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A Coin for the Ferryman: A Novel
In 1999, an elite interdisciplinary team headed by Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek gathered in California to carry out a ground-breaking time-travel experiment. While the rest of the world remained unaware, Julius Caesar was successfully transported from his last Ides of March to a specially-constructed covert facility. Four days of conversation with historians and Latin scholars were planned, followed by Caesar’s return to the moment from which he was extracted, thus keeping subsequent history intact. But despite the team’s meticulous efforts to plan for all possible exigencies, an unscrupulous antiquities dealer who learns of Caesar’s visit disrupts the experiment with a kidnap attempt. Cassandra Fleury, the youngest member of the team, must summon strength she didn’t know she possessed to return Caesar to the Ides of March. Kept silent by draconian non-disclosure agreements for more than two decades, the team members who participated in Danicek’s experiment have said nothing. Certain events have now permitted the story to be revealed. Perhaps the most surprising result of the experiment is that the lives of each team member were inexorably altered in ways no one could have predicted.
540 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 1, 2022
25 people are currently reading
5824 people want to read
About the author
Megan Edwards
14 books122 followersI live and write in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. I never dreamed I’d call Sin City home, but when I arrived at the end of 1999 to do a little research for a book, I fell in love with the city beyond the neon and and never left. Actually, I love the neon, too. In fact, I’m crazy about the whole place -- quirks, warts, super-hot summers, and all! I have written two mysteries set in Las Vegas: GETTING OFF ON FRANK SINATRA and FULL SERVICE BLONDE. My new novel A COIN FOR THE FERRYMAN releases on March 1, 2022. I'll be celebrating with six other authors at a super-sized book launch party on March 5, 2022 in Las Vegas. If you'd like to join us for an evening of food, drink, books, and authors, visit imbrifex.com/party/ for all the details! It's gonna be a night to remember!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 344 reviews
December 18, 2021
3.5 stars
An elite team of scientists and a young woman who can speak Latin are gathered to in a secret laboratory where they have been working on a time travel experiment. Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek, who heads the team, wants to make sure the experiment is a success. He doesn't want to just bring anyone into the present from the past. He would like to bring a historical figure. One that they can bring to the present for four days, learn what they can from this individual and send back. They decide upon a historical figure and *poof* Julius Caesar is standing in front of them. What will they make of him, more importantly what will he make of them?
They need to be careful; they don't want to change history - it needs to remain the same! But will it?
Cassandra speaks Latin so naturally she is the interpreter, but things don't quite go so smoothly at first...
No one knows Caesar is there but then things change, and the plan goes out the window....
I enjoyed this book, and this take on time travel. The Ides of March is an important date on the Roman Calendar, and it also marks the assignation of Julius Caesar. How does it change things when you know someone's history? How does it change you? Will it change your history? This was a nice audiobook to listen to as I am often driving here and there for work. I enjoyed the narrator and the story.
It may not appeal to some as it does take on a thriller feel around the middle. But I did find one thing in the book to be very clever. Pay attention to the beginning and ending is all I have to say - No spoiler but if you pay attention, you may be thinking "oh how clever!" as I did.
Thank you to Imbrifex Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
An elite team of scientists and a young woman who can speak Latin are gathered to in a secret laboratory where they have been working on a time travel experiment. Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek, who heads the team, wants to make sure the experiment is a success. He doesn't want to just bring anyone into the present from the past. He would like to bring a historical figure. One that they can bring to the present for four days, learn what they can from this individual and send back. They decide upon a historical figure and *poof* Julius Caesar is standing in front of them. What will they make of him, more importantly what will he make of them?
They need to be careful; they don't want to change history - it needs to remain the same! But will it?
Cassandra speaks Latin so naturally she is the interpreter, but things don't quite go so smoothly at first...
No one knows Caesar is there but then things change, and the plan goes out the window....
I enjoyed this book, and this take on time travel. The Ides of March is an important date on the Roman Calendar, and it also marks the assignation of Julius Caesar. How does it change things when you know someone's history? How does it change you? Will it change your history? This was a nice audiobook to listen to as I am often driving here and there for work. I enjoyed the narrator and the story.
It may not appeal to some as it does take on a thriller feel around the middle. But I did find one thing in the book to be very clever. Pay attention to the beginning and ending is all I have to say - No spoiler but if you pay attention, you may be thinking "oh how clever!" as I did.
Thank you to Imbrifex Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
February 5, 2022
2.5 stars. This was an intriguing premise that made me anxious to read it. I found the writing to be very good and I love Roman history. When combined with SciFi and a story based on time travel, it seemed to be something that would keep me fully engaged. Unfortunately, my interest kept waning. The members of the scientific team engaged in the experiment were either flat or lacking In believability. Too many unnecessary characters with backstories were introduced. Julius Caesar was transported to present-day America just before his Ides of March assassination and must be returned within that timeframe to avoid disruptions in the course of history. But what about the morality about sending him back to certain death?
I regret the book wasn't for me and I didn't finish it. I wish it had been faster-paced with unnecessary filler and detail omitted. Prospective readers should not be deterred by my review as many of the readers enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review.
I regret the book wasn't for me and I didn't finish it. I wish it had been faster-paced with unnecessary filler and detail omitted. Prospective readers should not be deterred by my review as many of the readers enjoyed this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this in return for an honest review.
April 13, 2022
Thanks to the publisher - Imbifrex Books for providing ARC in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley.
3/5 stars
A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards is a time travel story. The plot of the story goes like this: there is this scientist who invents the machine that can bring back a living thing from the past to our present-day for a specified period of time, the only catch being that the person must be seconds from death and be returned to that very moment so as to not upset the history that comes after. They decide to bring in Julius Caesar from the past. Now, the question is - will they be able to return him back to his time successfully without altering the future? You have to read to find out for yourselves.
I liked the various characters in the story, in particular, I loved reading about Cassandra. I was impressed with the use of Latin phrases in the texts inside the story. I listened to the audiobook narration of the book which was amazing as it brought all the more feel to the adventure that was needed for the setting.
There were unnecessary details that were irrelevant. There were too many descriptions of the things I was least interested in. The story was uselessly dragged to a thick book that could have been cut to a short and crisp one.
It was a fun, light, thrilling, and adventurous read and I would recommend this to SciFi junkies out there.
Release Date: 01 Mar 2022.
Review Posted: 13 Mar 2022.
Visit My Blog to read this and all my other reviews.
3/5 stars
A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards is a time travel story. The plot of the story goes like this: there is this scientist who invents the machine that can bring back a living thing from the past to our present-day for a specified period of time, the only catch being that the person must be seconds from death and be returned to that very moment so as to not upset the history that comes after. They decide to bring in Julius Caesar from the past. Now, the question is - will they be able to return him back to his time successfully without altering the future? You have to read to find out for yourselves.
I liked the various characters in the story, in particular, I loved reading about Cassandra. I was impressed with the use of Latin phrases in the texts inside the story. I listened to the audiobook narration of the book which was amazing as it brought all the more feel to the adventure that was needed for the setting.
There were unnecessary details that were irrelevant. There were too many descriptions of the things I was least interested in. The story was uselessly dragged to a thick book that could have been cut to a short and crisp one.
It was a fun, light, thrilling, and adventurous read and I would recommend this to SciFi junkies out there.
Release Date: 01 Mar 2022.
Review Posted: 13 Mar 2022.
Visit My Blog to read this and all my other reviews.
April 13, 2022
Netgalley read for honest opinion.
A Coin for the Ferryman
3.5 stars
Clever, intriguing, great potential sometimes fulfilled.
A wonderful well drawn character drama with a background element of time travel. The plot is actually a simple one: a scientist invents a machine that can transport a person or an object from ancient times to the present day for a limited time and the problems that ensue. The one caveat is that the person must be seconds from their death and be returned to that moment in order to not upset the history that comes after. The person that is chosen for the first trial experiment is Jules Caesar.
That is it in a nut shell but there is so much more. It is the much more that I loved and so much of the set up of the experiment and the background of the characters involved that I found clunky and over explained. At times I felt like an archeologist on a prolonged dig finding such worthy treasures after much toil. It is not the way I like to feel after reading a good book. Yes it takes some work especially at first but by the end I was highlighting and bookmarking passages and admiring more if not quite appreciated the work that came before. The author does an excellent job of showing through a creative written tale how power is used, what history can tell us and not tell us, and how small individuals can play a role that history never records.
The things I loved were the use of Latin phrases in the text. I love how this ancient language and how it is translated in English was used so well in a purportedly science fiction book. For someone unfamiliar with the language it was a real bonus. I felt the author did a wonderful job with this. The other thing I admired and at times drove me crazy was the author’s work at making all the puzzle pieces fit. The good part of this was that at the end I had few questions about how this time travel worked and who the characters were and how this fitted into their reaction to each crisis (and there were many). The bad part of this was as a reader I did not feel that the author trusted me to make any intellectual leaps—that every move, character trait, or flaw was so explained that it took me out of the story. Much of this was in the form of individual history, that at times went on for pages and just felt unneeded, upsetting the pacing and my engagement with the story.
Yet by the end when the pieces came together I could see the author’s work, yes at times it felt clumsy and just plain wordy, a cup of coffee was never just a cup of coffee but a light latte with an infinity sign swirled in. I too often wished she would just get on with the telling rather than all the showing. Too much description of non essential elements that got in the way of a ripping good yarn was the just of it for me.
I’m not familiar enough with Netgalley Arcs to know if this will disappear from my Kindle after a while but I hope it does not. I do believe it is a story I will revisit and think about. Especially the last third was well worth the time it took me to get there. I think this is a book that will gain stars with time. My 3.5 may well edge up to 4 and perhaps even higher. One does tend to forget the stuff that got in the way and all the wonderful bits will shine through. I felt towards the end that this author was beginning to realize the power of her writing, was finding the beauty in her craft and using that understanding to convey it. I would definitely be interested to see what she does next.
A Coin for the Ferryman
3.5 stars
Clever, intriguing, great potential sometimes fulfilled.
A wonderful well drawn character drama with a background element of time travel. The plot is actually a simple one: a scientist invents a machine that can transport a person or an object from ancient times to the present day for a limited time and the problems that ensue. The one caveat is that the person must be seconds from their death and be returned to that moment in order to not upset the history that comes after. The person that is chosen for the first trial experiment is Jules Caesar.
That is it in a nut shell but there is so much more. It is the much more that I loved and so much of the set up of the experiment and the background of the characters involved that I found clunky and over explained. At times I felt like an archeologist on a prolonged dig finding such worthy treasures after much toil. It is not the way I like to feel after reading a good book. Yes it takes some work especially at first but by the end I was highlighting and bookmarking passages and admiring more if not quite appreciated the work that came before. The author does an excellent job of showing through a creative written tale how power is used, what history can tell us and not tell us, and how small individuals can play a role that history never records.
The things I loved were the use of Latin phrases in the text. I love how this ancient language and how it is translated in English was used so well in a purportedly science fiction book. For someone unfamiliar with the language it was a real bonus. I felt the author did a wonderful job with this. The other thing I admired and at times drove me crazy was the author’s work at making all the puzzle pieces fit. The good part of this was that at the end I had few questions about how this time travel worked and who the characters were and how this fitted into their reaction to each crisis (and there were many). The bad part of this was as a reader I did not feel that the author trusted me to make any intellectual leaps—that every move, character trait, or flaw was so explained that it took me out of the story. Much of this was in the form of individual history, that at times went on for pages and just felt unneeded, upsetting the pacing and my engagement with the story.
Yet by the end when the pieces came together I could see the author’s work, yes at times it felt clumsy and just plain wordy, a cup of coffee was never just a cup of coffee but a light latte with an infinity sign swirled in. I too often wished she would just get on with the telling rather than all the showing. Too much description of non essential elements that got in the way of a ripping good yarn was the just of it for me.
I’m not familiar enough with Netgalley Arcs to know if this will disappear from my Kindle after a while but I hope it does not. I do believe it is a story I will revisit and think about. Especially the last third was well worth the time it took me to get there. I think this is a book that will gain stars with time. My 3.5 may well edge up to 4 and perhaps even higher. One does tend to forget the stuff that got in the way and all the wonderful bits will shine through. I felt towards the end that this author was beginning to realize the power of her writing, was finding the beauty in her craft and using that understanding to convey it. I would definitely be interested to see what she does next.
February 3, 2022
What a intriguing mystery about a great figure with modern characters is a true treat. What a page turner. I couldn't put it down. Even though this is a long story it flows smoothly since it is so well written. It is a fast paced and engrossing journey pivoting on one of the most important events in Classical history. Includes romance, road trips, chopper rides, intrigue and weird science.
Just a warning after reading the first page you will be hooked. Highly recommend. Waiting for your next great book.
Just a warning after reading the first page you will be hooked. Highly recommend. Waiting for your next great book.
February 16, 2022
Thank you NetGalley for giving me an audio arc of this book. I am choosing to leave this review.
well this was... a book.
Las Vegas + Caesar + kidnapping + mafia?? + sexism
Women get absolutely NO RESPECT in this book. There are A LOT of focus on women's bodies and their intelligence is consistently discredited to focus on their appearance. The character I thought was the main character who was first described as an intelligent beautiful women gets discredited due to VALID EMOTIONS and then becomes a background b*tch that nobody likes. Another intelligent women, who is 100% fluent in Latin, gets added to the team. Why? You would think her knowledge but no all the men can talk about IS HOW HOT SHE IS AND CEASER WILL LIKE THAT SHE IS HOT HOT HOT SEXY. WTF. Honestly it was repulsive in many parts.
I thought that at some point this book would turn around and there would be a mention of sexism and the pure discredit of intelegance due to gender but it never happened. Now the book itself is set in 1999 and yes sexism is still prevalent in STEM but there needed to be a conversation how disgusting it was. I read somewhere that this book was 20 years in the making but it needed to be revised and accommodate for the climate we are in today.
well this was... a book.
Las Vegas + Caesar + kidnapping + mafia?? + sexism
Women get absolutely NO RESPECT in this book. There are A LOT of focus on women's bodies and their intelligence is consistently discredited to focus on their appearance. The character I thought was the main character who was first described as an intelligent beautiful women gets discredited due to VALID EMOTIONS and then becomes a background b*tch that nobody likes. Another intelligent women, who is 100% fluent in Latin, gets added to the team. Why? You would think her knowledge but no all the men can talk about IS HOW HOT SHE IS AND CEASER WILL LIKE THAT SHE IS HOT HOT HOT SEXY. WTF. Honestly it was repulsive in many parts.
I thought that at some point this book would turn around and there would be a mention of sexism and the pure discredit of intelegance due to gender but it never happened. Now the book itself is set in 1999 and yes sexism is still prevalent in STEM but there needed to be a conversation how disgusting it was. I read somewhere that this book was 20 years in the making but it needed to be revised and accommodate for the climate we are in today.
February 13, 2022
Sometimes you come across a book where you just know even before you read it that it's going to be right up your alley and totally your kind of thing. A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards was that book for me. I absolutely loved it and it ended up as my very first five star read of the year!
This book takes place, for the most part, in the late 1990's in Las Vegas and California. Scientist and Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek has figured out the secret to time travel. And the first human he wants to transport from history is no one other than Julius Caesar. In fact he wants to transport him from the Ides of March right before his death. Andrew, along with his IDES team, succeeds but it isn't long until things start going wrong. And it seems that the only person who can make sure Caesar returns to his own time is Cassandra, a young Latin college student.
I loved all the various characters but I especially enjoyed reading about Cassandra. At first she's excited to be part of the IDES team and to be picked to be the one to actually talk to the one and only Julius Caesar. But once Caesar arrives it isn't at all like she imagined it to be. She has only foru days before he will be returned to his own time and Caesar won't talk to Cassandra and barely acknowledges her presence. On top of that she's wondering if plucking Caesar from his time was the right thing to do at all. But then someone attempts to kidnap Caesar and Cassandra has to go on the run with him.
I absolutely loved the author's take on Caesar too. It made me wonder for myself how he'd react to be transported to our modern world and how he'd see it all through his ancient Roman eyes and what he would think. I also enjoyed the conversations he and Cassandra had and how they eventually warmed towards each other when they were on the run together from Caesar's abducters.
A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards was a fun, thrilling and genre-bending novel. It was also thought-provoking and with the backdrop of Las Vegas it made the story even more of an exciting time travel romp.
This book takes place, for the most part, in the late 1990's in Las Vegas and California. Scientist and Nobel laureate Andrew Danicek has figured out the secret to time travel. And the first human he wants to transport from history is no one other than Julius Caesar. In fact he wants to transport him from the Ides of March right before his death. Andrew, along with his IDES team, succeeds but it isn't long until things start going wrong. And it seems that the only person who can make sure Caesar returns to his own time is Cassandra, a young Latin college student.
I loved all the various characters but I especially enjoyed reading about Cassandra. At first she's excited to be part of the IDES team and to be picked to be the one to actually talk to the one and only Julius Caesar. But once Caesar arrives it isn't at all like she imagined it to be. She has only foru days before he will be returned to his own time and Caesar won't talk to Cassandra and barely acknowledges her presence. On top of that she's wondering if plucking Caesar from his time was the right thing to do at all. But then someone attempts to kidnap Caesar and Cassandra has to go on the run with him.
I absolutely loved the author's take on Caesar too. It made me wonder for myself how he'd react to be transported to our modern world and how he'd see it all through his ancient Roman eyes and what he would think. I also enjoyed the conversations he and Cassandra had and how they eventually warmed towards each other when they were on the run together from Caesar's abducters.
A Coin for the Ferryman by Megan Edwards was a fun, thrilling and genre-bending novel. It was also thought-provoking and with the backdrop of Las Vegas it made the story even more of an exciting time travel romp.
February 28, 2022
Thank you, NetGalley, Megan Edwards, and Imbrifex Books for the opportunity to read this book. It will release on March 1st, 2022.
A Coin For The Ferryman by Megan Edwards is wild, to say the least. The IDES team has one goal–to kidnap a person from history and learn from them. The name of the team should be a giveaway. They choose Julius Caesar on the day he would be killed. Obviously, this mission could have many dangerous effects and he can only stay for four days. They bring in historians and Latin scholars, one named Cassandra who serves as an interpreter. She knows that anything can go wrong, and lo and behold…it does. Now the team must correct their mistakes before time runs out or Julius Caesar will be trapped in the present.
Words…I need words. I can’t find the words to describe how bizarre this book is. The premise is SO COOL. The synopsis gave me Timeless TV show vibes. I also have my degree in history, I was so on board when I picked up this book. But then I read it. So absolutely nothing happens the first 45% of the book. It is just introducing characters and laying out unnecessary information. The book is 540 pages, so that means 250 pages went by without much substance. But I wanted to see what happened. Maybe it would turn around when the plot got going? One would think with all that time spent on nondisclosure agreements and character introductions that the characters would be fleshed out and well-developed. Unfortunately, they are one-dimensional with no depth. Most of the men are incredibly sexist and misogynistic. And don’t get me started on the random Julius Caesar romance with one of the team members.
I get that the book is supposed to be a blend of science-fiction, suspense, and history, but it did not come off as believable. There is too much going on from the kidnappings, the mafia showing up, and again, that romance which was not even slightly romantic. The dialogue even felt stilted and fake. Then there is the lack of historical detail. Unfortunately, I was let down. So this book gets 1 star.
A Coin For The Ferryman by Megan Edwards is wild, to say the least. The IDES team has one goal–to kidnap a person from history and learn from them. The name of the team should be a giveaway. They choose Julius Caesar on the day he would be killed. Obviously, this mission could have many dangerous effects and he can only stay for four days. They bring in historians and Latin scholars, one named Cassandra who serves as an interpreter. She knows that anything can go wrong, and lo and behold…it does. Now the team must correct their mistakes before time runs out or Julius Caesar will be trapped in the present.
Words…I need words. I can’t find the words to describe how bizarre this book is. The premise is SO COOL. The synopsis gave me Timeless TV show vibes. I also have my degree in history, I was so on board when I picked up this book. But then I read it. So absolutely nothing happens the first 45% of the book. It is just introducing characters and laying out unnecessary information. The book is 540 pages, so that means 250 pages went by without much substance. But I wanted to see what happened. Maybe it would turn around when the plot got going? One would think with all that time spent on nondisclosure agreements and character introductions that the characters would be fleshed out and well-developed. Unfortunately, they are one-dimensional with no depth. Most of the men are incredibly sexist and misogynistic. And don’t get me started on the random Julius Caesar romance with one of the team members.
I get that the book is supposed to be a blend of science-fiction, suspense, and history, but it did not come off as believable. There is too much going on from the kidnappings, the mafia showing up, and again, that romance which was not even slightly romantic. The dialogue even felt stilted and fake. Then there is the lack of historical detail. Unfortunately, I was let down. So this book gets 1 star.
December 22, 2021
I am just getting back into the swing of reviewing again and was looking for something fairly light and interesting after reviewing two poetry collections. I majored in history as an undergraduate and enjoy science fiction, so this seemed like a good pick. The premise of the story sounded solid so I gave it a chance. My willing suspension of disbelief is rather well developed. I know the transporter in Star Trek is beyond any scientific plausibility, but it does speed the story along. I know wizards and dragons don't exist, but they do make an interesting fantasy story. The same goes for time travel. Other than looking at the night sky and seeing a star as it was millions of years ago, you aren't going to jump in a machine and travel into the past...but it does make a good story. H.G. Wells and others have used a time machine in their stories quite successfully.
That being said for the amount of detail given to the characters more could have been done explaining the science (fiction). Caesar didn't seem too fazed to be ripped out of his time and pulled into the tail end of the twentieth century. Seeing cars as horseless chariots without giving them another thought was a bit bothering. Also driving in Las Vegas didn't cause a mild panic attack on a person who never even experienced a light bulb. If the characters had a desire to know more about Caesar, why not go themselves into the past and document it?
The story was read by Mark Ashby who is known for his documentary style reading. He does have a good voice for documentaries. He sounds like a national news reader from the 1970s (level with minimal emotion) but with a slight Jimmy Stewart twang. His style however does not mesh well this type of story. At first, his voice seemed to work, reporting the background, but reading characters voices in that same manner just didn't seem to work.
A Coin for the Ferryman has the potential to be an interesting read, however, it needs more work and help in keeping the story line on track.
That being said for the amount of detail given to the characters more could have been done explaining the science (fiction). Caesar didn't seem too fazed to be ripped out of his time and pulled into the tail end of the twentieth century. Seeing cars as horseless chariots without giving them another thought was a bit bothering. Also driving in Las Vegas didn't cause a mild panic attack on a person who never even experienced a light bulb. If the characters had a desire to know more about Caesar, why not go themselves into the past and document it?
The story was read by Mark Ashby who is known for his documentary style reading. He does have a good voice for documentaries. He sounds like a national news reader from the 1970s (level with minimal emotion) but with a slight Jimmy Stewart twang. His style however does not mesh well this type of story. At first, his voice seemed to work, reporting the background, but reading characters voices in that same manner just didn't seem to work.
A Coin for the Ferryman has the potential to be an interesting read, however, it needs more work and help in keeping the story line on track.
March 20, 2022
A fun light read sci fi caper, with a great what if topic.
There's some ethics to ponder and even a lesson to learn from the great man himself.
Nice to see some strong women leads.
I'd be happy to see what this author writes about next.
There's some ethics to ponder and even a lesson to learn from the great man himself.
Nice to see some strong women leads.
I'd be happy to see what this author writes about next.
December 1, 2021
What a fun read this turned out to be! Be aware this is not high literary art here just an enjoyable if implausible ride!
It is 1999 and Andrew Danicek, Nobel Prize winning physicist, leads a team of scientists researching time travel. He has built Tessa a machine capable of transporting an object from the past into the present. Phase one is successfully completed-the transmission of an inanimate object, a coin, to the present day and returning it back to the same spot and time in the past. Phase two just ended with the successful transport of a dog round trip. Now the hard part doing the same with a human. To maintain a high ethical standard the subject must be within minutes of death in case something goes wrong. The exact time and place of subject must be known to history. Andrew decides on Julius Caesar and the story takes off. Expect a lot of action from a car chase to a romance!
I really liked that the novel doesn’t attempt to explain the science too deeply. No in-depth understanding of physics is needed here! Each team member is introduced in their own section. This leads to fully fleshed out characters and gives the reader an understanding of motivations throughout. Some may find all the detail given excessive and unnecessary but I found the side stories interesting so I enjoyed them. This novel is not just an enjoyable read there is some explorations about the ethics involved in disrupting a life, even if just moments from death. No answers are given but it does make one pause to think.
My only complaint is not regarding the book itself rather the audiobook. I really did not like the narrator. I found much of his performance was flat and monotone. This became an issue as the action began, there was no use of his voice to help build tension and a sense of urgency. I also prefer female narrators. They tend to do a better job differentiating gender. This narrator kinda sounded creepy when he was doing a female voice.
Recommended for those who want an interesting take on the SciFi-time travel genre. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Imbrifex Books and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review.
It is 1999 and Andrew Danicek, Nobel Prize winning physicist, leads a team of scientists researching time travel. He has built Tessa a machine capable of transporting an object from the past into the present. Phase one is successfully completed-the transmission of an inanimate object, a coin, to the present day and returning it back to the same spot and time in the past. Phase two just ended with the successful transport of a dog round trip. Now the hard part doing the same with a human. To maintain a high ethical standard the subject must be within minutes of death in case something goes wrong. The exact time and place of subject must be known to history. Andrew decides on Julius Caesar and the story takes off. Expect a lot of action from a car chase to a romance!
I really liked that the novel doesn’t attempt to explain the science too deeply. No in-depth understanding of physics is needed here! Each team member is introduced in their own section. This leads to fully fleshed out characters and gives the reader an understanding of motivations throughout. Some may find all the detail given excessive and unnecessary but I found the side stories interesting so I enjoyed them. This novel is not just an enjoyable read there is some explorations about the ethics involved in disrupting a life, even if just moments from death. No answers are given but it does make one pause to think.
My only complaint is not regarding the book itself rather the audiobook. I really did not like the narrator. I found much of his performance was flat and monotone. This became an issue as the action began, there was no use of his voice to help build tension and a sense of urgency. I also prefer female narrators. They tend to do a better job differentiating gender. This narrator kinda sounded creepy when he was doing a female voice.
Recommended for those who want an interesting take on the SciFi-time travel genre. 3.5 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, Imbrifex Books and NetGalley. This fact in no way influenced my review.
November 23, 2021
There was a novel called The Rise and Fall of DODO that was about time travel, and the authors decided they needed to show all the intricacies of a realistic time travel experiment. The result was a tedius, dull, unending montage of people doing the exact same thing over and over and over again with a detailed accounting of every single failure no matter how pointless or boring. It was like being stuck in an endless loop in a video game.
This book approached the time travel experiment the same way, but it shaved off 90% of DODO's monotony to GET TO THE DAMN STORY. What a concept!
As a result, this was a fun time travel adventure. Twists, double crosses, secret agendas, all that fun stuff. I do get annoyed by books with the concept of "This is just a manuscript I found," or "This really happened but I have to call it fiction or people will think I'm crazy." It bugs me and pulls me out of the narrative faster than anything else.
Definitely worth reading if you're interested in time travel or Caesar. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of the audiobook.
This book approached the time travel experiment the same way, but it shaved off 90% of DODO's monotony to GET TO THE DAMN STORY. What a concept!
As a result, this was a fun time travel adventure. Twists, double crosses, secret agendas, all that fun stuff. I do get annoyed by books with the concept of "This is just a manuscript I found," or "This really happened but I have to call it fiction or people will think I'm crazy." It bugs me and pulls me out of the narrative faster than anything else.
Definitely worth reading if you're interested in time travel or Caesar. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy of the audiobook.
August 12, 2021
It’s unfortunate that it has come to this, but I won’t be finishing A Coin for the Ferryman. I’ve decided to DNF this because the sharp downwards turn this story takes after the halfway mark into absurdity. I really wanted to like this but there were just too many small and medium things that didn’t sit right with me or didn’t make too much sense or simply were unlikeable that added up to a decent amount of stuff that bogged down my reading experience. Also, I can’t help but feel that this could’ve been shorter and quicker in pace. A Coin for the Ferryman drags for the first half with frequent dives into the lives of the ensemble cast–which it could’ve gone without. There were so many instances in which we were were steered away from the main plot and I didn’t care much for that. In regard to characters, other than John, Eric and Cassandra, I don’t think I can say that the characters in this book were likable to say the least. Lastly, I didn’t really care for the way the women were written or portrayed as through the lens of the male characters. There were also too many details on their bodies and appearances–which could’ve been left out. Also, the fact that Faith suddenly becomes a villain of sort as a result of the two day fling with Andrew is baffling.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2021
I was very excited when I read the description for this book and started it with a day or two of receiving it (in other words, it moved up to the top of my massive to be read pile). I love time travel stories and the whole idea of bringing Julius Caesar to our day - what's not to love?
The book started with promise, but soon got bogged down with rabbit trails. I had a very hard time following all the extraneous story lines, and the hot and heavy romance at the beginning that petered out for no reason I could make out. Smart people in the story making decisions that didn't seem that smart, sooo much details on women's dress and hair, and then, about a third to one half through, I just ... gave up. Moved the book into my didn't finish category. I'm really sorry, Megan, I wanted so badly to love this story. And it could still be great, but the story lines need to be brought together better, or trimmed out or... something. Give us a pay off earlier.
Wow, this is the hardest review I've done. I hate that I feel this way.
The book started with promise, but soon got bogged down with rabbit trails. I had a very hard time following all the extraneous story lines, and the hot and heavy romance at the beginning that petered out for no reason I could make out. Smart people in the story making decisions that didn't seem that smart, sooo much details on women's dress and hair, and then, about a third to one half through, I just ... gave up. Moved the book into my didn't finish category. I'm really sorry, Megan, I wanted so badly to love this story. And it could still be great, but the story lines need to be brought together better, or trimmed out or... something. Give us a pay off earlier.
Wow, this is the hardest review I've done. I hate that I feel this way.
July 16, 2022
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Fun fact: when I first saw the synopsis for this book, I saw the name "Julius Caesar" and knew I had to read this - but not for the reasons one may expect. When I had first come across this book, I had just finished rereading If We Were Villains , aka one of my favourite books of all time, and so I was thinking about it non-stop - and since the play Julius Caesar was pretty significant in that book, I wanted to read this one.
Regardless of my pretty strange reasoning for wanting to read this, as someone who loves history, I was still pretty excited about this. A Coin for the Ferryman is about scientists, who have managed to make a time machine, enlisting the help of academics to achieve Phase 3 of their plan: to bring Julius Caesar into the present day (which for them is 1999) just before he is stabbed to death.
This seemed like a pretty solid plot to me, but when I actually read it, I wish the execution had been a bit more exciting. Our characters faced pretty much no challenges for over half of the book - so the first 50% of the novel was just them managing to accomplish literal time travel with no hiccups and a very vague and confusing explanation for how it even worked. There were also a lot of pages wasted with random backstories about how people met and that was kind of boring because I didn't even like most of the characters. Even when our characters started to face more obstacles, which took the form of rich people being their usual rich and morally bankrupt selves, it still wasn't all that suspenseful - regardless, I still found the last portion easy and entertaining enough to read quite quickly.
As aforementioned, I didn't like most of the characters - of our mains, Cassandra was the only tolerable one. Caesar was also quite interesting, but I do think that his actions were a little unrealistic given the circumstances. I also think he was under-utilised as a character - I wish we learnt more about him, and maybe spent more time with him in the present day. As for the other characters, I think they could have been more well-developed. One-dimensional or not, they were rude, stubborn, irritating and, despite being among the top of their fields, quite stupid. A lot of the issues that we did have to overcome in this book can be attributed to people not using their brains.
Similarly, in regard to the romantic relationships, the main two that were introduced were also extremely underdeveloped and came out of nowhere (one of them ended almost as quickly as it started, which made me wonder why it was even included in the first place). I honestly think that both of these relationships added nothing to the story - a bold statement, considering the "reveal" relevant to the relationship introduced later on the story, but I still think that making that particular relationship romantic in nature wasn't necessary. Both of the relationships had a significant age gap, which I did not like - this is just a personal preference, but the age gap trope in general tends to make me uncomfortable. I do think that the other relationships that weren't romantic in nature, specifically the ones that Cassandra had with her "mentor" figures, were done well.
Another issue I had with this book was that the characters were kind of sexist. We were constantly reminded - in every single chapter - how beautiful our main character, Cassandra, is. That in itself isn't necessarily problematic, it was just annoying - it was more of an issue because her beauty was often the thing remarked upon before anything else. For example, she was supposed to have been chosen to be a part of this time-travelling project because of her exceptional ability to speak Latin - and yet, her good looks were considered "almost as valuable as her language skills". Why?? They tried to say that Caesar would feel more comfortable because of her looks, but I don't think that THE Julius Caesar, one of the most renowned military figures in history, is going to be intimidated by a strange ugly girl any more than he would a pretty one. Even one of the female professors found it difficult to believe that a woman as beautiful as Cassandra could possibly be as fluent in Latin as others had claimed. The physical appearances of the female characters were almost always remarked upon, even when it wasn't even relevant. The way that the male characters viewed female characters in general also just didn't sit right with me. One female character was labelled as "emotionally damaged" after having an understandable reaction to something that was upsetting and, afterwards, her valid concerns were ignored because she was "ridiculous". Additionally, one male character remarked how impressive it was that Cassandra, a young woman, could drive a manual car. I realise that this book is set in 1999, but quite frankly, I don't care - the blatant misogyny wasn't necessary. Not even Caesar, who lived over 2 millennia ago, was as incessantly demeaning.
The book also needed a little bit of polishing with the actual writing. A lot of sentences didn't include all the necessary details to make sense. Sometimes, I would use the previous sentences to fill in the gaps, but it would turn out that these sentences were unrelated. I realise that this may be a personal comprehension issue, but what cannot be disputed is that there were some continuity errors. On three separate occasions, I noticed that it would say one thing initially, but it would say something completely different the next time. For example, it had originally said that a character had injured their left leg - but then it suddenly said it was their right leg. Although such mistakes don't greatly affect the plot, they were a little bothersome to read.
Overall, this was a flawed book, but it can still be enjoyable to read if you enjoy history.
Fun fact: when I first saw the synopsis for this book, I saw the name "Julius Caesar" and knew I had to read this - but not for the reasons one may expect. When I had first come across this book, I had just finished rereading If We Were Villains , aka one of my favourite books of all time, and so I was thinking about it non-stop - and since the play Julius Caesar was pretty significant in that book, I wanted to read this one.
Regardless of my pretty strange reasoning for wanting to read this, as someone who loves history, I was still pretty excited about this. A Coin for the Ferryman is about scientists, who have managed to make a time machine, enlisting the help of academics to achieve Phase 3 of their plan: to bring Julius Caesar into the present day (which for them is 1999) just before he is stabbed to death.
This seemed like a pretty solid plot to me, but when I actually read it, I wish the execution had been a bit more exciting. Our characters faced pretty much no challenges for over half of the book - so the first 50% of the novel was just them managing to accomplish literal time travel with no hiccups and a very vague and confusing explanation for how it even worked. There were also a lot of pages wasted with random backstories about how people met and that was kind of boring because I didn't even like most of the characters. Even when our characters started to face more obstacles, which took the form of rich people being their usual rich
As aforementioned, I didn't like most of the characters - of our mains, Cassandra was the only tolerable one. Caesar was also quite interesting, but I do think that his actions were a little unrealistic given the circumstances. I also think he was under-utilised as a character - I wish we learnt more about him, and maybe spent more time with him in the present day. As for the other characters, I think they could have been more well-developed. One-dimensional or not, they were rude, stubborn, irritating and, despite being among the top of their fields, quite stupid. A lot of the issues that we did have to overcome in this book can be attributed to people not using their brains.
Similarly, in regard to the romantic relationships, the main two that were introduced were also extremely underdeveloped and came out of nowhere (one of them ended almost as quickly as it started, which made me wonder why it was even included in the first place). I honestly think that both of these relationships added nothing to the story - a bold statement, considering the "reveal" relevant to the relationship introduced later on the story, but I still think that making that particular relationship romantic in nature wasn't necessary. Both of the relationships had a significant age gap, which I did not like - this is just a personal preference, but the age gap trope in general tends to make me uncomfortable. I do think that the other relationships that weren't romantic in nature, specifically the ones that Cassandra had with her "mentor" figures, were done well.
Another issue I had with this book was that the characters were kind of sexist. We were constantly reminded - in every single chapter - how beautiful our main character, Cassandra, is. That in itself isn't necessarily problematic, it was just annoying - it was more of an issue because her beauty was often the thing remarked upon before anything else. For example, she was supposed to have been chosen to be a part of this time-travelling project because of her exceptional ability to speak Latin - and yet, her good looks were considered "almost as valuable as her language skills". Why?? They tried to say that Caesar would feel more comfortable because of her looks, but I don't think that THE Julius Caesar, one of the most renowned military figures in history, is going to be intimidated by a strange ugly girl any more than he would a pretty one. Even one of the female professors found it difficult to believe that a woman as beautiful as Cassandra could possibly be as fluent in Latin as others had claimed. The physical appearances of the female characters were almost always remarked upon, even when it wasn't even relevant. The way that the male characters viewed female characters in general also just didn't sit right with me. One female character was labelled as "emotionally damaged" after having an understandable reaction to something that was upsetting and, afterwards, her valid concerns were ignored because she was "ridiculous". Additionally, one male character remarked how impressive it was that Cassandra, a young woman, could drive a manual car. I realise that this book is set in 1999, but quite frankly, I don't care - the blatant misogyny wasn't necessary. Not even Caesar, who lived over 2 millennia ago, was as incessantly demeaning.
The book also needed a little bit of polishing with the actual writing. A lot of sentences didn't include all the necessary details to make sense. Sometimes, I would use the previous sentences to fill in the gaps, but it would turn out that these sentences were unrelated. I realise that this may be a personal comprehension issue, but what cannot be disputed is that there were some continuity errors. On three separate occasions, I noticed that it would say one thing initially, but it would say something completely different the next time. For example, it had originally said that a character had injured their left leg - but then it suddenly said it was their right leg. Although such mistakes don't greatly affect the plot, they were a little bothersome to read.
Overall, this was a flawed book, but it can still be enjoyable to read if you enjoy history.
November 15, 2022
I received an audio copy of this novel from the publisher, Imbrifex Books, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of those books that I just stumbled across on NetGalley. I’ve heard nothing about this A Coin for the Ferryman, even though it was published in March of this year. I was intrigued by the title and the premise and requested the audiobook earlier this month, and started listening as soon as I was approved. While not a perfect book, it was a lot of fun!
The premise here is kind of wacky: time travel has been privately discovered, and a tentative plan to build a team and “borrow” Julius Caesar from the moments before his death on this Ides of March. Because of the distance from the event, they’ll be able to host and interview Caesar over the course of 4 days before returning him to the exact moment from which he was extracted. The dream team to be compiled must include: a couple of engineers to run the technology, a doctor to ensure that Caesar doesn’t croak before his historically appointed death, and a couple of classicists with whom Caesar can actually converse. Because, you know, Latin. As luck would have it, the person best at conversational Latin happens to be a young, beautiful college student named Cassandra. In hopes that her beauty will draw Caesar in and that her grasp of the language will make him more compliant, she is drafted to become the final member of the team.
I really like the story itself. However, the first half, over 250 pages of this book, is just the preparation for Caesar’s arrival. This felt like an excessive amount of build-up. The book is 540 pages, and I feel like it would have been a much stronger, tighter story if edited down to under 400 pages. It just felt unnecessarily bloated. Secondly, I feel like with a book of this length, the characters should have been more multifaceted. While I liked our main perspective character, Cassandra, she came across as almost flawless. The rest of the characters could almost seem like caricatures in various portions of the story. I didn’t find them unlikeable, per se, but they felt oddly flat for how long was spent laying out the details of each. I also found some of the interpersonal relationships unbelievable. Chemistry that was implied between various members of the cast felt a bit forced and unlikely.
But again, the story itself was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the concept, and the appearance of Julius Caesar really spiced everything up. He was definitely the star of the show, along with Cassandra. There were some truly funny moments, and quite a few madcap scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. Even if there were a few things I didn’t love about the execution, I found the idea so wonderfully original that I would absolutely recommend it to others.
This is one of those books that I just stumbled across on NetGalley. I’ve heard nothing about this A Coin for the Ferryman, even though it was published in March of this year. I was intrigued by the title and the premise and requested the audiobook earlier this month, and started listening as soon as I was approved. While not a perfect book, it was a lot of fun!
The premise here is kind of wacky: time travel has been privately discovered, and a tentative plan to build a team and “borrow” Julius Caesar from the moments before his death on this Ides of March. Because of the distance from the event, they’ll be able to host and interview Caesar over the course of 4 days before returning him to the exact moment from which he was extracted. The dream team to be compiled must include: a couple of engineers to run the technology, a doctor to ensure that Caesar doesn’t croak before his historically appointed death, and a couple of classicists with whom Caesar can actually converse. Because, you know, Latin. As luck would have it, the person best at conversational Latin happens to be a young, beautiful college student named Cassandra. In hopes that her beauty will draw Caesar in and that her grasp of the language will make him more compliant, she is drafted to become the final member of the team.
I really like the story itself. However, the first half, over 250 pages of this book, is just the preparation for Caesar’s arrival. This felt like an excessive amount of build-up. The book is 540 pages, and I feel like it would have been a much stronger, tighter story if edited down to under 400 pages. It just felt unnecessarily bloated. Secondly, I feel like with a book of this length, the characters should have been more multifaceted. While I liked our main perspective character, Cassandra, she came across as almost flawless. The rest of the characters could almost seem like caricatures in various portions of the story. I didn’t find them unlikeable, per se, but they felt oddly flat for how long was spent laying out the details of each. I also found some of the interpersonal relationships unbelievable. Chemistry that was implied between various members of the cast felt a bit forced and unlikely.
But again, the story itself was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the concept, and the appearance of Julius Caesar really spiced everything up. He was definitely the star of the show, along with Cassandra. There were some truly funny moments, and quite a few madcap scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. Even if there were a few things I didn’t love about the execution, I found the idea so wonderfully original that I would absolutely recommend it to others.
January 9, 2022
Thank you NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. That being said, this was such an utter disappointment.
The way this book was described was not at all like the story that I read. It started strong: philosophical and ethical questions about abducting someone (from the past!) in the name of science. How would biological concerns be handled? And then of course there was basic communication problems to address. Everyone knew they were operating in grey areas and I was hoping the book would continue down this path, but then...
* A coin collector mixed up with an Eastern European mob
* The team's physician falls so madly in love with a colleague (after two days of obvious, non-stop creepy attention) that she becomes the group's bitchy female and social pariah
* High speed car chases around Los Angeles, in a manual transmission VW Beetle
* A deus ex machina helicopter flight financed by a poultry-empire billionaire
* Another two-day love affair that breaks hearts
* A truly bizarre kidnapping plot, that goes to attempted murder a few pages later (seriously, why does Hank have his sniper henchman attempt to shoot the plane out of the sky if he needs Caesar alive?)
* The wealthy woman in this book are abject idiots and everything is catered to their ridiculous whims. Is Sonia really too much of a moron to understand the biological safety ramifications of having a party of her house? And none of the scientists could talk her out of it?
* Having Eric Barza's first thought about every woman he met being "she's not bad for [age]" was annoying
Everyone just seemed so...dumb after Caesar arrived. Much emphasis was put on their academic credentials and professional accomplishments, and then to have them turned into dolts was beyond the pale.
This book is way too long and cannot decide what it wants to be.
The way this book was described was not at all like the story that I read. It started strong: philosophical and ethical questions about abducting someone (from the past!) in the name of science. How would biological concerns be handled? And then of course there was basic communication problems to address. Everyone knew they were operating in grey areas and I was hoping the book would continue down this path, but then...
* A coin collector mixed up with an Eastern European mob
* The team's physician falls so madly in love with a colleague (after two days of obvious, non-stop creepy attention) that she becomes the group's bitchy female and social pariah
* High speed car chases around Los Angeles, in a manual transmission VW Beetle
* A deus ex machina helicopter flight financed by a poultry-empire billionaire
* Another two-day love affair that breaks hearts
* A truly bizarre kidnapping plot, that goes to attempted murder a few pages later (seriously, why does Hank have his sniper henchman attempt to shoot the plane out of the sky if he needs Caesar alive?)
* The wealthy woman in this book are abject idiots and everything is catered to their ridiculous whims. Is Sonia really too much of a moron to understand the biological safety ramifications of having a party of her house? And none of the scientists could talk her out of it?
* Having Eric Barza's first thought about every woman he met being "she's not bad for [age]" was annoying
Everyone just seemed so...dumb after Caesar arrived. Much emphasis was put on their academic credentials and professional accomplishments, and then to have them turned into dolts was beyond the pale.
This book is way too long and cannot decide what it wants to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2022
I made it to 25%, but can't continue. The narration is robotic and disconnected, which I would tolerate if the characterization weren't so off-putting. If I had a print copy I would mark and count all the times that female characters are not only described by their looks, but literally defined by them. Things along the lines of, "She was such a knockout, she would stand out in any field" and people being assumed to be too attractive to know a foreign language. It feels icky and dated. At first I thought it was just one particularly repulsive character who approached women this way, but then the next chapter it was a different man and a different woman, and then a next chapter a different woman and another different woman! It's not just my sense of feminism kicking in - it distracts from the story and makes for bad writing. I know more about the way the characters feel about their colleagues and their appearances than I do about why they want to bring Julius Caesar back, which is super weird. And they seem more interested in their colleagues' relationships with one another (I'm looking at you, Eric) than the project! I am wondering if perhaps the author went overboard on this kind of thing to try to draw attention to it *not* being appropriate, based on the comments the characters make to themselves - "I know I'm guilty of bias but...." etc. But if that's the case, I am not sure it landed.
I want to know what happens, but it's not worth wading through this writing. I appreciate Netgalley providing me a chance to test the waters, but this is not for me.
I want to know what happens, but it's not worth wading through this writing. I appreciate Netgalley providing me a chance to test the waters, but this is not for me.
December 1, 2021
I really liked this book, and it was different to most of the other books I’ve been reading lately. In this book we follow Andrew after he builds a time machine and starts to experiment with it. He sets up the IDES project and after multiple positive tests he decides to bring a historical figure to present day, the one and only Julius Caesar. The experiment is successful and they transport Caesar to present day mere moments before he was supposed to be assassinated, but now that he’s here, how on earth are they going to get him back? If Caesar stays in the present day what consequences will there be for the past, and how will it impact on the future?
Although the start was slow, this book was a really fun read and I ended up flying through it from around chapter 10. Definitely recommend this one for a bit of light reading to break up a longer book.
Although the start was slow, this book was a really fun read and I ended up flying through it from around chapter 10. Definitely recommend this one for a bit of light reading to break up a longer book.
January 24, 2023
A Coin for the Ferryman is a time travel book that deals with scientists going back in time, knowing full well they cannot change anything or else they change the course of history as we know it. It was an interesting premise, like many time travel books because they deal with making millisecond decisions in hopes of not altering the course of history forever.
The book features a lot of my favourite historical stories and moments, which made this extremely interesting to listen to. The audiobook for this story definitely made it feel more real and life like, which was especially helpful to the plot of this story. It is a longer listen and features quite a few details that were redundant or perhaps not needed, but overall, this was a great book that did time-travel justice!
Thank you NetGalley and MacMilllian audio for the ARC of this book!
The book features a lot of my favourite historical stories and moments, which made this extremely interesting to listen to. The audiobook for this story definitely made it feel more real and life like, which was especially helpful to the plot of this story. It is a longer listen and features quite a few details that were redundant or perhaps not needed, but overall, this was a great book that did time-travel justice!
Thank you NetGalley and MacMilllian audio for the ARC of this book!
October 13, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Imbrifex books for giving me a digital arc of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
This started slow and really developed characters with interesting back stories. I enjoyed that academia atmosphere and the top-secret, sketchy research vibe. Then when things were established and started to ramp up, it read like an academic thriller/suspense movie. The drama within the IDES project team kept me turning pages. There were a couple of action set pieces that added to that movie feel. I enjoyed the author's use of Las Vegas as a setting. It is clear that the author lives there and you feel the difference between the strip and off the strip. When they are on the strip, she used the extreme luxury and theatricality of the setting well. There is the time travel element and those issues and paradoxes were addressed. Still, this did not feel strongly sci-fi forward to me. It is a well told and entertaining story with vividly drawn characters.
This started slow and really developed characters with interesting back stories. I enjoyed that academia atmosphere and the top-secret, sketchy research vibe. Then when things were established and started to ramp up, it read like an academic thriller/suspense movie. The drama within the IDES project team kept me turning pages. There were a couple of action set pieces that added to that movie feel. I enjoyed the author's use of Las Vegas as a setting. It is clear that the author lives there and you feel the difference between the strip and off the strip. When they are on the strip, she used the extreme luxury and theatricality of the setting well. There is the time travel element and those issues and paradoxes were addressed. Still, this did not feel strongly sci-fi forward to me. It is a well told and entertaining story with vividly drawn characters.
July 2, 2022
Thank you Netgalley and Inbrifex Publishing for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.
I liked this book a whole lot more than I expected to. It was fun and fast paced and unlike anything else I've ever read. What a ride. Julius Caesar? Time travel? Count me in.
First I want to say that this was one of the most unique stories I've had the pleasure of reading in the past couple of decades. The writing style was average, but the story was great. It might have been a little bit too long, but I never lost interest. There were a weird subplot with Cassandra and Julius Caesar that really didn't make a lot of sense to me and seemed to break all of the Back to the Future time travel laws, but it was still a good story. The audio wasn't the best, so I'm glad the story moved along quickly. I would have DNFd a more character driven story if he was narrating. 3.75 stars. It was a fun read for any fans of time travel.
I liked this book a whole lot more than I expected to. It was fun and fast paced and unlike anything else I've ever read. What a ride. Julius Caesar? Time travel? Count me in.
First I want to say that this was one of the most unique stories I've had the pleasure of reading in the past couple of decades. The writing style was average, but the story was great. It might have been a little bit too long, but I never lost interest. There were a weird subplot with Cassandra and Julius Caesar that really didn't make a lot of sense to me and seemed to break all of the Back to the Future time travel laws, but it was still a good story. The audio wasn't the best, so I'm glad the story moved along quickly. I would have DNFd a more character driven story if he was narrating. 3.75 stars. It was a fun read for any fans of time travel.
March 11, 2022
I have a contentious relationship with books involving time travel. It’s a love-hate relationship, to say the very least. When they’re good, they’re very, very good. But when they’re bad, they’re simply horrid. It takes very little to collapse a time travel story into utter drivel. When I read the blurb for this book, I was intrigued by the notion that the time travel in this book would be achieved not by our intrepid scientists and scholars traveling to the past, but by pulling the past into the future, like one would pluck the best fruit from the tree.
Only, in this case, the best fruit they’re plucking from time is Julius Caesar, moments prior to his assassination on the Ides of March.
I was somewhat worried this book would be an awful bore, but it really wasn’t. It was engaging, fun, interesting, and had a well-plotted and well-executed story arc. It hooks you from the beginning by laying a few fun seeds that end up providing exposition and helping plot points become fulfilled later in the book, which was a nifty and entertaining way of problem-solving just when you were wondering how the heck the characters were going to get out of a certain predicament.
I also worried this book would be bogged down with science jargon and academic brou-ha-ha (which you’d think I’d enjoy, being a scientist and academic myself), but the author thoughtfully didn’t try and attempt to bore her readers with too much science and instead focused on her characters, which was the right call, in my opinion. And the characters were so well-developed because of it.
And, let me just say: any book that has not only a high-speed car chase with Julius Caesar involved and then adds in an emergency escape flight by vintage plane with the same historical figure is totally worth reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Only, in this case, the best fruit they’re plucking from time is Julius Caesar, moments prior to his assassination on the Ides of March.
I was somewhat worried this book would be an awful bore, but it really wasn’t. It was engaging, fun, interesting, and had a well-plotted and well-executed story arc. It hooks you from the beginning by laying a few fun seeds that end up providing exposition and helping plot points become fulfilled later in the book, which was a nifty and entertaining way of problem-solving just when you were wondering how the heck the characters were going to get out of a certain predicament.
I also worried this book would be bogged down with science jargon and academic brou-ha-ha (which you’d think I’d enjoy, being a scientist and academic myself), but the author thoughtfully didn’t try and attempt to bore her readers with too much science and instead focused on her characters, which was the right call, in my opinion. And the characters were so well-developed because of it.
And, let me just say: any book that has not only a high-speed car chase with Julius Caesar involved and then adds in an emergency escape flight by vintage plane with the same historical figure is totally worth reading.
Thanks to NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 6, 2022
In A Coin for the Ferryman, a group of scientists bring Julius Caesar forward in time to 1999. This was such a cool sci-fi/histfic mash-up, I loved the use of Latin throughout the novel. The characters were interesting and I liked how often moral conflictions arose in the group.
I've seen a few complaints about the pacing, and while I totally agree that this book contained a lot of fluff, it never felt slow to me. The bummer of this book is it set up a lot of questions and possible scenarios that never came to fruition. I don't mind a book ending with a little mystery but for 540 pages I really wanted some more concrete answers to the scientific theories.
Overall I enjoyed this book & would recommend it to fans of scifi and Roman history. Many thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy!
I've seen a few complaints about the pacing, and while I totally agree that this book contained a lot of fluff, it never felt slow to me. The bummer of this book is it set up a lot of questions and possible scenarios that never came to fruition. I don't mind a book ending with a little mystery but for 540 pages I really wanted some more concrete answers to the scientific theories.
Overall I enjoyed this book & would recommend it to fans of scifi and Roman history. Many thanks to the publisher for my advanced copy!
August 2, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Nobel prize winner Andrew Danicek has built a “time machine”. He sets up a team and after a series of positive tests decides to bring a prominent historical figure to the future, Julius Caesar.
So now you have a man who lived 2000 years ago, walking around in our time. One of our other MC’s Cassandra is picked to be his “hostess” because she’s fluent in Latin. But nothing goes as planned!
Caesar can’t remain in our time, because they don’t know how and if it will influence the future. But will they be able to, with everything that has happened?
Thank you NetGalley & Imbrifex Books for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.
So now you have a man who lived 2000 years ago, walking around in our time. One of our other MC’s Cassandra is picked to be his “hostess” because she’s fluent in Latin. But nothing goes as planned!
Caesar can’t remain in our time, because they don’t know how and if it will influence the future. But will they be able to, with everything that has happened?
Thank you NetGalley & Imbrifex Books for the opportunity to read this ARC for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2022
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect going into this. A plot to bring Julius Caesar to the future to learn from him? Very strange. But the way this was written -- I absolutely loved this book. It took a little while to get going. We see Caesar for a second in the very beginning, then it moves to present-day and introduces the modern characters. At first, I was impatient for Caesar to come fully into the narrative, but once we got to Cassandra's backstory I was sucked right in. She is such a wonderful character, and following her story was engrossing. I liked the way Edwards weaves all the modern characters together so we get the full picture of how this whole wacky project came to be, and then we add in Julius Caesar and it becomes a ride.
I think if you are going into this book looking for a serious, literary take on what Julius Caesar thinks about the modern world, this book will not be for you. If you go into it to see the absolute chaos that unfolds if you bring a famous general from 2000 years ago to modern LA/Las Vegas, then you will enjoy this book.
The audio narration was very well done, with only a dew places that I could tell had been weirdly spliced together. The voice actor does a great job of bringing these characters to life, which is no mean feat when one of them is literally Julius Caesar. I sometimes had trouble distinguishing his voices for the different male characters, but I made it though okay.
I am so glad I listened to this book -- I finished it in one day and it made my trips to and from work (as well as one grocery shopping trip) very delightful. There are some laugh-out-loud (and maybe worry some other grocery shoppers whoops) moments, which is just the icing on the cake for me. Highly recommend.
I think if you are going into this book looking for a serious, literary take on what Julius Caesar thinks about the modern world, this book will not be for you. If you go into it to see the absolute chaos that unfolds if you bring a famous general from 2000 years ago to modern LA/Las Vegas, then you will enjoy this book.
The audio narration was very well done, with only a dew places that I could tell had been weirdly spliced together. The voice actor does a great job of bringing these characters to life, which is no mean feat when one of them is literally Julius Caesar. I sometimes had trouble distinguishing his voices for the different male characters, but I made it though okay.
I am so glad I listened to this book -- I finished it in one day and it made my trips to and from work (as well as one grocery shopping trip) very delightful. There are some laugh-out-loud (and maybe worry some other grocery shoppers whoops) moments, which is just the icing on the cake for me. Highly recommend.
January 21, 2022
The premise was so good.
For a novel that's been twenty years in the making, it sure could have benefited from more editing. The ensemble of characters is huge. The book could have done without some of them, and definitely without the, irrelevant to the plot, backstories. Why the detailed descriptions of female clothes; why are we told that women looking really good for their age; why is it still shocking that women can be sexy AND intelligent. The casual sexism is annoying.
Caesar, by the way, is as cool as a cucumber. He was time travelled to the late 20th century and didn't blink an eye at modern technology, cars (horseless carriages), planes, the bright lights of Las Vegas, TV,...
The kidnapping plot was weird. Those goons were like the bottom of the barrel minions of a rather pasty Bond villain. The chase, the hiding in Las Vegas, the escape back to Pasadena... It just got from bad to worse.
The romance was unbelievable. It feels added on.
Actually, a lot feels jumbled together and added on. I still can't believe the words of the author, this doesn't read like a book that's taken twenty years to write.
Some reviewers compared this book to The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. Let me just say, I really liked DODO and I would not put it on the same shelf as A Coin for the Ferryman, they are like chalk and cheese.
For a novel that's been twenty years in the making, it sure could have benefited from more editing. The ensemble of characters is huge. The book could have done without some of them, and definitely without the, irrelevant to the plot, backstories. Why the detailed descriptions of female clothes; why are we told that women looking really good for their age; why is it still shocking that women can be sexy AND intelligent. The casual sexism is annoying.
Caesar, by the way, is as cool as a cucumber. He was time travelled to the late 20th century and didn't blink an eye at modern technology, cars (horseless carriages), planes, the bright lights of Las Vegas, TV,...
The kidnapping plot was weird. Those goons were like the bottom of the barrel minions of a rather pasty Bond villain. The chase, the hiding in Las Vegas, the escape back to Pasadena... It just got from bad to worse.
The romance was unbelievable. It feels added on.
Actually, a lot feels jumbled together and added on. I still can't believe the words of the author, this doesn't read like a book that's taken twenty years to write.
Some reviewers compared this book to The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. Let me just say, I really liked DODO and I would not put it on the same shelf as A Coin for the Ferryman, they are like chalk and cheese.
March 16, 2022
Okay. Hear me out...
Time travel? Kidnapping Julius Caesar? Taking him to Vegas?
Look, if you were interested in fairly accurate, nuanced historical fiction, you're in the wrong place. In fact, if you are looking for a well written, character driven portrayal of arguably one of the most famous characters of ancient history... again, you'll want to move along.
But. If you are anong those rare, privledged few whose suspension of believe and ability to wade thru odd plot changes and unnecessary sequences of action scenes evocative of 50's westerns... you, my friend, have arrived. Welcome.
In all seriousness, I think Edwards made the right choice in not sticking closely to actual history. This is purely an adventure/love story á la Bill & Ted, without the cheesy humor.
I actually listened to this in audiobook form. Perso ally, if it sounds interesting, you should just pick up a copy. The reader is sadly utilitarian, with no real feeling placed, and odd pronunciations that took me out of the story.
My thanks to Net Galley for a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Time travel? Kidnapping Julius Caesar? Taking him to Vegas?
Look, if you were interested in fairly accurate, nuanced historical fiction, you're in the wrong place. In fact, if you are looking for a well written, character driven portrayal of arguably one of the most famous characters of ancient history... again, you'll want to move along.
But. If you are anong those rare, privledged few whose suspension of believe and ability to wade thru odd plot changes and unnecessary sequences of action scenes evocative of 50's westerns... you, my friend, have arrived. Welcome.
In all seriousness, I think Edwards made the right choice in not sticking closely to actual history. This is purely an adventure/love story á la Bill & Ted, without the cheesy humor.
I actually listened to this in audiobook form. Perso ally, if it sounds interesting, you should just pick up a copy. The reader is sadly utilitarian, with no real feeling placed, and odd pronunciations that took me out of the story.
My thanks to Net Galley for a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2022
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*
"A Coin for the Ferryman" is about a group of scientists discovering time travel. There's rules to it but what they end up doing, after a few trial runs, is getting Julius Caesar to their lab just moments before he is stabbed (BEWARE OF THE IDES OF MARCH BRO). There is chaos, intrigue, and of cooooourse one of the scientists kinda falls in love with Caesar.
It was a nice thought experiment, I give them that. But the outcome was somewhat predictable and at the same time underwhelming. Nice touch taking Caesar to Caesars on the Vegas strip though, I enjoyed the irony.
If you like stuff like this, read it.
3.5 stars
"A Coin for the Ferryman" is about a group of scientists discovering time travel. There's rules to it but what they end up doing, after a few trial runs, is getting Julius Caesar to their lab just moments before he is stabbed (BEWARE OF THE IDES OF MARCH BRO). There is chaos, intrigue, and of cooooourse one of the scientists kinda falls in love with Caesar.
It was a nice thought experiment, I give them that. But the outcome was somewhat predictable and at the same time underwhelming. Nice touch taking Caesar to Caesars on the Vegas strip though, I enjoyed the irony.
If you like stuff like this, read it.
3.5 stars
December 27, 2021
Thank you to net galley and the publishers for allowing me an advance copy of this book. SPOILERS AHEAD.
"Time travel is real and Julius Ceaser is watching the film Cleopatra at Ceasers palace."
I really enjoyed a coin for a ferryman. It was an interesting concept that was developed relatively well. The would what you do if you could meet x person from history is a common question with many having Julius Ceaser on the list.
The story is a little jumbled at the beginning. Torn between a thriller and a almost found footage style. But overall it was an easy read.
However the book felt too rushed at the end. It would of been nice to see what had happened after, from Cassandra's perspective. It also felt a little weird how obsessed the authors characters where over her appearance. At times the way the characters would talk about her took you out of the story.
SPOILERS
"You would also need to set aside the absurdity of a first time high class call girl, who is fluent in Latin, being given a full ride scholarship from a customer. Then being recruited to be part of a top secret science project; where she meets Julius Ceaser and falls in love with him over 2 days."
Absurdity aside, especially as it's a time travel story with Julius Ceaser as the romantic lead, Coin for a ferryman was a fun read and would recommend if you need to take a break from a more intense book.
"Time travel is real and Julius Ceaser is watching the film Cleopatra at Ceasers palace."
I really enjoyed a coin for a ferryman. It was an interesting concept that was developed relatively well. The would what you do if you could meet x person from history is a common question with many having Julius Ceaser on the list.
The story is a little jumbled at the beginning. Torn between a thriller and a almost found footage style. But overall it was an easy read.
However the book felt too rushed at the end. It would of been nice to see what had happened after, from Cassandra's perspective. It also felt a little weird how obsessed the authors characters where over her appearance. At times the way the characters would talk about her took you out of the story.
SPOILERS
"You would also need to set aside the absurdity of a first time high class call girl, who is fluent in Latin, being given a full ride scholarship from a customer. Then being recruited to be part of a top secret science project; where she meets Julius Ceaser and falls in love with him over 2 days."
Absurdity aside, especially as it's a time travel story with Julius Ceaser as the romantic lead, Coin for a ferryman was a fun read and would recommend if you need to take a break from a more intense book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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