This came up in the comments following me post on historical fashions, and looked like a fun read at a time I didn’t want anything heavy.

What to Expect

Expect a crazy roller-coaster of crazy cross-time adventures. The protagonist has studied ancient history and dabbled with archaeology, and gets recruited to a strange institute that “researches history in contemporary time” (they officially get annoyed at the term ‘time travel,’ even though they use it often).

We accompany her through her training, initial missions, the Big One to the dinosaurs, and then some altercations with other travelers less scrupulous about keeping the integrity of the past. Shenanigans, explosions, and irreverent quips happen pretty constantly throughout the novel.

Sadly, even though they have a wardrobe department (as well as R&D), they did not play as large a part as I hoped. Perhaps they do in other books in the series, but I have a feeling the crazy pace if part of the main features, over any historical details built into the stories’ background.

What I liked

It’s fast, crazy adventures, without much mental demand. One just squints at the time line paradoxes and joins the ride for the fun of it.

What to be aware of

While the protagonist is a fun (if not always accomplished or fully self-aware), the rest of the characters are cardboard cut-outs (so when they eventually mostly die it’s for entertainment value, not feels, because you can hardly remember who’s who).

In all the rush to quip and do crazy stuff, some of the plot and storytelling basics also suffer. Love interests feel obligatory, behaviours are inconsistent (or cartoonish when they are), and you’re certainly not there to explore historical periods in detail, which I think is a shame. Taylor seems to know history well, but the richness of the past doesn’t come through.

Felix’s and Jack’s Reviews

Felix had a lot of questions about time travel, which I pointed out he really shouldn’t think too deeply about (the characters certainly don’t). He found the whole thing puerile.

Jack found the whole thing implausible and full of holes — an attempt at romance and adventure, never seeming to strike a balance that carries either (let alone both) in a meaningful way. His main comment that the title is pretty much an accurate description of the book, both in terms of story and prose.

Summary

A silly read for when you’re in the mood for a thoughtless romp, entertainment without demands.

---

Enjoying the reviews, but wondering who the heck are those Felix and Jack fellows? Glad you asked! Felix is the protagonist of the Togas, Daggers, and Magic series, an historical-fantasy blend of a paranormal detective on the background of ancient Rome, and Jack is the police detective running the Unusual Crimes Squad, dealing in occult crimes in modern-day Australia.

Come meet Felix and Jack on the free short stories and novels!