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The Chronicles of St Mary's #9.5
The Battersea Barricades
A Chronicles of St Mary's short story that is sure to entertain. If you love Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you won't be able to resist Jodi Taylor.It's not easy being a rebel.So many new skills to assimilate.Never mind strategic planning, weapons expertise and the like - there's bicycle-stealing, oil-stain removal and boat steering to be mastered first.And quickly.It's the time of the Civil Uprisings and two young women set out to make a difference.Their only problem?They don't know where they are.Or where they're going.Or what to do when they get there.Other than that ...Fans of St Mary's will enjoy this glimpse into the past of some of their favourite characters.Readers love Jodi 'Once in a while, I discover an author who changes everything ... Jodi Taylor and her protagonista Madeleine "Max" Maxwell have seduced me''A great mix of British proper-ness and humour with a large dollop of historical fun '' Addictive. I wish St Mary's was real and I was a part of it''Jodi Taylor has an imagination that gets me completely hooked ''A tour de force'
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2018
263 people are currently reading
1790 people want to read
About the author
Jodi Taylor
92 books5,489 followersJodi Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's series, the story of a bunch of disaster prone individuals who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel! She is also the author of the Time Police series - a St Mary's spinoff and gateway into the world of an all-powerful, international organisation who are NOTHING like St Mary's. Except, when they are.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 258 reviews
April 24, 2018
Rating: 5* of five
Yep, full five. The story of the Battersea Barricades is designed to make old people mist up. It did me.
On this series bus or not, this is a story that's relevant to this moment in time and to the entire Chronicles of St Mary's. It's a lot less story than I suspect you little twidgees under 50 are expecting but it's not one whit less moving for that. Read. Now.
C'mon! It's only 99¢ and what better moment, globally, can there be to read a tale of resisting illegitimate authority?!
Yep, full five. The story of the Battersea Barricades is designed to make old people mist up. It did me.
On this series bus or not, this is a story that's relevant to this moment in time and to the entire Chronicles of St Mary's. It's a lot less story than I suspect you little twidgees under 50 are expecting but it's not one whit less moving for that. Read. Now.
C'mon! It's only 99¢ and what better moment, globally, can there be to read a tale of resisting illegitimate authority?!
April 23, 2018
In this case, for our intrepid STAFF of St. Mary's of the time-traveling historian crew, we get a very cool interview telling us of a Future History that happens in our future but just before the inception of the Crazy Historian Crew. :)
Confused? Don't be. It's basically a great tale of England tearing itself apart and seeing the downtrodden people rise up against others with guns. Or in this case, a scary black helicopter. :) Very fulfilling. Oh, and amusing, too, with all the stealing of bikes. :)
Go England! (of the future.) ;)
Confused? Don't be. It's basically a great tale of England tearing itself apart and seeing the downtrodden people rise up against others with guns. Or in this case, a scary black helicopter. :) Very fulfilling. Oh, and amusing, too, with all the stealing of bikes. :)
Go England! (of the future.) ;)
April 24, 2018
Yet another wonderful St Mary’s short story - and in my opinion one of the best in terms of simplicity and execution. This tale centres around the near distant future of Britain, one where the government has seized total control, and the resulting uprising.
We see Mrs Mack, Mrs Enderby and Mrs Shaw taking centre stage here - no longer sitting in the sidelines making fabulous costumes and cups of tea, but partaking in a full scale rebellion. And it’s wonderful to have their back story fleshed out in such a brilliant way. It’s very British, very bonkers, and totally within the spirit of St Mary’s.
We see Mrs Mack, Mrs Enderby and Mrs Shaw taking centre stage here - no longer sitting in the sidelines making fabulous costumes and cups of tea, but partaking in a full scale rebellion. And it’s wonderful to have their back story fleshed out in such a brilliant way. It’s very British, very bonkers, and totally within the spirit of St Mary’s.
April 30, 2018
This was a little different as St. Mary's short stories go. This time, we didn't jump back in time with a pod but listened to Mrs. Enderby, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Mack while they told what had happened to them on St. George's Day (23rd April) all those years ago during the Civil War.
How they held up and held themselves is what prompted Dr. Bairstow to invite them to become a part of St. Mary's after all. Not to mention how Jodi Taylor often hints at the slightly different past of that England compared to ours so it was only right that these three ladies got the spotlight for once.
As usual, the story might be short but very well done, the action as well as the characterizations are done wonderfully as well and I would lie if I said I wasn't moved several times during the narration although the events were different from what I had expected after the hints in previous novels. But kind Dr. Bairstow making sure everyone got what they needed and deserved.
A great addition to the short story collection.
March 28, 2025
I'll admit to being somewhat emotional before I started listening to this. (Personal issues). I certainly didn't expect it to make me cry through the last part of it. However it is a very emotive book and I defy anyone not to feel a little choked up at the end. Bravo Jodi Taylor, a beautiful bit of writing.
So it's the anniversary of the Battersea Barricades - the end to a civil war in which some of the St Mary's stalwarts played a part.
Max doesn't want to gatecrash the telling of the story by Mrs Enderby, Mrs Shaw and Mrs Mack but the ladies won't let her walk away.
It is alternately funny and moving and fills in another gap of St Mary's staff history. Beautifully written.
So it's the anniversary of the Battersea Barricades - the end to a civil war in which some of the St Mary's stalwarts played a part.
Max doesn't want to gatecrash the telling of the story by Mrs Enderby, Mrs Shaw and Mrs Mack but the ladies won't let her walk away.
It is alternately funny and moving and fills in another gap of St Mary's staff history. Beautifully written.
April 23, 2018
The Battersea Barricades is a short story from the St Chronicles of St Mary's series by Jodi Taylor. The short stories tell tales that don't make it to the books but help fill in gaps and explain events that are only ever mentioned in the main books
The earlier books have always hinted that Mrs Mack (Head of Kitchens) Mrs Shaw (Dr Peterson's Assistant) and Mrs Enderby (Head of Wardrobe) played a considerable roles at the Battersea Barricades, an uprising of the people, but until now the story has not been told. This short story fills in the events of that turbulent period and finally lets us see what we have always suspected..that these stalwarts of St Mary's are magnificent and St Mary's would not be able to cope without them.
The earlier books have always hinted that Mrs Mack (Head of Kitchens) Mrs Shaw (Dr Peterson's Assistant) and Mrs Enderby (Head of Wardrobe) played a considerable roles at the Battersea Barricades, an uprising of the people, but until now the story has not been told. This short story fills in the events of that turbulent period and finally lets us see what we have always suspected..that these stalwarts of St Mary's are magnificent and St Mary's would not be able to cope without them.
April 23, 2018
Powerful
I have tears streaming down my cheeks, making it rather difficult to see the keyboard. This emotional reaction came purely from he final page and a half of one of the most powerful and compelling short stories in the Chronicles. It was the story we asked for, but maybe not the story we expected.
I have tears streaming down my cheeks, making it rather difficult to see the keyboard. This emotional reaction came purely from he final page and a half of one of the most powerful and compelling short stories in the Chronicles. It was the story we asked for, but maybe not the story we expected.
December 28, 2025
3.5
Most notable as it resonates in an allegorical way for the Now of today. But great backstory for some recurring characters.
Most notable as it resonates in an allegorical way for the Now of today. But great backstory for some recurring characters.
August 2, 2018
This short story s surprisingly good as it narrates the events at the Battersea Barricades through the eyes of the heads of Wardrobe and the kitchen and Peterson's assistent. The Writing was excellent, as I've come to expect from Jodi Taylor, and the humor was spot on as usual.
Great read!
Great read!
April 26, 2018
I cried like a baby. I can’t think of a greater accolade for an author.
August 1, 2022
Top notch story about just how very bad ass and fun the costume ladies of St Mary's can be. This is a story told to Max about the time of the civil uprisings and two ladies of St Mary's who ended up at Battersea and hoped to make a difference. They go through a lot, including rebellion, narrow boats, bicycles, motorbikes, oil and more, and they live to tell the tale in a most amusing way :) 4*s
January 26, 2023
2 stars
I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t a typical St. Mary’s story. I spent the first half confused and then the second half checked out. It’s not complete trash, but it really didn’t feel necessary. There are no time jumps, which just felt bizarre.
If you’re a die hard fan of the series, read it. If you aren’t, skip it.
5.0 —One of the best I've ever read. Will be burned into my brain. Couldn't care less about weaknesses (if any). Would recommend to everyone and their mother.
4.5 —Loved this read. Will remember it fondly. Few weaknesses. Would recommend to anyone.
4.0 —Enjoyed this read. Will remember it fondly. Minor weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Might be memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Not very memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read. Not very memorable. Significant weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
▌2.0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Significant weaknesses. Might recommend to people who like similar books.
1.5 —Unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons. Major weaknesses. Probably wouldn't recommend.
1.0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash. I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it.
I don’t know what that was, but it wasn’t a typical St. Mary’s story. I spent the first half confused and then the second half checked out. It’s not complete trash, but it really didn’t feel necessary. There are no time jumps, which just felt bizarre.
If you’re a die hard fan of the series, read it. If you aren’t, skip it.
5.0 —One of the best I've ever read. Will be burned into my brain. Couldn't care less about weaknesses (if any). Would recommend to everyone and their mother.
4.5 —Loved this read. Will remember it fondly. Few weaknesses. Would recommend to anyone.
4.0 —Enjoyed this read. Will remember it fondly. Minor weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.5 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Might be memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to fans of the genre.
3.0 —Somewhat enjoyed this read. Not very memorable. Notable weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
2.5 —Neutral or Underwhelming read. Not very memorable. Significant weaknesses. Would recommend to people who like similar books.
▌2.0 —Underwhelming or unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for the wrong reasons. Significant weaknesses. Might recommend to people who like similar books.
1.5 —Unenjoyable read. Not very memorable or memorable for bad reasons. Major weaknesses. Probably wouldn't recommend.
1.0 —I wish I never wasted minutes of my life on this trash. I would go out of my way to convince others not to read it.
October 8, 2025
Jodie Taylor is a buy-on-sight author for me, so I really enjoyed getting the backstory of Mrs Mack (St Mary's kitchen supremo), Mrs Enderby (wardrobe) and Mrs Shaw (admin) when they manned the Battersea Barricades during an unbelievable three weeks of revolution in Britain and began the downfall of a corrupt government. Oh, ladies, where are you when we need you?
Audiobook - 10th October 2020
A prequel to all of the St Mary's books tells about the civil uprisings against the corrupt government, and how St Mary's stalwarts, Mrs Mack (catering), Mrs Shaw (Peterson's assistant), and Mrs Enderby (costume), ended up manning the Battersea Barricades on St George's Day on the decisive day of the civil war. The three of them have individual journeys and come together on that final day, to face down a helicopter gunship with nothing but their courage and each other. They tell their story to Max on the anniversary of the event. Zara Ramm narrates beautifully, as usual.
Audiobook - 10th October 2020
A prequel to all of the St Mary's books tells about the civil uprisings against the corrupt government, and how St Mary's stalwarts, Mrs Mack (catering), Mrs Shaw (Peterson's assistant), and Mrs Enderby (costume), ended up manning the Battersea Barricades on St George's Day on the decisive day of the civil war. The three of them have individual journeys and come together on that final day, to face down a helicopter gunship with nothing but their courage and each other. They tell their story to Max on the anniversary of the event. Zara Ramm narrates beautifully, as usual.
April 29, 2018
Another wonderful, sad but uplifting story.
April 25, 2018
History filled in
Jodi Taylor's latest release is a tidy short story about a future Civil Uprising in Britain begun as a Constitutional Crisis. It tells us a tale she's mentioned in her Time Travel novels, about how three of St. Mary's staff manned the Battersea Barricades in the last Battle of Britain's Civil War, or uprising. It's a nice little story that fills in many gaps in the Chronicles of St. Mary's.
Here in the U.S. we've been facing our own Constitutional Crisis everyday since our latest leader was fraudulently elected. I say fraudulently because it was influenced by forces both outside (FBI) and foreign (Russia), and in Russia's case, illegal. These influences along with Electoral Apathy allowed an inept person to win my nation's highest office. Since taking Office he's curtailed basic Civil Rights and rolled back various protections that were placed by prior President's. He favors the wealthy and disregards the safety nets in place to guarantee there will be no starvation among the poor. He's also been trying to remove Health insurance from millions. It's a sad situation as millions have marched against his protectionist and Civil Rights policies.
If things get worse, more and more actions of Civil Disobedience will occur. Even now, the Electorate is fed up. There are predictions and indicators that this year's Midterm Elections will be have huge numbers of eligible voters voting, giving their feedback on the current situation in Washington. From this will come stricter Ethics Regulations for those serving our Government, and more guarantees of Civil Rights for minorities. They'll do this while Congress removes our Nation's unfit leader. Look, I don't know about you, but having a narcissist misogynistic psychological liar as our leader frightens me from the tips of my toes to the hair on my scalp. There will be no electoral apathy this time around. People have realized that if they want a say, they need to vote.
I'm writing about this because this is something Ms. Taylor brings up - Constitutional Crises, Degradation of Civil Rights, and America's Protectionist and Isolationist policies. She's mentioned a number of times about not knowing what's going on in America because it became isolated from the World. I'm guessing she's concerned for her native Britain as it approaches full separation from the European Union. I'm sure she's dreaming about how Sir Winston Churchill must be rolling in his grave, especially since he said that there would be War again without the stability of a United Europe/European Union.
Science Fiction, or Speculative Fiction has always had authors predicting our future. There are enough instances of authors writing about political situations like the ones currently happening here in America as well as in the United Kingdom. What will happen if our leader keeps dragging our Nation away from the rest of the globe? Only time and SF authors will tell us.
I do recommend this story to Fans of St. Mary's. It's not a time travel novel, it's just a short story about St. Mary's residents and their current history. You'll enjoy it, i certainly did (I cried too).
Jodi Taylor's latest release is a tidy short story about a future Civil Uprising in Britain begun as a Constitutional Crisis. It tells us a tale she's mentioned in her Time Travel novels, about how three of St. Mary's staff manned the Battersea Barricades in the last Battle of Britain's Civil War, or uprising. It's a nice little story that fills in many gaps in the Chronicles of St. Mary's.
Here in the U.S. we've been facing our own Constitutional Crisis everyday since our latest leader was fraudulently elected. I say fraudulently because it was influenced by forces both outside (FBI) and foreign (Russia), and in Russia's case, illegal. These influences along with Electoral Apathy allowed an inept person to win my nation's highest office. Since taking Office he's curtailed basic Civil Rights and rolled back various protections that were placed by prior President's. He favors the wealthy and disregards the safety nets in place to guarantee there will be no starvation among the poor. He's also been trying to remove Health insurance from millions. It's a sad situation as millions have marched against his protectionist and Civil Rights policies.
If things get worse, more and more actions of Civil Disobedience will occur. Even now, the Electorate is fed up. There are predictions and indicators that this year's Midterm Elections will be have huge numbers of eligible voters voting, giving their feedback on the current situation in Washington. From this will come stricter Ethics Regulations for those serving our Government, and more guarantees of Civil Rights for minorities. They'll do this while Congress removes our Nation's unfit leader. Look, I don't know about you, but having a narcissist misogynistic psychological liar as our leader frightens me from the tips of my toes to the hair on my scalp. There will be no electoral apathy this time around. People have realized that if they want a say, they need to vote.
I'm writing about this because this is something Ms. Taylor brings up - Constitutional Crises, Degradation of Civil Rights, and America's Protectionist and Isolationist policies. She's mentioned a number of times about not knowing what's going on in America because it became isolated from the World. I'm guessing she's concerned for her native Britain as it approaches full separation from the European Union. I'm sure she's dreaming about how Sir Winston Churchill must be rolling in his grave, especially since he said that there would be War again without the stability of a United Europe/European Union.
Science Fiction, or Speculative Fiction has always had authors predicting our future. There are enough instances of authors writing about political situations like the ones currently happening here in America as well as in the United Kingdom. What will happen if our leader keeps dragging our Nation away from the rest of the globe? Only time and SF authors will tell us.
I do recommend this story to Fans of St. Mary's. It's not a time travel novel, it's just a short story about St. Mary's residents and their current history. You'll enjoy it, i certainly did (I cried too).
May 1, 2018
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Having only just finished An Argumentation of Historians (the ninth book in the series), this short story was already published two weeks later. And it was completely not what I expected.
It is different from the rest in A) there is no 'investigating major/minor historical events in contemporary time' and B) the usual main characters almost play no role at all. Sure, Max is there drinking wine but not doing much more.
It was nice to have a background story for the supporting cast of the series, but it was a weird kind of story. As you might recall, Max travelled to a parallel dimension somewhere around book three/four (I honestly don't recall) and has been living since in a world with the Time Police. Some other things are also different, but just how different it was always difficult to tell because Max, and the reader by extension, is very ignorant of her surroundings and little important things like who is king/prime minister or what year it is. Tea, I can tell, is still plentiful, which is the only thing that counts.
So we are thrown into a civil war (simply called THE civil war for confusion) in this timeline, and while I would love to know more about this alternative reality, I would have liked to see some more introduction because sure, they were rebels of some kind. But that was about it. Now I left wondering about the details, and also if we will get more like this in the future.
Having only just finished An Argumentation of Historians (the ninth book in the series), this short story was already published two weeks later. And it was completely not what I expected.
It is different from the rest in A) there is no 'investigating major/minor historical events in contemporary time' and B) the usual main characters almost play no role at all. Sure, Max is there drinking wine but not doing much more.
It was nice to have a background story for the supporting cast of the series, but it was a weird kind of story. As you might recall, Max travelled to a parallel dimension somewhere around book three/four (I honestly don't recall) and has been living since in a world with the Time Police. Some other things are also different, but just how different it was always difficult to tell because Max, and the reader by extension, is very ignorant of her surroundings and little important things like who is king/prime minister or what year it is. Tea, I can tell, is still plentiful, which is the only thing that counts.
So we are thrown into a civil war (simply called THE civil war for confusion) in this timeline, and while I would love to know more about this alternative reality, I would have liked to see some more introduction because sure, they were rebels of some kind. But that was about it. Now I left wondering about the details, and also if we will get more like this in the future.
October 19, 2020
This tale focuses on Mrs Enderby and the shall we say older ladies of St Marys and tells of a future past event (just go with it) I found it quite poignant with the customary humour the St Marys books always have. A welcome novella focusing on the less central characters.
April 30, 2021
This is such a powerful short story as Max listens to her colleagues, survivors of The Battersea Barricades, reflect on their experiences at the close of the recent civil war. Very poignant, very amusing and absolutely wonderful.
April 18, 2022
Very poignant considering the current events in Ukraine.
I really enjoyed listening to the points of view of other characters we don't usually hear all that much from (albeit still from Max's POV). Definitely an important addition to the St Marys series and a strong short story.
I really enjoyed listening to the points of view of other characters we don't usually hear all that much from (albeit still from Max's POV). Definitely an important addition to the St Marys series and a strong short story.
April 23, 2018
Too short 😔But sweet. Anticipating the next ‘proper’ instalment from St Mary’s mind...
May 27, 2018
I’m not much a fan of epistolary style and while this isn’t lettersit is a remembrance so it’s harder for me to get into. Still, great heart in the end.
June 1, 2018
A truly great world-builder has many untold stories up her sleeve. This is one that Jodi Taylor has often referred to and has now finally told. Most enjoyable.
April 11, 2019
A beautiful short story that's full of heart.
Normally for this series the history is seen through time travel but this one is different, this one is more personal and the weight of that face resonates strongly with this tale. This one is about the Battersea Barricade and the four women of Saint Mary's that were actually a part of that event. Their point of view hold a lot of weight and it's much more personal making it much more emotional. It's a beautiful written little tale.
Onward to the next book!
Normally for this series the history is seen through time travel but this one is different, this one is more personal and the weight of that face resonates strongly with this tale. This one is about the Battersea Barricade and the four women of Saint Mary's that were actually a part of that event. Their point of view hold a lot of weight and it's much more personal making it much more emotional. It's a beautiful written little tale.
Onward to the next book!
December 28, 2022
That was very nice to listen too!
September 8, 2023
Not my fave of this short story series. It was a re telling of an event, not an actual trip to that event.
April 25, 2020
For those of us who wondered what happened at the Battersea Barricades, wonder no longer. A novella for St George's Day.
April 23, 2018
Loved it
A piece of the history of at Mary's, brought to life for the readers like me who wonder what actually happened at the battersea barricades. Now we know, so thank you very much jodi. Definitely worth waiting for.
A piece of the history of at Mary's, brought to life for the readers like me who wonder what actually happened at the battersea barricades. Now we know, so thank you very much jodi. Definitely worth waiting for.
May 1, 2018
I have loved the Chronicles of St Mary's series for a little while now, and have eagerly devoured all the books, and the short stories as well. I have been recommending them to my dad and colleagues, as they are so full of excellent storytelling, humour, time travel, and some really heart wrenching moments.
For me personally, this is definitely the weakest in the series, and I've been waiting for the weakest to show up. I really did think it would be before now, considering the amount of main book, and novellas there are included in this series.
This is told quite differently to the other books. There are no time travel happenings at all. This is three women (Mrs. Enderby, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Mack, very much insignificant and forgettable characters in the books), reminiscing about the events that happened to them on St George's Day, during the Civil War.
I found this storytelling quite difficult to keep track of, as I had no idea who was speaking at any given time. The back stories have been hinted at in one of the main books, but the three characters never had much of an impact on me, and don't have me rooting for them, or thinking about them long after the story has ended - like Markham or Peterson for example. I found it quite dull as well, apart from Max's occasionally funny quips, or Dr Bairstow's disbelief.
For me, the good stories/characters far outweigh this one, and I will continue to read the series. Hopefully this is not the start of a downward spiral for the author.
For me personally, this is definitely the weakest in the series, and I've been waiting for the weakest to show up. I really did think it would be before now, considering the amount of main book, and novellas there are included in this series.
This is told quite differently to the other books. There are no time travel happenings at all. This is three women (Mrs. Enderby, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Mack, very much insignificant and forgettable characters in the books), reminiscing about the events that happened to them on St George's Day, during the Civil War.
I found this storytelling quite difficult to keep track of, as I had no idea who was speaking at any given time. The back stories have been hinted at in one of the main books, but the three characters never had much of an impact on me, and don't have me rooting for them, or thinking about them long after the story has ended - like Markham or Peterson for example. I found it quite dull as well, apart from Max's occasionally funny quips, or Dr Bairstow's disbelief.
For me, the good stories/characters far outweigh this one, and I will continue to read the series. Hopefully this is not the start of a downward spiral for the author.
April 24, 2018
In which we find out more about the civil uprising where Mrs Mack, Mrs Enderby and Mrs Shaw met and stood against a corrupt government.
Taylor's trademark humour is still present, but dialled right down which serves the story perfectly. No racing about in pods this time around. Instead, the three ladies come to the forefront to give us a verbal account of their experiences during the Battersea Barricades. A nice touch of oral history that fleshes out some of St Mary's background characters whilst further realising an already solidly-built alternate world.
I'm always a little apprehensive that stories about side characters will be somehow unsatisfying, but really they're rather like watching an artist fill in background details of a large painting. It seems like a lot of work for something you aren't completely focused on, but it's always worth that extra effort it because it adds such richness, depth and understanding to the rest of the work.
Taylor's trademark humour is still present, but dialled right down which serves the story perfectly. No racing about in pods this time around. Instead, the three ladies come to the forefront to give us a verbal account of their experiences during the Battersea Barricades. A nice touch of oral history that fleshes out some of St Mary's background characters whilst further realising an already solidly-built alternate world.
I'm always a little apprehensive that stories about side characters will be somehow unsatisfying, but really they're rather like watching an artist fill in background details of a large painting. It seems like a lot of work for something you aren't completely focused on, but it's always worth that extra effort it because it adds such richness, depth and understanding to the rest of the work.
May 7, 2018
I usually like every word written about St. Mary’s but this one proved to be the exception. The only good thing about it was that it was short. There was no jump back to verify history but just three ladies who survived the battle and stood down the gunships coming to end the civil unrest with fire power. One stood on the car and waved the flag to show the government troups that everyone was British. The gunship backed off and the civil unrest ended but not before much bloodshed and property damage. Still, it wasn’t a Chronicle of St. Mary’s and a story told over a bottle of wine instead of happening is just kinda boring. Can’t wait for Book 10 in the series.
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