Who doesn’t like Dickens and Dinos?

What to Expect

Expect some favourite Dickensian characters, re-imagined in a world with Steampunk technology and a touch of the supernatural. This one sees Oliver Twist and his colleagues visiting the 1851 Crystal Palace exhibition with its reconstructed dinosaur exhibits — only to have a real Megalosaurus (with feathers, not the heavy lizard scientists thought it was), a band of Zulu warriors, and other creatures and people come together, as time itself seems to unravel.

What I liked

I loved the tone of the book, the writing is charming and engaging with all kinds of puns and small jokes. The characters are very approachable as the plot moves along, interspersed with cinematic races and emotional speeches to a nice finale.

The time-travel aspects are done satisfyingly well (which is a rarity), and the novel is steeped in real history that bears witness for the author’s storytelling skill and knowledge of the period and dinosaurs.

What to be aware of

This is the third novel in the Twist in Time series. That said, I had no trouble jumping in (even with some interesting ‘twists’ on some characters). The writing was excellent and it wasn’t hard to follow, which makes me want to read the original books. Remembering Dickens helps with some of the jokes and references, but is not otherwise required.

Jack’s Review

Being of a more recent history, Jack found it more fascinating than Felix (read about them here). He hadn’t had to deal with time travellers (let alone dinosaurs), but being classically educated and having dealt with several ghosts from the era he very much enjoyed this modernist take on Dickens’ characters, the balance of 19th century perceptions when faced with reality, and the general charm of the work.

Summary

Welcome to Dickens’ 19th century London, with some unexpected visitors. Highly entertaining. Recommended to those who enjoy 19th century London, Dickens and otherwise, with a bit of Steampunk/Gaslamp and time travel.

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