Review: Gripping and Clever Historical Twists
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 10, 2013
Landing somewhere between "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," "War of the Worlds," and Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, this book kidnapped my day and held it for exhorbitant ransom. I hardly noticed the time passing, ironically, as I sat through a new version of a famous battle, then followed Elizabeth and William into the future and past and revisited a setting of their present. The small side jaunts into other times and tales are worthy, and the characters both main and ancillary are well-drawn. It is not too graphic, nor too flippant about the grimness of its stakes. There are some romantic considerations and machinery, but is neither tawdry not terribly steampunk. It's a ripping good reimagining of fiction invading history, and a simple examination of the butterfly effect and how one could constantly chase after the golden juncture of actions.Rarely did it make me laugh, though it is amusingly clever with literary references. I should note that one or two ah-ha! moments did cause my husband to look in on me with concern. In retrospect, there are a couple holes in the plot, but so what - they don't take you out of the story. By the time night falls for the second time on London in 1885, I guarantee you'll be racing to the finish. Excellent adventure.