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In the Shadow of Time
“I was in Mexico City for three months, and yet returned to England on the same day that I left…”
Through her time-travel research, physicist Dr Sofia Ustinova has attracted the interest of higher beings from a distant galaxy…
Luna, a porcelain-skinned teenager, lives alone in a Danish forest where she guards an astonishing secret…
Pablo, an optimistic shoeshine boy, struggles to earn a living on the sweltering streets of Mexico City…
Meanwhile, Hugo Wilde, a British secret agent, embarks on a mission to kill a Russian assassin, unaware that his life is about to change in ways he could never have imagined…
Through her time-travel research, physicist Dr Sofia Ustinova has attracted the interest of higher beings from a distant galaxy…
Luna, a porcelain-skinned teenager, lives alone in a Danish forest where she guards an astonishing secret…
Pablo, an optimistic shoeshine boy, struggles to earn a living on the sweltering streets of Mexico City…
Meanwhile, Hugo Wilde, a British secret agent, embarks on a mission to kill a Russian assassin, unaware that his life is about to change in ways he could never have imagined…
241 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 30, 2021
4 people are currently reading
678 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Ansbro
5 books1,739 followersI was born to Irish parents, and have also lived in Malaysia and Germany.
My formal education was at Hamond's Grammar School in Swaffham, and at the Norfolk College of Arts and Technology (Stephen Fry being a much more famous former student).
I write in the magical realism genre, meshing otherworldliness into the harshness of our real world. I also like to handcuff humour and tragedy to the same radiator.
Perhaps incongruously for an author, I have a background in karate and kickboxing and travel extensively - particularly in the Far East.
I'm married (to Julie) and currently live in Norwich, England.
Stuff about me: I'm a foodie and an avid reader who values good manners, love and friendship. I am constantly putting my foot in it, am reputed to have a wicked sense of humour and love to laugh, but sometimes make that 'snorty pig' noise when doing so.
I'm also easygoing and extremely friendly. So, come on over for a chat — I'll put the kettle on!
Twitter: @kevinansbro
www.kevinansbro.co.uk
My formal education was at Hamond's Grammar School in Swaffham, and at the Norfolk College of Arts and Technology (Stephen Fry being a much more famous former student).
I write in the magical realism genre, meshing otherworldliness into the harshness of our real world. I also like to handcuff humour and tragedy to the same radiator.
Perhaps incongruously for an author, I have a background in karate and kickboxing and travel extensively - particularly in the Far East.
I'm married (to Julie) and currently live in Norwich, England.
Stuff about me: I'm a foodie and an avid reader who values good manners, love and friendship. I am constantly putting my foot in it, am reputed to have a wicked sense of humour and love to laugh, but sometimes make that 'snorty pig' noise when doing so.
I'm also easygoing and extremely friendly. So, come on over for a chat — I'll put the kettle on!
Twitter: @kevinansbro
www.kevinansbro.co.uk
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
June 4, 2023
What more can I add to a review of this fabulous book.
When I first read ‘In the Shadow of Time’ I was only getting into ‘Magical Realism’ but now with a greater appreciation for this genre. I can say I enjoyed even more the second time round.
Time is of course an important aspect to the novel but allows Ansbro to bring alive and encapsulate themes of love, death, relationships, purpose, perception, self awareness and the living for the future and does this in such a clever way that keeps you on your toes, wanting more and feeling so satisfied that you invested the time in reading this very special book.
Apart from the delicious prose, wonderful characters and themes I just loved how the story was told and the threads came together. I think this really is ingenious storytelling and what a way of conveying the importance of life, love and time.
The morals to the story and messages about ‘life’ are also worth a mention because this never feels preachy in Ansbro’s books so when they do land they are impactful but also bring a smile to your face that only Kevin can achieve. Love this authors books.
If you can play with ‘time’ in your mind then this book will give you a ‘magical’ experience for ‘real’. It is ‘Magical Realism’ at its finest.
Clever, witty, immersive, wonderfully themed, beautifully written, and brilliantly constructed.
I just love this authors writing style and with some laugh out loud moments and an important reflection of ‘time’ I can say this is one of my favourite books.
Terrific and I will read again.
—————————————————
With Magical Realism, Time Travel and a wonderful imagination, Kevin Ansbro has created a book that captivates, draws you in and keeps you hooked to the end. A really beautiful story for what it achieves, the storyline, the lives that are made better through acts of love and kindness, without being overly sentimental or emotional and a Time Travel book that I actually enjoyed.
The story is told in three time periods and set in England, Mexico City, and the Silkeborg Forest in Denmark, and involves an abundance of intriguing characters. A spiritual and mythical girl Luna, Maria the housemaid, Pabloa the artist and Hugo’s friend and ‘chief tormentor’, Vincent O’Toole, who joins Hugo in his first journey on the time machine. However, central to the story is Hugo Wilde, a gifted assassin that works for MI6, but a gentleman by all accounts, and Sofia Ustinova, an astrophysicist and cosmologist and wife to Viktor who is killed by Hugo paving the way for a passionate and tempestuous relationship between the two, which later develops into something much stronger as they play their part in shaping the lives of the people they encounter – in multiple time periods.
Apart from a lovely story, the writing style worked a treat for me. What I took most of all from Kevin Ansbro was the perfect introduction to magical realism. Yet it is the humour that stands out in the book.
One of my favourite moments in a book that possesses humour and tongue in cheek dialogue is when Sofia says to Hugo.
“Are you really arrogant enough to believe that every beautiful woman you meet will fall into your arms, Mr Wilde? Do not think for one second that you can have your way with me".
To which Hugo replies .
“Are you so conceited and arrogant that you would class yourself as being beautiful?”.
I could not stop laughing. This kind of sharp wit really appeals to my sense of humour and was one of the standout qualities in the book.
For it's writing style, pace of storytelling, its portrayal of quite unusual characters, and time travel that worked seamlessly, I have rated this at 4.5 but rounded up because I had some laugh out loud moments, in a book that doesn’t try to be a comedy, instead it was the story and the writing style that captivated me so much.
When I first read ‘In the Shadow of Time’ I was only getting into ‘Magical Realism’ but now with a greater appreciation for this genre. I can say I enjoyed even more the second time round.
Time is of course an important aspect to the novel but allows Ansbro to bring alive and encapsulate themes of love, death, relationships, purpose, perception, self awareness and the living for the future and does this in such a clever way that keeps you on your toes, wanting more and feeling so satisfied that you invested the time in reading this very special book.
Apart from the delicious prose, wonderful characters and themes I just loved how the story was told and the threads came together. I think this really is ingenious storytelling and what a way of conveying the importance of life, love and time.
The morals to the story and messages about ‘life’ are also worth a mention because this never feels preachy in Ansbro’s books so when they do land they are impactful but also bring a smile to your face that only Kevin can achieve. Love this authors books.
If you can play with ‘time’ in your mind then this book will give you a ‘magical’ experience for ‘real’. It is ‘Magical Realism’ at its finest.
Clever, witty, immersive, wonderfully themed, beautifully written, and brilliantly constructed.
I just love this authors writing style and with some laugh out loud moments and an important reflection of ‘time’ I can say this is one of my favourite books.
Terrific and I will read again.
—————————————————
With Magical Realism, Time Travel and a wonderful imagination, Kevin Ansbro has created a book that captivates, draws you in and keeps you hooked to the end. A really beautiful story for what it achieves, the storyline, the lives that are made better through acts of love and kindness, without being overly sentimental or emotional and a Time Travel book that I actually enjoyed.
The story is told in three time periods and set in England, Mexico City, and the Silkeborg Forest in Denmark, and involves an abundance of intriguing characters. A spiritual and mythical girl Luna, Maria the housemaid, Pabloa the artist and Hugo’s friend and ‘chief tormentor’, Vincent O’Toole, who joins Hugo in his first journey on the time machine. However, central to the story is Hugo Wilde, a gifted assassin that works for MI6, but a gentleman by all accounts, and Sofia Ustinova, an astrophysicist and cosmologist and wife to Viktor who is killed by Hugo paving the way for a passionate and tempestuous relationship between the two, which later develops into something much stronger as they play their part in shaping the lives of the people they encounter – in multiple time periods.
Apart from a lovely story, the writing style worked a treat for me. What I took most of all from Kevin Ansbro was the perfect introduction to magical realism. Yet it is the humour that stands out in the book.
One of my favourite moments in a book that possesses humour and tongue in cheek dialogue is when Sofia says to Hugo.
“Are you really arrogant enough to believe that every beautiful woman you meet will fall into your arms, Mr Wilde? Do not think for one second that you can have your way with me".
To which Hugo replies .
“Are you so conceited and arrogant that you would class yourself as being beautiful?”.
I could not stop laughing. This kind of sharp wit really appeals to my sense of humour and was one of the standout qualities in the book.
For it's writing style, pace of storytelling, its portrayal of quite unusual characters, and time travel that worked seamlessly, I have rated this at 4.5 but rounded up because I had some laugh out loud moments, in a book that doesn’t try to be a comedy, instead it was the story and the writing style that captivated me so much.
September 13, 2025
"The start of a new novel carried with it a sense of occasion, and the alphabets in Luna's mind started to shuffle their letters in anticipation. She opened the book and began to read."
Writing a review for a story as impressive as In the Shadow of Time is difficult. I have long been a fan of Kevin Ansbro's writing style because of his flamboyant prose and phenomenal storytelling, but this book exceeded expectations.
The aperitivo whispered of fantasy as I met a fair-skinned child and her dying parents in Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, circa 1970.
"It was their intention that the chalk-skinned infant would prove easy for a passer-by to spot, reminiscent perhaps of a religious icon looking down from a wall niche in a church."
But fantasy is not where this road leads, and my journey had only begun as the feisty Dr. Sofia Ustinova, a world-renowned physicist, came into view.
Cut to England in the year 2020 as Sofia watched her beast of a husband leave their Surrey mansion with great relief before she settled in for what promised to be a relaxing time with her cat Copernicus and a good tome. Although she didn't know it, the universe had bigger plans for her and her feline companion...
"…an alarming noise screamed through the house, rattling it to its foundations and sending the cat scrambling for cover."
While still in England, albeit a week later, I became acquainted with Hugo Wilde, a nobleman, an assassin, and a hunky bad boy, who took center stage. With a grin on my face that was almost painful, I discovered that he and his pal Vincent were as amusing as they were deadly.
"My God, you are such a peacock," grinned Vincent O’Toole, Wilde’s right-hand man and chief tormentor. "Do you deliberately order those shirts a size too small so you can show off your pretty-boy muscles?"
Hugo’s next assignment would challenge everything he’d ever believed to be true.
My fellow bibliophiles, what I’ve written here is but a nibble of the big adventure that lay behind the beautiful cover. There was never a moment to pause because the many moving parts came together like a well-oiled machine, whisking the narrative along at a swift pace. This enthralling saga so transported me, that my house could have caught on fire, and I would not have noticed.
In true Ansbro style, the prose is scrumptious, with a delicious poetic filling in a multilayered story. He blends darkness with humor like a fine chocolatier tempers chocolate. This story will make you laugh and it might also make you cry.
Please excuse me while I clear the stars from my eyes after reading this incredible tale. And if you are looking for the book to read this year or any year, I highly recommend In the Shadow of Time. This is one for the ages!
Writing a review for a story as impressive as In the Shadow of Time is difficult. I have long been a fan of Kevin Ansbro's writing style because of his flamboyant prose and phenomenal storytelling, but this book exceeded expectations.
The aperitivo whispered of fantasy as I met a fair-skinned child and her dying parents in Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, circa 1970.
"It was their intention that the chalk-skinned infant would prove easy for a passer-by to spot, reminiscent perhaps of a religious icon looking down from a wall niche in a church."
But fantasy is not where this road leads, and my journey had only begun as the feisty Dr. Sofia Ustinova, a world-renowned physicist, came into view.
Cut to England in the year 2020 as Sofia watched her beast of a husband leave their Surrey mansion with great relief before she settled in for what promised to be a relaxing time with her cat Copernicus and a good tome. Although she didn't know it, the universe had bigger plans for her and her feline companion...
"…an alarming noise screamed through the house, rattling it to its foundations and sending the cat scrambling for cover."
While still in England, albeit a week later, I became acquainted with Hugo Wilde, a nobleman, an assassin, and a hunky bad boy, who took center stage. With a grin on my face that was almost painful, I discovered that he and his pal Vincent were as amusing as they were deadly.
"My God, you are such a peacock," grinned Vincent O’Toole, Wilde’s right-hand man and chief tormentor. "Do you deliberately order those shirts a size too small so you can show off your pretty-boy muscles?"
Hugo’s next assignment would challenge everything he’d ever believed to be true.
My fellow bibliophiles, what I’ve written here is but a nibble of the big adventure that lay behind the beautiful cover. There was never a moment to pause because the many moving parts came together like a well-oiled machine, whisking the narrative along at a swift pace. This enthralling saga so transported me, that my house could have caught on fire, and I would not have noticed.
In true Ansbro style, the prose is scrumptious, with a delicious poetic filling in a multilayered story. He blends darkness with humor like a fine chocolatier tempers chocolate. This story will make you laugh and it might also make you cry.
Please excuse me while I clear the stars from my eyes after reading this incredible tale. And if you are looking for the book to read this year or any year, I highly recommend In the Shadow of Time. This is one for the ages!
November 25, 2021
Blatantly encouraging me to engage in conduct unbecoming a gentleman, Goodreads have yet again invited me to rate my own book! Can you believe it?
They might just as well have handed Paddington Bear the key to a marmalade store!
And it says a lot about me that I didn't take advantage of their generosity. ; )
They might just as well have handed Paddington Bear the key to a marmalade store!
And it says a lot about me that I didn't take advantage of their generosity. ; )
November 24, 2023
Dr. Sofia Ustinova is one of the world's leading astrophysicists: "No human is capable of building such a machine ... Only those with an intelligence far beyond ours can achieve that."
England, 2020, Ustinova's husband, a Russian assassin, thought to have poisoned a former Russian spy, needs to be eliminated. The task falls to Hugo Wilde, an MI6 agent. Surprise! Sofia is a stunner! Love at first sight.
Dr Ustinova explains, "I was in Mexico City for three months, and yet returned to England the same day I left."
Mexico City, 1970. Gerardo Quiroz plays trumpet on the streets in a wretched part of town. His sixteen-year-old son, Pablo, a shoeshine boy, is a self-taught artist inspired by Frida Kahlo. Gerardo encourages his son to reach for the stars.
Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, 1970. An infant girl with alabaster skin has been left in the hollow of an oak tree, her parents, mythical forest dwellers, were poisoned by toxic waste.
Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, 1986. The girl is sixteen years old and lives alone without a legal guardian.
Time frames, intricately woven. A unique family cobbled together, loving and respectful, supplying humanitarian aid to tent city dwellers. Within the pages of "In the Shadow of Time," by wordsmith extraordinaire, Kevin Ansbro, this reader was transported to a gentle world where the good guys prevailed. Ansbro's beautiful passages were insightful, heartfelt, often humorous. The protagonists were well fleshed out, and I especially enjoyed spending time with Hugo and Pablo. Ansbro's cover art is superb.
In this work of magical realism, "Love is the kite we must fly even on a windless day."
A highly recommended read!
Thank you, Kevin Ansbro and 2QT Limited (Publishing) for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
England, 2020, Ustinova's husband, a Russian assassin, thought to have poisoned a former Russian spy, needs to be eliminated. The task falls to Hugo Wilde, an MI6 agent. Surprise! Sofia is a stunner! Love at first sight.
Dr Ustinova explains, "I was in Mexico City for three months, and yet returned to England the same day I left."
Mexico City, 1970. Gerardo Quiroz plays trumpet on the streets in a wretched part of town. His sixteen-year-old son, Pablo, a shoeshine boy, is a self-taught artist inspired by Frida Kahlo. Gerardo encourages his son to reach for the stars.
Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, 1970. An infant girl with alabaster skin has been left in the hollow of an oak tree, her parents, mythical forest dwellers, were poisoned by toxic waste.
Silkeborg Forest, Denmark, 1986. The girl is sixteen years old and lives alone without a legal guardian.
Time frames, intricately woven. A unique family cobbled together, loving and respectful, supplying humanitarian aid to tent city dwellers. Within the pages of "In the Shadow of Time," by wordsmith extraordinaire, Kevin Ansbro, this reader was transported to a gentle world where the good guys prevailed. Ansbro's beautiful passages were insightful, heartfelt, often humorous. The protagonists were well fleshed out, and I especially enjoyed spending time with Hugo and Pablo. Ansbro's cover art is superb.
In this work of magical realism, "Love is the kite we must fly even on a windless day."
A highly recommended read!
Thank you, Kevin Ansbro and 2QT Limited (Publishing) for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 12, 2024
Entrancing!
I’m a strong fan of science fiction and a bit of fantasy. I’ve never been much of a lover of time traveling, but this book I love dearly.
Time travel is the theme used to tell the story of the fate of the people in this book.
You’re along for the ride as people of today, and a person from 1986, are transported to the year of 1970.
A time without air conditioning (mostly), cellular phones and internet, and personal computers and multi billionaires.
Fashion is an eyesore, but water is free. Sale taxes are unheard of and only rich people have credit cards.
The list can go on for a long time, but I think you’ve got my drift.
So, despite the heat of Mexico, the people enjoy themselves, immensely. They make themselves at home.
But not everything is smooth sailing. They have many adventures.
Come hop aboard the time machine and vicariously enjoy the ride.
I know I did.
Five thrilling stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
I’m a strong fan of science fiction and a bit of fantasy. I’ve never been much of a lover of time traveling, but this book I love dearly.
Time travel is the theme used to tell the story of the fate of the people in this book.
You’re along for the ride as people of today, and a person from 1986, are transported to the year of 1970.
A time without air conditioning (mostly), cellular phones and internet, and personal computers and multi billionaires.
Fashion is an eyesore, but water is free. Sale taxes are unheard of and only rich people have credit cards.
The list can go on for a long time, but I think you’ve got my drift.
So, despite the heat of Mexico, the people enjoy themselves, immensely. They make themselves at home.
But not everything is smooth sailing. They have many adventures.
Come hop aboard the time machine and vicariously enjoy the ride.
I know I did.
Five thrilling stars. ✨✨✨✨✨
July 20, 2023
Note: I need to do some housekeeping as far as my book ratings go. First, I gave a rating of two to an award winning book, and although I stand behind that rating, I believe that book is at least as good as this book. Secondly, I'm about to give a three rating to a book that I believe is head and shoulders better than this book. So, in order to return logic and order to my book ratings, I'm going to reduce this book's rating to a two. I give my apology to any and all who might be adversely affected.
July 20, 2023
___________________________
January 31, 2023 9:59AM
I love Luna, Pablo, and the whole gang. I really do. That's why this book breaks my heart. This book was almost about the courtship of Luna and Pablo and how an evil butler tried to disrupt the romance of this unlikely but lovely couple. Instead, we have a book that totally loses focus. It's like pages from the final draft, and the first draft got accidentally mixed together. I'm so sad I'm angry. I want to read the book this book should have been.
July 20, 2023
___________________________
January 31, 2023 9:59AM
I love Luna, Pablo, and the whole gang. I really do. That's why this book breaks my heart. This book was almost about the courtship of Luna and Pablo and how an evil butler tried to disrupt the romance of this unlikely but lovely couple. Instead, we have a book that totally loses focus. It's like pages from the final draft, and the first draft got accidentally mixed together. I'm so sad I'm angry. I want to read the book this book should have been.
December 14, 2021
Fraternity
Kevin Ansbro is an author who excels in raising your spirits and immersing you in an absorbing novel. Full of enthralling action and clever humour, In the Shadow of Time is Kevin’s latest book, and it had me lost for words for a long time after I finished it. I’m glad I left it for a few weeks before writing this review because I’m still drawn to just how sublime the experience was.
The pages come alive under Kevin’s pen as he creates a world that, for the most part, looks familiar, but of course, nurtured through the eyes of an artist, we have a unique and captivating experience. It is a world full of adventure calling its characters to explore it with exciting possibilities. Kevin’s prose is vividly rich and flowing, illustrating that a fantastic lyricist can also be a riveting storyteller.
Hugo Wilde, a nobleman by birth and an MI6 assassin by profession, and Dr Sofia Ustinova, renowned leading physicist and wife to one of the Kremlin’s most celebrated killers, cross paths when Hugo assassinates her husband. The death of Viktor solved a problem for them both. It started a relationship that would revel in fantasy, magic, adventure, drama, kindness, loss, love and would profoundly impact their lives and the lives of others they encountered.
Living one’s life will be a roller-coaster of sorrow and joy, but with the support of devoted friends, those difficult times become more manageable and the happy times more rewarding. When dedicated friends establish a strong bond, they behave as family. The makeshift group that Hugo and Sofia form brings a tapestry of adventures, relationships, ambitions, successes, and losses. The novel is more than a story focusing on time travel but rather an adventure where a time machine is used to assemble the intriguing array of characters in a time and place full of atmosphere and pulsating opportunities – Mexico City in 1970. The city is full of personality and atmosphere, where opportunities for someone with advanced knowledge of future events can make a difference. Hugo and Sofia grasp their new situation with open arms and a passion for doing something that will have a tangible impact on the lives of others. The group contribute their talents and unique abilities to an enthralling story that is just a pleasure to read.
The book In the Shadow of Time is a time machine in itself, as it transports you to a different time and place with all your senses triggered. Beautifully written and engaging, as I’ve come to expect from Kevin Ansbro. I would highly recommend this outstanding book regardless of your favourite genre.
Kevin Ansbro is an author who excels in raising your spirits and immersing you in an absorbing novel. Full of enthralling action and clever humour, In the Shadow of Time is Kevin’s latest book, and it had me lost for words for a long time after I finished it. I’m glad I left it for a few weeks before writing this review because I’m still drawn to just how sublime the experience was.
The pages come alive under Kevin’s pen as he creates a world that, for the most part, looks familiar, but of course, nurtured through the eyes of an artist, we have a unique and captivating experience. It is a world full of adventure calling its characters to explore it with exciting possibilities. Kevin’s prose is vividly rich and flowing, illustrating that a fantastic lyricist can also be a riveting storyteller.
Hugo Wilde, a nobleman by birth and an MI6 assassin by profession, and Dr Sofia Ustinova, renowned leading physicist and wife to one of the Kremlin’s most celebrated killers, cross paths when Hugo assassinates her husband. The death of Viktor solved a problem for them both. It started a relationship that would revel in fantasy, magic, adventure, drama, kindness, loss, love and would profoundly impact their lives and the lives of others they encountered.
“If you could truly get away from all of this and start a new life in another time, another place, would you? Wilde noted her earnestness and treated the question with the sincerity it deserved. In all honesty, if I had the opportunity to do such a thing with you, Sofia, I would seize it with both hands.”Other threads introducing a young girl, Luna, of mystical qualities in Silkeborg Forest, Denmark in 1986, a young boy Pablo, with intuitive artistic talent from 1970, a housemaid, Maria, religious with a common-sense perspective on life from 1970s Mexico, and Hugo’s most loyal friend and one-time saviour, Vincent O’Toole, from 2020, come together most unusually.
Living one’s life will be a roller-coaster of sorrow and joy, but with the support of devoted friends, those difficult times become more manageable and the happy times more rewarding. When dedicated friends establish a strong bond, they behave as family. The makeshift group that Hugo and Sofia form brings a tapestry of adventures, relationships, ambitions, successes, and losses. The novel is more than a story focusing on time travel but rather an adventure where a time machine is used to assemble the intriguing array of characters in a time and place full of atmosphere and pulsating opportunities – Mexico City in 1970. The city is full of personality and atmosphere, where opportunities for someone with advanced knowledge of future events can make a difference. Hugo and Sofia grasp their new situation with open arms and a passion for doing something that will have a tangible impact on the lives of others. The group contribute their talents and unique abilities to an enthralling story that is just a pleasure to read.
The book In the Shadow of Time is a time machine in itself, as it transports you to a different time and place with all your senses triggered. Beautifully written and engaging, as I’ve come to expect from Kevin Ansbro. I would highly recommend this outstanding book regardless of your favourite genre.
January 14, 2023
After having read "The Minotaur's Son & Other Wild Tales" I was curious as to what my experience would be reading one of Kevin Ansbro's fiction novels.
First of all, I have to say I really appreciated the story mostly takes place in Mexico City, the city where I was born and have lived my whole life. That really was a nice touch as it includes some historical facts along with several touches of fiction.
I loved the characters and the connections and relationships they all have in the story, and they play an important part in it at different times. Sofia, Hugo, Vincent, Maria, Pablo, Luna, Copernicus - it really is impossible to not like them, and Kevin makes sure of it by making them all likeable in spite of their different ethnic origins and personalities.
I believe many of us have at some point in our lives wondered about the feasibility of time traveling and its effects in past, present, and future lives, which is why I loved there are bits of science fiction included.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in sci-fi, fiction, romance, and suspense. Quite an enjoyable read! I look forward to a new reading adventure with Kevin Ansbro and his exceptional writing style.
First of all, I have to say I really appreciated the story mostly takes place in Mexico City, the city where I was born and have lived my whole life. That really was a nice touch as it includes some historical facts along with several touches of fiction.
I loved the characters and the connections and relationships they all have in the story, and they play an important part in it at different times. Sofia, Hugo, Vincent, Maria, Pablo, Luna, Copernicus - it really is impossible to not like them, and Kevin makes sure of it by making them all likeable in spite of their different ethnic origins and personalities.
I believe many of us have at some point in our lives wondered about the feasibility of time traveling and its effects in past, present, and future lives, which is why I loved there are bits of science fiction included.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in sci-fi, fiction, romance, and suspense. Quite an enjoyable read! I look forward to a new reading adventure with Kevin Ansbro and his exceptional writing style.
September 8, 2021
’It was Thomas Edison’s belief that the spirits of the dead, along with every word spoken, exist among us...they are, in effect, whistling in the wind, hoping to be heard.
This is the fifth book I’ve read by Kevin Ansbro, and I’ve loved them all. Like his others, there is a sprinkling of magical realism that is so subtly woven through the story, along with a quirky charm and subtle humour that keeps me smiling while I read.
This story begins in 1970 in Denmark’s Silkeborg Forest with an infant bundled up against the elements in the hopes she will be found, her parents lives cut short by the exposure to toxic waste. It quickly turns to England in 2020, and to Mexico, wandering back and forth through time and place.
This is the story of a family that is fashioned under unusual circumstances, but there is no standard formula for how a family is created. Luna, the infant found, is the beginning of this family that will grow in size and in love.
’Overhead, a splendour of stars spangled the sky, reminding Luna that her parents were still out there somewhere in the Universe. In her formative years, they had visited her in hollow-voiced dreams, their features as indiscernible as ripples on the surface of a lake.’
Shared with Ansbro’s unique and magical charm, I fell easily under the spell of this story, and delighted in visiting these places and these people. I only wish I could linger in these pages a bit longer, this was filled with so much love.
Published: 30 August 2021
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March 7, 2024
"High above, a ghost ship moon was moored in an inky sky, presenting the perfect backdrop for a righteous execution."
This is the kind of book that can help change the world, heal it, and make it a better place!
Dr. Sofia Ustinova, one of the world’s leading physicists, long married to a hellish husband, has fallen for the most star-aligned gentleman—and former assassin—of England, Hugo Wilde. When a time machine is discovered in a cellar, they use it to start a new life in Mexico, and the veils of their sorrows start to lift in many unexpected ways.
As well as extracting human emotions, like in every other book of his, Ansbro has depicted the perplexity of several lives unfolding in flips of time travel and using a selection of characters of such unquestionable tenderness and frivolity as to make one anaesthetised to the perils of the real world — at least temporarily. But perverse minds aren’t entirely out of scope and one must watch out for the most notorious Severiano Salazar, whom I would have soon slapped had I met him in real life.
Ansbro takes writing to a whole new level of splendour, allowing readers the enticing delight of touching things that are unreachable. Redemption, and not taking life for granted, are themes that he smartly conceals in the horizons of violence. I was amazed at how the author brought these elements together!!!
Summing up->If the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, were suddenly inspired to courier me her Cartier Halo tiara, I would place it not on my head, but on Kevin Ansbro’s book, In the Shadow of Time
Whether reading an Ansbro novel for the first or the last time, one recognises the work of a maestro. This is an author who will stay etched in the reader's heart and soul for a long time.
Also, I would like to add something: This is a rare author who goes about helping novice authors climb up the literary ladder of success.
Plus, the cover picture of the novel was painted by the author himself!!
This is the kind of book that can help change the world, heal it, and make it a better place!
Dr. Sofia Ustinova, one of the world’s leading physicists, long married to a hellish husband, has fallen for the most star-aligned gentleman—and former assassin—of England, Hugo Wilde. When a time machine is discovered in a cellar, they use it to start a new life in Mexico, and the veils of their sorrows start to lift in many unexpected ways.
As well as extracting human emotions, like in every other book of his, Ansbro has depicted the perplexity of several lives unfolding in flips of time travel and using a selection of characters of such unquestionable tenderness and frivolity as to make one anaesthetised to the perils of the real world — at least temporarily. But perverse minds aren’t entirely out of scope and one must watch out for the most notorious Severiano Salazar, whom I would have soon slapped had I met him in real life.
Ansbro takes writing to a whole new level of splendour, allowing readers the enticing delight of touching things that are unreachable. Redemption, and not taking life for granted, are themes that he smartly conceals in the horizons of violence. I was amazed at how the author brought these elements together!!!
Summing up->If the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, were suddenly inspired to courier me her Cartier Halo tiara, I would place it not on my head, but on Kevin Ansbro’s book, In the Shadow of Time
Whether reading an Ansbro novel for the first or the last time, one recognises the work of a maestro. This is an author who will stay etched in the reader's heart and soul for a long time.
Also, I would like to add something: This is a rare author who goes about helping novice authors climb up the literary ladder of success.
Plus, the cover picture of the novel was painted by the author himself!!
April 4, 2024
Kevin Ansbro’s – In the Shadow Time explores the delicious idea of time travel with a handful of interesting characters, it’s enough to keep anyone entertained.
Afterall, reading Magical Realism is all about that isn’t it? Entertainment.
The characters include a world-renowned physicist Dr Sofia Ustinova and a British Secret Service assassin – Hugo Wilde. These guys exist in the present time and meet in what can only be described as ‘very unusual’ circumstances. I liked Hugo, a lot, a clinical killer but he has a big heart, an unusual mix indeed. Then we have Vincent, Hugo’s Irish mate – a big lump of a guy, with a toupee and a man who loves a pint. When we all travel back to 1970s Mexico (…..yes 1970s Mexico), we meet some good guys like Pablo – a poor shoeshine lad and his dad, who plays a trumpet in local parks for spare change. Maria, a housekeeper and cook – had me salivating and there’s an interesting butler – who reminded me of the slimy Smithers from The Simpsons – uuurrrggghh, there's a few more too, including a handful of nefarious, violent dudes out to inflict misery.
The star of the show for me though was Luna (see cover). A beautiful, cocky, confident adolescent with bleach white hair. Now this girl is unusual, she even smokes cigars heavens sake!
I’ve told you nothing about the plot here – it’s not necessary. All I’ll say is if you want a rollicking adventure, with good guys and bad guys, a love story (or two), some history, a taste of tacos, violence, and the odd chuckle, all wrapped up in a warm blanket – read this!
But be warned, this isn’t all beer and skittles, Mr Ansbro did take the liberty of stuffing his fist down my throat and pulling up my insides through my gaping mouth. There’s some sadness too.
A terrific book, a ripping yarn and clever.
5 Stars
This little beauty is my 500th read on GRs, here's to 500 more.
Afterall, reading Magical Realism is all about that isn’t it? Entertainment.
The characters include a world-renowned physicist Dr Sofia Ustinova and a British Secret Service assassin – Hugo Wilde. These guys exist in the present time and meet in what can only be described as ‘very unusual’ circumstances. I liked Hugo, a lot, a clinical killer but he has a big heart, an unusual mix indeed. Then we have Vincent, Hugo’s Irish mate – a big lump of a guy, with a toupee and a man who loves a pint. When we all travel back to 1970s Mexico (…..yes 1970s Mexico), we meet some good guys like Pablo – a poor shoeshine lad and his dad, who plays a trumpet in local parks for spare change. Maria, a housekeeper and cook – had me salivating and there’s an interesting butler – who reminded me of the slimy Smithers from The Simpsons – uuurrrggghh, there's a few more too, including a handful of nefarious, violent dudes out to inflict misery.
The star of the show for me though was Luna (see cover). A beautiful, cocky, confident adolescent with bleach white hair. Now this girl is unusual, she even smokes cigars heavens sake!
I’ve told you nothing about the plot here – it’s not necessary. All I’ll say is if you want a rollicking adventure, with good guys and bad guys, a love story (or two), some history, a taste of tacos, violence, and the odd chuckle, all wrapped up in a warm blanket – read this!
But be warned, this isn’t all beer and skittles, Mr Ansbro did take the liberty of stuffing his fist down my throat and pulling up my insides through my gaping mouth. There’s some sadness too.
A terrific book, a ripping yarn and clever.
5 Stars
This little beauty is my 500th read on GRs, here's to 500 more.
![Profile Image for Terence M - [Quot libros, quam breve tempus!].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1712357414i%2F6658001._UY200_CR4%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
September 9, 2021
5-Stars - "I Really, Really Liked It!"
In the Shadow of Time (ebook) by Kevin Ansbro
This is first book that I have actually been able to 'read' in the past five years, having to rely solely on audiobooks during this period due to visual problems resulting from a severe fall.
Being transported to the exquisite realm of 'magical realism', and reading In The Shadow of Time, was an enchanting and rewarding journey for me. At first, I thought I might be an intruder into the arena of the 'young adult' reader, but I was quickly dissuaded of that notion by Kevin Ansbro's thoughtful and succinct writing. Nary a long or padded paragraph appeared, nor did a never-ending sentence mar this entrancing story. And the cover is superb!
A note to the Author:
Thank you, Kevin, for introducing me (almost forcibly!😊) to magical realism. It has been some time since you insisted I try to read "The Fish That Climbed a Tree", which unfortunately I have been unable to do. "The Fish ..." has been in my Kobo e-reader since June 2019 and now I am confident that I can try it afresh, following my successful reading of your latest production!
In the Shadow of Time (ebook) by Kevin Ansbro
This is first book that I have actually been able to 'read' in the past five years, having to rely solely on audiobooks during this period due to visual problems resulting from a severe fall.
Being transported to the exquisite realm of 'magical realism', and reading In The Shadow of Time, was an enchanting and rewarding journey for me. At first, I thought I might be an intruder into the arena of the 'young adult' reader, but I was quickly dissuaded of that notion by Kevin Ansbro's thoughtful and succinct writing. Nary a long or padded paragraph appeared, nor did a never-ending sentence mar this entrancing story. And the cover is superb!
A note to the Author:
Thank you, Kevin, for introducing me (almost forcibly!😊) to magical realism. It has been some time since you insisted I try to read "The Fish That Climbed a Tree", which unfortunately I have been unable to do. "The Fish ..." has been in my Kobo e-reader since June 2019 and now I am confident that I can try it afresh, following my successful reading of your latest production!
September 23, 2021
It is wonderful to read a book that fills you with only good feelings, that makes you see how love can come in many ways through many different people, and that evil doers are punished.
Take a trip into the mystical and magical with Kevin Ansbro's newest book, In The Shadow of Time, where through the wonders of a time machine, a bit of whimsy and a lot of beautiful words, this reader breathe a sigh, shed a few tears, enjoyed many giggles, and was so happy such books as this exist.
There are some wonderful luscious characters, that were begging for you to want them as forever friends. Let's power forward to 2020 where we encounter Hugo Wilde, the erstwhile James Bond agent, perfect in his allure with women, an operative with a mission to kill a Russian assassin, all the while fulfilling death defying deeds of deering-do. There is the beautiful alluring temptress, a Soviet scientist, Sofia Ustinova, who due to her research on time travel has attracted of all things, beings from another galaxy, bearing a most intriguing gift. For Sophia, married to a brute of a husband, she is soon with her cat, Copernicus, about to embark on a stellar mission. Meeting Hugo, as he is her husband's assassin, it's love at first sight and the happy couple swoon and do other things toot sweet!
While in a forest in 1970, a child born in Silkeborg Forest, with porcelain skin is orphaned when her parents perish and is left in a tree to survive. Found by one of the evil doers. Luna, grows and at sixteen comes under the tutelage of Sophia and Hugo. (Oh yes, did I mention anything about a time machine?)
Arriving in Mexico City in 1970, (time machine wise), we meet Gerardo Quiroz, and his son Pablo also sixteen. Geraldo is viciously killed by another evil doer and Pablo comes to live with Sophia and Hugo, making for a very diverse but loving family.
I know I am making a muck of describing this book, but it's wonderful in so many ways. It is the way we wish people, all kinds of people would live, with respect and concern for others, with love in their hearts with an outpouring of gratitude for the life they have.
Truly if you love stories that weave their way into and around your heart, written with beautiful prose, (oftentimes comical), and the wish that a book would never end, this is exactly what you are looking for. I must add that time travel has never been my thing, but in Kevin's Ansbro's hands it became a "thing" for me. Oh! and the evil doers get their just deserts!
Take a trip into the mystical and magical with Kevin Ansbro's newest book, In The Shadow of Time, where through the wonders of a time machine, a bit of whimsy and a lot of beautiful words, this reader breathe a sigh, shed a few tears, enjoyed many giggles, and was so happy such books as this exist.
There are some wonderful luscious characters, that were begging for you to want them as forever friends. Let's power forward to 2020 where we encounter Hugo Wilde, the erstwhile James Bond agent, perfect in his allure with women, an operative with a mission to kill a Russian assassin, all the while fulfilling death defying deeds of deering-do. There is the beautiful alluring temptress, a Soviet scientist, Sofia Ustinova, who due to her research on time travel has attracted of all things, beings from another galaxy, bearing a most intriguing gift. For Sophia, married to a brute of a husband, she is soon with her cat, Copernicus, about to embark on a stellar mission. Meeting Hugo, as he is her husband's assassin, it's love at first sight and the happy couple swoon and do other things toot sweet!
While in a forest in 1970, a child born in Silkeborg Forest, with porcelain skin is orphaned when her parents perish and is left in a tree to survive. Found by one of the evil doers. Luna, grows and at sixteen comes under the tutelage of Sophia and Hugo. (Oh yes, did I mention anything about a time machine?)
Arriving in Mexico City in 1970, (time machine wise), we meet Gerardo Quiroz, and his son Pablo also sixteen. Geraldo is viciously killed by another evil doer and Pablo comes to live with Sophia and Hugo, making for a very diverse but loving family.
I know I am making a muck of describing this book, but it's wonderful in so many ways. It is the way we wish people, all kinds of people would live, with respect and concern for others, with love in their hearts with an outpouring of gratitude for the life they have.
Truly if you love stories that weave their way into and around your heart, written with beautiful prose, (oftentimes comical), and the wish that a book would never end, this is exactly what you are looking for. I must add that time travel has never been my thing, but in Kevin's Ansbro's hands it became a "thing" for me. Oh! and the evil doers get their just deserts!
July 6, 2022
If I were to direct a film based upon a book written by Kevin Ansbro, it would have a decidedly Frank Capra, feel good quotient about it. Maybe get Adam Sandler involved in the production.
Ansbro is like Trevanian – a teller of tales but also the voice of the narrator. Like the Shibumi author, Kevin Ansbro’s wink and nod delivery makes this more than a cool surface story about time travel and an English assassin falling in love with a Soviet physicist and Mexico City and a fairy like supernatural girl named Luna.
Luna – the cigar smoking paranormal girl from the forests of Denmark – steals the show.
“Your dress, it is beautiful, Luna”
“It’s black, like my heart,” she replied, charmed by his awkwardness.
The way Ansbro describes Luna is similar in style to the otherworldly way Ray Bradbury would describe his “special” subjects in his October stories. The minimalist, magical realism brush that paints our portrait of Luna is a highlight of this character.
Another aspect of Ansbro’s writing that I like is his whimsical and fluid approach to the afterlife. In Ansbro’s world building, the line between the living and the dead is blurred and sometimes unimportant. This was a part of this narrative and the setting of Mexico, with the Day of the Dead culture, made this element of his writing all the more poignant here.
Too much fun, really enjoyed this and now I face the unenviable task of waiting, Waiting, WAITING – for Kevin Ansbro’s next book to come out.
Ansbro is like Trevanian – a teller of tales but also the voice of the narrator. Like the Shibumi author, Kevin Ansbro’s wink and nod delivery makes this more than a cool surface story about time travel and an English assassin falling in love with a Soviet physicist and Mexico City and a fairy like supernatural girl named Luna.
Luna – the cigar smoking paranormal girl from the forests of Denmark – steals the show.
“Your dress, it is beautiful, Luna”
“It’s black, like my heart,” she replied, charmed by his awkwardness.
The way Ansbro describes Luna is similar in style to the otherworldly way Ray Bradbury would describe his “special” subjects in his October stories. The minimalist, magical realism brush that paints our portrait of Luna is a highlight of this character.
Another aspect of Ansbro’s writing that I like is his whimsical and fluid approach to the afterlife. In Ansbro’s world building, the line between the living and the dead is blurred and sometimes unimportant. This was a part of this narrative and the setting of Mexico, with the Day of the Dead culture, made this element of his writing all the more poignant here.
Too much fun, really enjoyed this and now I face the unenviable task of waiting, Waiting, WAITING – for Kevin Ansbro’s next book to come out.
November 26, 2022
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This was such a fantastic and unusual read. Ansbro is an amazing wordsmith and his world-building fascinated me. I am not a big fan of science fiction but I do love a good time travel story and magical realism.
I really loved the main characters in this book, they were so likable and realistic in their moods. thoughts, and behaviour. I liked the many timelines in the book, we have people from 1970, 1986, and 2020. The mention of the historical moments and the (awful) fashion were a fun reminder of what used to be. It was pretty funny seeing people from 2020 try to navigate a time before cell phones and the internet. Ansbro had me feeling like I was transported to Mexico (a place I have never been) with his descriptions of the weather, the people, his use of language, and the food.
The book can fall into multiple genres, mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and of course science fiction but simply put this was a beautifully written book that I really enjoyed and ticked all the boxes for me, the book, in a nutshell, it is simply great storytelling.
A little tidbit: I found out that the author himself painted the cover photo and it is fantastic!
Note: I know reviews shouldn't be personal towards the author but I can't write this review without saying what a wonderful human being I think Mr. Ansbro is on Twitter. He always supports other authors and bloggers by sharing and promoting works and reviews by and for others all the time. He is such a stand-up and talented guy and I was so pleased that my local library had a digital copy of his book for me to borrow. Thank you Toronto Public Library!
This was such a fantastic and unusual read. Ansbro is an amazing wordsmith and his world-building fascinated me. I am not a big fan of science fiction but I do love a good time travel story and magical realism.
I really loved the main characters in this book, they were so likable and realistic in their moods. thoughts, and behaviour. I liked the many timelines in the book, we have people from 1970, 1986, and 2020. The mention of the historical moments and the (awful) fashion were a fun reminder of what used to be. It was pretty funny seeing people from 2020 try to navigate a time before cell phones and the internet. Ansbro had me feeling like I was transported to Mexico (a place I have never been) with his descriptions of the weather, the people, his use of language, and the food.
The book can fall into multiple genres, mystery, historical fiction, fantasy, and of course science fiction but simply put this was a beautifully written book that I really enjoyed and ticked all the boxes for me, the book, in a nutshell, it is simply great storytelling.
A little tidbit: I found out that the author himself painted the cover photo and it is fantastic!
Note: I know reviews shouldn't be personal towards the author but I can't write this review without saying what a wonderful human being I think Mr. Ansbro is on Twitter. He always supports other authors and bloggers by sharing and promoting works and reviews by and for others all the time. He is such a stand-up and talented guy and I was so pleased that my local library had a digital copy of his book for me to borrow. Thank you Toronto Public Library!
October 4, 2021
Her name is Luna. See her there, on the cover? Painted by author Kevin Ansbro. She's the latest in a select group of fictional characters who have moved into my brain. She travels light. And in beauty, amidst phrases such as this in In the Shadow of Time.
a splendour of stars spangled the sky
4.5 stars
Like all of Kevin Ansbro's books as well as his short stories, this one is peopled with a diverse group of characters, good, bad and in between, who interact separately and apart in compelling ways. The metaphor of author as a spinner of yarns is quite apt in KA's case. Those who have read him before know -- and new readers will find out -- that the strands of his tales ultimately form a cohesive piece that is superb, satisfying and always surprising.
No spoilers. The book is about time travel and Ansbro, one of the most heartful writers I've had the pleasure of reading, mentions the TARDIS in the room early on, because he's clever and knows his readers are. I did have a tiny timey-wimey problem with one thing but that could easily be down to my misunderstanding. The means of time travel here is unique and interesting, functioning almost like another character.
In present-day England the pandemic is happening. Sofia, a strong and sexy scientist, is the one who is given the ability to travel and she's taken to Mexico City, 1970. There are shifting time periods and places throughout and in each something crucial happens. In the present masks are worn which I hope will make for an oh-right-that-happened feeling when I re-read this years from now.
There are some great characters and by that I mean good, kind, decent people. Some of their parts are bigger than others but each brings something essential as solos become duets, trios and choruses. Of course there are bad characters though never badly written. Another strength of Ansbro's is that it's not a sure thing that the bad guys will get theirs, nor are happy endings a given for those who deserve them.
Others have gone into the plot and I can't without spoiling anyway. I loved the book. The places are very well done, not only in how well Ansbro depicts them but in the way the book moves among them. I've spent time in Mexico City and though it was many years after 1970 there's authenticity in the way KA brings us the city and culture, the sights and sounds and mmm the tastes. I was craving a lot of what Maria cooked. KA, please send her my way. Oh, she's not real? She seemed so to me.
Technically I suppose it's magical realism because of the realism, but for me it's closer to the fantasy genre because it's suffused with the fantastic whereas magical realism is punctuated with the magical. In a way it's like a fairy tale, the old authentic ones not most modern incessantly cheerful, unrealistic ones. Reading it felt magical. It's terrific.
Luna, who opens the tale in Denmark's Silkeborg Forest and now lives in my head, whose parents swaddled their baby daughter in a rustic blanket of braided ivy and placed her in the hollow of an oak tree on the outer limits of their forest.
Sofia, sensual STEM and Hugo the assassin, Pablo, Maria, Gerardo. Hugo's best friend Vincent, who provides some comic relief but not just:
Vincent crossed himself and looped his surgical mask over his ears. “You won’t be needing that where we’re going,” said Sofia, thinking the Irishman’s ears were big enough to hang umbrellas from.
And there's Salazar, who Vincent imagines is
the sort of fellow who could mildew an armchair just by sitting in it.
So why four stars and not the full five? Because Goodreads won't let me give 4.5.
I felt the book dragged at times, not often but that it did at all is something I've not encountered before in Ansbro's work. There were a few minor characters I could have done without. Some of the writing lacked the consistent crackle of my favorite, The Fish That Climbed a Tree and that may be unfair given the breadth of this story compared to that one. A few times there was a bit of what was for me too much information. A building is being renovated and the spell was broken by the level of detail: mention of the civil engineer, project manager, others working on it. A dinner party scene broke up the pace; it was too long. And there were a few clunky bits of writing, including this: Though privilege was the inescapable ghost that hovered over him, it was in his nature to be humanistic.. Every little misstep I perceived is notable because I've never before encountered a single misstep in Ansbro's prose, and I've read all he's published.
And there's this, and it may seem petty but again, the spell for that second was broken. A library is amassed and those scenes are fun and charming. Many great writers are mentioned. Ansbro always includes books in his books, which is a lovely touch. Few writers acknowledge there are other writers. Or books, other than the one they've written that we're reading. But:
Scott Fitzgerald was rubbing dust-jacketed shoulders with Gustave Flaubert; Shirley Jackson was cosying up to Henry James, and William Shakespeare had struck up a bromance with George Bernard Shaw.
I adore the rubbing of dust jackets and and the bromance. For me though, one of these writers is not like the others. One could debate the merits and legacy of each but Shirley Jackson was a full stop; I read the sentence twice to be sure. If this was a result of Ansbro's feminism it's laudable, because he's naturally a feminist, he doesn't force it, his female characters are strong and vital in the pages of their stories. But as much as I love Shirley Jackson's work, I think there are other, far better female writers with greater legacies who deserve to cosy up to Henry James though perhaps they all declined to.
Half a star for the sum of my quibbles and because, though I can't explain this one without spoilers, I wanted to know more about the hunter, he so intrigued me and still does. Although he's in the book briefly his cameos have major impact. I admire Ansbro's choice to leave us with just what we need to know about him and no more. At the same time I want to know more. I'm hoping he'll turn up with backstory in a future short story collection. Or as a one-off: I'd pay. This is more compliment than complaint. It's a testament to Ansbro's talent that the hunter captured me so thoroughly and won't let me go.
I love so much about In The Shadow of Time, from the opening H.G. Wells quote to the last scene (oh!), the last sentence. Reading it has been a pleasurable, engaging, occasionally profound and in one part emotional experience. I'm not normally an emotional reader. I got misty-eyed (note to men: okay, I got squishy once but make no mistake, this book is for you too!!!).
Ansbro's heart beats in his books. I'm fairly new to him but can tell it's a good heart, a kind one, a generous and loving one. And he takes chances in his writing, so admirable. You never know when he'll kill a beloved character or whether he'll give your favorite an unhappily ever after. Fearless, leaving it all on the page. Kevin Ansbro, more, please. Meantime I'll be hanging with Luna (and Henry and Hannah and Sawat and...).
As I've been writing this Luna has been hovering over me, her light as bright and beautiful as is In the Shadow of Time.
a splendour of stars spangled the sky
4.5 stars
Like all of Kevin Ansbro's books as well as his short stories, this one is peopled with a diverse group of characters, good, bad and in between, who interact separately and apart in compelling ways. The metaphor of author as a spinner of yarns is quite apt in KA's case. Those who have read him before know -- and new readers will find out -- that the strands of his tales ultimately form a cohesive piece that is superb, satisfying and always surprising.
No spoilers. The book is about time travel and Ansbro, one of the most heartful writers I've had the pleasure of reading, mentions the TARDIS in the room early on, because he's clever and knows his readers are. I did have a tiny timey-wimey problem with one thing but that could easily be down to my misunderstanding. The means of time travel here is unique and interesting, functioning almost like another character.
In present-day England the pandemic is happening. Sofia, a strong and sexy scientist, is the one who is given the ability to travel and she's taken to Mexico City, 1970. There are shifting time periods and places throughout and in each something crucial happens. In the present masks are worn which I hope will make for an oh-right-that-happened feeling when I re-read this years from now.
There are some great characters and by that I mean good, kind, decent people. Some of their parts are bigger than others but each brings something essential as solos become duets, trios and choruses. Of course there are bad characters though never badly written. Another strength of Ansbro's is that it's not a sure thing that the bad guys will get theirs, nor are happy endings a given for those who deserve them.
Others have gone into the plot and I can't without spoiling anyway. I loved the book. The places are very well done, not only in how well Ansbro depicts them but in the way the book moves among them. I've spent time in Mexico City and though it was many years after 1970 there's authenticity in the way KA brings us the city and culture, the sights and sounds and mmm the tastes. I was craving a lot of what Maria cooked. KA, please send her my way. Oh, she's not real? She seemed so to me.
Technically I suppose it's magical realism because of the realism, but for me it's closer to the fantasy genre because it's suffused with the fantastic whereas magical realism is punctuated with the magical. In a way it's like a fairy tale, the old authentic ones not most modern incessantly cheerful, unrealistic ones. Reading it felt magical. It's terrific.
Luna, who opens the tale in Denmark's Silkeborg Forest and now lives in my head, whose parents swaddled their baby daughter in a rustic blanket of braided ivy and placed her in the hollow of an oak tree on the outer limits of their forest.
Sofia, sensual STEM and Hugo the assassin, Pablo, Maria, Gerardo. Hugo's best friend Vincent, who provides some comic relief but not just:
Vincent crossed himself and looped his surgical mask over his ears. “You won’t be needing that where we’re going,” said Sofia, thinking the Irishman’s ears were big enough to hang umbrellas from.
And there's Salazar, who Vincent imagines is
the sort of fellow who could mildew an armchair just by sitting in it.
So why four stars and not the full five? Because Goodreads won't let me give 4.5.
I felt the book dragged at times, not often but that it did at all is something I've not encountered before in Ansbro's work. There were a few minor characters I could have done without. Some of the writing lacked the consistent crackle of my favorite, The Fish That Climbed a Tree and that may be unfair given the breadth of this story compared to that one. A few times there was a bit of what was for me too much information. A building is being renovated and the spell was broken by the level of detail: mention of the civil engineer, project manager, others working on it. A dinner party scene broke up the pace; it was too long. And there were a few clunky bits of writing, including this: Though privilege was the inescapable ghost that hovered over him, it was in his nature to be humanistic.. Every little misstep I perceived is notable because I've never before encountered a single misstep in Ansbro's prose, and I've read all he's published.
And there's this, and it may seem petty but again, the spell for that second was broken. A library is amassed and those scenes are fun and charming. Many great writers are mentioned. Ansbro always includes books in his books, which is a lovely touch. Few writers acknowledge there are other writers. Or books, other than the one they've written that we're reading. But:
Scott Fitzgerald was rubbing dust-jacketed shoulders with Gustave Flaubert; Shirley Jackson was cosying up to Henry James, and William Shakespeare had struck up a bromance with George Bernard Shaw.
I adore the rubbing of dust jackets and and the bromance. For me though, one of these writers is not like the others. One could debate the merits and legacy of each but Shirley Jackson was a full stop; I read the sentence twice to be sure. If this was a result of Ansbro's feminism it's laudable, because he's naturally a feminist, he doesn't force it, his female characters are strong and vital in the pages of their stories. But as much as I love Shirley Jackson's work, I think there are other, far better female writers with greater legacies who deserve to cosy up to Henry James though perhaps they all declined to.
Half a star for the sum of my quibbles and because, though I can't explain this one without spoilers, I wanted to know more about the hunter, he so intrigued me and still does. Although he's in the book briefly his cameos have major impact. I admire Ansbro's choice to leave us with just what we need to know about him and no more. At the same time I want to know more. I'm hoping he'll turn up with backstory in a future short story collection. Or as a one-off: I'd pay. This is more compliment than complaint. It's a testament to Ansbro's talent that the hunter captured me so thoroughly and won't let me go.
I love so much about In The Shadow of Time, from the opening H.G. Wells quote to the last scene (oh!), the last sentence. Reading it has been a pleasurable, engaging, occasionally profound and in one part emotional experience. I'm not normally an emotional reader. I got misty-eyed (note to men: okay, I got squishy once but make no mistake, this book is for you too!!!).
Ansbro's heart beats in his books. I'm fairly new to him but can tell it's a good heart, a kind one, a generous and loving one. And he takes chances in his writing, so admirable. You never know when he'll kill a beloved character or whether he'll give your favorite an unhappily ever after. Fearless, leaving it all on the page. Kevin Ansbro, more, please. Meantime I'll be hanging with Luna (and Henry and Hannah and Sawat and...).
As I've been writing this Luna has been hovering over me, her light as bright and beautiful as is In the Shadow of Time.
March 10, 2023
One of my favorite genres is time travel and I've read a ton of them and loved them all and this is no exception. In the Shadow of Time tells many stories, but mostly what it reveals is the importance of family, especially those you create with your friends. As always in Kevin Ansbro's writing, there is a bubbly, buoyant playful tone to the whole story.
The characters seem like real people and the setting in 1970s Mexico really comes alive, you can almost smell and hear and taste it. The story brings together several orphaned, alone or lost people. Each is different and compelling in their own way. My favorite was Hugo Wilde, an assassin who still believes in himself and other people and is not afraid to take a chance at love with a whip smart Russian scientist.
Of course, with all stories, there is the bitter with the sweet, and this one has dark passages, but they manage to feel less weighty, as they are held down by love.
The characters seem like real people and the setting in 1970s Mexico really comes alive, you can almost smell and hear and taste it. The story brings together several orphaned, alone or lost people. Each is different and compelling in their own way. My favorite was Hugo Wilde, an assassin who still believes in himself and other people and is not afraid to take a chance at love with a whip smart Russian scientist.
Of course, with all stories, there is the bitter with the sweet, and this one has dark passages, but they manage to feel less weighty, as they are held down by love.
January 10, 2023
A journey through time and place.
A Secret agent, a beautiful physicist, a porcelain skinned teenager and a shoeshine boy have their lives changed in ways they never imagined. A time machine will take them back to a simpler time, it will be the adventure of a lifetime.
I have said it before, I am not a big fantasy or science fiction reader. Books in those genres are hit or miss for me. What works for me in those genres are the characters and their relationships with others. This book is full of relationships. I loved how the characters formed a family unit and were accepting and loyal to each other. There are tight bonds formed in this book and this is where the magic happened for me. The impact that one person has on another always piques my interest and grabs my attention.
I also loved the lush and vivid descriptions which had me feeling as if I was a silent observer watching as the characters went about their business.
This was a well thought out and nicely paced novel. Readers go along on the journey with the characters.
If you are looking for something a little different, a little off the beaten path, with a whole lot of heart, look no further.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
A Secret agent, a beautiful physicist, a porcelain skinned teenager and a shoeshine boy have their lives changed in ways they never imagined. A time machine will take them back to a simpler time, it will be the adventure of a lifetime.
I have said it before, I am not a big fantasy or science fiction reader. Books in those genres are hit or miss for me. What works for me in those genres are the characters and their relationships with others. This book is full of relationships. I loved how the characters formed a family unit and were accepting and loyal to each other. There are tight bonds formed in this book and this is where the magic happened for me. The impact that one person has on another always piques my interest and grabs my attention.
I also loved the lush and vivid descriptions which had me feeling as if I was a silent observer watching as the characters went about their business.
This was a well thought out and nicely paced novel. Readers go along on the journey with the characters.
If you are looking for something a little different, a little off the beaten path, with a whole lot of heart, look no further.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
January 7, 2023
Magic.
Kevin Ansbro's latest offering, In the Shadow of Time, is pure magic. Well...not pure magic, that would be going overboard, but Kevin deals up a healthy dose of it in this wondrous story of time travel, friendship, love and loss.
The powers -that -be bring together an unlikely couple. One a dapper English assassin, the other a beautiful Russian physicist. Add an unusual cigar-chomping teenaged girl and the Englishman's burly Irish compadre...and one time machine. Set the dial for Mexico City 1970 and let the fun begin!
And this book is fun. With lively, descriptive prose, humorous dialogue and a potpourri of colorful Dickenson characters, the story moves along quickly. But to keep things on the real side, there are nefarious baddies in Ansbro's world, to remind us that all isnt bedknobs and broomsticks. Bad shit happens. Your emotions will spike all over the charts as you navigate through these glorious pages.
My only complaint is that there isn't more! I want more!
Five bright shining stars!!!
Kevin Ansbro's latest offering, In the Shadow of Time, is pure magic. Well...not pure magic, that would be going overboard, but Kevin deals up a healthy dose of it in this wondrous story of time travel, friendship, love and loss.
The powers -that -be bring together an unlikely couple. One a dapper English assassin, the other a beautiful Russian physicist. Add an unusual cigar-chomping teenaged girl and the Englishman's burly Irish compadre...and one time machine. Set the dial for Mexico City 1970 and let the fun begin!
And this book is fun. With lively, descriptive prose, humorous dialogue and a potpourri of colorful Dickenson characters, the story moves along quickly. But to keep things on the real side, there are nefarious baddies in Ansbro's world, to remind us that all isnt bedknobs and broomsticks. Bad shit happens. Your emotions will spike all over the charts as you navigate through these glorious pages.
My only complaint is that there isn't more! I want more!
Five bright shining stars!!!
November 3, 2021
It’s been a tough couple of years, incompetent Governments, a virus killing millions and humans showing the worst side of themselves with social media and panic buying, it can make it hard to try and stay positive and to not fall into a pit of despair…this book is what the world needs right now. This is the most uplifting and happy book I’ve read, full of genuinely lovely characters whose only wants in life are to help those in need and love each other…if you think this isn’t for you there is also killing, time travel, sex, booze, sinister characters and a magician. And if that isn’t enough to tempt you there is a James Bond style character called Hugo who I am 100% sure is based on me.
A chance meeting between a Russian Physicist and a British secret agent gives them access to a mysterious device that allows them to travel back in time to Mexico City in the year 1970. I found myself instantly thinking “what if they have COVID? Amazing how life makes you think. They are soon joined by the incredible and unique Luna, her powers and intelligence are a sight to behold, it is her that you see on the cover. With each person that joins their family it adds another aspect to the perfect family, Pablo’s art, Vincent’s drinking and Maria’s cooking. Ansbro is so good at spinning a yarn, you can’t help but love the characters and spend all your time trying to figure out where the story is going, this James Bond-esque reader loves when a book gets you so involved. Ansbro’s usual sense of humour comes across so well with these characters, you can’t help but grin like an idiot the whole time.
As with Ansbro’s previous books this doesn’t disappoint and you’re left hooked right to the last page. Reading this book is like running through a meadow on a summer’s day, something you shouldn’t miss out on.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2021...
A chance meeting between a Russian Physicist and a British secret agent gives them access to a mysterious device that allows them to travel back in time to Mexico City in the year 1970. I found myself instantly thinking “what if they have COVID? Amazing how life makes you think. They are soon joined by the incredible and unique Luna, her powers and intelligence are a sight to behold, it is her that you see on the cover. With each person that joins their family it adds another aspect to the perfect family, Pablo’s art, Vincent’s drinking and Maria’s cooking. Ansbro is so good at spinning a yarn, you can’t help but love the characters and spend all your time trying to figure out where the story is going, this James Bond-esque reader loves when a book gets you so involved. Ansbro’s usual sense of humour comes across so well with these characters, you can’t help but grin like an idiot the whole time.
As with Ansbro’s previous books this doesn’t disappoint and you’re left hooked right to the last page. Reading this book is like running through a meadow on a summer’s day, something you shouldn’t miss out on.
Blog review: https://felcherman.wordpress.com/2021...
June 3, 2022
“The cuisine here is simple but tasty,”
She said, squeezing a wedge of lime over Vincent’s food without being asked.
“A little bit of heaven on your tongues.”
Terrified to my core, I was shaking like a leaf. Someone was trying to make my blood run cold, trying to make my flesh creep. I was sweating. I was a panicky egg, an ovoid, ready to be pulverized by the hammer of dread.
This was a bad dream.
Friends!
Don’t reach a conclusion so quickly. I had not yet picked up this book. This dream was of the previous night. The next morning, after rinsing my body with the neem-oiled water, my mental grime too washed out and I came back to my senses that I was not an egg. It was just a nightmare. This sometimes happens when you decide at night to read a magical realism author the next day!
So, the next morning, with this newly acquired freshness, I was ready to time travel. As far as fiction is concerned, I have never read a book based on time traveling. The only mention of time travel I encountered was in one of the Bradbury stories, I read lately. That was too short to comprehend well, the concept of time traveling.
Through Kevin’s book, I was traveling in time, scientifically. Though I was expecting magical things in this book when I received it, and I indeed found some, I will still call the book a dramatic science–fiction. A well-written, histrionic science fiction! You can make a movie on it!
I will begin with the fact that when I started this book, which was launched in the Silkeborg Forest of Denmark, in 1970, where a dying couple is placing their baby daughter in the hollow of an oak tree wrapped in a rustic blanket of braided ivy, with a hope that after they die, their daughter must be found by a human first, rather than a wild fox, from this outset, I could not put this book down until that ‘big day’ in the end.
I never knew I was going to witness such a flamboyant and elegant prose writer. Highly British. Lovely positioning of phrases and meticulous use of words, without making the reading task of the reader strenuous in any sense! The writing, I loved the most in the book. The author’s sense of execution is also praiseworthy. He has not stretched any scene beyond the limit of a pleasurable reading experience. A conscientious storyteller, I was beholding in the book. The dialogues of the characters are lively and humorous and intense too.
The characters are amazingly crafted. Sofia, the astrophysicist is the brain with beauty, Hugo, the MI6 professional assassin is the swashbuckling macho man of the plot, Pablo, the sleek-haired shoeshine boy brought innocence, and Luna, the magical girl, her presence made the story magical. Vincent and Maria had their own chemistry going on behind the curtain. Scenes around the Pablo and that contemptible villain guy Ruben were framed very nicely and those parts of the book gave me Dickensian taste in the book.
The storytelling of the author is very captivating. He has assorted emotions and amusement together in a balanced manner and the concept of time travel has been used in an erudite way to give rise to the sentimental and suspense elements. In some scenes, a poignant effect has been created by this time lag technique, like in the case of Salazar’s brother and in the scene of vengeance taken against that rogue bully, Ruben.
Two minor things did not happen the way I was expecting.
First Luna, the girl who showed her magical pose every time she was present in a scene, yet she ended up too much worldly, as her final act was too mundane for her character, I was expecting a little more other-worldly, turn out on her part. But maybe that is what realism is all about. Second, is the character Mr. Salazar, the butler, his entry was the beginning of another monstrous impression, after the Ruben, in the plot. His dialogues and intentions were nefarious, those smoldering satanic eyes. Yet he could not do much and I think, the author could have developed this character a bit more fiendish. Both these points were just my expectations and did not at all affect my overall experience of the book!
I will highly recommend this book to all to see the storytelling, writing, and precision. The book has everything romance, humor, magic, reality, science, fight, and emotions!
Finally would thank Nilanjana for bringing me round and would thank Kevin for giving me such dazzling literary entertainment!
Full Marks Guys!
May 21, 2022
I must confess to a little disappointment that I did not find this as good as I was led to believe. It was still good but I cannot add the rapturous praise that I have seen in nearly all the reviews! I liked it but... in fact there were quite a few buts.
I did like the method of time travel but wanted to know more about this advanced race who were providing the means, and moving individuals around in time. For what purpose? Were they playing god or was it a game?
I liked the characters. They were mostly gentle, deserving people. There was humour and sadness and the main characters were easy to like but somehow they never leapt off the page for me.
I also thought the book was a crazy mish mash of genres but the writing was beautiful, the ideas were clever, and the story drifted pleasantly along to a satisfying conclusion. A good way to spend a few hours and worth four stars.
*I nearly forgot to mention the cover which is perfect. I believe the author is the artist which would explain why it is so fitting.
I did like the method of time travel but wanted to know more about this advanced race who were providing the means, and moving individuals around in time. For what purpose? Were they playing god or was it a game?
I liked the characters. They were mostly gentle, deserving people. There was humour and sadness and the main characters were easy to like but somehow they never leapt off the page for me.
I also thought the book was a crazy mish mash of genres but the writing was beautiful, the ideas were clever, and the story drifted pleasantly along to a satisfying conclusion. A good way to spend a few hours and worth four stars.
*I nearly forgot to mention the cover which is perfect. I believe the author is the artist which would explain why it is so fitting.
September 6, 2021
Brilliant Magical Realism!
"In the Shadow of Time" by Kevin Ansbro, is a superb novel written in the genre of magical realism. Ansbro has an extraordinary imagination which he brilliantly expresses through dry humor, wonderful dialogue, outrageous characters, and gorgeous descriptions. The plot uses time travel to weave the supernatural into the realistic.
The author has a gift for using elements of magical realism to blend the stories together in such a manner that the reader does not question the novel’s magical illusion. Rather, the reader comes to know that Ansbro’s brilliant and mysterious integration of the supernatural into the novel is an integral part of a book that is rich with realism.
While the geography of the book primarily takes place in Mexico, the novel also has the reader visit Denmark and England. A medley of espionage, murder, mystery, mayhem, celebration, love, redemption and adventure, coexist "In the Shadow of Time". Ansbro’s book was hard to put down, easy to immerse oneself in, and a great joy to read.
Ultimately, this novel, to me, was about redemption, family, and love. On a deeper level, the book was about reconciliation with the shadow aspects of the self, choices, and others' choices. I can’t recommend this wild adventure highly enough. It’s one of those books that when you finish reading, the reader immediately wants a sequel!
Ansbro is a favorite author and, of all the books he has published, I think this one is his best. He is a pure genius with the genre of magical realism!
"In the Shadow of Time" by Kevin Ansbro, is a superb novel written in the genre of magical realism. Ansbro has an extraordinary imagination which he brilliantly expresses through dry humor, wonderful dialogue, outrageous characters, and gorgeous descriptions. The plot uses time travel to weave the supernatural into the realistic.
The author has a gift for using elements of magical realism to blend the stories together in such a manner that the reader does not question the novel’s magical illusion. Rather, the reader comes to know that Ansbro’s brilliant and mysterious integration of the supernatural into the novel is an integral part of a book that is rich with realism.
While the geography of the book primarily takes place in Mexico, the novel also has the reader visit Denmark and England. A medley of espionage, murder, mystery, mayhem, celebration, love, redemption and adventure, coexist "In the Shadow of Time". Ansbro’s book was hard to put down, easy to immerse oneself in, and a great joy to read.
Ultimately, this novel, to me, was about redemption, family, and love. On a deeper level, the book was about reconciliation with the shadow aspects of the self, choices, and others' choices. I can’t recommend this wild adventure highly enough. It’s one of those books that when you finish reading, the reader immediately wants a sequel!
Ansbro is a favorite author and, of all the books he has published, I think this one is his best. He is a pure genius with the genre of magical realism!
September 13, 2024
I needed to savor this book, Kevin Ansbro.
So…I took my time with it.
You are a different sort of writer. Your characters come alive on the page, and I am never quite certain where you are taking me as your reader.
So…I willingly, sit back and read. Waiting for the adventure to begin and take me wherever the road goes.
Your storytelling shines a light on life, and love, and the future and relationships. Characters come to life in this magical tale.
I don’t want to say what this story is about to prospective readers…
I just want to tell readers how I felt captured by your prose, the messages, the magic, the humor, the writing.
And…I believe that when readers open the pages, they will be transported. Isn’t that what we want for ourselves with books?
Besides…I have just learned that the novel picture was painted by you.
And… if that doesn’t capture, readers…
You shared…
“Writers are only ever as good as their readers.”
You know…
We need writers to make readers this happy, Kevin Ansbro. So, thank you.
I want to thank you for this complimentary book for our Little Free Library Shed. I am providing an honest review.
So…I took my time with it.
You are a different sort of writer. Your characters come alive on the page, and I am never quite certain where you are taking me as your reader.
So…I willingly, sit back and read. Waiting for the adventure to begin and take me wherever the road goes.
Your storytelling shines a light on life, and love, and the future and relationships. Characters come to life in this magical tale.
I don’t want to say what this story is about to prospective readers…
I just want to tell readers how I felt captured by your prose, the messages, the magic, the humor, the writing.
And…I believe that when readers open the pages, they will be transported. Isn’t that what we want for ourselves with books?
Besides…I have just learned that the novel picture was painted by you.
And… if that doesn’t capture, readers…
You shared…
“Writers are only ever as good as their readers.”
You know…
We need writers to make readers this happy, Kevin Ansbro. So, thank you.
I want to thank you for this complimentary book for our Little Free Library Shed. I am providing an honest review.
September 9, 2021
Fantasy, science fiction, camp James Bond-ish caper where people deserving of comeuppance get creamed? I’m not sure how to classify this book. Much easier just to say it’s fun. There’s time travel and a super natural being and lots of good food. It’s funny, full of bright color, and the warmth is very much what author Kevin Ansbro’s GR friends experience reading his reviews and interacting with him. It’s gentlemanly, charming, sometimes even goose-bump-inducing, and—well, I already said it—it’s fun. And a great escape from the current cultural and political strife.
But now to the stunner.
Because of the style—an almost comic book-like matter-of-fact telling of the fantastical—I was completely unprepared to find myself bawling at the end. I mean sobbing uncontrollably, moved, believing, caring about these people and suddenly overwhelmed with a truth that is much more real to me than the petty things of life. Kevin spelled it out in the title: we all live in a shadow of time, and there is so much more going on than what we experience in this limited little slice we inhabit together. Ka-boom! I will not explain it any more, except to say I have this lithograph hanging over my bed. It is by an Indian artist named Sakti Burman and I bought it in Paris a million years ago. To me, it’s real. And Kevin’s words are its equivalent:
But now to the stunner.
Because of the style—an almost comic book-like matter-of-fact telling of the fantastical—I was completely unprepared to find myself bawling at the end. I mean sobbing uncontrollably, moved, believing, caring about these people and suddenly overwhelmed with a truth that is much more real to me than the petty things of life. Kevin spelled it out in the title: we all live in a shadow of time, and there is so much more going on than what we experience in this limited little slice we inhabit together. Ka-boom! I will not explain it any more, except to say I have this lithograph hanging over my bed. It is by an Indian artist named Sakti Burman and I bought it in Paris a million years ago. To me, it’s real. And Kevin’s words are its equivalent:
September 22, 2023
I finally got a chance to sit down and read Kevin’s latest 5 star book. Another winner. Thanks Kevin!
I will, however, write a more detailed review for this wonderful book soon. Due to my extended hospitalization the first of the year, I am lagging behind on my challenge.
Read this book!!! You won’t be sorry.
*****
I am going to take the easy way out here and tell everyone to refer to peter’s review. It is outstanding and says everything much better than I can.
Kevin is a wordsmith of the highest order. I have enjoyed all his book, including this one. That you my friend.
I will, however, write a more detailed review for this wonderful book soon. Due to my extended hospitalization the first of the year, I am lagging behind on my challenge.
Read this book!!! You won’t be sorry.
*****
I am going to take the easy way out here and tell everyone to refer to peter’s review. It is outstanding and says everything much better than I can.
Kevin is a wordsmith of the highest order. I have enjoyed all his book, including this one. That you my friend.
September 27, 2022
Reading Kevin Ansbro’s work is an experience that is profound, entertaining, hilarious, highly imaginative, nostalgic, and often poignant. The stories he writes invite the reader to reflect about the bigger picture. After reading the author’s other books, I knew I was in for a treat and I was not disappointed. From the onset, the book’s pages had me wrapped in their brilliance. The story immediately transported me to a world of magical realism that was so enchanting and ethereal, yet completely plausible as it was written so cleverly, making it a perfectly viable proposition.
Kevin Ansbro’s sharp wit is peppered throughout the story which had me in stitches on many occasions. However, the plot is rich and has great depth: complex human emotions are explored through the use of time travel which is the driving force of the plot and connects many eras, characters, and themes together.
This story has a moral conscience which guided me to ponder about the questions that were raised. I was so engrossed in the story and in finding out how all the threads and eras would all be tied together. The story was also charming and romantic. It swept me off my feet, as did the leading man, the charismatic and debonair Hugo Wilde.
We were transported to different eras, and locations such as England and Denmark, however the main part of the story is set in 70s in Mexico. I really felt like I was walking in the excruciating heat, clad in flares, in all the places the author describes. Being accustomed to unbearably hot summers that can easily reach over 40 degrees celsius, I thought the author did a remarkable job at creating the atmosphere of Mexico during a hot summer. I could feel the scorching heat as I read and I so wanted to share an ice cream with the characters or even a margarita at their many soirees.
The interior design aspects of the house the couple lived in was an extra treat for me. I could easily imagine how the layout of the house was and I could vividly see the library and many other grand and spacious, sunlit rooms as I read. There was a cheerful vibe to the house which added to the charm of the story. Maria is the chef and her cooking is divine and it was always offered with a warm smile.
The depiction of Mexico was stunning. The author’s knowledge of many places and traditions were comprehensive, and I learned a lot about the religious aspects, many special celebrations and customs, the architecture, popular locales, and about the delectable cuisine.
Using words in a proficient and creative way is the author’s forte, and this book was no exception. His ability to weave rich sentences together is evident throughout the novel. The story explored themes such as love, loss, heartbreak, second chances, righting wrongs, friendship, family, and self-actualisation — living life to one’s full potential without greed and with a healthy amount of humility.
I was similarly captivated by the ethereal, intelligent, and rebellious young female character Luna — the female that is on the extremely creative cover. I wondered how this character would evolve, and how she would fit in the plot. The other young character, Pablo, is also such a creative, kind, and beautiful soul — we see through his character how the good-natured and less fortunate often embrace opportunity rather than take it for granted.
Dr Sofia was intelligent, savvy and sassy. The twists and turns were so unpredictable and riveting, I never anticipated the ending for a second. I can’t complete this review without mentioning the cover art. It’s exceptional and it’s done by the author himself, as is the art on the covers of his other books.
I was so sad to turn the last page of this intelligent, moving, and scintillating tale which dug beneath the surface of life, and spread its beauty and generosity in a way that was so endearingly real yet purely magical. In the Shadow of Time is another compelling read by the ingenious Kevin Ansbro!
Kevin Ansbro’s sharp wit is peppered throughout the story which had me in stitches on many occasions. However, the plot is rich and has great depth: complex human emotions are explored through the use of time travel which is the driving force of the plot and connects many eras, characters, and themes together.
This story has a moral conscience which guided me to ponder about the questions that were raised. I was so engrossed in the story and in finding out how all the threads and eras would all be tied together. The story was also charming and romantic. It swept me off my feet, as did the leading man, the charismatic and debonair Hugo Wilde.
We were transported to different eras, and locations such as England and Denmark, however the main part of the story is set in 70s in Mexico. I really felt like I was walking in the excruciating heat, clad in flares, in all the places the author describes. Being accustomed to unbearably hot summers that can easily reach over 40 degrees celsius, I thought the author did a remarkable job at creating the atmosphere of Mexico during a hot summer. I could feel the scorching heat as I read and I so wanted to share an ice cream with the characters or even a margarita at their many soirees.
The interior design aspects of the house the couple lived in was an extra treat for me. I could easily imagine how the layout of the house was and I could vividly see the library and many other grand and spacious, sunlit rooms as I read. There was a cheerful vibe to the house which added to the charm of the story. Maria is the chef and her cooking is divine and it was always offered with a warm smile.
The depiction of Mexico was stunning. The author’s knowledge of many places and traditions were comprehensive, and I learned a lot about the religious aspects, many special celebrations and customs, the architecture, popular locales, and about the delectable cuisine.
Using words in a proficient and creative way is the author’s forte, and this book was no exception. His ability to weave rich sentences together is evident throughout the novel. The story explored themes such as love, loss, heartbreak, second chances, righting wrongs, friendship, family, and self-actualisation — living life to one’s full potential without greed and with a healthy amount of humility.
I was similarly captivated by the ethereal, intelligent, and rebellious young female character Luna — the female that is on the extremely creative cover. I wondered how this character would evolve, and how she would fit in the plot. The other young character, Pablo, is also such a creative, kind, and beautiful soul — we see through his character how the good-natured and less fortunate often embrace opportunity rather than take it for granted.
Dr Sofia was intelligent, savvy and sassy. The twists and turns were so unpredictable and riveting, I never anticipated the ending for a second. I can’t complete this review without mentioning the cover art. It’s exceptional and it’s done by the author himself, as is the art on the covers of his other books.
I was so sad to turn the last page of this intelligent, moving, and scintillating tale which dug beneath the surface of life, and spread its beauty and generosity in a way that was so endearingly real yet purely magical. In the Shadow of Time is another compelling read by the ingenious Kevin Ansbro!
September 23, 2022
"The fact that you've reached this point at least reassures me that you haven't hurled it at a wall, thrown it onto a bonfire or put it through a macerator." -- Acknowledgements
The fact that I have chosen to quote the acknowledgments reminds me of what a great personality the author has. I think he has been reading the 1 star reviews where the reviewer wants to chuck the badly thought of book into the enemies face... neighbor, driver who cut you off, the IRS, the useless president of anywhere, somewhere... etc etc....
This is a work of fiction but wouldn't it be wonderful to find a time machine without upsetting or altering the events of the future? The book begs the question, what would you change about yourself? Would you use this opportunity for better or worse, greed or giving?
I read this in Oahu, Hawaii on the hot wonderful beach this past week and it was the perfect beach read. It has all the elements of a feel good supernatural novel. The characters are mostly likable except for that one slimy dude. And the ending isn't sappy feel good; it would be realistic to life and I appreciate that the author gave it a good twist. It was a story within a story with a mishmash of personalities.
I especially liked that it was set in Mexico. I am biased because that is my birth country but the author got his Spanish and locations and history right. There is so much respect for the culture and it's people within these pages. Usually when Mexicans are portrayed it is in a bad, low-class light. So thank you, Kevin.
The fact that I have chosen to quote the acknowledgments reminds me of what a great personality the author has. I think he has been reading the 1 star reviews where the reviewer wants to chuck the badly thought of book into the enemies face... neighbor, driver who cut you off, the IRS, the useless president of anywhere, somewhere... etc etc....
This is a work of fiction but wouldn't it be wonderful to find a time machine without upsetting or altering the events of the future? The book begs the question, what would you change about yourself? Would you use this opportunity for better or worse, greed or giving?
I read this in Oahu, Hawaii on the hot wonderful beach this past week and it was the perfect beach read. It has all the elements of a feel good supernatural novel. The characters are mostly likable except for that one slimy dude. And the ending isn't sappy feel good; it would be realistic to life and I appreciate that the author gave it a good twist. It was a story within a story with a mishmash of personalities.
I especially liked that it was set in Mexico. I am biased because that is my birth country but the author got his Spanish and locations and history right. There is so much respect for the culture and it's people within these pages. Usually when Mexicans are portrayed it is in a bad, low-class light. So thank you, Kevin.
November 4, 2021
I think I’ve read everything Kevin Ansbro has written, including his delightful short stories, I’m always amazed by his boundless imagination and his adroit use of the English language. His latest adventure travels not just around the globe, but backward and forward through time, creating all sorts of fascinating dilemmas and chance encounters that change the course of time itself.
As usual, there are plenty of intriguing, wily, suspicious, dubious and just plain evil characters afoot, a surefire recipe for dastardly deeds and fantastical outcomes. The pace is lively, the situations both dreamlike and edgy, with liberal splashes of humor and menace – the perfect combination for a captivating read. I couldn’t wait to get back to the story, see what new twists were in store. And I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!
As usual, there are plenty of intriguing, wily, suspicious, dubious and just plain evil characters afoot, a surefire recipe for dastardly deeds and fantastical outcomes. The pace is lively, the situations both dreamlike and edgy, with liberal splashes of humor and menace – the perfect combination for a captivating read. I couldn’t wait to get back to the story, see what new twists were in store. And I can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next!
January 21, 2022
Opening a book by Kevin Ansbro is like opening a door to a marvelous surprise party! You can count on the unexpected. And if Kevin is the party planner you may not know who you will meet but you can be assured you will leave with some life long friends and stories that touch your heart,stretch your imagination, and paint unforgettable pictures that will linger in your thoughts.
This time he gives you a romp with time traveling in a most unexpected way accompanied by a band of...well,I will let you discover who and when and what because that is one of the charms of the book and traveling in a world created in the mind of Kevin Ansbro is always a treat to discover.
Humor,love,suspense,beauty...the stuff dreams are made of! Add sentences that at times are so beautiful that they stop you in your tracks. One you won’t want to miss! Thanks for another winner, Kevin!
This time he gives you a romp with time traveling in a most unexpected way accompanied by a band of...well,I will let you discover who and when and what because that is one of the charms of the book and traveling in a world created in the mind of Kevin Ansbro is always a treat to discover.
Humor,love,suspense,beauty...the stuff dreams are made of! Add sentences that at times are so beautiful that they stop you in your tracks. One you won’t want to miss! Thanks for another winner, Kevin!
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