A Study of how Time Effects a Novel

I present to you Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie, which is set on the fictionalisland of Styria.

The events of the novel take place between the years 579 and 580 AU (After the Union), so the time span is about a year.

The book is all in the past tense but, because it is set in a fictional universe, it is not appropriate to say whether it was set in the past, present or future. If it was set in this universe, the setting would be rather similar to renaissance Italy, but it’s not, so it’s n...