A Tale of Time City

Mar 27, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: kids

Recommended to Jessica by: uncle harold

Shelves: wee-ones-and-bored-teenagers, favorites, leetle-boys

This is the first Diana Wynne Jones book I ever read. My uncle Harold gave it to me one year for Christmas. It probably changed my life, though I'd be hard pressed to say exactly how.

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The above is an old review. Having just heard that Diana Wynne Jones has passed away, I've come back to press myself harder to say exactly how her book changed my life. I'd like to apologize in advance for my overwrought and melodramatic language; I have a giant hangover, and am in a highly emotional state.

I was...more This is the first Diana Wynne Jones book I ever read. My uncle Harold gave it to me one year for Christmas. It probably changed my life, though I'd be hard pressed to say exactly how.

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The above is an old review. Having just heard that Diana Wynne Jones has passed away, I've come back to press myself harder to say exactly how her book changed my life. I'd like to apologize in advance for my overwrought and melodramatic language; I have a giant hangover, and am in a highly emotional state.

I was just explaining something from this book to my sister a couple weeks ago. In Time City there are two kinds of ghosts: apparitions of someone who performed the same action so many times that they make a visible imprint, and then those left by someone who does something so significant that it leaves a mark in the air. I guess my reading this book as a kid could have left either kind of ghost: I returned to A Tale of Time City enough times throughout my childhood that reading it was a repetitive activity, but it's the memory of first receiving the book that's the most burned into my mind. My uncle Harold sent it to me in California from New York City, where he lived. A voracious lifelong reader whose own kid hadn't yet reached reading age, Uncle Harold was my model of literary sophistication. At Christmas and birthdays he'd send carefully selected hardcovers that were clearly serious books: children's Literature, with a cosmopolitan capital "L." Each year after A Tale of Time City brought another Diana Wynne Jones hardcover, until either I grew up, or he developed Alzheimer's at a startlingly young age -- I'm not sure which event happened first.

Trying to describe the complex plot of this book is probably too tall an order considering my fragile and weak-brained, bereaved state. It begins with Vivian, a girl being sent out of London to escape the Blitz, which is occurring in 1938, instead of 1940 (I might get some details wrong, since I don't have the book with me and I haven't read it since the early nineties). Vivian winds up being kidnapped by two kids who spirit her away to Time City, a place that's built outside of regular history, and which somehow regulates the passage of time. But there's a problem: some nefarious someone (the Time Lady?) has been screwing around with the mechanisms that keep time running smoothly, and Vivian and her two new friends Sam and Jonathan (are those the kids' names, or am I remembering them wrong? Jonathan's my brother's name and Sam is Uncle Harold's son, which seems like a strange coincidence) need to stop them and save Time City and history. There's a lot of time traveling through different ages (Bronze, Iron, etc.) and cool details like the special suits and desserts of Time City. Everything ends in a huge chaotic catastrophic climactic mess that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, which is one of DWJ's special -- and to me, wonderful -- signatures.

A lot of books I've read have had a great impact on me, but when I'm dead in my grave this one may have been the most important. A Tale of Time City was the first book I read that amazed me completely. It was the first work of art I experienced that seemed absolutely perfect. It took me outside of my piddling nine-year-old existence and gave me thoughts and experiences I never could have imagined on my own. It made my life so much more, and so much larger, than it ever could have been before. A Tale of Time City introduced me to (sorry, guys) the sublime capacity of literature.

I was still a kid when I first read it, and didn't fully get yet that magic wasn't real. I didn't know for sure that time travel wasn't possible, that time only moved in one direction -- brutally, ruthlessly forward -- and that you couldn't ever go back later and fix anything, or change things around. I didn't understand yet that I was going to get older, and then keep getting older after that even if I felt done. I didn't know that my uncle would get sick and lose the brain I admired so much, or that my favorite writer would die before I ever got around to meeting her or sending the crazed fan letters I always meant to write. Of course, I'd figure out all that depressing stuff later on, as I'd be crushed by the tyranny of lost time, and an adult life that just keeps on passing me by. But even this horror that's reality couldn't defeat me completely; Diana Wynne Jones had revealed that there was a refuge, a respite, a place outside time. That magic was real, and time travel was possible, that I could duck outside the unmerciful lockstep of days marching me forward towards my own death.

I've been going through sort of an illiterate phase recently, haven't been reading much and definitely have cooled off on reviewing. But Jones's death from lung cancer has reminded me that even at thirty-two, there are still a couple things I do believe in: not time travel or magic in a child's more literal sense, but in books' power to free their readers, and also to confer some immortality on their creators. I know it's super corny to say, but as long as people read her books, Diana Wynne Jones will remain, in some vital senses, alive.

Which is, corny or not, a magic that's real.(less)

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Jun 06, 2007 Mary-Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sciencefiction, fiction

A fascinating sci-fi novel in which a young girl is mistakenly abducted as she is being evacuated into the country in England at the beginning of World War II. She is kidnapped by two young men who believe that she is an ageless woman responsible for the collapse of Time City, a city anchored apart from history and filled with only the brightest intellectuals of all ages. Be introduced to intriguing ideas like time locks, time ghosts and the strange mythology of the City as the children try to k...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Kulsuma (sunshine and stardust) rated it 5 of 5 stars

http://kayaloves.blogspot.com/2011/11...

A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones was amazing! It was full of so many great ideas that I was always left surprised. I am impressed by the new world that Jones built, a city living out of time but watching over all of humanity's history and keeping it stable.

I wasn't disappointed on any account. I was awed by Time City just as Vivian, the main character was and loved discovering its many secrets along with her. Jones' descriptions were so wonderfull...more http://kayaloves.blogspot.com/2011/11...

A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones was amazing! It was full of so many great ideas that I was always left surprised. I am impressed by the new world that Jones built, a city living out of time but watching over all of humanity's history and keeping it stable.

I wasn't disappointed on any account. I was awed by Time City just as Vivian, the main character was and loved discovering its many secrets along with her. Jones' descriptions were so wonderfully vivid that it wasn't too hard for me to imagine the unique city.

Vivian is mistakenly kidnapped out of time and taken to Time City. When her kidnapper, Jonathan, realises the mistake he's made, he can't help but be puzzled by a Time Ghost (an imprint of an important event) of her in Time City.

What I liked most was the interaction between Vivian, Jonathan and Sam. As they slowly became friends, I loved how they were funny, witty and adventurous. I even enjoyed all the bickering! Jones didn't just invent the awesome Time City, but also, the rest of history.

As Vivian, Jonathan and Sam travel through time and into the future, it was great to see how the future might play out-ending with the Depopulation of Earth. What I was really interested in-and what could have been further developed- was the Mind Wars, a time in the future where opposing sides fight with the power of their minds and can destroy others' minds.

I found Elio, the android- very interesting and wanted to know even more about him than was said. I would also have liked to know more about Faber John and The Time Lady. Even though it was a totally satisfying book which answered all of the questions posed, I thought Jones could have explored more of her ideas if she wanted to.

There were twists and turns at the end and some surprises that I didn't see coming. I have read a few of Jones' other books and I look forward to reading more. All in all, I loved reading A Tale of Time City by Diana Wynne Jones and highly recommend it!(less)

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Jun 24, 2009 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Now *this* was a fantastic book. I am in love with Diana Wynne Jones. And the cool thing is, she really is only human: some of her books I love to no end, and others I don't seem to need to read more than once. But I really love A Tale of Time City. The sad thing about her books is that she creates these fantastic worlds that I just want to know more about afterwards. (Ha! Fanfiction. ;))

The book centers around two boys that live in Time City, a place created on a pocket of time outside of 'norm...more

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May 06, 2009 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own

Dianna Wynne Jones' book, A Tale of Time City, tells the story of Vivian Smith, who is stolen from her own time period (1939, during WWII), and transported to Time City, a city that stands outside of history. This city is in charge of making sure that history happens as it is supposed to, gently nudging the right people in the right direction, or preventing things from being invented too soon.
Vivian is kidnapped by two young boys, Jonathan and Sam, who overhear their parents saying that they nee...more Dianna Wynne Jones' book, A Tale of Time City, tells the story of Vivian Smith, who is stolen from her own time period (1939, during WWII), and transported to Time City, a city that stands outside of history. This city is in charge of making sure that history happens as it is supposed to, gently nudging the right people in the right direction, or preventing things from being invented too soon.
Vivian is kidnapped by two young boys, Jonathan and Sam, who overhear their parents saying that they need to find a Vivian Smith in order to awaken Faber John, the founder of the city. Time City is unraveling, and he is the only one that can put it right. However, Jonathan and Sam have captured the wrong girl, and since it's illegal to bring anyone from History back to Time City, she has no choice but to stay with Jonathan and Sam and help them save Time City.

I always enjoy reading Dianna Wynne Jones. I think that she is an excellent author of young adult fantasy. I devoured The Dark Lord of Derkholm and Deep Secret and anything else I could get my hands on by her. However, I was a little disappointed by this book. Maybe because it was written for a younger audience that I had anticipated, or maybe it was another reason that I couldn't quite place my finger on, but I constantly found myself being let down by the quality of the writing and the how in-depth Jones went with the story. Yes, it was entertaining, and I enjoyed reading it (after all, it's a fantasy novel, and I've always had a soft spot for those), but I felt like she could have done so much more with the idea that she presented her readers with.
I also thought that the ending wrapped everything up a little too nicely for my tastes, as well. It took about a page and a half to tie allt he loose ends together, and I was really hoping for something a lot more. I don't want to ruin it for anyone that might pick up a copy of the book, but at the end I couldn't help but let out a loud groan.

I would recommend this book to anyone that's familiar with Dianna Wynne Jones' work. Although not her strongest (in my opinion), it's a quick read, and if you're looking for some easy entertainment, it's worth picking up.
I think I would give it a 2 out of 5 stars, personally. (less)

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Feb 18, 2012 Myles rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy, skiffy

DWJ Book Toast, #18

Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enjoying them...more DWJ Book Toast, #18

Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite fantasy authors, growing up and now, and I was saddened by the news of her death. I can't say I'm overcome with emotion - as personal as some of her work is to me, its not like I knew her after all - but I wish I could put into words how I feel about her no longer being out there, writing new adventures and laughing at all of us serious fans thinking so hard about her words when we should simply get on with the business of enjoying them.

And that's...what I'm going to do. She's left behind a huge body of work, a large amount of which I haven't read yet, so I'm going to reread all my old favorites (and hopefully some new).

Pay no attention to my measely two stars, because, as I have been coming to realize more and more, though every child exposed to Diana Wynne Jones remains a devoted fan for their entire lives, her books are simply not for adults. They tap into this chaotic wellspring that most of us can't access once we've grown up. In reading and rereading so many of her books this past year I've found that some, like The Homeward Bounders are still powerful on an "adult" level, A Tale of Time City is one that leaves me feeling that I've arrived at the birthday party to find the party over and my saran-wrapped piece of cake gone slightly stale.

Most of the time I willingly overlook "flaws" in the plotting or the writing or the pell-mell conclusions, because other aspects of Jones' work really get to me, but I just couldn't link myself to much in this story despite the emphasis on the importance of history. Vivian was a fish out of water and evoked sympathy, but I couldn't root for Jonathan or Sam, even if they were on Vivian's team. One was the kind of bossy pretend knowitall I despise still and the other was reduced to knowing how to fix things and eat butter pies. There were some great moments -- one of the boys compliments Vivian, who had been on a train being evacuated from London due to the Blitz, for her realistic gas mask, her indignant response: "It's not realistic, it's real!" The two boys, and most of the residents of Time City possess that bafflingly common belief that people in the past weren't people, not really. Every time I encounter it I despair a little, it's probably akin to when mathematicians hear kids going off about hating math or how it doesn't make any sense. Something else truly remarkable came late in the book when Vivian witnesses a quiet moment of grief (view spoiler). The moment isn't even really described, Vivian only thinks to herself that some things just can't be fixed.

So, while this outing wasn't as successful for me as some of her others, I won't discourage anyone from picking A Tale of Time City up, I'd only suggest they either be young or better at keeping their grownup objections to a minimum.(less)

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Nov 23, 2012 Wealhtheow rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, sci-fi, pocmaincharacters

In preparation for German bombing, children are evacuated from London. Vivian Smith is discontentedly waiting to be picked up by her unknown cousin Marty when an older boy commands her to follow him. Moments later, she finds herself in a strange plastic&metal room. Vivian has been kidnapped through time and space to Time City! Her kidnappers, Sam and Jonathan, are positive that she's the Time Lady who is destroying temporal reality and Time City itself. Vivian, of course, has no clue what th...more

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Jul 30, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am slowly working my way through Diana Wynne Jones’ books. A Tale of Time City was originally published in 1987 and reissued this year with an introduction by Ursula Le Guinn (alas, my copy is an old one) and I decided to read this one next because I am going through an I Love Time Travel phase.

Time City is a place built on a patch of time and space and for all intents and purposes, outside history. Its inhabitants are Guardians and Observers who have recently started to realise that Time City...more I am slowly working my way through Diana Wynne Jones’ books. A Tale of Time City was originally published in 1987 and reissued this year with an introduction by Ursula Le Guinn (alas, my copy is an old one) and I decided to read this one next because I am going through an I Love Time Travel phase.

Time City is a place built on a patch of time and space and for all intents and purposes, outside history. Its inhabitants are Guardians and Observers who have recently started to realise that Time City is degenerating increasingly fast. No one knows what will happen to History once the city crumbles and only Faber John and the Time Lady, its mythical builders can possibly save it.

Two boys, Jonathan and Sam, eavesdrop on their family’s meetings and learn that the Time Lady has actually gone rogue and might be at the centre of Time City’s current problems. They travel back in time – in secret – to stop her. They end up kidnapping young Vivian Smith from September 1939 as she was being evacuated from London at the beginning of World War II. They mistakenly believe that she is the Time Lady in disguise but soon Vivian proves she is just a kid. Bent on returning to her own time, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with Jonathan and Sam but when she comes across her own “time ghost” (an spectral imprint that shows important moments of history and proves that Vivian has a key role to play) in Time City, she realises she can’t leave just yet.

In the meantime, History has started to go awry – WWII now starts in 1938! – and Jonathan, Sam and Vivian need to go back through time to stop those tampering with History.

A Tale of Time City is an adventurous, fun time travel story. Everything fits well and events unfold elegantly with twists that come left and right – as usual with these types of stories. I loved the main plotline, how it was constructed and deconstructed with the usual DWJ’s aplomb.

And as per usual with DWJ’s novels, even in the midst of plot shenanigans, bickering children and high adventures, there are those thought provoking questions woven into the story. For example, the difficult relationship between children and parents as well as the development of the friendship between Jonathan, Sam and Vivian. The three kids are awesome –especially Vivian, who as an outsider presents the story with the necessary critical eye. It is through her eyes that the actions of the inhabitants of Time City are questioned. It is through her eyes that we see how they deal with History with a scientific authority that is both awe-inspiring and uncomfortable. More often than not, they see the past of something that is not real with the hindsight that makes it easier for them to be completely detached. There is one scene when Vivian is holding the gas mask that all evacuees had to carry and someone says how “realistic” it looks to wit Vivian replies: “It’s not realistic, it is real.”

This interesting relationship with History and how distance turns it into something that some might address as less than real, is really well explored.

Another thing I loved about A Tale of Time City was how the questions of “names” and “identity” were incorporated into the story. As the book starts, Vivian stands in that train being evacuated from London, going away from her family and all that she knows and the only thought that crosses her mind is that she needs to keep her identity tag safe because:

“When your surname is Smith, you need to make very sure that everyone knows just which Smith you are”

Later on, there is an examination about the origins of the name Smith and the difference between “common” and “unique”. Not to mention, the very realisation that nothing could possibly be built outside history, not even Time City. It is very clever as usually this author’s books are.

Although not my favourite of DWJ’s novels, A Tale of Time City was definitely a vastly entertaining, engaging story which I highly recommend. (less)

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Dec 05, 2012 Becky B rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adventure, children-s-ficiton, fantasy, time-travel

Oh dear, how to summarize. How about, It's complicated. Nope? Ok, here's an attempt:
Vivian Smith, a girl from 1939 Britain finds herself kidnapped by two boys from Time City, a place outside of time, because they are convinced she is the Time Lady and can solve the instabilities that are happening in several eras of time. They soon discover they have made a serious mistake but can't take Vivian back so they try to pass her off as one of their cousins returned after several years out in history....more Oh dear, how to summarize. How about, It's complicated. Nope? Ok, here's an attempt:
Vivian Smith, a girl from 1939 Britain finds herself kidnapped by two boys from Time City, a place outside of time, because they are convinced she is the Time Lady and can solve the instabilities that are happening in several eras of time. They soon discover they have made a serious mistake but can't take Vivian back so they try to pass her off as one of their cousins returned after several years out in history. Since she is stuck there, Vivian decides to help Jonathan and Sam try and figure out what really is wrong. Of course nothing is simple when the plot involves the renewal of time and time travel. The three kids eventually do help save the day, but I'll let you read it to figure out just how.

I should have guessed that the woman who cooked up a moving castle with multiple dimensions and locations for the Wizard Howl could manage to whip up the complicated, creative and unique world of Time City. Though there are a few elements similar to some other time travel stories I've read, this one definitely has enough unique elements to set it apart and make you feel like you haven't quite read anything like it before. (Unless possibly if you made Dr Who a child, switch his tardis for an egg and had time falling apart around him...that might get a slightly similar feel, maybe. Although he'd probably just sit down and drown his sorrows in jelly babies without a tardis.) Anyway, an enjoyable, refreshing time-travel read with a touch of humor and adventure. A good read, but it is a little hard to get into at the beginning, probably because Jonathan is a spoiled brat. (But nothing a little life threatening adventure can't solve.)

Note for parents: There is some mild swearing scattered throughout the book. D*** is used maybe 8 times. There are maybe 3 violent scenes, but Jones hardly describes them or gives any details. Both times a main character is injured seriously they are healed very shortly afterwards and are fine.(less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Brandy Painter rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-6-fantasy, fantasy, middle-grade

Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

I will write it again: Diana Wynne Jones is a genius. Really was there any limitation on what she could write? Her ability to bring to life all manner of ideas from her most amazing mind leaves me awestruck. A Tale of Time City, I confess, is not my favorite of her books. Still. Saying one of her books doesn't live up to its fellows still puts it above almost everything else out there.

Some of my aloofness toward this book may come from my love...more

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May 16, 2009 Jack rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 05-may-09, fantasy, fiction

Definitely not the easiest Diana Wynne Jones book to read. You can say that Sci-Fi is not my thing. But, the historical bits made it bareable. There was much too much of headache for me at the beginning that I put it down at least seven times before I finally finish it. You can say I'm stubborn. I'd have to say, at first, I did not like Jonathan Walker very much - close to not at all. Though, as I read further, I realize he was one of those boy trying to grow up. And he did eventually, even beyo...more

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May 27, 2012 Sarah J rated it 4 of 5 stars

Although this is most definitely written for young children (I first read it when I was eight years old) I have very much enjoyed reading it a second time round. Reading it as I child this book had a very strong impact on me and I have often thought about it vaguely since then. I am certain this book fuelled a strong fondness for time travel themed books/films that I carry with me today. As I mentioned on previous updates I did not realise it was written by Diana Wynne Jones (a very prolific chi...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Meggo rated it 3 of 5 stars

I had forgotten how much I love Diana Wynne Jones' writing. I found this book on a whim, deciding to try out some other DWJ work instead of re-reading Howl's Moving Castle (for the 15th time). I think that Le Guin is accurate when she states: "I think she could have written a story about grass growing, or what sheep think when they're lying around chewing, or what it's like to be a rock, and that story would be just like what the blurbs on book covers say: Riveting! Gut-wrenching action! A page-...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wonderful children's time travel book. One of the things I like best about Diana Wynne Jones is how her children are children and adults are adults. What do I mean by that? First, children are not adults. They can't do everything an adult might do. They can't win a sword fight with an ogre. But they are still competent - they might trick the ogre or sneak past the ogre. (It has been a while so I don't remember an example from this book.) Second, adults are adults. In too many YA books the adults...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Jenn Estepp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kidlit, sciency-fictiony

Not one of my favorites by Diana Wynne Jones, I must admit. It's much more sci-fi than most and in some ways, I felt like she maybe read Connie Willis' time travel books and thought "Hey, maybe I could use this idea as a jumping off point for a kids book." But, from my perspective, it didn't quite work. I had some issues with the technicalities and the world-building. I don't think I'm particularly stupid, but the logistics of how things work didn't entirely make sense to me and even though ther...more

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Oct 01, 2011 Fira Rosli rated it 3 of 5 stars

The starting got the story got me interested and it was engaging but as it progressed, I find myself getting more and more irritated at how Time City is being exaggerated most of the time.

I love Diana Wynne Jones writing but maybe this one is not really for me though I still like it. I like her characters and it made me feel like I've gone back to the twelve year old me. It was a fun read I guess, just gets you a little muddled here and there with such imaginary yet modernized machines and tool...more

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May 29, 2012 Maggie rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was fun, but I didn't like it nearly as much as others I've read by DW Jones. After about 100 pages in, I spent almost the entire reading process just wishing to finish rather than enjoying. The writing felt very choppy to me. For a while I'm disliking the main characters, then suddenly they've changed to likeable-ish and I'm feeling like only the adults are idiots, which I hate in a book. Many of the characters'actions didn't make sense to me, and the writing doesn't even justify them...more

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Feb 23, 2011 Natasha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: diana-wynne-jones, magic, young-adult, childrens

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The real master of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey is really Dianna Wynne Jones.

I've made it a personal mission to read every book she's published, if I can. If pushed, I'd probably say she's my favourite author. There's something about her writing that makes the worlds she creates so intense; don't you dare let your eyes skim over a paragraph as though it's unimportant because you'll suddenly have found that characters have skipped from one location to an entirely different one with one easy step. Bl...more The real master of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey is really Dianna Wynne Jones.

I've made it a personal mission to read every book she's published, if I can. If pushed, I'd probably say she's my favourite author. There's something about her writing that makes the worlds she creates so intense; don't you dare let your eyes skim over a paragraph as though it's unimportant because you'll suddenly have found that characters have skipped from one location to an entirely different one with one easy step. Blink and you'll miss it.

In A Tale of Time City, we meet Vivian Smith, a seemingly normal eleven-year-old evacuee from London. Arriving in the country to stay with her Cousin Marty, she finds herself snatched off the train platform by Jonathan and Sam to a place outside of normal space and time, Time City. They believe she's the key to fixing history, the renegade Time Lady and wife of Time City's founder Faber John called Vivian who's causing mayhem as she goes through history. But, she isn't and history keeps on getting worse and worse...

I want to visit Time City. It sounds so delightfully muddled and higgedly-piggedly and wondrous. Futuristic architecture that's ancient, old architecture that's brand new. All side by side natural as can be. Can't say I care much for the fashions in Time City, but I suppose I'd prefer the Time City pyjamas to the rather form-fitting futuristic wear that we see in Star Trek: TNG a mere couple of years after this book was published. Of course, I also want to try a butter-pie.

As per her usual style, all the twisty little clues and ideas that are planted throughout the book all come to fruition at the climax. Here we have the neat device of the time ghosts and, more specifically, the one-time ghosts. Due to Time City's unique position on a patch of time and space, particularly strong instances of emotion from a person can create a visible lasting impression, 'ghosts' that replay their actions. Being all timey-wimey, these ghosts can appear centuries before the actions take place. Over the course of the book, we get to see some of these ghosts being formed and, in one instance, the interpretation of the ghostly action completely turned on its head.

I think having read so many of DWJ's books I gave myself too many expectations. Indeed, I was looking for twists that weren't there. When it's discovered that Vivian Smith isn't really the Time Lady, I wholly expected that to be wrong and that she would indeed be the Vivian - she simply hadn't become her yet. After all, this is a book about time travel, so because something hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. Or, conversely, just because something has happened it doesn't mean it still will. But Vivian really isn't the Time Lady. Her existence had been noted by Time City, though, because having three versions of herself at the same place at the same time, as well as skipping around through time with a potent device, tends to make someone noticeable. Which wouldn't have happened unless she had been taken out of her own time in the first place.

So I suppose my thirst for a twist on Vivian's character was satisfied by that. But I think, ultimately, my constant searching for a bigger twist spoilt my own enjoyment of the book. Enjoyable, but probably not one I'll automatically think of when I think of DWJ.(less)

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Sep 27, 2012 Emily Collins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Oh, this was wonderful! I don't understand how DWJ can get away with writing so much SciFi/Fan detail on this city that lives outside of time and yet on a single piece of time, and a bunch of egg-shaped objects planted throughout history that somehow stay in that part of history and all these time-travel specifics things that are so easy to accept like yeah, that's true, I'll go with that, until you ACTUALLY THINK ABOUT IT and then you're all like DWJ WHAT ARE YOU THINKING THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE WHA...more

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Dec 26, 2008 Waller rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I wasn't sure whether to count this as fantasy or sf - time travel works in both genres. It abjures the magic seen in so much of Wynne Jones' work, and begins in England in WWII, imagining a human civilization that rises and falls, evolving new forms, over thousands of years - but it basically uses that history as a background for the same kind of adventures one gets in Howl through the entry into different universes. Despite difficulties in categorization, I found myself really getting into the...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can't believe it took me so long to get hold of this one! It is, of course, very good. I love that we keep seeing the children who are evacuated from London, and there's so much detail about what it's like to be one of them on a hot train carrying a gas mask and going to live with people you've never met. DWJ was evacuated herself during the war, so this all rings incredibly true.

Also, who but she could write a scene with three separate people named Vivian in one room and make it not only clear...more

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May 09, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

I wanted to read something by the author of Howl's Moving Castle, I've never read that book but the anime movie is one of my all time favorites. I really enjoyed this imaginative story and couldn't put it down. The story involved time traveling kids, ancient mystery, danger and androids--sounds good huh? It had its problems, but for a kid's read, it was really really fun. Kyle and I read it at the same time and we kept stealing it from eachother because it was hard to put down. I can't wait to e...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've often heard of Jones and was not aware that i had even read any of her books. I'd always planned on reading one though. Anyway, I just came across this book and recognized the name and then found this, the exact same edition i had as a child. I don't remember much about the story but i do remember i loved it at the time. So, i guess i have read one of her books and now i'm intrigued to revisit her writing.

So sad, I just went to see her author's page and saw that she passed away just a few...more

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May 20, 2011 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-fiction

My favorite time-travelling book ever! I love the ideas about time-travel in this story, and I love the characters, the two bickering cousins, and the new girl they drag into their world. This is not about changing the past, although their own tinkering does it by accident, it's about saving their city that's location outside of time. And at the end, the reader is not quiet sure that the they aren't reading about the rebuilding of Time City or the original foundation. The mythical figures and th...more

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May 23, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, alternate-history, fantasy, magic-realism, middlegrade, science-fiction, ya, urban-fantasy

My expectations for this one started pretty high. After all, this was the first DWJ book I'd ever read, at age 10 (approximately), and as such, it occupies a rather lofty pedestal in my mind and my memory. My nostalgia makes me afraid to re-read old favorites because I worry that they won't stand up to the test of time, but this action-packed tale of time travel DOES pass the test, and with flying colors. Full review at Finding Wonderland: http://writingya.blogspot.com/2012/05...

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Jun 03, 2012 Shanna Hurd rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, teen

In this story, Vivian Smith, a girl trying to espcape the London blitz during world war II is accidently kidnapped and taken to a place called Time City. Time City exists outside of time and it is coming to an end. Jonathan, the boy who kidnapped her, and Vivian, along with an overly smart young boy named Sam, work together to figure out what is going wrong and to fix it before time runs out. This book a complex and fun read, full and twists and turns as wel try to figure out who is sabotaging T...more

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May 10, 2013 Mary rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Overall, I enjoyed the story very much. But I found the ending disappointing. All those loose threads tied up neatly in a bow with just a page or two of explanatory wrap-up? It felt instead as though this should be the first of a series, so this book wouldn't need to have such a tightly defined ending. The epic nature of the world of Time City and its legends deserves a far less abrupt ending than that.

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May 22, 2011 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-years

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I loved the premise and found the overall journey a fun one. However, the imagery was very difficult to grasp at times, especially in the futuristic periods. I felt as one who is walking blind in a world and relying on other senses to tell what is happening. It's too bad because I could have really loved this one.

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Nov 03, 2009 Mary JL rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Time travel fans/sf or fantasy fans/YA readers

Recommended to Mary JL by: Found at sale

Shelves: young-adult-children

This is one of the first books I have read by Ms. Jones. It will NOT be the last.

I found her protrayal of the three main characters to be interesting. Vivian Smith's distress about being taken out of her own time and her feelings of not fitting in are well portrayed. Jonathan is also well portrayed; bright and too self confident, making a huge mistake when he goes back in time to put things "right" and gets it all wrong. Sam is less well drawn, but he is younger; his main purpose is to function...more

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Jul 01, 2008 Joy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens, fantasy, british, 20c

It took a concerted effort to finish this one of Jones's novels, which is probably not a good sign. Young Violet Smith is kidnapped out of WW2-era England to Time City in a case of mistaken identity. Her kidnappers, Jonathan and Sam, then become her allies in trying to figure out who is trying to mess with the stability of time and take over Time City.

The appeal of so many of Jones's books for me lies in the conflicts of the core characters. Therein lies the problem with this offering. Violet he...more

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