Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Greenwich Chronicles #2

The Time Apprentice

Rate this book
When Old Father Tim, Greenwich's Guardian of time, feels a wobble in the earth's floor, he isn't overly concerned time has slight wibbles now and then. He has allowed for this. But then two events occur in this magical invisible world that cause quakes so massive that human and Guardian time are shaken completely out of alignment, causing our worlds to drift further and further apart. Old Father Tim and the Guardians decided that the only way to stop this happening is to search for and repair the Gemetbur - a thing of legends and before time, set up to govern time before Guardians ever existed. But, when Tid and Sofi discover in a dusty old children's book that their grandfather, Old Father Tim, is in grave danger should he reach this legendary thing, they set out after him and everyone is in a race against time to save each other as well our worlds!

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

1 person is currently reading
82 people want to read

About the author

Val Tyler

5 books4 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
32 (28%)
4 stars
33 (29%)
3 stars
35 (31%)
2 stars
10 (8%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Profile Image for Alyn.
332 reviews
January 23, 2025
Second of a two-part series. But it can do as a stand alone.

Time guardians feel a “big” time wobble below Greenwich Park. They go on a quest to realign time and prevent human and guardian worlds from drifting apart.

Humans, wreccas, time guardians.
Seth, Baz, Sheldon. My favorite protagonists.
Lorin’s soil healings and Enderell’s rejuvenating treats

A lot of things going on but with engaging fantasy elements. Each character is “developed” and given his or her moment to shine.

My favorite quote: “It is easy to love when you are loved”.

Profile Image for S.C. Skillman.
Author 5 books38 followers
September 13, 2011
"The Time Apprentice" is the second in the series, the first of which is "The Time Wreccas". Two races of beings, one hideous group of slovenly, brutish characters called the Wreccas living in the "Underneath" below Greenwich Park, and another group of elevated, loving beings above the surface called "the Guardian People" who guard time. Neither group can be seen by humans, who pass through them.

The story got off to a slightly confusing start for me as I couldn't really understand the Wreccas' motives for wanting to steal the precious "tick" from the Timepiece, other than sheer nastiness and ill-will. However as the story progressed I became really engaged by the plight of Sofi, who has come out of the Underneath on a mission to steal for the Wreccas, and yet has something within her which makes her yearn for a better life, and meeting up with a young Guardian boy Tid, builds a relationship with him and responds to the higher life of the "Guardian People".

The story becomes really exciting later on as Sofi courageously sets off to recover the stolen item from the dark, frightening and desperate world where the Wreccas lead their squalid existence. If she fails, time itself will stop.

I would definitely recommend this book. We read this at our local young people's reading group and one of our number gave it 10 out of 10.
Profile Image for Robyn.
70 reviews5 followers
August 19, 2013
My rating of this book is high due to my love of these books when I was 11/12 :)
The Time Wreccas is the book from this series that I remember reading most vividly and that story line I could remember perfectly (as I discovered when I recently re-read it.) I couldn't remember anything about this one, so I guess I assumed this one wasn't as good, due to my lack of memory of it. But actually, I think it's better than The Time Wreccas. There are more characters introduced in this book and there is a lot more going on in the plot. The writing doesn't seem as childish either, though it's still written for people around the age I was when I first read it. Though, underneath that, it's a pretty good story and one that I enjoyed revisiting again after 7 years :)

Profile Image for Hanna.
4 reviews
February 3, 2013
This book is a great read for girls OR boys aged 10 and up!
There are lots of main characters in this book including:
Sofi
Tid
Sheldon
Old Father Tim
Scaggy/Lorin
Seth
Baz

Humans, Time Guardians and Wreccas (men and women). The Time Guardians, who manage the time on Earth. Wreccas, (men) who are vicious and cruel and are trying to break into the Labyrinth (where the Wrecca {women} live). And the humans who live a completely different life to the Wreccas and Time Guardians. In fact the humans NORMALLY can't even see the Wreccas and the Time Guardians...

I will not spoil the rest of the book for you, so I would advise you to read the amazing book!!!
1,005 reviews2 followers
April 30, 2024
The Time Apprentice is better than The Time Wreccas with a story that picks up five chapters in and drives to a predictable finish. This book is read knowing that the good guys win and the bad guys lose, but wondering how we are going to get there. One character uses mild "bad" language. There are some things that are left unresolved, but none of them detract from the conclusion of this story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.