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Lies, Damned Lies, and History
(The Chronicles of St Mary's #7)
by
At St Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, the historians don’t just study the past, they revisit it.
Behind the strait-laced façade of a conventional academic institution, the secret of time travel is being used for ground-breaking and daring historical research, taking the historians on a rollercoaster ride through history. Meanwhile, within St Mary’s itself, there ...more
Behind the strait-laced façade of a conventional academic institution, the secret of time travel is being used for ground-breaking and daring historical research, taking the historians on a rollercoaster ride through history. Meanwhile, within St Mary’s itself, there ...more
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Start your review of Lies, Damned Lies, and History (The Chronicles of St Mary's Series Book 7)
What? A total guilty pleasure that doesn't have much to do with romance, vampires, or werewolves? One that reads so easy and so effortlessly and so addictively you might want to classify this as a class A substance?
And OMG we're ALL able to abuse this shit?
Yeah, we are. Just for the price of a book or a whole damn series. Including short stories. We can GET OUR FIX.
What's even better? Oh yeah, it's SF, time travel, and SO MUCH HISTORY for all us history buffs. :) Total history-porn.
Oh, and of ...more
And OMG we're ALL able to abuse this shit?
Yeah, we are. Just for the price of a book or a whole damn series. Including short stories. We can GET OUR FIX.
What's even better? Oh yeah, it's SF, time travel, and SO MUCH HISTORY for all us history buffs. :) Total history-porn.
Oh, and of ...more
*** 4.44 ***
This series is pure delight! After all the horrors of the first several books, the new timeline restart has really made a big difference, especially when it comes to Max and Leon's relationship. More precisely, it has improved dramatically! Max is pretty much the same old wild and crazy hilarious Historian, but Leon has been transformed into the best husband ever! He has developed the miraculous ability to be able to separate his personal and professional personas, and I think this ...more
This series is pure delight! After all the horrors of the first several books, the new timeline restart has really made a big difference, especially when it comes to Max and Leon's relationship. More precisely, it has improved dramatically! Max is pretty much the same old wild and crazy hilarious Historian, but Leon has been transformed into the best husband ever! He has developed the miraculous ability to be able to separate his personal and professional personas, and I think this ...more
This rollercoaster event was proudly presented to you by Oscar the ringworm and carnivorous goats. :D
Interestingly enough this book and the events therein reminded me strongly of book #1. What I mean is that there was quite a number of events leading the reader this way and that, throwing us around (not just through time) and making it impossible to breathe or foresee where this was going.
In the beginning there is a pregnant Max who is on "light duty". I must say I was as put out as she was by ...more
Interestingly enough this book and the events therein reminded me strongly of book #1. What I mean is that there was quite a number of events leading the reader this way and that, throwing us around (not just through time) and making it impossible to breathe or foresee where this was going.
In the beginning there is a pregnant Max who is on "light duty". I must say I was as put out as she was by ...more
Rating: 4* of five
Oh happy, happy sigh. Series book reading is a special corner of the larger literary marketplace. A serial series-book reader craves the comfort level of familiar faces but requires that story still take place, therefore tribulation and torment and so on be inflicted on our pals.
It's a little like being married, or as I recall that exceedingly unnatural institution anyway: Fun is had in the schadenfreude of the moment of maximum chaos, confusion, and disorder, before a new but ...more
Oh happy, happy sigh. Series book reading is a special corner of the larger literary marketplace. A serial series-book reader craves the comfort level of familiar faces but requires that story still take place, therefore tribulation and torment and so on be inflicted on our pals.
It's a little like being married, or as I recall that exceedingly unnatural institution anyway: Fun is had in the schadenfreude of the moment of maximum chaos, confusion, and disorder, before a new but ...more
What to say.?! By this point in the series you must enjoy the mad shenanigans, quick- wit repartee, the way everything seems better after a cuppa and just plain FUN that these books are. I did!
#7 of her crazy series with the St. Mary's crew. . . .I love these. If you are looking for sense and seriousness, you may experience allergic reactions. If you want laughs, time jumps through history and relationship, momentary shots of adrenaline with equally quick resolutions, you will like this. It is a series with books / shorts between actual numbers (3.5, 2.75, etc) and you make need to get creative to find them, but it is worth the effort to read in order.
That said -anything more will ...more
That said -anything more will ...more
Buddy Read with the Honorary Historians of BB&B.
The way this started made me chew my nails for about half the book. And then just as I was taking a breath and despairing of what my manicurist is going to say next time I have an appointment things somehow managed to get worse. By this time I should have known better as to let my guard down.
If you've gotten to this point of the series, you're already familiar with the rather formulaic way the plot develops - jump, disaster in the past, ...more
The way this started made me chew my nails for about half the book. And then just as I was taking a breath and despairing of what my manicurist is going to say next time I have an appointment things somehow managed to get worse. By this time I should have known better as to let my guard down.
If you've gotten to this point of the series, you're already familiar with the rather formulaic way the plot develops - jump, disaster in the past, ...more
Mar 10, 2018
Robin (Bridge Four)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2018-reads,
4-5-stars,
sci-fi,
buddy-read,
historical-happiness,
bb-b-2018,
fantastic-fantasy
This series has really grown on me which is sorta amazing since at book 3 I was totally ready to give up on the entire thing. Not only have the plot lines gotten significantly better but the author has figured out how to cause drama in the story without making the love interest characters have some detrimental communication driven catastrophe befall them.
The best part of this story for me has always been the moments in time that the characters go back to and seeing a historic event in a new ...more
The best part of this story for me has always been the moments in time that the characters go back to and seeing a historic event in a new ...more
Can't wait for the next one!
King Arthur, stealing swords, a whole load of bad luck, and time travel. What more could you wish for in a jolly good book? This series continues to enchant and charm me and this book was just so much fun. I found myself really getting into the story twists and there were many fabulous character moments which made me smile and even outright laugh (which doesn't happen that often tbh!)
Once more we're following Max, but this time she and her team have just gone too far and the adventure that ...more
Once more we're following Max, but this time she and her team have just gone too far and the adventure that ...more
This is probably the wittiest book in the series since the first couple installments. I'm getting over the plot holes at this point, because let's be honest, there's not a bit of fiction on time travel without plot holes.
The history in this book actually taught me a few things I didn't know, and I also felt some suspense in the plot. She's obviously witty and clever, and I found myself chuckling fairly often.
It's hard to review a book in a series like this, because I feel like I'm saying the ...more
The history in this book actually taught me a few things I didn't know, and I also felt some suspense in the plot. She's obviously witty and clever, and I found myself chuckling fairly often.
It's hard to review a book in a series like this, because I feel like I'm saying the ...more
This will be an entire review from books 1-7, excluding the Novellas.
Overview:
This was an enjoyable series and I highly recommend if for people that like historical fiction. While the series was interesting and refreshing, it had some faults that made me rate it a three stars out of five stars. I do have more "negative" things to say about the book, but that shouldn't deter anyone from reading them.
Good:
Jodi Taylor did a splendid job capturing the past. Each book had completely different ...more
Overview:
This was an enjoyable series and I highly recommend if for people that like historical fiction. While the series was interesting and refreshing, it had some faults that made me rate it a three stars out of five stars. I do have more "negative" things to say about the book, but that shouldn't deter anyone from reading them.
Good:
Jodi Taylor did a splendid job capturing the past. Each book had completely different ...more
Another great instalment in the Chronicles, or should I say Tribulations, of St Mary’s.
This time we get a quick look at Arthur and even visit Stonehenge. As entertaining as these historical visits are, it is really the characters that time and again win you over, and their interactions with each other. That and Taylor’s writing skill. Yes, she entertains you with humour and thrilling scenes, throwing you relentlessly from one thing to another, lulling you, but then every so often she shows her ...more
This time we get a quick look at Arthur and even visit Stonehenge. As entertaining as these historical visits are, it is really the characters that time and again win you over, and their interactions with each other. That and Taylor’s writing skill. Yes, she entertains you with humour and thrilling scenes, throwing you relentlessly from one thing to another, lulling you, but then every so often she shows her ...more
Another good 'un, with moments scary and hysterically funny. Taylor really knows how to build suspense in both types of situation. I'll admit that I had my fingers crossed at one point that she wasn't going to go for a dark resolution....should have known better.
Quotable quote:
Pathetically hopeful, she said, 'Am I a historian?' 'Well, you're in a pod. You're wearing 13th century clothing stained with someone else's blood. You stink of beer and horse shit. Your hair is coming down. You've split ...more
Quotable quote:
Pathetically hopeful, she said, 'Am I a historian?' 'Well, you're in a pod. You're wearing 13th century clothing stained with someone else's blood. You stink of beer and horse shit. Your hair is coming down. You've split ...more
May 17, 2018
Melanie (Mel's Bookland Adventures)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
My favourite in the entire series
"The history of decline and commercialisation"
Here we go, I will probably offend many Jodi Taylor fans with what I will write, but it must be said, book five was a stretch of plot and humor book seven is just regurgitated pulp, she has nothing new to say, the adventures in the past are repetitive at best and the humor is puerile, not giving the characters any chance to grow or develop. In a crime story at least you get a new crime, here we go into the past it all turns into a mess, we return to ...more
Here we go, I will probably offend many Jodi Taylor fans with what I will write, but it must be said, book five was a stretch of plot and humor book seven is just regurgitated pulp, she has nothing new to say, the adventures in the past are repetitive at best and the humor is puerile, not giving the characters any chance to grow or develop. In a crime story at least you get a new crime, here we go into the past it all turns into a mess, we return to ...more
Fun antics per usual at St. Mary's. A good series as a palate cleanser between books with intense action or intricately plotted books. Taylor has a gift for funny reparte between characters.
May 26, 2016
Jacey
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
science-fiction
If you’ve been following my booklogs you’ll realise that I’ve read all seven of the St Mary’s books in the space of just over a week, plus the five available short stories. To say I’ve enjoyed them would be an understatement. The mayhem caused by the time-travelling historians of St Mary’s, disaster magnets all, have been immensely amusing—just plain fun..
To begin with Max and her partners in crime (literally this time) Peterson and Markham are in deep trouble, having done the wrong thing for ...more
To begin with Max and her partners in crime (literally this time) Peterson and Markham are in deep trouble, having done the wrong thing for ...more
Sep 04, 2016
Richard Eyres
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobook_2016
Another excellent instalment in the series. A lot of twist and turns in the book - taking us to many historical events. OK, the start of the book was a little shaky - but how we got there was good.
The ending is a roller coster - and there is a certain someone i want to see very bad things happen to.
The downside is i now have to wait like everyone else for the next book in the series. Good news for Jodi Taylor is that i will be pre-ordering it in Kindle and Audible.
If you want a light, fun, ...more
The ending is a roller coster - and there is a certain someone i want to see very bad things happen to.
The downside is i now have to wait like everyone else for the next book in the series. Good news for Jodi Taylor is that i will be pre-ordering it in Kindle and Audible.
If you want a light, fun, ...more
4/20/17
Finally caught up with my re-read before starting book 8. Unfortunately some people at the Facebook group (come join us) have been saying too much so I'm already worried about a few things. But I do look forward to it, then to "The Long and Short of it" in the summer.
I saw somewhere someone wondering if this is the last one?! (I know there's the short story) but I hope this isn't the last!! There's still questions and so much history to discover!! I need more!! This book was soooooooo ...more
Finally caught up with my re-read before starting book 8. Unfortunately some people at the Facebook group (come join us) have been saying too much so I'm already worried about a few things. But I do look forward to it, then to "The Long and Short of it" in the summer.
I saw somewhere someone wondering if this is the last one?! (I know there's the short story) but I hope this isn't the last!! There's still questions and so much history to discover!! I need more!! This book was soooooooo ...more
This seventh volume is the final one that I bought and although it continued the standard set by book 3 of being a bit better, I won't be bothering with any more. In this, despite having skipped books 4 - 6 inclusive (and I've discovered various short stories set in between books) I soon picked up the situation. Max and Leon version 2.0 are now married and Max is pregnant. A few more historians have joined the cast.
The opening sequence, as in a number of the other books, is just a vignette with ...more
The opening sequence, as in a number of the other books, is just a vignette with ...more
I love Jodi Taylor. I love Max. (I also love Zara Ramm.) (It's especially fun to hear her say "Caer Guorthigern".) But the premise of this installment in the Chronicles of St. Mary's is … not what it could be.
When Max's team brings back the location of an extraordinary artifact, the information is passed on to Thirsk, St. Mary's funding partner, who promptly and happily recovers it and locks it up for future study. And almost immediately terrible things begin happening to the area from which ...more
When Max's team brings back the location of an extraordinary artifact, the information is passed on to Thirsk, St. Mary's funding partner, who promptly and happily recovers it and locks it up for future study. And almost immediately terrible things begin happening to the area from which ...more
It took me a little while to get into this book, but once I was in, I was hooked! Love this series. So madcap and silly, yet very interesting and history really comes to life. Love it.
More excitement happening at St. Mary's! Always a fun read. Totally hooked :)
Watch The Gin Book Club's video review here: https://www.josiejaffrey.com/single-p...
First up: this is another well-written and gripping instalment in the St Mary's series. Read it, you'll love it, and then get all your friends to read it too.
Now please indulge me in a pedantic geek-out (which contains spoilers!).
As you'll know if you've read my previous reviews on the books in this series (see my review of No Time Like The Past), I've been finding the inconsistencies in the rules for time ...more
First up: this is another well-written and gripping instalment in the St Mary's series. Read it, you'll love it, and then get all your friends to read it too.
Now please indulge me in a pedantic geek-out (which contains spoilers!).
As you'll know if you've read my previous reviews on the books in this series (see my review of No Time Like The Past), I've been finding the inconsistencies in the rules for time ...more
Very solid 4 stars. I know the first book in the series was not fantastic but each book that followed has been excellent. I feel sorry for anyone who gave up after the first. It's scifi kind of but also history. I finish each book feeling like I've run a marathon. I can't put them down. I have to force myself to take a break before the next one.
Oct 29, 2016
Marjolein
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-english
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
As I'm reading this series, this is currently the last book in the series. I was anticipating some withdrawal symptoms after finishing it, because I read all other books back to back.
Lies, Damned Lies, and History was not my favorite in the series. There is a lot of not time-traveling when Max isn't allowed to enter a pod, and even when she is, she is on light duty, meaning no dangerous jumps. Instead watch the embarrassment of Queen ...more
As I'm reading this series, this is currently the last book in the series. I was anticipating some withdrawal symptoms after finishing it, because I read all other books back to back.
Lies, Damned Lies, and History was not my favorite in the series. There is a lot of not time-traveling when Max isn't allowed to enter a pod, and even when she is, she is on light duty, meaning no dangerous jumps. Instead watch the embarrassment of Queen ...more
"Lies, Damned Lies and History" is one of the most accomplished books in the Chronicles of St. Mary's. This is Jodi Taylor at her best: perfect comic timing that highlights rather than hides the stresses, anxieties and evil intents that life keeps throwing at us.
As ever, the humour is based on a kind of compassionate fatalism that brings to mind almost outdated words like "Pluck" and "Gumption" and "Intrepidness" or even "Sang Froid" (although the last one is suspiciously French and may tend to ...more
As ever, the humour is based on a kind of compassionate fatalism that brings to mind almost outdated words like "Pluck" and "Gumption" and "Intrepidness" or even "Sang Froid" (although the last one is suspiciously French and may tend to ...more
The amount of messing up is a lot higher in this book than in others within the series. I believe this was actually a great choice by the author because it added a new dimension to the story and you were able to see how the characters grouped together and helped each other out.
Despite following many characters I feel strongly about them. Max became a favorite of mine and there's even more to her character when she's together with Leon. Markham will probably always make me laugh and by now I got ...more
Despite following many characters I feel strongly about them. Max became a favorite of mine and there's even more to her character when she's together with Leon. Markham will probably always make me laugh and by now I got ...more
Loved it. I was worried the quality of the books would drop as they went on but this is yet another ripping yarn. Taylor is not adverse to frightening the crap out of her characters, or crippling them with poor judgment.
Yet another stonker. And if you can read the mathematic formulae section without spraying your coffee over your book/device, then you're a better person than me.
Yet another stonker. And if you can read the mathematic formulae section without spraying your coffee over your book/device, then you're a better person than me.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasy Buddy Reads: Lies, Damned Lies, and History [October 2018] | 9 | 32 | Oct 29, 2018 06:58PM | |
| The Chronicle's o...: Lies, Damned Lies, and History. Note to self: write books with shorter titles! | 5 | 103 | May 08, 2016 11:51AM |
Readers also enjoyed
Jodi Taylor is, and always has been, a complete history nut. It takes vast amounts of chocolate to get her out of bed for anything after 1485. And if it's raining, there's no chance.
Habitually tongue-tied when asked to talk about herself, she gets round this by describing herself as tall, incredibly beautiful, witty and technically proficient.
The Chronicles of St Mary's -
Just One Damned Thing ...more
Habitually tongue-tied when asked to talk about herself, she gets round this by describing herself as tall, incredibly beautiful, witty and technically proficient.
The Chronicles of St Mary's -
Just One Damned Thing ...more
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The Chronicles of St Mary's
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