Review: Ticket to Ride
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 6, 2013
One Way Fare by Barb Tarb and Hannah Taub a fast-paced fantasy involving several timelines and two kickass heroines, Gaby and Leila. The main characters in this delightful novel are humans with superpowers that manifest they grow to adulthood. They belong to factions who are warring with each other, putting the fate of the world at risk. To further complicate matters, each side is supported by a cadre of supernatural characters who are angels of some variety (or are they demons)?Somewhere in Seattle is a place known as Null City, where those weighed down by their frenetic superpowered lives can retreat to safety. But this sanctuary will be destroyed if the primary characters don't come together at a critical nexus in the past. To reach this key point on the timeline, Gaby, Leila and a small number of associates can ride the Metro, but the space/time-traveling train is finicky about whom it grants a ticket to ride. Its fares, tailored to the individual, are also punishingly high.This was one of those books that I hated to put down. The fast-paced action had me turning the pages furiously. The dialogue is great, with many laugh out loud moments. How can you not love a tale that makes witty pop-culture references to such things as the Evil Overlords list, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the Star Trek/Star Wars debate, and the Princess Bride? And, in a hilarious reminder of how much things have changed even in my lifetime, it totally makes sense that the 1970s characters regard the term "Grande Caramel Macchiato Light" as secret code.I did have a few minor criticisms. Although I loved the fast pace, there were moments when I wanted the authors to slow down and give us more of a visual sense of, say, 1890s Seattle. It might also have been wise to take a hint from Buffy regarding the high cost of bringing somebody back from the dead. There was also a romantic switch-a-roo that I didn't completely buy. But in general, I loved this novel, and look forward to more from this talented team of authors.