1888: The Ripper Revelation

The Infinity Engine: Missions #2

by Andrew Hastie

What if you could go back in time and discover the real identity of Jack the Ripper?It's 1888, the slums of London's East End are overrun with crime, disease and poverty. In the dark alleys of Whitechapel, a serial killer begins a killing spree, preying on prostitutes and leaving them horrifically mutilated. Detective Inspector Sabien is assigned to the case. A seasoned officer of the Protectorate, the temporal police force of the Oblivion Order, Sabien is tasked with tracking the down murderer.

Seconded to the nineteenth-century, the Inspector has a rare talent, the ability to travel through the timelines of the victims, giving him a 100% track record and earning him the nickname of 'Sherlock'. But this investigation is different, the Ripper seems to be able to hide from him, and as the body count begins to stack up, Sabien finds himself struggling to discover the killer's identity.

Infinity Missions takes you on a journey into an alternate history, one that might have been if it wasn’t for the work of the Oblivion Order and their mission to save the future, by changing the past.

Genres: Time Travel, Science Fiction

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2019

About the author

Andy was born in 1967, and grew up with a love of science fiction inspired by the TV shows of the late 70s. Having always had a creative eye, he graduated with a BA Honours in Graphic Design, and has gone on to have a successful career as a Creative Director within a number of digital agencies, creating award-winning work for some of the largest global brands. During this time he nurtured his passion for writing sci-fi and secured a commission with the BBC for his first script, The Department of Unknown Origins, a Victorian X-Files set in the Natural History Museum, exec produced by Jon Plowman and considered by BBC Drama and Sky One.

The Anachronist is his first novel, one of a three part series called 'The Infinity Engines.' You can find out more about it on his blog: www.infinityengines.com

He lives in Surrey with his wife, two teenage daughters and a troublesome puppy.

Reviews

[Bill Pentland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another "mission" completed in the world of the Anachronist. This one sent us back to the late 1800s in the Whitechapel section of London. Most of you know what that means. This story, like 1776, featured some characters with whom I was familiar. Characters from the Infinity Engine series, but it also included new ones. There were some unusual twists in this one that I did not foresee, which is always good. These books have been fun, refreshing.

[Steven Wylie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this book a hard slog to read. It is not as good as the original series of books, and it left me feel a bit let down.
The main character doesn't seem to command the story.
Sorry but this book just wasn't for me.

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time travel with a bizarre twist. Given a taste of the identity of Jack the Ripper we are given a swerve into ancient curses. Obviously, we never do find out the Ripper's identity. People are dead and then they aren't and on and on. A short book, but hard to follow.

[Sarah Peachey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a copy ahead of its release, which as usual, I wolfed down in about 2 days (it’s usually faster but I had to work 😳)

This book picks up after 1776, and closes a few doors opened in that book. Following the exploits of Michael Sabien, as a time travelling detective, he looks into one of the UK’s iconic murder mysteries - Jack the Ripper.

If you’re unused to the books it may be worth explaining that the cast travel through time and change outcomes to keep the future at its optimum. This means there are hundreds of variables and at the start of this book it’s easy to think ‘hold on, if these are time travellers, how come they don’t already know about the murders?’ This is because in the future timeline that Michael lives in, there wasn’t a Jack the Ripper. Something happens in the past to change the timeline and that’s what is investigating.

[Alis Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

1888 The Infinity Engines Missions book 2 by Andrew Hastie is a science fiction book mixed with history and time travel, a great mixture.
The book starts with short chapters which I think enhances the excitement of a book. The chapters do move back and forth in time which aids the explanation of the book from the very start. As I read through the prose felt truly sympathetic to the situation as it unfolded and enabled me to have a vivid picture of what it was like in my mind. Hastie’s meticulous research shines through providing an authentic backdrop for the adventures of the characters. The intricate plot twists and well-developed characters made the book a page turner for me, so much so I read it in one session. A book I would recommend to lovers of historical crime and time travel. I really enjoyed it.

[Martin Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the idea of time travel stories, which this is but it didn’t feel clever enough.

Here’s how it felt to me.

The author had done a decent level of research around Jack the Ripper and society around that time then decided to create a story around it.

Which wasn’t very good. Some people die, he can read/see their previous history via some power (which means there is no detective work, he has the equivalent of cctv in built in him), so he stops something unexpected happening. End of story. Just like an episode of dr who.

The book wasn’t proof read properly either. Too many words appearing that shouldn’t have been there.

I really wanted to enjoy this as I was keen to start the infinity engine stories but after this tester I won’t.

[Rosie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another peek into the awesome world created in the Infinity Engine series. I liked Sabien when he was introduced in the other books and was intrigued to learn more about him. I enjoyed that element of the book a lot. However, as expected due to the topic, the story as a whole was a bit too gory for me.

Looking forward to more missions and longer stories in this series.

[Steven Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a good read

Super twist to the jack the ripper story and with time travel thrown in for good measures 😁 what exactly was the Dr? Need a bit more info on that. I wonder what they have instore for the inspector or will the next book be a entirely new storyline 😲 anyhow this was a great read.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment left me rather underwhelmed. I didn't connect with the characters unlike the other books in the series and felt the plot was a little weak. Other people rated it highly so maybe I missed something?

[Kathleen Knowles · Rating 2 out of 5]

Absolutely terrible! Impossible to follow and written poorly. I would give it only one star except I only give books one star that I can't finish. I did finish this one but I will not bother to read anymore in this series. In fact, I doubt I will ever read anything by this author again.

[Tina Ambury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another riveting instalment, one with a different twist that makes me want to find out more.
Read in a couple of hours last night and couldn't review as it was after lights out in the 'van due to a very early start today.

[John Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read as ever very enjoyable can't wait for the next instalment.

[Spurnlad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another novella - still the same great standard.

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting take on the Jack the Ripper killings. I had guessed from earlier books that this would be the likely outcome

[Kathryn Laing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabien is an officer of the Protectorate, the temporal police force of the Oblivion Order and has travelled back trough time to catch Jack the Ripper. A great story with lots of twists.

[Snakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting time travel short story.

[Jane Featherstone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting mission, with an alternative history for the Ripper Murders

[Sean and Tanya Warren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story

An ok sort of read but not quite what I was expecting
I was a little disappointed with the way the storyline progressed