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A Girl in Time #1
A Girl in Time
On the eve of a huge, breakout success, a poor but brilliant young game developer is pulled out of her world, and time itself, by a cowboy desperately searching for the daughter he lost two hundred years ago. Cady McCall is ready to be rich and famous. She has sacrificed everything, putting her work ahead of family and friends. Now with breakout success and huge, insane wealth so close she can taste it, her life is blown apart by Deputy Marshal John 'Titanic' Smith, the man who rescues her from two muggers, only to carry her off into history. Lost on the seas of time, Smith is desperate to get home to his family in 1876, and now Cady is lost along with him, facing danger and finding love in Victorian London, Ancient Rome and in the near-future America of President for Life Donald Trump.
356 pages, Paperback
First published December 9, 2016
185 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
About the author
John Birmingham
77 books1,159 followersJohn Birmingham grew up in Ipswich, Queensland and was educated at St Edmunds Christian Brother's College in Ipswich and the University of Queensland in Brisbane. His only stint of full time employment was as a researcher at the Defence Department. After this he returned to Queensland to study law but he did not complete his legal studies, choosing instead to pursue a career as a writer. He currently lives in Brisbane.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
While a law student he was one of the last people arrested under the state's Anti Street March legislation. Birmingham was convicted of displaying a sheet of paper with the words 'Free Speech' written on it in very small type. The local newspaper carried a photograph of him being frogmarched off to a waiting police paddy wagon.
Birmingham has a degree in international relations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
June 8, 2018
Birmingham has a rich and cheeky writing style. I have read the first three books in his "Axis of Time" series which were real page turners. Not as good was the "David Hooper" series. This new book is a step back into time travel which worked well in "Axis of Time" and sees Cady a sassy 21st century game developer from Seattle finding herself travelling through time with a 19th century Deputy Marshall named Titanic John Smith.
There's Birmingham's usual tongue in cheek dialogue and mix of modern technology with history. The "surprising" world of a Trump Presidency is probably the best of the three time periods Cady/Smith find themselves. As usual Birmingham's work tempts the reader to keep going with the next books in this series.
There's Birmingham's usual tongue in cheek dialogue and mix of modern technology with history. The "surprising" world of a Trump Presidency is probably the best of the three time periods Cady/Smith find themselves. As usual Birmingham's work tempts the reader to keep going with the next books in this series.
February 6, 2017
Damn you, Birmingham! I didn't realise this book is the first in a series, so I got to the end and wanted more and ARGH!
John Birmingham knows his way around this time travel stuff having previously tackled the topic in his successful "Axis of Time" series. (Which, as of this review, I have not read).
This story is about the feisty, independent 21st-century gal Cady. She's a successful game developer and as the novel opens she's on the cusp of coming into her money and celebrating huge success... when, by accident, she's whisked away to 1880's London. The cause is a Marshal from frontier America, the splendidly named Titanic Smith. How did he do that? He came into possession of a time-travel artefact and has been bouncing around in time, trying to find his way back home.
Now he's condemned Cady to the same fate! Will they make it back?
This is a fun and fast-paced read, with plenty of snappy dialogue. Cady and Smith are well-drawn characters and the interactions with each other and the strange times they find themselves in are great. It sags a little in Part III but not much, and, as I said, the whole saw me through to the end.
I now eagerly await the next instalment!
(Maybe I should go read some other Birminghams in the meantime...)
John Birmingham knows his way around this time travel stuff having previously tackled the topic in his successful "Axis of Time" series. (Which, as of this review, I have not read).
This story is about the feisty, independent 21st-century gal Cady. She's a successful game developer and as the novel opens she's on the cusp of coming into her money and celebrating huge success... when, by accident, she's whisked away to 1880's London. The cause is a Marshal from frontier America, the splendidly named Titanic Smith. How did he do that? He came into possession of a time-travel artefact and has been bouncing around in time, trying to find his way back home.
Now he's condemned Cady to the same fate! Will they make it back?
This is a fun and fast-paced read, with plenty of snappy dialogue. Cady and Smith are well-drawn characters and the interactions with each other and the strange times they find themselves in are great. It sags a little in Part III but not much, and, as I said, the whole saw me through to the end.
I now eagerly await the next instalment!
(Maybe I should go read some other Birminghams in the meantime...)
October 11, 2024
This is one of those books in which the protagonists jump to escape from a bad situation, which lands them in another bad situation, and so on. A bit like The Unicorn Girl or the film Time Bandits, to take two examples that spring to mind.
The situations they get into are well imagined and described, and the off-balance chaos of it all reminds me vaguely of Take Back Plenty.
However, the best feature of the book is the pair of main protagonists, Cady and Smith, who are original creations and complement each other nicely. They’re both somewhat more capable than average, but in different ways, and their capabilities are sensibly limited: neither of them is Superperson. Both are fairly likeable though not flawless. In the course of the story, they cause trouble for each other but also help and rescue each other. They’re an incongruous pair, which gives the opportunity for welcome touches of humour.
They have two problems in addition to the normal problems of time travel: first, they have little understanding of their time-travel device, so they don’t know where or when they are after a jump; second, they’re pursued through time with lethal intent by a mysterious group of people who call themselves Apprentices.
Although it’s not important, I’m not keen on the title. “A girl in time”? It’s not a very imaginative description of the story, and I wonder how Cady would react to it. She’s not a little girl, she’s an intelligent adult with professional programming skills.
The situations they get into are well imagined and described, and the off-balance chaos of it all reminds me vaguely of Take Back Plenty.
However, the best feature of the book is the pair of main protagonists, Cady and Smith, who are original creations and complement each other nicely. They’re both somewhat more capable than average, but in different ways, and their capabilities are sensibly limited: neither of them is Superperson. Both are fairly likeable though not flawless. In the course of the story, they cause trouble for each other but also help and rescue each other. They’re an incongruous pair, which gives the opportunity for welcome touches of humour.
They have two problems in addition to the normal problems of time travel: first, they have little understanding of their time-travel device, so they don’t know where or when they are after a jump; second, they’re pursued through time with lethal intent by a mysterious group of people who call themselves Apprentices.
Although it’s not important, I’m not keen on the title. “A girl in time”? It’s not a very imaginative description of the story, and I wonder how Cady would react to it. She’s not a little girl, she’s an intelligent adult with professional programming skills.
October 17, 2021
A Girl in Time came to me as a Twitter recommendation when I asked for more sci-fi to read.
I was apprehensive after relating John Birmingham to He Died with a Felafel in His Hand which is an Aussie book about the horrors of shared housing.
Nevertheless, I persisted.
The only disappointing part of this book is when the author explains the main female character is a woman that wouldn't usually get upset about sexism AND SHE IS A FEMALE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER. Yeah, sure. Show me a female software dev who has quit her jobs repeatedly and works in the games industry who doesn't sweat the small misogyny. Yeah, nah.
Otherwise, the whole premise is brilliant. The Big Lebowski style cowboy. The best friend bitch. The Seattle version of scary streets. The history and horror of being a girl in time.
5 jumps out of 5.
I was apprehensive after relating John Birmingham to He Died with a Felafel in His Hand which is an Aussie book about the horrors of shared housing.
Nevertheless, I persisted.
The only disappointing part of this book is when the author explains the main female character is a woman that wouldn't usually get upset about sexism AND SHE IS A FEMALE SOFTWARE DEVELOPER. Yeah, sure. Show me a female software dev who has quit her jobs repeatedly and works in the games industry who doesn't sweat the small misogyny. Yeah, nah.
Otherwise, the whole premise is brilliant. The Big Lebowski style cowboy. The best friend bitch. The Seattle version of scary streets. The history and horror of being a girl in time.
5 jumps out of 5.
December 1, 2021
This was a fun read, being partly a fantasy and time travel story, one can feel hesitant to begin with as to whether one can go along for the ride or not, but the logic was sound enough and disbelief adequately suspended to enjoy this speculative time hop tale.
And for those who at the end find themselves wanting more ... it turns out this book is first in a series.
And for those who at the end find themselves wanting more ... it turns out this book is first in a series.
July 5, 2018
I thought this book was strange...it's about Cady and John who travel through time or travel to other dimensions. Usually I like time travel, but this felt like hectic. In addition, I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters.
February 28, 2017
Pretty interesting and hope for a #2.
December 10, 2018
Another good story from JB, this one dealing with time travel and alternate dimensions. As usual, JB makes some attempt at trying to keep the science somewhat plausible, as difficult as that is with these subjects. That said, he doesn't (at least in this novel) deal with the consequences of people from alternate dimensions meeting themselves, although that may occur in the second novel in the series.
Other than that, this is what I expect from JB - interesting plot, some good characters and, above all, a fun read.
Other than that, this is what I expect from JB - interesting plot, some good characters and, above all, a fun read.
November 29, 2020
Smith's dialect was a bit jarring to start but soon got over that. Some real character development for Cady. Can't wait for the next one
March 26, 2017
I enjoyed Birmingham's first self-published novel, a break away from his traditional publishing methods.
While littered with a few typos, A Girl In Time is an enjoyable romp through time. Action lights up every page, with Birmingham's narrative style adding a certain pizzazz. The use of omniscient third person narrator was good, and changed between the two protagonists' point of views.
I got a little bored when Cady and John Titanic Smith were in Victorian London, but was immediately drawn back into the action at their next time leap.
What a thrill ride!
While littered with a few typos, A Girl In Time is an enjoyable romp through time. Action lights up every page, with Birmingham's narrative style adding a certain pizzazz. The use of omniscient third person narrator was good, and changed between the two protagonists' point of views.
I got a little bored when Cady and John Titanic Smith were in Victorian London, but was immediately drawn back into the action at their next time leap.
What a thrill ride!
December 13, 2016
Another fine book by John Birmingham
I have read all of this author's novels, and greatly enjoyed them. This is no exception, the book has the usual mix of humour and explosions/fights as his other novels, well maybe not as many fights as The Dave series!
The book follows a computer programmer who is saved by a U.S. Marshall, who happens to be a time traveller, and their first few jumps through time, to Victorian London and a future Seattle, before ending in Rome.
There were some funny moments when the heroine used pop culture references in the past, like the famous archaeologist Indiana Jones or Relive Hunter Laura Croft and some more serious moments, that I won't go into for spoilers.
All in another good read for new and existing fans, it will be interesting to see where the author takes them to next.
I have read all of this author's novels, and greatly enjoyed them. This is no exception, the book has the usual mix of humour and explosions/fights as his other novels, well maybe not as many fights as The Dave series!
The book follows a computer programmer who is saved by a U.S. Marshall, who happens to be a time traveller, and their first few jumps through time, to Victorian London and a future Seattle, before ending in Rome.
There were some funny moments when the heroine used pop culture references in the past, like the famous archaeologist Indiana Jones or Relive Hunter Laura Croft and some more serious moments, that I won't go into for spoilers.
All in another good read for new and existing fans, it will be interesting to see where the author takes them to next.
October 7, 2018
This was a good book, I enjoyed the story but I didn't love it. I can't point to any specific reason why, it has a lot of things that I like in a story. The characters were interesting, I found Cady kind of hard to like all of the time she was very prickly but I really liked Marshall. I am actually glad we got some of the story from his perspective as I liked that back. The premise was unique enough and the world building was done. The second half of the book picked up a lot more and was a pretty quick read. I am not sure if I will read the second book or not. I don't feel a strong motivation to but at some point I may want to see where Cady and Marshall's adventures go.
December 29, 2016
Thoroughly compelling. A thinking person's Back to the Future. An entertaining romp through the ages, the most I've enjoyed a time travel story since I read Audrey Niffenegger's "The Time Traveler's Wife" which was a brilliant book that was then made into a stinking pustule of a movie.
I'd like to see this bought by Amazon or Netflix and serialised. I eagerly await the next installment in the series.
Kudos to JB. Loved it.
I'd like to see this bought by Amazon or Netflix and serialised. I eagerly await the next installment in the series.
Kudos to JB. Loved it.
January 5, 2017
JB always writes incredibly real (i.e flawed, likeable and hateable) characters and this book is no exception. Fabulous from start to too-soon end. Hope to see much more as there is a ton of story to go...
Read
September 13, 2021DNF, didn't hold my attention
December 30, 2016
This was tons of fun with some kick-arse characters and truly inventive swearing. :)
June 3, 2021
Just finished this one. I've been wanting to read it because I like John Birmingham's books and I'm a sucker for time-travel stories so I figured this tale stood a good chance.
I did enjoy it and would recommend it. It reads pretty fast and the author does a good job capturing the eras the two reluctant time-travelers land in. By the end of the tale I found myself liking both main characters, John "Titanic" Smith, a Deputy Marshal from the late Nineteenth Century American frontier and his accidental companion Cady, a game designer from modern day Seattle. This very odd couple must work together to figure out how their time machine (which looks like a watch) works, how to get back to their own timeline, and why so many people are trying to kill them. Smith while deadly and experienced due to a life on the frontier chasing bad guys is courteous and possessed of an almost inhuman patience with his immature, foul-mouthed, selfish, yet brainy companion who does a lot of growing up along the way. I liked it enough to want to get the sequel and see how it turns out. One interesting thing to note. This book was published in 2016 presumably before the US election that year. It would seem like many others Birmingham saw that contest as a slam dunk victory for Hilary Clinton (which of course didn't happen) and the story suffers a little for that worldview. His dystopian alternate timeline with Trump as President is way worse than what actually happened (which was bad enough) and who knows? Maybe if bumbling time travelers messed up the space-time continuum with antics in the past such a future might be possible. I try to keep an open mind but the story stumbles a bit on Birmingham's assumptions. But it's still a great yarn and worth the read.
I did enjoy it and would recommend it. It reads pretty fast and the author does a good job capturing the eras the two reluctant time-travelers land in. By the end of the tale I found myself liking both main characters, John "Titanic" Smith, a Deputy Marshal from the late Nineteenth Century American frontier and his accidental companion Cady, a game designer from modern day Seattle. This very odd couple must work together to figure out how their time machine (which looks like a watch) works, how to get back to their own timeline, and why so many people are trying to kill them. Smith while deadly and experienced due to a life on the frontier chasing bad guys is courteous and possessed of an almost inhuman patience with his immature, foul-mouthed, selfish, yet brainy companion who does a lot of growing up along the way. I liked it enough to want to get the sequel and see how it turns out. One interesting thing to note. This book was published in 2016 presumably before the US election that year. It would seem like many others Birmingham saw that contest as a slam dunk victory for Hilary Clinton (which of course didn't happen) and the story suffers a little for that worldview. His dystopian alternate timeline with Trump as President is way worse than what actually happened (which was bad enough) and who knows? Maybe if bumbling time travelers messed up the space-time continuum with antics in the past such a future might be possible. I try to keep an open mind but the story stumbles a bit on Birmingham's assumptions. But it's still a great yarn and worth the read.
August 6, 2019
John Birmingham has always been a fave author of mine, ever since I first read the Tasmanian Babes Fiasco. He's written several books that deal with time travel before, but this one is something different from the others. This deals with just two main characters, Cady and John "Titanic" Smith. Cady's a 21st Century girl who's just made 9.5 million dollars by creating a game for phones. John is a US Marshall from the 1800's.
He's the possessor of a time jumping watch he found on someone back in his time. Since then he's been jumping around through time, trying to return to his daughter. He jumps into 2016, and saves Cady's life by jumping with her to Victorian London. Now both of them are stranded in time, but Cady is very intelligent, and thinks she knows how to return both of them to their correct times.
After they leave London, inadvertently causing two people they be-friend to be murdered by Jack the Ripper, they end up in Seattle, but the timeline is wrong. Cady's bestie, Georgia, is under house arrest, and Homeland Security is acting like a secret police under Trump's Presidency. They manage to contact Georgia, and escape with her to Ancient Rome, at the time of the Spartacus rebellion.
After Georgia gets killed, they manage to jump back to Seattle 2017, discover Georgia is still alive, and jump.... to the next book..
It's a good read, but I'd be kinda pissed if I had read the book when it first got released, not knowing there would be a sequel, because the book literally just finishes. I'm now looking forward to reading the next book to hopefully, wrap things up.
He's the possessor of a time jumping watch he found on someone back in his time. Since then he's been jumping around through time, trying to return to his daughter. He jumps into 2016, and saves Cady's life by jumping with her to Victorian London. Now both of them are stranded in time, but Cady is very intelligent, and thinks she knows how to return both of them to their correct times.
After they leave London, inadvertently causing two people they be-friend to be murdered by Jack the Ripper, they end up in Seattle, but the timeline is wrong. Cady's bestie, Georgia, is under house arrest, and Homeland Security is acting like a secret police under Trump's Presidency. They manage to contact Georgia, and escape with her to Ancient Rome, at the time of the Spartacus rebellion.
After Georgia gets killed, they manage to jump back to Seattle 2017, discover Georgia is still alive, and jump.... to the next book..
It's a good read, but I'd be kinda pissed if I had read the book when it first got released, not knowing there would be a sequel, because the book literally just finishes. I'm now looking forward to reading the next book to hopefully, wrap things up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2018
This book revolves around two characters, the first being Cady McCall, a spunky and tech savvy girl who lives in present day Seattle. The other is Deputy Marshall John 'Titanic' Smith, a cowboy who desperately wants to get back to his infant daughter that he left in 1876. To explain the time travelling concept in the novel, Smith comes into possession of an artefact which causes him to accidentally time travel, at one point dragging Cady along for the ride. I really liked Smith's character, he was charming and at times sweet, I struggled to like Cady however. I understand she is a bad-ass 21st century app-making chick but she came across cold and overly sarcastic. There was a romantic element between the characters, Cady is described as beautiful but I didn't picture her this way due to her personality so I struggled to believe there was romance forming between the characters. The story is segregated into 3 parts, each in different years. My favourite was bleak Victorian London, I would have loved it if they spent longer here. The dystopian Trump ruling era was unnerving! Lastly, the Roman era was interesting but I found Cady's character so out of place, at times it was comedic they way she talked about I phones and GPS among gladiators. Overall, I liked the concept of the book and Smith's character was the highlight for me, it's a trilogy so there's definitely areas to conclude and I would like to see how it plays out. Let's just hope Cady warms up a bit.
July 28, 2017
I'll start by saying that I absolutely love time travel stories. This probably the reason I gave it three stars, next to the fact that it's well written and the dialogue isn't inhuman. I have no problem accepting characters with views different from mine, but irrationality and feverishly grasping to illogical theories just gets annoying after a while. For a character that is supposed to be a smart-chick, computer whiz she is unnervingly slow at grasping the simplest concepts of the complex situation she already started figuring out.
Ex: she figures out that they are not exactly traveling down a linear timeline, but jumping to, and creating new, alternate universes. But, she can't seem to grasp that she doesn't have to save her friend in the future by bringing her back with her, she only has to go back to her time/place and her friend will already be there, as she always was. She acts like her friend will be dead in the past by dying in the future....just annoying.
I'm also kind of disappointing that the ending was a little anticlimactic. I know it's a setup for the next book, and the scene in Italy was fun, but it just kind of dropped off before they've really accomplished anything other than making a mess of various "time-bubbles."
Ex: she figures out that they are not exactly traveling down a linear timeline, but jumping to, and creating new, alternate universes. But, she can't seem to grasp that she doesn't have to save her friend in the future by bringing her back with her, she only has to go back to her time/place and her friend will already be there, as she always was. She acts like her friend will be dead in the past by dying in the future....just annoying.
I'm also kind of disappointing that the ending was a little anticlimactic. I know it's a setup for the next book, and the scene in Italy was fun, but it just kind of dropped off before they've really accomplished anything other than making a mess of various "time-bubbles."
November 15, 2018
I found Cady selfish and obnoxious and Marshall Smith a little too hokey. When she finds herself in old London, Cady decides to party it up with some instant friends, despite Smith warning her to keep a low profile and her own reference to the butterfly effect. She gives her new bestie (Cady likes the word bestie) a dance lesson and, "Soon she was twerking and grinding like a stripper on double time." Okay...
The second half of the book is quite a Trump bash - which I wholeheartedly agree with since I find him an utter moron without moral scruples - but it felt like more of a statement than part of the plot. Also, I have no problem with cursing and certainly indulge in that habit myself on occasion, but Cady's inability to curb it when Smith found it offensive was pretty juvenile. Additionally, it was quite coincidental that our main characters ran it to such historic persons/events in the span of a few days... which reminded of the Magic Tree House mysteries I used to read to my kids when they were younger. Except I liked those.
The second half of the book is quite a Trump bash - which I wholeheartedly agree with since I find him an utter moron without moral scruples - but it felt like more of a statement than part of the plot. Also, I have no problem with cursing and certainly indulge in that habit myself on occasion, but Cady's inability to curb it when Smith found it offensive was pretty juvenile. Additionally, it was quite coincidental that our main characters ran it to such historic persons/events in the span of a few days... which reminded of the Magic Tree House mysteries I used to read to my kids when they were younger. Except I liked those.
June 6, 2020
Tras disfrutar las serie Axis of Time (aunque su segunda iteración Stalin's Hammer es más floja) quise seguir leyendo historias de viajes en el tiempo de Birminham. En esta novela me encontré que sigue dominando el choque cultural entre personajes de distintas épocas y una aventura más episódica a lo Dr. Who. La novela flojea al tener solo dos personajes principales ya que parte del encanto de las anteriores era el manejo de múltiples puntos de vista en distintos escenarios que permitía una descripción impresionista de la situación en la que deslizaba la trama. Ahora se ve obligado a detallar y describir en profundidad para no quedarse en un cuento corto y la sensación es de inflado.
Por lo demás lo tipico del viaje espaciotemporal anglosajón: El Londres victoriano, la antigua Roma y un futuro cercano distópico. Todo el espaciotiempo a su disposición y siempre acaban en los mismos sitios.
Por lo demás lo tipico del viaje espaciotemporal anglosajón: El Londres victoriano, la antigua Roma y un futuro cercano distópico. Todo el espaciotiempo a su disposición y siempre acaban en los mismos sitios.
July 1, 2020
A John Birmingham Novel. ‘Nuff Said?
I am a huge Birmingham fan. His wit, his timing, his character development, everything, with one exception. Leave the politics out of it. You may not like the person elected to lead the country. You may not even like the direction that they are moving it but this country has a longstanding tradition of a peaceful transfer of power. Many did did not like the previous office holder but for the most part let the years pass knowing that elections gave everyone a chance to reset things. But that was not a lesson learned by everyone apparently. I read to escape from all of that crap and these stories could have survived without his injection of animus. So do us all a favor and leave the politics out. There is no better way to lose half your audience, and had I not read a half dozen or so of your previous novels you would have lost me for good with this one.
I am a huge Birmingham fan. His wit, his timing, his character development, everything, with one exception. Leave the politics out of it. You may not like the person elected to lead the country. You may not even like the direction that they are moving it but this country has a longstanding tradition of a peaceful transfer of power. Many did did not like the previous office holder but for the most part let the years pass knowing that elections gave everyone a chance to reset things. But that was not a lesson learned by everyone apparently. I read to escape from all of that crap and these stories could have survived without his injection of animus. So do us all a favor and leave the politics out. There is no better way to lose half your audience, and had I not read a half dozen or so of your previous novels you would have lost me for good with this one.
May 13, 2018
One night in Seattle Cady McCall is attacked while walking home after meeting friends. She is saved by a mysterious cowboy before being knocked out. When she wakes up she finds she is in 19th century London. Thus begins an adventure tale of a girl lost in time and trying to get home.
There's a lot of "fish out of water" situations as she and her cowboy companion, Marshal John Titanic Smith, try to work out where they are and what is happening and they can survive while trying to work out to get back home. It's an interesting mix of companions but together they find a way to work together. The strength of the Titanic and the smarts of Cady. Though Cady does need to learn to keep her big mouth shut as it's going to get her into deep trouble.
I enjoyed this tale and look forward to the next.
There's a lot of "fish out of water" situations as she and her cowboy companion, Marshal John Titanic Smith, try to work out where they are and what is happening and they can survive while trying to work out to get back home. It's an interesting mix of companions but together they find a way to work together. The strength of the Titanic and the smarts of Cady. Though Cady does need to learn to keep her big mouth shut as it's going to get her into deep trouble.
I enjoyed this tale and look forward to the next.
August 2, 2021
Amazon doesn't tell you publication dates on the Kindle app, so when I got to the bit that mentions the Trump presidency, I honestly wasn't sure if it was written before or after there _was_ a Trump presidency, and whether I was reading about time travel or parallel worlds. That was actually kind of a fun way to read it, so I didn't go check the publication date til I finished it this morning...
Enjoyed this. Well-written and some good characters. They have some grand and terrifying adventures without really getting anywhere, but there's two more in the series so hopefully we'll get some arc. There's a bit at the end where the characters act like they've figured something out about how time travel works, and I guess I don't quite understand what it is that they think they've worked out or how it's supposed to help, but again; two more books.
Enjoyed this. Well-written and some good characters. They have some grand and terrifying adventures without really getting anywhere, but there's two more in the series so hopefully we'll get some arc. There's a bit at the end where the characters act like they've figured something out about how time travel works, and I guess I don't quite understand what it is that they think they've worked out or how it's supposed to help, but again; two more books.
December 12, 2024
At first, find the main character Cady to be a kind of unlikeable cliché of the "too cool" bioche-snob uber-Millenial girl, arrogantly parading around very self-impressed, due to her epic game-developing acumen. Spoils it a bit. Also, story's POV keeps changing, not so flawlessly, between the characters & their individual ways of speaking. Still very interesting w/lots of references to current trendy cultural practices. Reading further, the story suddenly BANGS into action BAM! - What?!?- in truly awesome way, around Chapter-3, w/a sudden series of events plunging the reader into an action-packed, exciting page-turning, time-traveling adventure that's really hard to put down! Whenever I go to my current stack of books, I always want to read this one first!! Riveting! LOVE it! So compelling that I read it in a few days flat! Now I can't wait to read the sequel.
October 6, 2020
Although well written, I am tired of books that postulate an "alternate timeline" in which Donald Trump somehow mistakenly becomes president and turns the US into a Facist Nazi concentration camp swarming with Gestapo agents. I live in a timeline in which he actually is president. They show photos of children in cages and blame Trump while failing to mention that the pictures are from 2012, when someone else was president. I have been reading Scifi and fantasy for 55 years and not until 4 years ago, did anyone use these genres to wax political in such a vulgar way. I will never read another book by this author as he has truly ruined what could have been a terrific book by dragging his obvious hatred into it in a way that simply makes no sense whatsoever. Its sad...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2018
John Birmingham has contrived a fetish watch to transport folks indiscriminately back and forth in time. All the paradox rules developed over the century(ies) are sidestepped by use of alternate dimensions. Fair enough. This becomes a love journey turning into a series.
There is a visit to a period two years into an Uber Trump (un)reality that has the US of A in quite the pickle. The fact that we are approaching two years in and we haven't devolved into goose-stepping automatons. The system can and will survive its leaders.
This series, if read as a romance, will work until the two become a couple and try to settle down or until they evil watchmaker.
There is a visit to a period two years into an Uber Trump (un)reality that has the US of A in quite the pickle. The fact that we are approaching two years in and we haven't devolved into goose-stepping automatons. The system can and will survive its leaders.
This series, if read as a romance, will work until the two become a couple and try to settle down or until they evil watchmaker.
August 25, 2018
Style, it's all about style.
I like his writing style! This is how a story should be written. Concise, descriptive sentences in a storyline that flows along in a witty and focused narrative. I liked the book, the characters are full and engaging. It does take a reader, if you're going to enjoy the story, to employ a little stretching of the mind to allow some of the details. But, that's what time travel requires anyway, so it's ok. I'll buy the next one, let's see if we can keep up the pace without it going stale. See you down the road.
I like his writing style! This is how a story should be written. Concise, descriptive sentences in a storyline that flows along in a witty and focused narrative. I liked the book, the characters are full and engaging. It does take a reader, if you're going to enjoy the story, to employ a little stretching of the mind to allow some of the details. But, that's what time travel requires anyway, so it's ok. I'll buy the next one, let's see if we can keep up the pace without it going stale. See you down the road.
September 1, 2019
This was an interesting and fast paced time travel story. I’m pleased to have read a book by John Birmingham because I’ve been meaning to do so for a while. I found Cady to be a character I had mixed feelings about. Smith was a character who was easy to like. I’m not sure that this book will stand the test of time. Too much of it depends on understanding references which are relevant now but are probably fleeting. I think the book will be very appealing to a particular type of reader but I don’t fit the bill.
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