The Curiosity Killers

by K.W. Taylor

In the twenty-second century, a second Civil War is decades past. The states of theNew British Empire have been reduced to working with Victorian-era technology-that is, except physicist Edward Vere, who invents time travel with a little help from aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright.

Vere partners with historian Ben Jonson to monetize the invention, founding the first time travel agency. Unbeknownst to them, a serial killer is using the technology to murder without detection. When Ben discovers the killer has targeted the woman he loves, the mild-mannered academic must become brave enough to change history rather than merely observing it."

220 pages, Paperback

First published May 5, 2016

About the author

K.W. Taylor writes science fiction, fantasy, and horror. She’s the author of the urban fantasy Sam Brody series, about a dragonslaying disc jockey (The Red Eye and The House on Concordia Drive, both 2014 from Alliteration Ink) and The Curiosity Killers, her forthcoming dystopian steampunk time travel novel. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and an MA in literature from Wright State University. Taylor lives in a restored Victorian home with her tech writer husband and—unlike every other novelist in the world—an insanely photogenic kitten. She blogs at kwtaylorwriter.com.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightfully wild! This book has everything I didn’t know I wanted in a sci-fi—time travel, an alternate future, serial killers, unsolved mysteries of the past, the noble pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, and a cat named Bodhi. The quick pace and ever-deepening mysteries keep the reader interested, but it’s the characters that ground the story. I appreciate that Benoy Jonson isn’t your typical genre protagonist. He’s intellectual to the point that he’d rather hear about adventures than go on them, and it’s a fun ride to watch him come into his own as a hero. The rest of the cast is rounded out by quirky, loveable characters ranging from enthusiastic, out-of-his-time engineer Wilbur Wright to the Mothman. All in all, The Curiosity Killers is a pleasure of a read!

[J.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I am friends with the author, we share a publisher, I proofed this book before publication, and I provided a cover quote. However, I purchased a copy of this book for full price.

The Curiosity Killers is not your typical science fiction novel. Nor is it your typical dystopia, steampunk, alternate history, or time-travel novel. When you add serial killers and urban legends such as the Mothman, it sounds like it should be a mess. Instead, Taylor melds all of these elements to a create a fantastical voyage through time that goes back to the legend of the lost colony of Roanoke, visits the home of the Wright brothers, peeks in on the locations of some famous serial murders and other unexplained events, jumps forward to an vastly changed United States, and even swings by an alternate dimension for a surprising detour.

This journey is led by a well-rounded (and diverse!) cast of characters that include a not-quite mad scientist, a historian who finds his adventurous side, some adventurers who dabble in history, and a super-villain who looks scarily familiar in our own political age.

The only downside to such a large cast is that there were a few characters I wish I could have spent more time with, including Wilbur Wright and those closest to him. However, even though Taylor bounces around in both time and place, I was never confused about where I was, when I was, or which narrator was guiding me. Though Taylor’s previous novel I have read (The Red Eye) featured a single first-person point of view, she is equally deft at balancing multiple third-person narration streams.

And finally, one of Taylor’s greatest feats in this novel (besides keeping so many timelines straight and avoiding paradox) is creating an alternate future in which with the Victorian-inspired steampunk aesthetic actually makes sense.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like time travel, mysteries, and strong characters, then you should read this book. I grew attached to the characters and wanted them to succeed and stop the villain. The story easily sucks you in.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, disclaimer first: the author of this is a very dear friend of mine.

Secondly, as always, I wish Goodreads gave me access to half stars. I went back and forth between 4 & 5 stars, as I wanted to give it 4.5. But ultimately landed on 5, as I felt thoroughly engaged and entertained by THE CURIOSITY KILLERS while also seeing a couple of things I'd like more of. That there is a hoped for sequel is also why I landed on 5- hopefully the sequel will provide! We shall see.

Taylor's ability to travel back and forth through time without creating a paradox or losing the thread is impressive. Her combination of sci-fi, steampunk, and horror is also thoroughly enjoyable. There is also a diverse cast of characters here, and one of the things I enjoyed is that their diversity isn't The Thing about them. There is an Indian protagonist & a lesbian main character, plus two gay characters and I believe other people of color- but none of these are the main points. Diversity in fiction is important to me (and clearly to Taylor) and so I was glad to see all of this.

The main plot is deft and engaging. The world of the future imagined by Taylor is all too realistic- an America divided by ideaology (particularly as it has to do with race) after a second Civil War. With what's happening in American politics right now, it's VERY EASY to imagine this happening, in a way similar to how easy it is to now imagine Margaret Atwood's world in The Handmaid's Tale coming to reality. Additionally, the real life historical mysteries that Taylor sprinkles throughout the story (used to ground at least some of it in some reality) are interesting ad easily relateable- after all, how many people would love to solve these mysteries?? Tons!

And, as is always true for Taylor, the dialogue is top notch, engaging, and swift. Her envisioning of Wilbur Wright is one of my favorite things.

Really looking forward to more from this author!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep putting off reviewing this book because I just don't think I can do it justice. It's a complex story but not hard to follow. The idea of a travel agency that lets you travel to different times opens up so many possibilities and the paradox that you can do it but aren't allowed to keep the memory of it is compelling. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to "investigate" these famous mysteries and began to wish it was possible in reality. The longing to know what really happened is evoked so strongly here. I would have thought that meshing so many different times and places would be impossible but Taylor pulls this off with aplomb. From the original colony in Roanoke, VA to the Victorian-inspired future I enjoyed all the places this book takes you and Im grateful to be able to retain my memories of them.

Note: I was involved in the publication of this book

[Merzbau · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really wanted to give this 5 stars but it seemed like the whole Mothman thing was just kind of dropped and didn't really go anywhere and the end felt a bit rushed. overall though it was a great concept. really enjoyed it

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Had a little trouble following at first because the timeline jumps around, but once I got into the swing of it, it was fascinating to see how all the pieces fit together.

[Stephen Dottavi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining book there are major holes in the reset timeline.