't read Just One Damned Thing After Another, move it to the top of your list. Oh, and prepare to binge, because this series is "unputdownable." :)
February 26, 2021
This is some of the best written and most interesting books I have read in a while and I´m just hooked.
February 16, 2026
J’ai trouvé que c’était vraiment un excellent tome. J’aime toujours autant l’humour absurde, et le fait que l’histoire nous mène toujours à des endroits où on ne s’y attend pas.
Normalement avec cette série, le récit est un peu chaotique, mais j’ai trouvé que c’était vraiment mieux avec ce tome, qui nous amène en Égypte, dans la Préhistoire, et à l’exécution de Jeanne d’Arc entre autres. C’est une série vraiment particulière, mais je l’aime bien.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ : Beaucoup aimé
Normalement avec cette série, le récit est un peu chaotique, mais j’ai trouvé que c’était vraiment mieux avec ce tome, qui nous amène en Égypte, dans la Préhistoire, et à l’exécution de Jeanne d’Arc entre autres. C’est une série vraiment particulière, mais je l’aime bien.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ : Beaucoup aimé
May 2, 2023
I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT I KNEW IT. *BOUNCES AROUND HAPPILY*
Much of this book hearkens back to the first, much to Dr. Bairstow's amusement. With Max and Peterson switching jobs we get to see Max in a new role, that of a teacher. In typical Maxwell fashion, though, she changes things up a bit and through the switch we get to see how much she has grown as a character. Assured in her role as a historian she now grapples with how to handle students - that fine line between nurturing and being authoritative.
But that's not all the crew at St Mary's has to deal with. The question of how the Old St Paul's mission was botched springs up and while not a focal point of the book, the assumptions of who the mole is, and the reveal thereof are strong emotional plot points.
Markham has fully moved into the lead cast and is one of the book's most consistent sources of humor without being a ham. The trainees make for an interesting set of new characters that take a bit of warming up to, but as the book is told from Max's POV the reader's experience is biased by our narrator's opinion.
Max and Leon's love story is one of my favorite parts of this series because it is quiet but fierce, and after all they have been through it was a real joy to see them be domestic with each other. (I am a huge sucker for domesticity, so I'm likely a bit biased about them.) The novel ended on a note I had been hoping for, and as soon as I finish typing the next sentence I'm off to read the next book.
Fast-paced, full of emotional depths with horror at/of humanity balanced by Taylor's now trademark humor, this entry into the Chronicles of St Mary's series takes readers into the unknown and tells us exactly what could go wrong.
Much of this book hearkens back to the first, much to Dr. Bairstow's amusement. With Max and Peterson switching jobs we get to see Max in a new role, that of a teacher. In typical Maxwell fashion, though, she changes things up a bit and through the switch we get to see how much she has grown as a character. Assured in her role as a historian she now grapples with how to handle students - that fine line between nurturing and being authoritative.
But that's not all the crew at St Mary's has to deal with. The question of how the Old St Paul's mission was botched springs up and while not a focal point of the book, the assumptions of who the mole is, and the reveal thereof are strong emotional plot points.
Markham has fully moved into the lead cast and is one of the book's most consistent sources of humor without being a ham. The trainees make for an interesting set of new characters that take a bit of warming up to, but as the book is told from Max's POV the reader's experience is biased by our narrator's opinion.
Max and Leon's love story is one of my favorite parts of this series because it is quiet but fierce, and after all they have been through it was a real joy to see them be domestic with each other. (I am a huge sucker for domesticity, so I'm likely a bit biased about them.) The novel ended on a note I had been hoping for, and as soon as I finish typing the next sentence I'm off to read the next book.
Fast-paced, full of emotional depths with horror at/of humanity balanced by Taylor's now trademark humor, this entry into the Chronicles of St Mary's series takes readers into the unknown and tells us exactly what could go wrong.
August 30, 2015
Another wonderful installment! I love how I feel as if I'm romping thru time and history with the gang from St. Mary's. It never crossed my mind that mammoth sh!t could be so brutal...ewwww. Could've easily listened to this in one sitting,but I wanted to take my time and make the experience last as long as possible.
May 23, 2025
These books are a bit like St. Mary’s; chaotic, one thing after another, a bit unbelievable and yet utterly brilliant, fantastic and hilarious. I need to find a way to slow down my reading before I run out of books in the series and have to start them all over again.
November 14, 2017
Interesting takes on lonely people and those who make mistakes (should they be condemned forever if they tried to live better going forward?) amidst the usual adventures.
May 2, 2019
Book #6 in Jodi Taylor’s NeverEnding Wild Ride of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s. . .
What Could Possibly Go Wrong???
Just about everything. . . and in this installment we visit Neanderthals and Sabertooth Tigers, Herodotus, Joan of Arc. . . . a boatload of fun.
These books remind me of your favorite gang at wherever your equivalent of the Cheers gang gathers (in this case the old buildings of St Mary’s) – most of the same characters gathered around a familiar watering hole, with others that come and go. . . . including “red shirts” (See: Star Trek) who you know will be killed because they are new and expendable and in a red shirt. Historical situations are presented, lessons are learned, and a romantic tension will be resolved with randy references or actions, and then a meeting with Bairstow and the end of the book. . .and you turn your attention to the next one. . . .
This series is very much a happy habit, more than anything. Recommended for at least one read in life.
I’m on to the next one!
What Could Possibly Go Wrong???
Just about everything. . . and in this installment we visit Neanderthals and Sabertooth Tigers, Herodotus, Joan of Arc. . . . a boatload of fun.
These books remind me of your favorite gang at wherever your equivalent of the Cheers gang gathers (in this case the old buildings of St Mary’s) – most of the same characters gathered around a familiar watering hole, with others that come and go. . . . including “red shirts” (See: Star Trek) who you know will be killed because they are new and expendable and in a red shirt. Historical situations are presented, lessons are learned, and a romantic tension will be resolved with randy references or actions, and then a meeting with Bairstow and the end of the book. . .and you turn your attention to the next one. . . .
This series is very much a happy habit, more than anything. Recommended for at least one read in life.
I’m on to the next one!
August 3, 2023
What could possibly go wrong indeed?? Max in charge of trainees, and with a new training program to boot... This was great :D Everything we know and love about St Mary's is there. Some big questions are answered, and some surprises come along. Perfect in all ways possible, but even better with the British humor that flies throughout the volume!
February 12, 2021
As expected, I loved this, definitely one of the stronger books in the series!
October 3, 2015
Ok! I awoke this morning to find this title had arrived safely on my Kindle. I had planned an early morning swim, but like the team from St Mary's, anything I had planned quickly went astray, as I got myself stuck into the the latest chapter in the Chronicle of St Mary's and by lunchtime I was regretting that I had read it so fast! Thank goodness that there is a short story due out for Christmas or I would have to suffer withdrawal symptoms!
Well Max and the team from St Mary's are back with a vengeance. This time Max is in charge of the trainees (heaven help them) leading and guiding them up and down the timeline causing the usual chaos as they go.
I really love this series of books, and the newest chapter in the St Mary's Chronicles is the same high standard of story telling as the others. What I like most about these books is how real the characters feel. I have known people like this - the ones you use humour to combat stress, even if at times it seems inappropriate.
Whilst I have never been a great history buff ( I know 2 dates - my birthday and Battle of Hastings!) I have gained enough interest from these brief forays into the past to gain further interest in certain time periods and do my own investigations.
If you haven't read any of the series yet, I suggest you start with Just one Damned Thing After Another and see how it all began.
Well Max and the team from St Mary's are back with a vengeance. This time Max is in charge of the trainees (heaven help them) leading and guiding them up and down the timeline causing the usual chaos as they go.
I really love this series of books, and the newest chapter in the St Mary's Chronicles is the same high standard of story telling as the others. What I like most about these books is how real the characters feel. I have known people like this - the ones you use humour to combat stress, even if at times it seems inappropriate.
Whilst I have never been a great history buff ( I know 2 dates - my birthday and Battle of Hastings!) I have gained enough interest from these brief forays into the past to gain further interest in certain time periods and do my own investigations.
If you haven't read any of the series yet, I suggest you start with Just one Damned Thing After Another and see how it all began.
October 31, 2016
Dr. Maxwell, feisty time traveling historian, is recovering from injuries incurred during her last adventure and as such is given the "safe" assignment of training the next group of would-be-time-traveling-historians. Of course something goes terribly wrong in every one of their time jumps, from accidentally stealing mammoths to discovering historians hiding out pretending to be historical figures. I do enjoy my time with the St. Mary's crew, who are always good for terrifying decision-making throughout time.
October 9, 2017
I loved this one. Max has five new trainees to handle. There are traitors in their midst and Rosie Lee has an emotional breakdown. And she's not the only one. This series honestly just keeps getting better.
May 11, 2020
Fun addition to a good series as Max trains a new group of time travelling historians. Mammoth hunts, Valley of the Kings, death of Joan of Arc, the defeat of Richard III and a Greek father of history who is not what they all expect. No new ideas but very good fun.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 727 reviews