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The Chronicles of St Mary's #5
No Time Like the Past
Jodi Taylor's best-selling series The Chronicles of St Mary is back with a bang...
St Mary's has been rebuilt and it's business as usual for the History department.
But first, there's the little matter of a seventeenth-century ghost that only Mr Markham can see.
Not to mention the minor inconvenience of being trapped in the Great Fire of London...and an unfortunately-timed comfort break at Thermopylae leaving the fate of the western world hanging in the balance.
Re-join Max's madcap journey through time in Jodi Taylor's fifth inter-dimensional instalment No Time Like the Past.
ebook
First published April 21, 2015
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About the author
Jodi Taylor
88 books5,472 followersJodi Taylor is the internationally bestselling author of the Chronicles of St Mary's series, the story of a bunch of disaster prone individuals who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel! She is also the author of the Time Police series - a St Mary's spinoff and gateway into the world of an all-powerful, international organisation who are NOTHING like St Mary's. Except, when they are.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
Alongside these, Jodi is known for her gripping supernatural thrillers featuring Elizabeth Cage together with the enchanting Frogmorton Farm series - a fairy story for adults.
Born in Bristol and now living in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and write a novel. Over twenty books later, she still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 789 reviews
February 10, 2017
It's easy for me to say that I've become a fanboy of this series. Few other books can straddle the fence so well between sympathy for all the dead and sheer enjoyment of all the frivolities. :)
That being said, this one is much less of an emotional roller coaster than all the rest, with one exception. Something good happens. As in, gather ye rosebuds as ye may, good. I won't say much more than that, especially since we're put through a ghost story, the burning of St. Mary's, the burning of London, itself, crashing boats, and "MADNESS??? This is SPARTA!"
Suffice to say, I had a really great time. :)
Oh yeah, there was yet ANOTHER car crash. Thanks, Max. Jeeze. And this time all of St. Mary's comes to jeer, too.
And that was awesome. :)
Yes, this is popcorn fiction, but I will make one little stipulation. It's also pretty serious SF time travel meant for serious history buffs, and the author knows very well how to manipulate the freaking hell out of us readers. She's an awesome writer, and she practically pulls out all the stops for every single book.
I just wanted to say, I'm hella-impressed. :)
That being said, this one is much less of an emotional roller coaster than all the rest, with one exception. Something good happens. As in, gather ye rosebuds as ye may, good. I won't say much more than that, especially since we're put through a ghost story, the burning of St. Mary's, the burning of London, itself, crashing boats, and "MADNESS??? This is SPARTA!"
Suffice to say, I had a really great time. :)
Oh yeah, there was yet ANOTHER car crash. Thanks, Max. Jeeze. And this time all of St. Mary's comes to jeer, too.
And that was awesome. :)
Yes, this is popcorn fiction, but I will make one little stipulation. It's also pretty serious SF time travel meant for serious history buffs, and the author knows very well how to manipulate the freaking hell out of us readers. She's an awesome writer, and she practically pulls out all the stops for every single book.
I just wanted to say, I'm hella-impressed. :)
February 17, 2018
*** 4.35 ***
I really enjoyed this one! I like the tone of the St. Mary's 2.0 much better, mostly because there are no ridiculous manufactured drama between Max and Leon. The drama of their travel through time is enough to keep you interested and since the author has proven that she is not afraid to kill main characters off, I find myself terrified all the time that one of my favorites, Peterson or Markham, might get the cleaver... I have grown very attached to the staff at St. Mary's and I think I love them all, but we all have our favorites:)
"...“By exercising my fabled management skills, I alternately teased, bribed, threatened, called in favors, drowned them in tea, and refused to release them until I got what I wanted. I really can’t understand why some managers find it so difficult to motivate their teams.”..."
While Dr. Bairstow is the brain of the operation, Max is obviously the heart of the place and all become better in their gravitation pull. Mrs. Partridge is still the coolest cat on the block and the doctor is as homicidal as ever, while the science department gives a good show while competing in a boat race in the lake. Of course, it would not have been our St. Mary without the appearance of our favorite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay! *shakes fist to the heavens*
"...“Believe it or not, there were rules. Everyone needs rules. After all, how can you break what doesn’t exist? Rules give anarchy something to aim at.” ..."
There were the required time jumps, several of them, all coming with the obligatory body fluids and danger... And the never ending panic over how to keep the enterprise in the black, or at least somewhat financially solvent. They are always on the verge of a financial disaster.
"...“All bosses are interchangeable. The only difference is how they like their tea.” ..."
Overall, this was my favorite installment in the series so far and I am soooo happy that we have more books to come:):):)
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
I really enjoyed this one! I like the tone of the St. Mary's 2.0 much better, mostly because there are no ridiculous manufactured drama between Max and Leon. The drama of their travel through time is enough to keep you interested and since the author has proven that she is not afraid to kill main characters off, I find myself terrified all the time that one of my favorites, Peterson or Markham, might get the cleaver... I have grown very attached to the staff at St. Mary's and I think I love them all, but we all have our favorites:)
"...“By exercising my fabled management skills, I alternately teased, bribed, threatened, called in favors, drowned them in tea, and refused to release them until I got what I wanted. I really can’t understand why some managers find it so difficult to motivate their teams.”..."
While Dr. Bairstow is the brain of the operation, Max is obviously the heart of the place and all become better in their gravitation pull. Mrs. Partridge is still the coolest cat on the block and the doctor is as homicidal as ever, while the science department gives a good show while competing in a boat race in the lake. Of course, it would not have been our St. Mary without the appearance of our favorite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay! *shakes fist to the heavens*
"...“Believe it or not, there were rules. Everyone needs rules. After all, how can you break what doesn’t exist? Rules give anarchy something to aim at.” ..."
There were the required time jumps, several of them, all coming with the obligatory body fluids and danger... And the never ending panic over how to keep the enterprise in the black, or at least somewhat financially solvent. They are always on the verge of a financial disaster.
"...“All bosses are interchangeable. The only difference is how they like their tea.” ..."
Overall, this was my favorite installment in the series so far and I am soooo happy that we have more books to come:):):)
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a Good Book!!!
June 23, 2019
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Another St Mary’s adventure, and this time we have everything from a ghost, the 1666 burning of St Paul’s with devastating results, an epic boat race and the battle of Thermopylae. As usual, it’s a mad dash rollercoaster of an adventure, bouncing from one time period to another and the pace never lets up once. But I’ve come to expect nothing less from the St Mary’s gang.
I did find myself a little more detached than normal with this book, and I think that’s because it’s less ‘hard hitting’ than the previous novels. Yes, there’s the usual shadow of death that seems to follow Max and co. wherever they go, but I was less surprised than I normally would be at the inevitable twists and turns. I think I was less taken with the areas of history explored too, although I did find myself chuckling at the family drama that Max seems to get involved in at the 17th century St Mary’s. And the scenes with Thermopylae are some of my all time favourites - it would be my ‘final jump’ of choice for sure. Although I might find myself a little disappointed if Leonidas didn’t look like Gerard Butler.
The climax to the novel is also something a little different this time around, and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. It was great to hear the echoes of previous novels and stories past as Max walks the halls of St Mary’s. It was a lovely reminder of everything the characters have gone through to date, and really instilled the belief that they’re a weird, dysfunctional family with a lot of love for each other.
Good fun adventure with plenty of history thrown in for good measure. I just wanted a tiny bit more drama to elevate this to the previous novels success. Still loved it though.
Another St Mary’s adventure, and this time we have everything from a ghost, the 1666 burning of St Paul’s with devastating results, an epic boat race and the battle of Thermopylae. As usual, it’s a mad dash rollercoaster of an adventure, bouncing from one time period to another and the pace never lets up once. But I’ve come to expect nothing less from the St Mary’s gang.
I did find myself a little more detached than normal with this book, and I think that’s because it’s less ‘hard hitting’ than the previous novels. Yes, there’s the usual shadow of death that seems to follow Max and co. wherever they go, but I was less surprised than I normally would be at the inevitable twists and turns. I think I was less taken with the areas of history explored too, although I did find myself chuckling at the family drama that Max seems to get involved in at the 17th century St Mary’s. And the scenes with Thermopylae are some of my all time favourites - it would be my ‘final jump’ of choice for sure. Although I might find myself a little disappointed if Leonidas didn’t look like Gerard Butler.
The climax to the novel is also something a little different this time around, and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy. It was great to hear the echoes of previous novels and stories past as Max walks the halls of St Mary’s. It was a lovely reminder of everything the characters have gone through to date, and really instilled the belief that they’re a weird, dysfunctional family with a lot of love for each other.
Good fun adventure with plenty of history thrown in for good measure. I just wanted a tiny bit more drama to elevate this to the previous novels success. Still loved it though.
March 31, 2017
Rating: 4* of five
I needed catharsis in the Aristotelian sense...κάθαρσις...after the reading and thinking I've been doing. So down tools, laborer, and prepare the cup that cheers.
It cheers again. The formula holds its charms. Fun and funny and gut-wrenching and painful, exactly and precisely the formula needed for a cleansing cry, a heartening guffaw, and a wistful sigh.
I needed catharsis in the Aristotelian sense...κάθαρσις...after the reading and thinking I've been doing. So down tools, laborer, and prepare the cup that cheers.
It cheers again. The formula holds its charms. Fun and funny and gut-wrenching and painful, exactly and precisely the formula needed for a cleansing cry, a heartening guffaw, and a wistful sigh.
April 22, 2018
One would think this routine would get monotonous and old after 4-5 instalments.
One couldn't possibly be more wrong...
One couldn't possibly be more wrong...
September 30, 2017
Much like the previous book, this was more light-hearted.
We start off with a ghost story that turns into quite an interesting chase and a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy thing and then head straight into trouble. Wonderful sights are visited again, such as London during the inferno of 1666, Renaissance Florence and Thermopylae!
And yes, what would the time-jumping tale be without our favourite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay?!
Interestingly enough though the author managed to pull off something wonderful in this book: while Bitchface Barclay will always be a death-deserving psychopath to me (in fact, now even more than ever before), Ronan turned out to deserve my and everyone else's pity. Looking closely at the events turning him into the man we know, I couldn't help but feel for him deeply and it really isn't far-fetched to say that Max could have ended up just like him if a tiny detail in her history had been different. That was a great moment, once again illuminating a human's psyche and the importance in the exact alignment of every single moment to form this exact mosaic instead of another.
However, what would this series be without death and loss to make everyone appreciate the quieter and funnier moments? In this case, I was struck at how touched I was at the death of So it was even a bit weird that almost immediately after the traumatic event it was time for the Open Day - one of the funniest things I can imagine. But that gave us the opportunity to see Prof. Penrose again so YAY! :D
From there we move on to Florence and a very tragically funny incident with children - I've been saying it all along: there is a reason horror movies are full of them! Sure, this led to one of the most romantic scenes yet but still.
The star of this book, at least to me, was the jump to Thermopylae. It's my favourite moment in time and one I would like to change. It's the story of bravery in light of certain death (not just by the Spartans but especially by them); the story of incredible physical feats and wonderful tactics; the story of the most unfair betrayal ever.
And the story of lots of death and blood so OF COURSE they jump there! Actually, it was a very sweet !
In the end, unsurprisingly to me, another moment right at the end is at least as important however: ! St. Mary's style of course!
This wonderful gesture was, naturally, followed by a hilarious situation involving a slightly wrecked car, an exchange with the police, two embarrassing phone calls and all of St. Mary's (drunken as they were, playing "Livin' La Vida Loca" and singing "Dancing Queen" at the same time) driving up the rode to "the rescue". I've said it before, I'll say it again: these are the moments that make St. Mary's so precious and cozy!
However, and I'm really disappointed about this, there was a continuity error in this one! I almost couldn't believe it but it seems to be true! That was a bummer, really (but not enough to warrant a star to be deducted).
Nevertheless, I am a little fangirl so now have the books as ebooks, paperbacks AND audiobooks (but will keep listening to the audio since Zara Ramm continues to do the most splendid job)! ;P
Now I will first read (listen to) the short stories / novellas and only then will I move on to the next full-length novel.
We start off with a ghost story that turns into quite an interesting chase and a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy thing and then head straight into trouble. Wonderful sights are visited again, such as London during the inferno of 1666, Renaissance Florence and Thermopylae!
And yes, what would the time-jumping tale be without our favourite villains, Clive Ronan and Isabella Bitchface Barclay?!
Interestingly enough though the author managed to pull off something wonderful in this book: while Bitchface Barclay will always be a death-deserving psychopath to me (in fact, now even more than ever before), Ronan turned out to deserve my and everyone else's pity. Looking closely at the events turning him into the man we know, I couldn't help but feel for him deeply and it really isn't far-fetched to say that Max could have ended up just like him if a tiny detail in her history had been different. That was a great moment, once again illuminating a human's psyche and the importance in the exact alignment of every single moment to form this exact mosaic instead of another.
However, what would this series be without death and loss to make everyone appreciate the quieter and funnier moments? In this case, I was struck at how touched I was at the death of So it was even a bit weird that almost immediately after the traumatic event it was time for the Open Day - one of the funniest things I can imagine. But that gave us the opportunity to see Prof. Penrose again so YAY! :D
From there we move on to Florence and a very tragically funny incident with children - I've been saying it all along: there is a reason horror movies are full of them! Sure, this led to one of the most romantic scenes yet but still.
The star of this book, at least to me, was the jump to Thermopylae. It's my favourite moment in time and one I would like to change. It's the story of bravery in light of certain death (not just by the Spartans but especially by them); the story of incredible physical feats and wonderful tactics; the story of the most unfair betrayal ever.
And the story of lots of death and blood so OF COURSE they jump there! Actually, it was a very sweet !
In the end, unsurprisingly to me, another moment right at the end is at least as important however: ! St. Mary's style of course!
This wonderful gesture was, naturally, followed by a hilarious situation involving a slightly wrecked car, an exchange with the police, two embarrassing phone calls and all of St. Mary's (drunken as they were, playing "Livin' La Vida Loca" and singing "Dancing Queen" at the same time) driving up the rode to "the rescue". I've said it before, I'll say it again: these are the moments that make St. Mary's so precious and cozy!
However, and I'm really disappointed about this, there was a continuity error in this one! I almost couldn't believe it but it seems to be true! That was a bummer, really (but not enough to warrant a star to be deducted).
Nevertheless, I am a little fangirl so now have the books as ebooks, paperbacks AND audiobooks (but will keep listening to the audio since Zara Ramm continues to do the most splendid job)! ;P
Now I will first read (listen to) the short stories / novellas and only then will I move on to the next full-length novel.
April 9, 2015
Would someone with a brain PLEASE scoop this up for the small screen? I love Love LOVE this series! Dang it, I wish I worked at St. Mary's. Don’t they need a musician? I’ve taught Music History, can I qualify? Please??? Thank you, Ms. Taylor, for once again working your magic. This is a hoot and a holler and a fabulous ride!
May 13, 2015
Don't read this book. LISTEN to it. There are very few perfect matches between material and narrator, but this is one. Hard to imagine without Zara Ramm.
Good story, very funny. Highly recommend. Won't change your life, but will keep you happy while your listening.
Good story, very funny. Highly recommend. Won't change your life, but will keep you happy while your listening.
December 10, 2024
Series Read November 2024 onwards
So this is the 5th book in the series and is still a really enjoyable and fun romp through history. As ever there are some serious adult themes as well as many light hearted occasions and adventures.
In this episode of St Mary’s mayhem, Max and her friends nearly get trapped at the Great Fire of London, almost disrupt the Spartans great stand at Thermopylae and try and track a ghost that keeps jumping off the roof of their building.
All in all another great romp through time, wonderfully and intricately worked out to provide the normal ups and downs, and rollercoaster of emotions towards maybe another happy ending, or is it ?
So this is the 5th book in the series and is still a really enjoyable and fun romp through history. As ever there are some serious adult themes as well as many light hearted occasions and adventures.
In this episode of St Mary’s mayhem, Max and her friends nearly get trapped at the Great Fire of London, almost disrupt the Spartans great stand at Thermopylae and try and track a ghost that keeps jumping off the roof of their building.
All in all another great romp through time, wonderfully and intricately worked out to provide the normal ups and downs, and rollercoaster of emotions towards maybe another happy ending, or is it ?
September 2, 2017
Love this series! Another great instalment.
February 28, 2018
Wow this is the second book in a row in which the Drama Llama hasn’t made an appearance. I’m not lying when I say good riddance. He/She/It was almost ruined the series for me and I almost didn’t continue after book III. But Steven was so kind as to nudge me to continue and I am so happy he did.
The best part of this series for me has been traipsing through time. I’m not a huge history buff but if there is a fun way to teach history this is it. I’m not saying it is accurate (how would I know) but it is interesting and fun.
Max has a new mission. Besides rebuilding St. Mary’s she needs to help put the fun back into being a Historian which is arguably the most dangerous and daunting job in the universe. So there will be much fun to be had, if by fun you mean being beat up by a gang of children, getting stuck in a fire, being shot and worst of all planning a wedding.
I again love the friendships between Max, Peterson and Markum. Although if I ever saw them in real life I’d run the other way as quickly as possible since something is bound to explode or catch on fire within the next five minutes.
This had some very tense moments the altercation with Barkley was extremely intense with a dash of wtf to it. There were also some very tender funny moments as well and a bit of nostalgia with a certain Bentley.
All and all another win for the historians and I’m enjoying the series more and more. Plus Leon 2.0 is a dream and I love that guy and his banter play with Max. Well worth sticking around for.
The best part of this series for me has been traipsing through time. I’m not a huge history buff but if there is a fun way to teach history this is it. I’m not saying it is accurate (how would I know) but it is interesting and fun.
Max has a new mission. Besides rebuilding St. Mary’s she needs to help put the fun back into being a Historian which is arguably the most dangerous and daunting job in the universe. So there will be much fun to be had, if by fun you mean being beat up by a gang of children, getting stuck in a fire, being shot and worst of all planning a wedding.
‘Max, you’ve planned multi-part assignments which have spread over centuries. Millennia, even. Why is planning one small wedding throwing you into such turmoil?’
‘I don’t know. I always think a wedding is a bit like dying, don’t you?’
‘No,’ he said, carefully. ‘No, I don’t think that thought has ever occurred to me.’
I again love the friendships between Max, Peterson and Markum. Although if I ever saw them in real life I’d run the other way as quickly as possible since something is bound to explode or catch on fire within the next five minutes.
This had some very tense moments the altercation with Barkley was extremely intense with a dash of wtf to it. There were also some very tender funny moments as well and a bit of nostalgia with a certain Bentley.
All and all another win for the historians and I’m enjoying the series more and more. Plus Leon 2.0 is a dream and I love that guy and his banter play with Max. Well worth sticking around for.
October 9, 2024
Time for another break from St Mary's. I simply can't binge this series because I get so irritated by Max. Yes, she's an interesting character but I have to conclude that she suffers from short term memory loss because she continually repeats the same mistakes. And if you binge-read you notice the repetitive language and scenarios a lot more.
Even if I left out the boringly inevitable sex scenes/near sex scenes between Max and Leon - yes we get it, they fancy each other, they love each other ... enough now. There would still be the inherent flaw in every novel ie St Mary's remit is to observe historical acts but every time (and I do mean every time) Max goes off-script, ignores the rule and gets into trouble.
Yes, I'll read more but I need a break.
This episode centres on St Mary's trying to raise capital, Max ending up hospital twice (or maybe more), there's some nice bits of history about The Bonfire of the Vanities in Florence and Thermopylae but apart from that it's the usual St Mary's mucking it up. If I were the Time Police I'd shut them down too.
Even if I left out the boringly inevitable sex scenes/near sex scenes between Max and Leon - yes we get it, they fancy each other, they love each other ... enough now. There would still be the inherent flaw in every novel ie St Mary's remit is to observe historical acts but every time (and I do mean every time) Max goes off-script, ignores the rule and gets into trouble.
Yes, I'll read more but I need a break.
This episode centres on St Mary's trying to raise capital, Max ending up hospital twice (or maybe more), there's some nice bits of history about The Bonfire of the Vanities in Florence and Thermopylae but apart from that it's the usual St Mary's mucking it up. If I were the Time Police I'd shut them down too.
July 3, 2022
*** 4.35 ***
Love this series! Just make sure you don't think too hard over the Time Travel paradoxes and whether history is set or can it be changed, and if yes, then what guarantees that the change is not what it was meant to be to begin with... Just don't think too hard about it and trust the author to give you a good experience with a wild ride 😃👍🤟📚❤️
Love this series! Just make sure you don't think too hard over the Time Travel paradoxes and whether history is set or can it be changed, and if yes, then what guarantees that the change is not what it was meant to be to begin with... Just don't think too hard about it and trust the author to give you a good experience with a wild ride 😃👍🤟📚❤️
February 17, 2018
Another week, another St. Mary's book under the belt. I'm quite happy with this new and improved St. Mary's, mostly because we seem to have put the artificial relationship drama behind. I mean, with a bunch of disaster prone historians and assorted support staff, who needs extra drama???
For most of the characters the differences between this version of them and the previous versions are subtle except for Leon. Leon 1.0 was a brash and insensitive man, while Leon 2.0 is almost too good to be true. It makes me suspicious. Let's hope my suspicions are never realized because I really like this new version.
Bitchface Barclay makes another appearance and there was a WTF moment that ultimately led to me almost exploding with rage when it was finally explained. What she did was wrong on so many levels! I so wanted her to suffer that I couldn't see straight. Poor Max! So after all this Max really deserves a break. Yeah, yeah I know, it's unlikely to happen. But hope springs eternal, right?
For most of the characters the differences between this version of them and the previous versions are subtle except for Leon. Leon 1.0 was a brash and insensitive man, while Leon 2.0 is almost too good to be true. It makes me suspicious. Let's hope my suspicions are never realized because I really like this new version.
Bitchface Barclay makes another appearance and there was a WTF moment that ultimately led to me almost exploding with rage when it was finally explained. What she did was wrong on so many levels! I so wanted her to suffer that I couldn't see straight. Poor Max! So after all this Max really deserves a break. Yeah, yeah I know, it's unlikely to happen. But hope springs eternal, right?
April 24, 2023
Love This Series
This is the fifth book in this delightful British series about “a bunch of disaster-prone historians who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel!”
It was the usual mix of humor (example: the period costumes for one assignment include muffs for the ladies…you can imagine the jokes that ensue), thrills, fun, tea drinking, disaster, perils, tragedy, history, and friendship that make this series so much fun.
The Usual Cast of Characters
The usual suspects are back. These include the staff of St. Mary’s, an organization dedicated to “do not call it time travel”.
As usual our narrator is Dr. Madeleine Maxwell, red headed disaster magnet, Chief Operations Officer of St. Mary’s, a bundle of energy, attitude, and sarcasm; connoisseur of chocolate and alcoholic drinks, in love with Leon Farrell, St. Mary’s Chief Technical Officer.
History
This time the places and times visited include the disastrous Great Fire of 1666 in London that destroyed the old St. Paul’s Cathedral (later rebuilt); the Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497 Florence, fanatical Friar Savonarola’s burning of books, cosmetics, art, and other “occasions of sin”; and the Battle of Thermopylae, fought in 480 B.C. between the Persians and the Greeks lead by Sparta.
Open Day
There’s also an “Open Day” (carefully planned by Max), an exhibition of thrills for the public intended to make money for St. Mary’s, including a boat race, fortune telling, a side saddle demonstration, food, etc. What could go wrong?
The Usual Fun
This series is just so much fun. The characters are delightful. And I always learn about history from reading these books.
Audio Narrator
The narrator for all these books, British actress Zara Ramm, generally does a good job.
But she made a lot of weird (and inconsistent) errors, reading overlords as “overloads”, Da Vinci as Da Veechee, fevered as “fervored” and stop as “shop” for example. And the errors weren’t consistent either. She once read Girolamo as “Giolamo” and then read it correctly later. I don’t know if she was tired or rushed or what happened.
This is the fifth book in this delightful British series about “a bunch of disaster-prone historians who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel!”
It was the usual mix of humor (example: the period costumes for one assignment include muffs for the ladies…you can imagine the jokes that ensue), thrills, fun, tea drinking, disaster, perils, tragedy, history, and friendship that make this series so much fun.
The Usual Cast of Characters
The usual suspects are back. These include the staff of St. Mary’s, an organization dedicated to “do not call it time travel”.
As usual our narrator is Dr. Madeleine Maxwell, red headed disaster magnet, Chief Operations Officer of St. Mary’s, a bundle of energy, attitude, and sarcasm; connoisseur of chocolate and alcoholic drinks, in love with Leon Farrell, St. Mary’s Chief Technical Officer.
History
This time the places and times visited include the disastrous Great Fire of 1666 in London that destroyed the old St. Paul’s Cathedral (later rebuilt); the Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497 Florence, fanatical Friar Savonarola’s burning of books, cosmetics, art, and other “occasions of sin”; and the Battle of Thermopylae, fought in 480 B.C. between the Persians and the Greeks lead by Sparta.
Open Day
There’s also an “Open Day” (carefully planned by Max), an exhibition of thrills for the public intended to make money for St. Mary’s, including a boat race, fortune telling, a side saddle demonstration, food, etc. What could go wrong?
The Usual Fun
This series is just so much fun. The characters are delightful. And I always learn about history from reading these books.
Audio Narrator
The narrator for all these books, British actress Zara Ramm, generally does a good job.
But she made a lot of weird (and inconsistent) errors, reading overlords as “overloads”, Da Vinci as Da Veechee, fevered as “fervored” and stop as “shop” for example. And the errors weren’t consistent either. She once read Girolamo as “Giolamo” and then read it correctly later. I don’t know if she was tired or rushed or what happened.
August 23, 2021
Please see previous four reviews.
December 23, 2020
Another fantastic installment of St Mary's. It just keeps getting better and better.
November 5, 2017
What can I say? How do you keep finding superlatives to describe the next book in one of your absolute favourite series' ever without repeating yourself?! I loved this!! SO SO MUCH!!!
My very favourite part about the writing in this series is its humour, which is off-centre and inappropriately dark, to say the very least. I adore that!! Laughing at things we know we should absolutely NOT laugh at, is not only a slightly forbidden pleasure [even if it is at fictional events] somehow just always feels extra cool. It's a fine line to walk, being funny without going too far and Jodi Taylor manages it perfectly, every time. I laugh out loud [for real!] all the way through every St. Mary's book I've read so far, and in today's world, that is beyond huge! Laughter is the truly the best medicine and this series is easy medicine to take.
I also love that I get history lessons with every book in this series. Some of the events the St. Mary's gang barge into and and turn into mayhem I was already familiar with, but plenty of them I didn't know much about, so it is always fun to learn a bit more about historical events - even if they may be mucked about due to the St. Mary's penchant to create chaos everywhere they go. At least it's fun chaos, and it usually turns out in the end.
And speaking of the end, the ending of this book - which I will not detail to avoid spoilers - was just THE BEST THING EVER!!!! It made me so happy . . . and then it made me laugh out loud, so, right on point for the St. Mary's status quo.
Honestly, this series is in my top 5 series ever, and I have loved every book so far to the moon and back. I hope Jodi Taylor continues writing them, because I will read every book that comes, and I firmly expect to continue to love them with my whole heart!
My very favourite part about the writing in this series is its humour, which is off-centre and inappropriately dark, to say the very least. I adore that!! Laughing at things we know we should absolutely NOT laugh at, is not only a slightly forbidden pleasure [even if it is at fictional events] somehow just always feels extra cool. It's a fine line to walk, being funny without going too far and Jodi Taylor manages it perfectly, every time. I laugh out loud [for real!] all the way through every St. Mary's book I've read so far, and in today's world, that is beyond huge! Laughter is the truly the best medicine and this series is easy medicine to take.
I also love that I get history lessons with every book in this series. Some of the events the St. Mary's gang barge into and and turn into mayhem I was already familiar with, but plenty of them I didn't know much about, so it is always fun to learn a bit more about historical events - even if they may be mucked about due to the St. Mary's penchant to create chaos everywhere they go. At least it's fun chaos, and it usually turns out in the end.
And speaking of the end, the ending of this book - which I will not detail to avoid spoilers - was just THE BEST THING EVER!!!! It made me so happy . . . and then it made me laugh out loud, so, right on point for the St. Mary's status quo.
Honestly, this series is in my top 5 series ever, and I have loved every book so far to the moon and back. I hope Jodi Taylor continues writing them, because I will read every book that comes, and I firmly expect to continue to love them with my whole heart!
April 30, 2015
Max and her team of time travelling historians return for another romp along the timeline. In this episode they visit St Paul's Cathedral to salvage whatever they can as it's crashing down around them. Then it's on to 13th century Florence where the bonfire of the vanities is in full swing and a bunch of works by Botticelli have an appointment with the flames. Finally it's to Thermopylae where they find themselves accidentally risking the timeline and possibly altering history. The Spartans can't win, can they??
No Time Like the Past is great, it's entertaining and fun...occasionally very funny. The one thing it isn't is fresh. So while I enjoyed this book...yes I probably even loved it, I can't help but think that the best is behind us. We're not quite at the shark jumping moment just yet but it must be getting close.
No Time Like the Past is great, it's entertaining and fun...occasionally very funny. The one thing it isn't is fresh. So while I enjoyed this book...yes I probably even loved it, I can't help but think that the best is behind us. We're not quite at the shark jumping moment just yet but it must be getting close.
February 7, 2017
This is the 5th book in the Chronicles of St Mary's and this one I really enjoyed following. The story continues to grip me and I was very happy that this story returned to the good old setting of St Mary's itself rather than being a trip through too many places like the 4th one was.
This once again follows Max, our main character who is filled with life and vibrance. She's a lady I'd love to meet in real life becuase she's just fabulous and the adventures she gets herself into really make me smile.
In this book we follow Max as she's called back into the past becuase one of her colleagues sees a falling ghost and they try to investigate. I loved seeing the team back together again and investigating, and there's some very creepy and crazy moments :) 4*s
This once again follows Max, our main character who is filled with life and vibrance. She's a lady I'd love to meet in real life becuase she's just fabulous and the adventures she gets herself into really make me smile.
In this book we follow Max as she's called back into the past becuase one of her colleagues sees a falling ghost and they try to investigate. I loved seeing the team back together again and investigating, and there's some very creepy and crazy moments :) 4*s
September 12, 2024
I think this series is finally landing with me.
I’ve always enjoyed it well enough to dabble with. In my picky, picky reading world, the formula of 65% action adventure, 25% look-at-me repartee, 10% something interesting to think about is well out of whack even though I’m drawn to the storytelling and built world.
But this one worked better for me, and I think it may be me adapting well enough to an imperfect-for-me formula for a change. We will see, since unusually I’m interested in moving on to the next in the series right away instead of letting it sit for a year or two or three.
I’ve always enjoyed it well enough to dabble with. In my picky, picky reading world, the formula of 65% action adventure, 25% look-at-me repartee, 10% something interesting to think about is well out of whack even though I’m drawn to the storytelling and built world.
But this one worked better for me, and I think it may be me adapting well enough to an imperfect-for-me formula for a change. We will see, since unusually I’m interested in moving on to the next in the series right away instead of letting it sit for a year or two or three.
July 5, 2021
My obsession continues, so bad that I have to buy a paper copy to go with the ebooks. I've got it bad.
Max continues to be one of my favourite people in a book. I love that even when I think it is going to be smooth sailing in a jump, I'm still surprised and shocked when it isn't. Jodi Taylor lulls me into a false sense of security and then she tramples all over that and puts Max and whichever poor unfortunate she is with in mortal danger. It is fantastic. Pass the next one to me now please.
Max continues to be one of my favourite people in a book. I love that even when I think it is going to be smooth sailing in a jump, I'm still surprised and shocked when it isn't. Jodi Taylor lulls me into a false sense of security and then she tramples all over that and puts Max and whichever poor unfortunate she is with in mortal danger. It is fantastic. Pass the next one to me now please.
November 10, 2017
Didn't find this one up to the usual St Mary's standard. There are too many events going on but each event not in enough detail. It felt like the purpose was to show Max as a disaster magnet (which may be true, but if you've read the previous books you already know that). Two incidents (possibly a third minor one) would have sufficed.
Also we seem to have forgotten that Max is now living in a different reality. I was expecting more exploration of this and a theme of Max having to adjust to things which are similar but just not quite as she would expect, instead if you just read this book standalone I don't think the reader would appreciate that they are missing a huge part of the story given there are only a few passing references. Besides David Sands walking, everyone and everything else appears to be identical. It feels like a missed opportunity in the narrative.
Also we seem to have forgotten that Max is now living in a different reality. I was expecting more exploration of this and a theme of Max having to adjust to things which are similar but just not quite as she would expect, instead if you just read this book standalone I don't think the reader would appreciate that they are missing a huge part of the story given there are only a few passing references. Besides David Sands walking, everyone and everything else appears to be identical. It feels like a missed opportunity in the narrative.
July 25, 2020
“No Time Like The Past” was something of a curate’s egg: good in parts.
Like its predecessors, it evokes the rambunctious spirit of St. Mary’s and contains some remarkable descriptions of time’s past, most notably, in this case, the battle of Thermopylae. The future of St Mary’s is under threat. There are fights and murders and even a wedding and yet I never really managed to make an emotional connection with “No Time Like The Past”.
This seemed to me to be a store-bought version of the St. Mary’s cake: it had the same shape and colour as the real thing but the intense flavour and sensation of freshness were missing.
It was a fun read, but, if it had been my first St. Mary’s book, I might not have made it to a second
Like its predecessors, it evokes the rambunctious spirit of St. Mary’s and contains some remarkable descriptions of time’s past, most notably, in this case, the battle of Thermopylae. The future of St Mary’s is under threat. There are fights and murders and even a wedding and yet I never really managed to make an emotional connection with “No Time Like The Past”.
This seemed to me to be a store-bought version of the St. Mary’s cake: it had the same shape and colour as the real thing but the intense flavour and sensation of freshness were missing.
It was a fun read, but, if it had been my first St. Mary’s book, I might not have made it to a second
August 19, 2017
The thing that draws me to this series is the lighting speed of the plot. Each book is not just one adventure but five. Once again, I just adore Zara Ramm's narration, it makes the story cone to life.
February 28, 2015
Story was great but,editing is bad.
Misspellings and a lot of wordsrunning together. I love her stories and wait for her books to come out but, the editing really hurt the story.
Misspellings and a lot of wordsrunning together. I love her stories and wait for her books to come out but, the editing really hurt the story.
March 7, 2015
I enjoyed the story but I found the editing/kerning errors distracting.
January 10, 2023
3 1/2 stars
Book # 5 of The St. Mary's gang and I enjoyed it a lot. Me enjoying these "off-genre" books has loads to do with my mood. They are the kind of books that take little thought, have humor galore and a spot of history to intrigue the nerd in me.
After the catastrophe in book 4, St. Mary's is back in full force. We visit The Great Fire of London, Mr. Markham has a ghost following him around, the slap-stick history department takes a trip to The Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497 and Max finally gets her dream to Thermopylae. Whew, a lot to digest, and there is the ending-spot on!
I need a book #6 in a series for a challenge, so I will be moving on soonerthan I normally do. No problem for me as the fifth is one of my favorites thus far. Enough so, I think it is going to be rounded up to 4 stars
Book # 5 of The St. Mary's gang and I enjoyed it a lot. Me enjoying these "off-genre" books has loads to do with my mood. They are the kind of books that take little thought, have humor galore and a spot of history to intrigue the nerd in me.
After the catastrophe in book 4, St. Mary's is back in full force. We visit The Great Fire of London, Mr. Markham has a ghost following him around, the slap-stick history department takes a trip to The Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497 and Max finally gets her dream to Thermopylae. Whew, a lot to digest, and there is the ending-spot on!
I need a book #6 in a series for a challenge, so I will be moving on soonerthan I normally do. No problem for me as the fifth is one of my favorites thus far. Enough so, I think it is going to be rounded up to 4 stars
August 11, 2023
There is a rhythm to this series and that's not a bad thing but it is a little difficult at times. I love this series and always want to pick up the next book immediately but have to pace myself.
The humour is still strong but I don't feel anything towards the characters. I like them because Max does but they are so interchangeable. Any one of them would produce the same jokes or the same events it's just which one gets picked at that time.
Also in the first major event of this book, she didn't even think of/remember/mention Leon. Isn't he kind of a big deal? I still don't care for him but she is supposed to.
That aside though, I really don't care- I adore this series!
The humour is still strong but I don't feel anything towards the characters. I like them because Max does but they are so interchangeable. Any one of them would produce the same jokes or the same events it's just which one gets picked at that time.
Also in the first major event of this book, she didn't even think of/remember/mention Leon. Isn't he kind of a big deal? I still don't care for him but she is supposed to.
That aside though, I really don't care- I adore this series!
April 11, 2023
Again a solid volume by Jodi Taylor, sending the St Mary's team on some merry path of mayhem and chaos with style and humor. I get w kick out of each volume in this series so far, and some serious laughs off of it. The characters are an absolute pleasure, the plots twisted enough to have you scratch your head just a bit on some occasions. And the bits of history: absolutely awesome as always :D
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