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Place in Time #1
The Continuum
Elise Morley is an expert on the past who's about to get a crash course in the future.
For years, Elise has been donning corsets, sneaking into castles, and lying through her teeth to enforce the Place in Time Travel Agency's ten essential rules of time travel. Someone has to ensure that travel to the past isn't abused, and most days she welcomes the challenge of tracking down and retrieving clients who have run into trouble on their historical vacations.
But when a dangerous secret organization kidnaps her and coerces her into jumping to the future on a high-stakes assignment, she's got more to worry about than just the time-space continuum. For the first time ever, she's the one out-of-date, out of place, and quickly running out of time.
For years, Elise has been donning corsets, sneaking into castles, and lying through her teeth to enforce the Place in Time Travel Agency's ten essential rules of time travel. Someone has to ensure that travel to the past isn't abused, and most days she welcomes the challenge of tracking down and retrieving clients who have run into trouble on their historical vacations.
But when a dangerous secret organization kidnaps her and coerces her into jumping to the future on a high-stakes assignment, she's got more to worry about than just the time-space continuum. For the first time ever, she's the one out-of-date, out of place, and quickly running out of time.
172 pages, Paperback
First published January 23, 2018
246 people are currently reading
1102 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Nikel
118 books58 followersSign up for my author newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webfor... for news, giveaways, and other exclusive content!
Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she's left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published by Analog, Nature: Futures, Podcastle, and elsewhere.
Her time travel novella series, beginning with THE CONTINUUM, was published in 2018-2019 from World Weaver Press
Visit http://www.wendynikel.com for more info!
Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she's left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published by Analog, Nature: Futures, Podcastle, and elsewhere.
Her time travel novella series, beginning with THE CONTINUUM, was published in 2018-2019 from World Weaver Press
Visit http://www.wendynikel.com for more info!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
April 22, 2023
A really enjoyable time travel novel, that whilst following certain guidelines , never really worries about the "killing your grandfather conundrum".
Commencing in 1912 and of course involving that historical point of significance ,The Titanic, based in 2012 and experiencing life aboard the space station Continuum a hundred years into the future, time travelling trouble shooter Elise Morley is seriously beginning to wonder what is going on.
Normally her days are spent rescuing wealthy clients experiencing a time travel vacation organised by PITTA , the company she works for. If they get into trouble or forget to return, the company sends Elise to recall them to the present. This time however she meets serious resistance and things start to unravel.
All in all a really enjoyable story, well written, fun and I will certainly look out for the next episode.
Commencing in 1912 and of course involving that historical point of significance ,The Titanic, based in 2012 and experiencing life aboard the space station Continuum a hundred years into the future, time travelling trouble shooter Elise Morley is seriously beginning to wonder what is going on.
Normally her days are spent rescuing wealthy clients experiencing a time travel vacation organised by PITTA , the company she works for. If they get into trouble or forget to return, the company sends Elise to recall them to the present. This time however she meets serious resistance and things start to unravel.
All in all a really enjoyable story, well written, fun and I will certainly look out for the next episode.
January 28, 2018
I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review
This was a quick, fun time-travel sci-fi read. I'm usually very picky about time-travel because in my opinion it's very hard to do 'right' i.e. make it make sense, but this novella has a pretty solid plot, even if it is pretty standard. I mean you've got time travel and government agencies and the Titantic, so it's definitely hitting all of the standard tropes, but I really liked Elise and I liked how the author used the Titanic as a parallel to what was happening when she traveled to the future rather than just 'here I've randomly picked a famous date in history'. The ending was a bit meh for me because it was just SUCH a cliche, but I understand why the author would want to throw it in to create a kind of 'closed loop' as it were. Also it's literally just the last few pages of the novel so I'm going to choose to ignore it ...unless she writes a sequel in which I will probably read it because like I said she does have a really fun and fast paced writing style.
This was a quick, fun time-travel sci-fi read. I'm usually very picky about time-travel because in my opinion it's very hard to do 'right' i.e. make it make sense, but this novella has a pretty solid plot, even if it is pretty standard. I mean you've got time travel and government agencies and the Titantic, so it's definitely hitting all of the standard tropes, but I really liked Elise and I liked how the author used the Titanic as a parallel to what was happening when she traveled to the future rather than just 'here I've randomly picked a famous date in history'. The ending was a bit meh for me because it was just SUCH a cliche, but I understand why the author would want to throw it in to create a kind of 'closed loop' as it were. Also it's literally just the last few pages of the novel so I'm going to choose to ignore it ...unless she writes a sequel in which I will probably read it because like I said she does have a really fun and fast paced writing style.
September 24, 2017
I've been a fan of Wendy Nikel for a while now: she's published a ton of short stories (and if this novella isn't enough, go to her website to find links). I'm so excited she's finally got a longer work out, and I gobbled it up as fast as I could.
If time travel is your thing, you want to pick this up. We get to go to the past and see off the ill-fated Titanic awaiting its maiden voyage in the harbor. Then we get to go to the future (my FAVORITE part of time travel books) and... well, I won't spoil it. Anyway, the premise, a time travel agency, is fantastic even without all the government intrigue surrounding it. In a short few pages, the world is painted vividly and the plot keeps the pages turning. Fans of Jodi Taylor (or Back to the Future II, haha) will LOVE this.
Please note that I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
If time travel is your thing, you want to pick this up. We get to go to the past and see off the ill-fated Titanic awaiting its maiden voyage in the harbor. Then we get to go to the future (my FAVORITE part of time travel books) and... well, I won't spoil it. Anyway, the premise, a time travel agency, is fantastic even without all the government intrigue surrounding it. In a short few pages, the world is painted vividly and the plot keeps the pages turning. Fans of Jodi Taylor (or Back to the Future II, haha) will LOVE this.
Please note that I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2019
This was a very solid time-travel story and I plan to continue with the series. I actually appreciate the short format; sci-fi tends to run towards lengthy books and it can get tiring to have to slog through ten 500-page tomes to get the whole story. I do think the pricing needs to be reassessed: this was 3 euros for a 150-page novella and the next one apparently is 4 euros for an 100-page short story. Not outrageous, but still.
August 16, 2018
This was a nice, tight action tale of a woman who works for a Time Travel tourism company extracting clients who overstay their visits into the past. A mysterious organization forces her to perform one of her retrievals, however, this time it is from the future. As she is no longer visiting historical events, she finds that she no longer has the insight to know how the events around her will evolve and she must decide how much of a role she should take in shaping the future.
Smart and enjoyable from start to finish.
Smart and enjoyable from start to finish.
January 12, 2018
Loves me some time travel, so of course when I saw this on NetGalley, I jumped on it. Thanks NetGalley and World Weaver Press for the eARC. The Continuum is a quick jaunt, if you will, into both past and future. Wendy Nikel keeps us guessing with numerous twists and turns, though I wish I were more interested in both the protagonist and the overall plot.
The Continuum opens with Elise Morley in 1912. She is there to Extract a wayward temporal tourist; that’s her job. When she succeeds, she returns to 2012, only for her boss, the enigmatic Dr. Wells, to whisk her away to a top-secret facility. Turns out he has been dealing with some black-ops type people on the side, and that contrary to what he told Elise, the technology they use can also take them into their future. Soon she’s in 2112, attempting to retrieve wayward agent sent to investigate the future and report back. Of course, that’s not all she was lied to about, and she soon finds herself trapped, with no real options. And some dude originally from 1912 is there, somehow, with knowledge and technology far beyond what he should have….
As far as time travel mechanics go, Nikel keeps this pretty simple. The timelines are “synced” in that “Meanwhile, In the Present…” kind of way; you can only travel to the current date, just certain years in the past or future. The technology is crude: for the most part, you have to use a specific machine to get you where you need to go. And there isn’t much in the way of advanced technology beyond that—even in the 2112 setting, Nikel doesn’t invest too much time trying to establish that technology has advanced all that much. Everyone has some suped-up Google Glasses and retinal scans, and that’s about it.
Taken altogether, this means your mileage may vary here. As a SF nerd, I was loving the travel but a little tired of the set-pieces. There is little here in terms of whizz-bang, gee-wow, that’s-new SF territory. A more casual SF reader, or someone just dipping their toes into this subgenre, won’t be as bothered by that. They might prefer the clean-cut action-paced nature of this novel. And I’ll give it that: The Continuum does not linger or waste any time (no pun intended).
I actually really like the situation Elise finds herself in. Cut off from allies, she basically discovers that she can’t return to her present and expect to live, nor can she stay in this future, because reasons. So for a good chunk of the book, she seems to have zero options. This kind of pressure on a protagonist always appeals to me, because it’s when their back is to a wall that you can really see their mettle.
I also like that there doesn’t seem to be any sexual or romantic tension between Elise and her target, Agent Chandler. It would have been very easy for Nikel to go down that route. I’m glad she didn’t—I love reading books where romance, especially with a female protagonist, isn’t on the agenda. Elise and Chandler develop a grudging respect for one another, and they work well enough together.
Ultimately, though, the plot just seems to lose steam. After the climax, the denouement drops a predestination paradox on us that seems to put Elise on a bus, even as it hints that this is not the end of this story arc. And so, I’m just left with a sense of … mehhhhh. Like, what was the point? It doesn’t help that the character development is practically nonexistent: I didn’t learn much about Elise outside of this immediate job, nor did I ever get attached to any of the other named characters, most of whom we saw for about 2 pages, if that. We spend almost all of this book in Elise’s head, yet at the end of all this, I feel like I hardly know her.
The Continuum has its moments and isn’t half-bad, but it doesn’t measure up to my standards. I’m not saying you won’t enjoy it (and wouldn’t judge you if you do), but there is nothing here that grabs me and says, “this is a series you need to be following”. And that’s a shame, because I do love me some time travel.
The Continuum opens with Elise Morley in 1912. She is there to Extract a wayward temporal tourist; that’s her job. When she succeeds, she returns to 2012, only for her boss, the enigmatic Dr. Wells, to whisk her away to a top-secret facility. Turns out he has been dealing with some black-ops type people on the side, and that contrary to what he told Elise, the technology they use can also take them into their future. Soon she’s in 2112, attempting to retrieve wayward agent sent to investigate the future and report back. Of course, that’s not all she was lied to about, and she soon finds herself trapped, with no real options. And some dude originally from 1912 is there, somehow, with knowledge and technology far beyond what he should have….
As far as time travel mechanics go, Nikel keeps this pretty simple. The timelines are “synced” in that “Meanwhile, In the Present…” kind of way; you can only travel to the current date, just certain years in the past or future. The technology is crude: for the most part, you have to use a specific machine to get you where you need to go. And there isn’t much in the way of advanced technology beyond that—even in the 2112 setting, Nikel doesn’t invest too much time trying to establish that technology has advanced all that much. Everyone has some suped-up Google Glasses and retinal scans, and that’s about it.
Taken altogether, this means your mileage may vary here. As a SF nerd, I was loving the travel but a little tired of the set-pieces. There is little here in terms of whizz-bang, gee-wow, that’s-new SF territory. A more casual SF reader, or someone just dipping their toes into this subgenre, won’t be as bothered by that. They might prefer the clean-cut action-paced nature of this novel. And I’ll give it that: The Continuum does not linger or waste any time (no pun intended).
I actually really like the situation Elise finds herself in. Cut off from allies, she basically discovers that she can’t return to her present and expect to live, nor can she stay in this future, because reasons. So for a good chunk of the book, she seems to have zero options. This kind of pressure on a protagonist always appeals to me, because it’s when their back is to a wall that you can really see their mettle.
I also like that there doesn’t seem to be any sexual or romantic tension between Elise and her target, Agent Chandler. It would have been very easy for Nikel to go down that route. I’m glad she didn’t—I love reading books where romance, especially with a female protagonist, isn’t on the agenda. Elise and Chandler develop a grudging respect for one another, and they work well enough together.
Ultimately, though, the plot just seems to lose steam. After the climax, the denouement drops a predestination paradox on us that seems to put Elise on a bus, even as it hints that this is not the end of this story arc. And so, I’m just left with a sense of … mehhhhh. Like, what was the point? It doesn’t help that the character development is practically nonexistent: I didn’t learn much about Elise outside of this immediate job, nor did I ever get attached to any of the other named characters, most of whom we saw for about 2 pages, if that. We spend almost all of this book in Elise’s head, yet at the end of all this, I feel like I hardly know her.
The Continuum has its moments and isn’t half-bad, but it doesn’t measure up to my standards. I’m not saying you won’t enjoy it (and wouldn’t judge you if you do), but there is nothing here that grabs me and says, “this is a series you need to be following”. And that’s a shame, because I do love me some time travel.
Read
January 22, 2018I edited this book so I'm biased, but Publisher's Weekly said, "Nikel’s debut takes the reader on an exciting journey through time with Elise Morley, an agent with the Place in Time Travel Agency, who rescues clients who have stayed too long on their vacations to the past. When she is kidnapped by a secret U.S. government organization, she is forced on a mission to rescue an agent who has jumped into the future. Meanwhile, an errant passenger from the Titanic leaps forward in time, desperate to find his fiancée, a tourist from 2012 whom Elise had retrieved from her sojourn in 1912. Nikel’s inventive spin on time travel and eye for sumptuous detail make her writing a treat to read."
September 28, 2017
Effortless, imaginative, funny and warm. reminded me of Connie Willis.
November 16, 2017
Finally, time traveling story that won't send your brain spinning out. Or at least my brain, which still tends to get confused with predetermination paradoxes and all that. Continuum actually followed a fairly reasonable line of logistics and then, of course, the why not factor. This was just an enjoyable quick read set partially in 1912, partially in 2012 and partially in the future. Likeable characters, fast paced, well written...this ended up being a very nice way to spend the morning, always a nice surprise, particularly from an unknown (to me) author. Thanks Netgalley.
January 11, 2018
The Continuum really surprised/impressed me! This is a good example of how a successful novella should be done: there was just the right amount of plot for the length of the book, which made the story fast-paced without feeling rushed or incomplete. It didn't negatively draw attention to the fact that it's a shorter book, and the story kept me hooked the entire time.
First of all, this is a book about time travel, which is awesome enough - but it was also done in a refreshing way. Rather than having characters who travel back in time in order to change something in the past or prevent something from happening in the present/future, The Continuum involves a travel agency that arranges vacations to the past and specifically prohibits their clients from altering the past. Jumps in time are strictly regulated by a careful set of rules.
But, of course, rules are broken and complications arise. Elise, the protagonist whose job is to retrieve people who don't come back to the present when they're supposed to, ends up getting sent to the future... which as far as she knew was not possible. The story takes place in three main settings: 1912 England, just as the Titanic is about to begin its voyage; 2012 New York, Elise's present-day life as an agent; and 2112, where Elise jumps to a futuristic settlement... in space.
Despite the time travel and space aspects, this story was not overly sci-fi or techy. I was also able to easily follow the 'rules' of time travel (i.e., How does going to the past affect the present/future? What happens if you run into yourself in the past? Answer: you don't, because the agency only allows you to jump to before you were born.) without feeling like my mind was melting. I really enjoyed the parallels between 1912 and 2112, which could've been tacky or cliché, but which I thought were handled elegantly and created a nice cyclical, history-repeats-itself effect.
My only complaint, if I had to come up with one, would be that I didn't really get to know Elise very well (although I was so caught up in the plot that I didn't notice this too much). I learned her values and who she was on some level based on her choices and actions, of course... but I would've loved to see more of her personal life, her past, and her more routine jumps to the historical past! Maybe Wendy Nikel will write some side stories about some of Elise's other adventures.
First of all, this is a book about time travel, which is awesome enough - but it was also done in a refreshing way. Rather than having characters who travel back in time in order to change something in the past or prevent something from happening in the present/future, The Continuum involves a travel agency that arranges vacations to the past and specifically prohibits their clients from altering the past. Jumps in time are strictly regulated by a careful set of rules.
But, of course, rules are broken and complications arise. Elise, the protagonist whose job is to retrieve people who don't come back to the present when they're supposed to, ends up getting sent to the future... which as far as she knew was not possible. The story takes place in three main settings: 1912 England, just as the Titanic is about to begin its voyage; 2012 New York, Elise's present-day life as an agent; and 2112, where Elise jumps to a futuristic settlement... in space.
Despite the time travel and space aspects, this story was not overly sci-fi or techy. I was also able to easily follow the 'rules' of time travel (i.e., How does going to the past affect the present/future? What happens if you run into yourself in the past? Answer: you don't, because the agency only allows you to jump to before you were born.) without feeling like my mind was melting. I really enjoyed the parallels between 1912 and 2112, which could've been tacky or cliché, but which I thought were handled elegantly and created a nice cyclical, history-repeats-itself effect.
My only complaint, if I had to come up with one, would be that I didn't really get to know Elise very well (although I was so caught up in the plot that I didn't notice this too much). I learned her values and who she was on some level based on her choices and actions, of course... but I would've loved to see more of her personal life, her past, and her more routine jumps to the historical past! Maybe Wendy Nikel will write some side stories about some of Elise's other adventures.
June 9, 2018
I received this book along with the sequel courtesy of the publisher, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's Program.
Nikel's fun novella adds some new twists to the time travel genre. Elise's day job is by no means a normal one--she's sent back in time to retrieve clients whose time travel vacations have gone on too long or become outright meddlesome to the space-time continuum. After a close call regarding the Titanic, she returns to the present only to be ambushed by rogues who force her to travel again--into the future. She thinks she's there to retrieve a man who has gone missing on a new technological marvel called the Continuum, but the situation is considerably more complicated than that. The Continuum/continuum is not at all what what it seems...
This was really the perfect read to suit my mood. I needed a fun, thoughtful escape, and this provided that. I do love a good time travel story. I was left wanting to know more about Elise's background and perhaps more development with some of the side characters. I tend to be very good at predicting book endings, but this one left me gobsmacked. Such nice surprises, and they worked! I'm glad I have the sequel lined up to read next.
Nikel's fun novella adds some new twists to the time travel genre. Elise's day job is by no means a normal one--she's sent back in time to retrieve clients whose time travel vacations have gone on too long or become outright meddlesome to the space-time continuum. After a close call regarding the Titanic, she returns to the present only to be ambushed by rogues who force her to travel again--into the future. She thinks she's there to retrieve a man who has gone missing on a new technological marvel called the Continuum, but the situation is considerably more complicated than that. The Continuum/continuum is not at all what what it seems...
This was really the perfect read to suit my mood. I needed a fun, thoughtful escape, and this provided that. I do love a good time travel story. I was left wanting to know more about Elise's background and perhaps more development with some of the side characters. I tend to be very good at predicting book endings, but this one left me gobsmacked. Such nice surprises, and they worked! I'm glad I have the sequel lined up to read next.
October 9, 2020
The Continuum by Wendy Nikel
Rating: 4.5/5
Pacing: Good
Plot: Fantastic
I loved this book! I love it when I find authors whose works are not widely known but produce some of the best books. The story is engaging and interesting, and I found myself constantly wondering what was going to happen. The Sci-Fi was very well explained and there were only a few parts that I felt could have been better explained, but that did not stop me from enjoying this book. Wendy Nikel has a natural talent in writing, everything made sense to me, which is sometimes hard when reading science fiction books. I do wish some scenes were longer, and that we got more insight on how well Elise and Chandler’s relationship grew, as well as the emotional trauma that Allen experienced in his time traveling adventures. I think expanding on the characters and side stories would have really brought this book to a 5 star read, rather than just sticking to the main plot. But nevertheless, I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a short science fiction read that will keep you engaged and have you wanting more when you read the very last page. There is no doubt that I will be picking up the rest of the series.
Rating: 4.5/5
Pacing: Good
Plot: Fantastic
I loved this book! I love it when I find authors whose works are not widely known but produce some of the best books. The story is engaging and interesting, and I found myself constantly wondering what was going to happen. The Sci-Fi was very well explained and there were only a few parts that I felt could have been better explained, but that did not stop me from enjoying this book. Wendy Nikel has a natural talent in writing, everything made sense to me, which is sometimes hard when reading science fiction books. I do wish some scenes were longer, and that we got more insight on how well Elise and Chandler’s relationship grew, as well as the emotional trauma that Allen experienced in his time traveling adventures. I think expanding on the characters and side stories would have really brought this book to a 5 star read, rather than just sticking to the main plot. But nevertheless, I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a short science fiction read that will keep you engaged and have you wanting more when you read the very last page. There is no doubt that I will be picking up the rest of the series.
November 13, 2017
https://koeur.wordpress.com/2017/11/1...
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Publishing Date: January 2018
ISBN: 9780998702223
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.3/5
Publishers Description: For years, Elise has been donning corsets, sneaking into castles, and lying through her teeth to enforce the Place in Time Travel Agency’s ten essential rules of time travel. Someone has to ensure that travel to the past isn’t abused, and most days she welcomes the challenge of tracking down and retrieving clients who have run into trouble on their historical vacations.
Review: This was really good writing compacted into a fast moving novella. This story line begs for expansion but the ending dictates a different outcome. Too bad really that this was not a full length novel. As it is a novella it can only score a max of 3 stars due to the truncated nature of the work.
Publisher: World Weaver Press
Publishing Date: January 2018
ISBN: 9780998702223
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.3/5
Publishers Description: For years, Elise has been donning corsets, sneaking into castles, and lying through her teeth to enforce the Place in Time Travel Agency’s ten essential rules of time travel. Someone has to ensure that travel to the past isn’t abused, and most days she welcomes the challenge of tracking down and retrieving clients who have run into trouble on their historical vacations.
Review: This was really good writing compacted into a fast moving novella. This story line begs for expansion but the ending dictates a different outcome. Too bad really that this was not a full length novel. As it is a novella it can only score a max of 3 stars due to the truncated nature of the work.
October 20, 2017
This was a very fun, short read. Elise's story weaves back and forth between the past, present and future at a pace fast enough to be entertaining, yet leisurely enough to develop interesting points of view on the ethics of time travel (is it okay to change time for the greater good?). I was thoroughly caught up in her story, and finished it in two sittings. Although time travel is not a particularly new subject, this novella managed to look at it from a fresh perspective.
In fact, the one thing that bothered me was that I wished there was a little more of it... There were great secondary characters, for instance, that the story only seemed to explore in passing. It was a shame, because while I had tons of fun with the plot, I was left a little frustrated by the relationships between the characters. I usually enjoy stories that dedicate a little time to developing how the characters interact together, and how the events affect them, from an emotional standpoint; this was not one of them, hence the completely subjective 3.
Nonetheless, if you're a fan of fast-moving, clever and surprising plots, you'll certainly enjoy this novella.
In fact, the one thing that bothered me was that I wished there was a little more of it... There were great secondary characters, for instance, that the story only seemed to explore in passing. It was a shame, because while I had tons of fun with the plot, I was left a little frustrated by the relationships between the characters. I usually enjoy stories that dedicate a little time to developing how the characters interact together, and how the events affect them, from an emotional standpoint; this was not one of them, hence the completely subjective 3.
Nonetheless, if you're a fan of fast-moving, clever and surprising plots, you'll certainly enjoy this novella.
November 22, 2017
I've read many stories by Wendy Nikel, and I'm constantly amazed by her work. This novella is no different. It's a fun, fast-paced trip through three time periods, each well cultivated. The premise was interesting, and the plot twists were clever. A very satisfying, quick read. I only wished it was longer! Actually, I'd love to see some follow-ups to this--perhaps a sequel or stories from other members of the time travel agency.
November 27, 2017
I really enjoyed this quick and easy time travel read. The story kept me interested and I liked the ending. I have never read Wendy Nikel before but now I look for more of her works.
September 4, 2017
Like Wendy Nikel herself, I am a sucker for almost any time travel story, so Continuum was a good fit for me as a reader. Time travel as vacation meets the problem solving of Quantum Leap in a satisifying package.
The story begins in the past when Elise Morley retrieves a client who has forgotten herself and almost takes a voyage on the Titanic with her fiancee. Elise saves the client, but the rather inelegant Extraction causes fallout which ripples through the book. Meanwhile, it turns out that the travel agency where Elise works is not the only entity to have access to this technology, and a government agency has been sending people to the future. Elise is sent to retrieve a rogue agent.
While I wish we could have spent more time in the heads of a couple of the characters who were relevant to the past, I found the story that focused on the future well-paced and interesting I wanted just a bit more to explain what Allen was doing and why, although his ultimate motivation was a solid payoff. Chandler charmed me a great deal. And while Elise strikes me as world weary at first, she has a noble turn of character and a surprise plot twist which work pretty well.
Nikel is a solid writer with vivid description, an imaginative future, and a command of accurate historical speech. Check out that purse snatcher in 1912. Her characters manifest their time stream's habits and inflections brilliantly, which is a real value add for this reader.
Nikel creates a rich world in which she could easily weave a tapestry of other time travel adventures. While Elise seems like she ends up in a place from which she cannot return, well, it is time travel after all, and whose to say continuity has to be linear?
The story begins in the past when Elise Morley retrieves a client who has forgotten herself and almost takes a voyage on the Titanic with her fiancee. Elise saves the client, but the rather inelegant Extraction causes fallout which ripples through the book. Meanwhile, it turns out that the travel agency where Elise works is not the only entity to have access to this technology, and a government agency has been sending people to the future. Elise is sent to retrieve a rogue agent.
While I wish we could have spent more time in the heads of a couple of the characters who were relevant to the past, I found the story that focused on the future well-paced and interesting I wanted just a bit more to explain what Allen was doing and why, although his ultimate motivation was a solid payoff. Chandler charmed me a great deal. And while Elise strikes me as world weary at first, she has a noble turn of character and a surprise plot twist which work pretty well.
Nikel is a solid writer with vivid description, an imaginative future, and a command of accurate historical speech. Check out that purse snatcher in 1912. Her characters manifest their time stream's habits and inflections brilliantly, which is a real value add for this reader.
Nikel creates a rich world in which she could easily weave a tapestry of other time travel adventures. While Elise seems like she ends up in a place from which she cannot return, well, it is time travel after all, and whose to say continuity has to be linear?
March 7, 2018
Maybe more time-travel stories should be novellas. This one gives us a tidy story without any padding. There's no room for long-winded explanations (although I'd like to have seen something abotu how Allen became an expert), and no room for long side stories that just stretch the flimsy fabric of time travel beyond its capabilities.
Given where Elise ends up, it will be interesting to see who's in #2. Not that we have much invested in Elise, who we don't really get to know.
Worth reading.
Given where Elise ends up, it will be interesting to see who's in #2. Not that we have much invested in Elise, who we don't really get to know.
Worth reading.
August 30, 2021
Novels about time travel frequently twist themselves into knots about the paradox that comes into play when travelers attempt to change something in the past that might mean they would never have been born. In The Continuum, the first of a series by science fiction newcomer Wendy Nikel, the grandfather paradox never surfaces . . . but somehow it seems that it ought to. The novel is a truly original take on time travel.
A set of rules is in force here
Here’s what you need to know about Wendy Nikel’s universe:
** The discoverer of time travel, a certain Dr. Wells, has opened the Place in Time Travel Agency, or PITTA.
** You can only travel back in time to dates that are one or more centuries in the past on precisely the same day, time, and place from which you leave.
** To return to the present, you press your thumb on a small spherical device called a Wormhole. So, be sure not to lose it! (As I said, this is an original take on time travel.)
** But you’re not supposed to travel back to key turning points in history. Those are Black Dates. They’re a no-no.
** The heroine of this novel is young Elise Morley, who is a Retrieval Specialist for PITTA. Her job it is to rescue clients who have disregarded the rules by going to when they shouldn’t or attempting to overstay their time in the past.
Naturally, then, we first encounter Elise on April 9, 1912, in Southampton, England. There, one of the agency’s clients, a spoiled pop star named Marie, is—shudder!—soon to board the Titanic for its maiden voyage. Well, this won’t do, of course. “Dr. Wells is not going to be happy about this.”
An amusing and original take on time travel
Enter Allen Theodore Mansfield Reeves III, the privileged young man to whom Marie (from 2012) has unaccountably become engaged . . . in 1912. Elise has felt forced to resort to the extreme measure of tackling the misbehaving client on the gangplank as she starts to enter the ship. But the resourceful Mr. Reeves gets into the act, attempting to rescue his fiancée. And from that awkward scene the future course of the story is set.
Given the lighthearted treatment, you might not be surprised to learn that Elise and Allen both end up . . . in the future. Which you’re not supposed to be able to do! And, to make matters even worse, it turns out that PITTA is not alone in sending people through time.
The Continuum is a pleasant and diverting tale that may be worth an evening or two if you like your science fiction free of grisly monsters, battles in space, and mind-bending ideas.
About the author
Here, in entirety, is what Wendy Nikel writes about herself on her website: “Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she’s left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published in such places as Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature: Futures, Daily Science Fiction, Podcastle, and various ezines and anthologies. Her time travel novella series, beginning with The Continuum, is available from World Weaver Press. She is a member of SFWA and editor-in-chief at Flash Fiction Online.”
A set of rules is in force here
Here’s what you need to know about Wendy Nikel’s universe:
** The discoverer of time travel, a certain Dr. Wells, has opened the Place in Time Travel Agency, or PITTA.
** You can only travel back in time to dates that are one or more centuries in the past on precisely the same day, time, and place from which you leave.
** To return to the present, you press your thumb on a small spherical device called a Wormhole. So, be sure not to lose it! (As I said, this is an original take on time travel.)
** But you’re not supposed to travel back to key turning points in history. Those are Black Dates. They’re a no-no.
** The heroine of this novel is young Elise Morley, who is a Retrieval Specialist for PITTA. Her job it is to rescue clients who have disregarded the rules by going to when they shouldn’t or attempting to overstay their time in the past.
Naturally, then, we first encounter Elise on April 9, 1912, in Southampton, England. There, one of the agency’s clients, a spoiled pop star named Marie, is—shudder!—soon to board the Titanic for its maiden voyage. Well, this won’t do, of course. “Dr. Wells is not going to be happy about this.”
An amusing and original take on time travel
Enter Allen Theodore Mansfield Reeves III, the privileged young man to whom Marie (from 2012) has unaccountably become engaged . . . in 1912. Elise has felt forced to resort to the extreme measure of tackling the misbehaving client on the gangplank as she starts to enter the ship. But the resourceful Mr. Reeves gets into the act, attempting to rescue his fiancée. And from that awkward scene the future course of the story is set.
Given the lighthearted treatment, you might not be surprised to learn that Elise and Allen both end up . . . in the future. Which you’re not supposed to be able to do! And, to make matters even worse, it turns out that PITTA is not alone in sending people through time.
The Continuum is a pleasant and diverting tale that may be worth an evening or two if you like your science fiction free of grisly monsters, battles in space, and mind-bending ideas.
About the author
Here, in entirety, is what Wendy Nikel writes about herself on her website: “Wendy Nikel is a speculative fiction author with a degree in elementary education, a fondness for road trips, and a terrible habit of forgetting where she’s left her cup of tea. Her short fiction has been published in such places as Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Nature: Futures, Daily Science Fiction, Podcastle, and various ezines and anthologies. Her time travel novella series, beginning with The Continuum, is available from World Weaver Press. She is a member of SFWA and editor-in-chief at Flash Fiction Online.”
February 2, 2021
I enjoyed the idea of this book. The world-building was interesting and the MC competent and easy to root for. The story takes some good turns and ends in a fun and interesting way. There was so much potential but it just didn't all work together for me.
This time travel book covers a lot of territory in a very small footprint. The author is wonderful at conveying a lot with few words and building a world without info dumps. The pace is fast, too fast and the result is a bit of whiplash as we jump from plot point to plot point with little explanation or room for our characters to breathe. I think I found this frustrating because the story would have been amazing if it was double the length and everything was given more detail and time to grow. At some point while reading I had the thought that it felt like a short story more than a novel and then I got to the end and read that the author is primarily a short story writer. I have nothing against short stories (I will probably go look up her back catalog because she is really good!) but I felt the scope of this story would have been better served by making it a true novel.
Adding spoilers below specifically about the time travel and twist ending as part of my own notes/analysis on time travel stories.
This time travel book covers a lot of territory in a very small footprint. The author is wonderful at conveying a lot with few words and building a world without info dumps. The pace is fast, too fast and the result is a bit of whiplash as we jump from plot point to plot point with little explanation or room for our characters to breathe. I think I found this frustrating because the story would have been amazing if it was double the length and everything was given more detail and time to grow. At some point while reading I had the thought that it felt like a short story more than a novel and then I got to the end and read that the author is primarily a short story writer. I have nothing against short stories (I will probably go look up her back catalog because she is really good!) but I felt the scope of this story would have been better served by making it a true novel.
Adding spoilers below specifically about the time travel and twist ending as part of my own notes/analysis on time travel stories.
January 19, 2018
An eARC from LibraryThing in return for an honest review.
In the ‘about the author’ blurb, she is described as an author of “speculative fiction” - a new genre category for me. It is an interesting premise, and I enjoy time travel books. I also find the Titanic disaster fascinating; if readers do not, then this book may not hold their interest. Elise is employed as a Retriever for a time-travel agency that offers its customers a trip to 100 years in the past. Marie, in 2012, travels to 1912 and is so taken with the idea she decides to stay. Enter Elise, who uses a mechanical wormhole device to travel back to Southhampton, get Marie alone, and whoosh her back to the present. This is made difficult because Marie is engaged to Allen, a 1900s successful young man with a flair for science. The first part of this book is so much about the Titanic, and the retrieval, that when the second sub-plot is revealed and Elise is enlisted by a government agency to jump to the future (which she had been told was impossible) and finds herself assigned to retrieve another government agent who decided he wanted to stay… yes, it got a bit confusing. But the author – while the writing needs some editing – moves the story quickly. There is another plot twist that brings Allen not only from 1912 but ahead to 2112. I can’t reveal too much without spoiling several surprises which raised my opinion of this book from a not-terribly-creative first part. I did tire a bit of being beaten over the head with comparisons, references, and parallels that show history will repeat itself. One of my editing suggestions is to rethink the names Butcher, Baker, Chandler (no, not candlestick maker, as Elise questions) who work for T.U.B. ; either make this tongue in cheek or make it a serious sci-fi adventure and not a humorous play on words. Another too-convenient and quick solution was Marie’s disappearance from the hotel room; she was a client who broke the rules and…. She just leaves? This ARC needs a few tweaks to be made. But overall, this novella was a quick, enjoyable read with a bit of suspense and a couple of surprises. 3.5 stars.
In the ‘about the author’ blurb, she is described as an author of “speculative fiction” - a new genre category for me. It is an interesting premise, and I enjoy time travel books. I also find the Titanic disaster fascinating; if readers do not, then this book may not hold their interest. Elise is employed as a Retriever for a time-travel agency that offers its customers a trip to 100 years in the past. Marie, in 2012, travels to 1912 and is so taken with the idea she decides to stay. Enter Elise, who uses a mechanical wormhole device to travel back to Southhampton, get Marie alone, and whoosh her back to the present. This is made difficult because Marie is engaged to Allen, a 1900s successful young man with a flair for science. The first part of this book is so much about the Titanic, and the retrieval, that when the second sub-plot is revealed and Elise is enlisted by a government agency to jump to the future (which she had been told was impossible) and finds herself assigned to retrieve another government agent who decided he wanted to stay… yes, it got a bit confusing. But the author – while the writing needs some editing – moves the story quickly. There is another plot twist that brings Allen not only from 1912 but ahead to 2112. I can’t reveal too much without spoiling several surprises which raised my opinion of this book from a not-terribly-creative first part. I did tire a bit of being beaten over the head with comparisons, references, and parallels that show history will repeat itself. One of my editing suggestions is to rethink the names Butcher, Baker, Chandler (no, not candlestick maker, as Elise questions) who work for T.U.B. ; either make this tongue in cheek or make it a serious sci-fi adventure and not a humorous play on words. Another too-convenient and quick solution was Marie’s disappearance from the hotel room; she was a client who broke the rules and…. She just leaves? This ARC needs a few tweaks to be made. But overall, this novella was a quick, enjoyable read with a bit of suspense and a couple of surprises. 3.5 stars.
January 22, 2018
On the scale of fantasy jobs, traveling through time for a living has got to be right up there at the top. That is what Elise Morley does in The Continuum.
Elise works for PITTA, Place In Time Travel Agency. On the outside, it looks just like any other travel agency, but for their specially referred clients, PITTA is so much more.
Why just get away to a new location, when you can get away to a new time as well? This is the service that PITTA offers. You can travel back in time, to whatever era you want, as long as you follow the rules.
It’s when you break the rules that Elise gets involved. Those who do not come back when they are scheduled to do so, are assigned a retriever. Elise or one of her coworkers will come back and get you to bring you home.
It is on such a retrieval mission that everything starts to go wrong. When Elise returns she is suddenly involved with a secret organization who is forcing her to go into the future on a retrieval.
It’s one thing to go into the past, you know what to expect. It’s history, and in most cases, well documented. You know how to find food, lodging, you’ll know the customs, where to find things.
The future, however, is an unknown entity. Elise must jump 200 years into the future, with little knowledge of what she’ll find when she gets there, or how to get along on a day-to-day basis.
Compelling And Thrilling
It is true that I have always been a bit of a sucker for a good Time Travel novel. But even so, I found Continuum to be exceptionally interesting, compelling, and thrilling. Elise’s excursions into the past were interesting and exciting. Her trip into the future, a little scary and even more exciting.
I exceptionally enjoyed the way the author managed to make even the tiniest detail important, now or in the future, to create this fabulous novel. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Wendy Nikel.
Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.
Elise works for PITTA, Place In Time Travel Agency. On the outside, it looks just like any other travel agency, but for their specially referred clients, PITTA is so much more.
Why just get away to a new location, when you can get away to a new time as well? This is the service that PITTA offers. You can travel back in time, to whatever era you want, as long as you follow the rules.
It’s when you break the rules that Elise gets involved. Those who do not come back when they are scheduled to do so, are assigned a retriever. Elise or one of her coworkers will come back and get you to bring you home.
It is on such a retrieval mission that everything starts to go wrong. When Elise returns she is suddenly involved with a secret organization who is forcing her to go into the future on a retrieval.
It’s one thing to go into the past, you know what to expect. It’s history, and in most cases, well documented. You know how to find food, lodging, you’ll know the customs, where to find things.
The future, however, is an unknown entity. Elise must jump 200 years into the future, with little knowledge of what she’ll find when she gets there, or how to get along on a day-to-day basis.
Compelling And Thrilling
It is true that I have always been a bit of a sucker for a good Time Travel novel. But even so, I found Continuum to be exceptionally interesting, compelling, and thrilling. Elise’s excursions into the past were interesting and exciting. Her trip into the future, a little scary and even more exciting.
I exceptionally enjoyed the way the author managed to make even the tiniest detail important, now or in the future, to create this fabulous novel. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from Wendy Nikel.
Reviewed for LnkToMi iRead in response to a complimentary copy of the book provided by the publisher in hopes of an honest review.
December 10, 2025
I love time travel stories , so of course when I found this I read it.
Elise Morley is to Extract a wayward temporal tourist; that’s her job. When she succeeds, she returns to 2012, only for her boss, Dr. Wells, to whisk her away to a top-secret facility.
Turns out he has been dealing with The Men In Black types on the side, and that contrary to what he told Elise, the technology they use can also take them into their future. Soon she’s in 2112, attempting to retrieve wayward agent sent to investigate the future and report back.
All this is rather full of holes. Why would they send HER when they have their own agents? Muscled, experienced, capable of bringing back resistant types agents.
Also they give her nothing except an unusual robe, no maps, training in future tech, no idea of where their guy may be, nothing. She'd last 5 minutes in reality especially with the future everything you do is run, bought, checked by retinal scans.
Conveniently she finds a library (bookless, paperless) and oh look, here is the missing agent turning up right next to her to assist her.
And some guy originally from 1912 is there, somehow, with knowledge and technology far beyond what he should have. Of course.
Elise discovers that she can’t return to her present and expect to live, nor can she stay in this future.
Also there is a "self-sustaining space colony". Hah. Build a bubble, add solar power, plant food, add people, voila!
Except in real life it doesn't work. Go look it up, Biosphere 2 it was called.
Ultimately, though, the plot peters out. It was pretty lame really.
Elise Morley is to Extract a wayward temporal tourist; that’s her job. When she succeeds, she returns to 2012, only for her boss, Dr. Wells, to whisk her away to a top-secret facility.
Turns out he has been dealing with The Men In Black types on the side, and that contrary to what he told Elise, the technology they use can also take them into their future. Soon she’s in 2112, attempting to retrieve wayward agent sent to investigate the future and report back.
All this is rather full of holes. Why would they send HER when they have their own agents? Muscled, experienced, capable of bringing back resistant types agents.
Also they give her nothing except an unusual robe, no maps, training in future tech, no idea of where their guy may be, nothing. She'd last 5 minutes in reality especially with the future everything you do is run, bought, checked by retinal scans.
Conveniently she finds a library (bookless, paperless) and oh look, here is the missing agent turning up right next to her to assist her.
And some guy originally from 1912 is there, somehow, with knowledge and technology far beyond what he should have. Of course.
Elise discovers that she can’t return to her present and expect to live, nor can she stay in this future.
Also there is a "self-sustaining space colony". Hah. Build a bubble, add solar power, plant food, add people, voila!
Except in real life it doesn't work. Go look it up, Biosphere 2 it was called.
Ultimately, though, the plot peters out. It was pretty lame really.
September 26, 2018
For me, time travel has always been one of the most fascinating sci-fi concepts. And while The Continuum is no Time Traveler's Wife, it still manages to pack an intriguing premise, a fast-paced plot, and a likeable main character whose voice doesn't start grating on your ears like some of the so-called "sassy" YA narrators are often bound to do.
To be honest, I have a soft spot for Victorian/Edwardian settings and would have preferred if a larger part of the story took place in the past, but the future setting, although not that detailed, was still sketched vividly enough to keep my interest. Too bad we don't learn more about that society.
In fact, that was this novel's main drawback: it seemed too short for both characters and setting to be fully developed and realize their true potential. All the relationships that Elise has - with Chandler, Dr Wells and even Allen, could use more depth, more chances for the characters to spend time together and interact. Sadly, the second book in the series is even shorter than that one ... so I'm not sure whether to pick it up, as I hate immersing myself in an intriguing world only to have it snatched away in a couple of hours. To give it credit though, the first novel doesn't end on a cliffhanger and manages to wrap up the first part of Elise's adventures rather satisfyingly, while still leaving the reader hungry for more. So, thumbs up for that!
To be honest, I have a soft spot for Victorian/Edwardian settings and would have preferred if a larger part of the story took place in the past, but the future setting, although not that detailed, was still sketched vividly enough to keep my interest. Too bad we don't learn more about that society.
In fact, that was this novel's main drawback: it seemed too short for both characters and setting to be fully developed and realize their true potential. All the relationships that Elise has - with Chandler, Dr Wells and even Allen, could use more depth, more chances for the characters to spend time together and interact. Sadly, the second book in the series is even shorter than that one ... so I'm not sure whether to pick it up, as I hate immersing myself in an intriguing world only to have it snatched away in a couple of hours. To give it credit though, the first novel doesn't end on a cliffhanger and manages to wrap up the first part of Elise's adventures rather satisfyingly, while still leaving the reader hungry for more. So, thumbs up for that!
December 9, 2017
I enjoy it when authors mix genres in their novels. This book would be considered science fiction, but it also had some mystery and historical fiction thrown in for fun. I enjoyed the fast pace and surprisingly good plot. Seriously, for an e-book, this plot was very good. The story was well put together and exciting. Time travel books are tough and Wendy Nikel did a good job making sure the loose ends were tied up. It is always a bit of a spiraling circle, but if don't think too much about it, it is a delightful paradox.
The writing had a certain snark to it that dry humorists will appreciate. I enjoy well done dry humor.
However, I do not care for writing in the first person. The main character said "I" a lot. Admittedly, it is hard to write well in the first person, so, I would suggest not doing it. Another thing that was disappointing was how short the book was. I felt like the plot was solid enough to support some side plots and greater amounts of character development and description. With more time and work this book could have been a 5.5 instead of a 4. I realize that this is a bit of a backhanded compliment, but consider it encouragement to keep writing. I would read another book by this author for sure.
As it was, it was a good solid story with enjoyable characters and clever dialog.
The writing had a certain snark to it that dry humorists will appreciate. I enjoy well done dry humor.
However, I do not care for writing in the first person. The main character said "I" a lot. Admittedly, it is hard to write well in the first person, so, I would suggest not doing it. Another thing that was disappointing was how short the book was. I felt like the plot was solid enough to support some side plots and greater amounts of character development and description. With more time and work this book could have been a 5.5 instead of a 4. I realize that this is a bit of a backhanded compliment, but consider it encouragement to keep writing. I would read another book by this author for sure.
As it was, it was a good solid story with enjoyable characters and clever dialog.
December 12, 2017
Disclaimers: Wendy Nikel and I are both members of the same writers' forum, but as far as I can remember we haven't interacted directly. I received a copy via Netgalley for review.
As I would expect, this is a well-crafted, competently-written book. Unfortunately, I felt it was lacking that extra spark that would take it from competence to excellence. The problem may have been that it was too short, with the character arcs and plot arcs resolving too quickly at the end, without enough middle in which they could be earned. Or it may have been that I somehow didn't find the characters' dilemmas visceral and compelling enough, or that the villains were a touch cartoonish, or that the relationships between characters were underdeveloped.
The time travel aspect is well handled, with a surprise ending (which could have had a bit more groundwork laid for it). However, I didn't fully believe that a man from 1912 could understand the workings of, and improve, a miniaturized electronic device, and since this was central to the plot that was a problem.
Enjoyable, and in places textbook (the escalation of the stakes, for example), but missing something vital to make it compelling for me.
As I would expect, this is a well-crafted, competently-written book. Unfortunately, I felt it was lacking that extra spark that would take it from competence to excellence. The problem may have been that it was too short, with the character arcs and plot arcs resolving too quickly at the end, without enough middle in which they could be earned. Or it may have been that I somehow didn't find the characters' dilemmas visceral and compelling enough, or that the villains were a touch cartoonish, or that the relationships between characters were underdeveloped.
The time travel aspect is well handled, with a surprise ending (which could have had a bit more groundwork laid for it). However, I didn't fully believe that a man from 1912 could understand the workings of, and improve, a miniaturized electronic device, and since this was central to the plot that was a problem.
Enjoyable, and in places textbook (the escalation of the stakes, for example), but missing something vital to make it compelling for me.
July 23, 2018
An interesting concept that centers around time travel and notable disasters.
If you know about a tragedy in advance, should you try to change it? Does it make a difference if you're personally involved? Elise works for a secret time travel agency that gives people a short vacation to the past. One of their most important rules is against going anywhere that has a "blackout" date: the time right before a known disaster or tragedy like the Titanic or 9/11, so that people won't be tempted to alter history beyond repair. Another important rule is to not stay beyond your designated time; if you do, the agency will send someone to retrieve you. That's what Elise does, until she is kidnapped and forced to do a retrieval...into the future. Suddenly she has to question everything she thought she knew about time travel and the ethics involved.
Since this is a novella, there is nothing extraneous about the story. Everything is pared down to just about the minimum and is highly focused on the three main characters of the story: Elise, Chandler and Allen. There are a few things I'd have liked to see, such as another of Elise's missions to demonstrate her competency with existing in the early 20th century. But other than perhaps some missing atmospheric detail and maybe a tad more on the ethical questions, I enjoyed this story.
If you know about a tragedy in advance, should you try to change it? Does it make a difference if you're personally involved? Elise works for a secret time travel agency that gives people a short vacation to the past. One of their most important rules is against going anywhere that has a "blackout" date: the time right before a known disaster or tragedy like the Titanic or 9/11, so that people won't be tempted to alter history beyond repair. Another important rule is to not stay beyond your designated time; if you do, the agency will send someone to retrieve you. That's what Elise does, until she is kidnapped and forced to do a retrieval...into the future. Suddenly she has to question everything she thought she knew about time travel and the ethics involved.
Since this is a novella, there is nothing extraneous about the story. Everything is pared down to just about the minimum and is highly focused on the three main characters of the story: Elise, Chandler and Allen. There are a few things I'd have liked to see, such as another of Elise's missions to demonstrate her competency with existing in the early 20th century. But other than perhaps some missing atmospheric detail and maybe a tad more on the ethical questions, I enjoyed this story.
December 7, 2017
Fast-paced and full of exciting plot turns, this short novel was an easy read. In the story, time travel is a secret and highly regulated activity for the wealthy. If a traveler doesn't return to the time travel agency on time--for whatever reason--an Extractor like our protagonist will bring them back. But things just don't go Elise Morley's way during an assignment that leads the the Titanic, and ripples from that mistake continue to haunt her from the past, into the present, and even into the future as she's sent on a mysterious, supposedly impossible assignment.
The premise here is fun, the characters are likable and relatable, and the world-building top notch. With effortless prose and vivid descriptions, all the time periods came to life perfectly. I love the little touches of irony, like the women's soggy hair and their dripping historic clothes in the hotel reception leading people to speculate they're Titanic re-enactors, which is totally lost on the extracted woman.
If you like the comedic, light-hearted writings of Connie Willis, you'll like this novella by Wendy Nikel quite a bit.
Please note that I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The premise here is fun, the characters are likable and relatable, and the world-building top notch. With effortless prose and vivid descriptions, all the time periods came to life perfectly. I love the little touches of irony, like the women's soggy hair and their dripping historic clothes in the hotel reception leading people to speculate they're Titanic re-enactors, which is totally lost on the extracted woman.
If you like the comedic, light-hearted writings of Connie Willis, you'll like this novella by Wendy Nikel quite a bit.
Please note that I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 31, 2018
"The Continuum" eBook was published in 2018 and was written by Wendy Nikel (https://wendynikel.com). Ms. Nikel has published two novels in her "Places in Time" series.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. In the future, time travel has been perfected, but it is being held as a closely guarded proprietary technology. The primary use has been for expensive, exclusive vacations in time. The primary character of this story is Elise Morley. This young woman is a history expert who is sent back in time to retrieve travelers who have gone astray.
She is kidnapped by a clandestine organization and forced by them to take a mission into the future. Here she is out of her element but must see the dangerous mission through. Can she succeed without altering the future?
I thought that this was an interesting 3 hour read of 207 pages. This was an enjoyable science fiction story. It read so quickly that it felt more like a novella than a full novel. I think that the cover art was a good choice. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘G’. In the future, time travel has been perfected, but it is being held as a closely guarded proprietary technology. The primary use has been for expensive, exclusive vacations in time. The primary character of this story is Elise Morley. This young woman is a history expert who is sent back in time to retrieve travelers who have gone astray.
She is kidnapped by a clandestine organization and forced by them to take a mission into the future. Here she is out of her element but must see the dangerous mission through. Can she succeed without altering the future?
I thought that this was an interesting 3 hour read of 207 pages. This was an enjoyable science fiction story. It read so quickly that it felt more like a novella than a full novel. I think that the cover art was a good choice. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.
December 12, 2017
I was provided an e-book version of this story from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.
A fast paced, science fiction story based around a Time Travel agency who sends rich clients to the past. The book opens with an incident at the time of the Titanic and swiftly arcs from the past, to the present, into the future. The protagonist of the story is a woman who has worked for the agency for some time, but gets pressed into undertaking a dangerous mission in the near future.
While the past was not really detailed as much as I would have liked, the story was entertaining and fast paced enough to keep you interested. The "present' in the book is in 2012 and she is forced to take a trip to 2112 to rectify a situation that has gone out of control.
The ending was a bit corny honestly, with the "hymn" being sung (a corollary to the music played as the Titanic was sinking) , but the surprise little twist at the end was rather enjoyable. I would be open to reading more from this author in future.
A fast paced, science fiction story based around a Time Travel agency who sends rich clients to the past. The book opens with an incident at the time of the Titanic and swiftly arcs from the past, to the present, into the future. The protagonist of the story is a woman who has worked for the agency for some time, but gets pressed into undertaking a dangerous mission in the near future.
While the past was not really detailed as much as I would have liked, the story was entertaining and fast paced enough to keep you interested. The "present' in the book is in 2012 and she is forced to take a trip to 2112 to rectify a situation that has gone out of control.
The ending was a bit corny honestly, with the "hymn" being sung (a corollary to the music played as the Titanic was sinking) , but the surprise little twist at the end was rather enjoyable. I would be open to reading more from this author in future.
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