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Adrift
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It's the 21st century, and Jaclyn Rousseau is not where she should be. 1661 disappeared before her eyes, and there's no way home. That matters not to Jaclyn—she lost her lover, and everything else that meant anything to her, in the West Indies.
In an adventure that crosses time and the Atlantic, a murderous pirate must find a place for herself in this new world.
Can she esca ...more
In an adventure that crosses time and the Atlantic, a murderous pirate must find a place for herself in this new world.
Can she esca ...more
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Paperback, 420 pages
Published
September 19th 2013
by Solarwyrm Press
(first published September 11th 2013)
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I've been following this novel pretty much since its inception, and what a journey it's been! I was pleased to be one of the early readers once the early draft was completed, and it's a further pleasure to have read it at last in its final form.
The story itself is straightforward enough - a love story across time, at its heart - but the characters and issues surrounding that core plot are what make Adrift unique.
Various queer issues are addressed, including the issue of biphobia as expressed by ...more
The story itself is straightforward enough - a love story across time, at its heart - but the characters and issues surrounding that core plot are what make Adrift unique.
Various queer issues are addressed, including the issue of biphobia as expressed by ...more

The book sticks out for me, and surprised me a few times. The idea of exploring what happens to a walking anachronism struck me as interesting, and potentially humorous. While I remember having a sense of 'what am I getting myself into" in the first few pages, that passed pretty quickly and I did not look back. The book delivered on my expectations, and more.
The book makes good use of shifting points of view to the advantage of the story. Another thing I did not anticipate, is that the book sta ...more
The book makes good use of shifting points of view to the advantage of the story. Another thing I did not anticipate, is that the book sta ...more

Sep 05, 2013
Bethwyn Badger
marked it as aurealis-2013
Aurealis Awards 2013 nomination.

I'm definitely not the key audience of Adrift, as I tend to dislike both historical fiction and anything about pirates – oh, and I generally steer clear of fantasy, too ;) Despite this, however, I found a lot to keep me reading. To my surprise, it was the parts of the book set in the past that I found most appealing. The reader learns of what caused the protagonist, Jaclyn, to take up piracy and follows her personal journey during that era. I liked the fact that Malcolm doesn't let the story get
...more

This book starts with a mystery, and never slows down. You don't have a chance to get bored because each chapter alternates between the present day and the past. This is also an incentive to keep reading because often you want to know what happens next in one of those time periods, but you can't find out until two chapters later!
It is also very effective how the two time periods intersect (especially in the second-last chapter of the past time period, but also at several other points). There are ...more
It is also very effective how the two time periods intersect (especially in the second-last chapter of the past time period, but also at several other points). There are ...more

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).
(This review may contain spoilers).
I quite liked this book. The characters were interesting and engaging and the book was easy to read and enjoyable.
As I've mentioned before... I do like time travel stories. I liked the way it was handled in this book, though I wasn't quite sure about Jaclyn at first (the spelling of her name kept changing between the past and the present). I was quite glad that there wasn't anything roma ...more
(This review may contain spoilers).
I quite liked this book. The characters were interesting and engaging and the book was easy to read and enjoyable.
As I've mentioned before... I do like time travel stories. I liked the way it was handled in this book, though I wasn't quite sure about Jaclyn at first (the spelling of her name kept changing between the past and the present). I was quite glad that there wasn't anything roma ...more

The book offers an easy-read yet interesting story.
The author was able to portray the main characters in such a way that you will develop a personal connection with them throughout the reading session. I, for instance, had these mixed feelings toward the protoganists. The characters did leave strong impressions on me; however, I think there is a character in the story who was not developed fully but was introduced in an affecting manner.
Also, the author had been effective and consistent with he ...more
The author was able to portray the main characters in such a way that you will develop a personal connection with them throughout the reading session. I, for instance, had these mixed feelings toward the protoganists. The characters did leave strong impressions on me; however, I think there is a character in the story who was not developed fully but was introduced in an affecting manner.
Also, the author had been effective and consistent with he ...more

When I first started this book it took me a while to get into the sometimes heavily detailed historical side of the story. Whilst I was impressed at the extent of the research Dominica Malcolm puts into her work, I'll admit I don't normally read such heavy content. But the characters and the overall development of the plot appealed to me a great deal and I continued with the book.
I am so glad I did.
I found the overall tale to be highly engaging and the adventure was well worth going on. There we ...more
I am so glad I did.
I found the overall tale to be highly engaging and the adventure was well worth going on. There we ...more

I can't say that I would normally be drawn to a book where the back cover pitches a story about time travel and female murderous pirates. It screams fantasy which is just not my thing. It took a little time to get into the story, but somehow this young, first time author drew me into her tale and made me want to keep reading.
I don't want to give away too much of the delightfully original storyline which Malcolm has managed to weave together and make me believe. I don't want to spoil the discover ...more
I don't want to give away too much of the delightfully original storyline which Malcolm has managed to weave together and make me believe. I don't want to spoil the discover ...more

This was such a enjoyable read! I have read other time travel books, but most of the time the characters travel back in time, usually not forward. I love how Jaclyn reacts and accepts the 21st technology. The book shifts back and forth between the 21st and 17th centuries, from where Jaclyn came from. Also making this story quite unique is the romance and love between Jaclyn and Katherine, the gender roles they are forced to assume as pirates, and how their relationship would have been acceptable
...more

I savored this book. What a treat when the fantasy genre is written with intelligence, a sense of history, and wit! This is by far my favorite time-travel story. I loved the depth of each of the characters and found the plotline riveting. Definitely recommend this to any reader looking for a good novel to curl up with on a stormy night.

I'm sorry to say I struggled to keep interested after about 35%, but I did read it through to the end. It felt in places as if the plot diverted from where it was going to justify something later on. I also lost interest with Prudence and with one of the central characters sleeping around but still devoted to the other central character. Disappointing.
...more

Received this book through Goodreads first reads programme.
I read this book but afterwards thought, What? That was pretty much all the way through, I just didn't get it that much and didn't enjoy it too much. ...more
I read this book but afterwards thought, What? That was pretty much all the way through, I just didn't get it that much and didn't enjoy it too much. ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Modern Good Reads: R4R: Adrift (speculative fiction, pirate time-travel novel) | 4 | 18 | Sep 04, 2013 04:15AM |
As a writer, editor, and publisher at Solarwyrm Press, Dominica Malcolm focuses primarily on diverse characters and settings, sharing the stories that are often ignored by mainstream media. Much of this interest grew out of her five and a half years living in Malaysia, where she became more innately aware of the issues that stem from lack of diversity.
Though born and raised in Australia, and havin ...more
Though born and raised in Australia, and havin ...more
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