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The Map of Time

Félix J. Palma,

Nick Caistor (Translator)

Why we're reading this: Its written beautifully; Like an episode of Twilight Zone you get down on their luck, flawed characters, …more
[close] Its written beautifully; Like an episode of Twilight Zone you get down on their luck, flawed characters, and their journeys through the "fourth dimension".

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Mar 07, 2012 QuietIdea rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sci-fi, historical-fiction, favorites, steampunk

Overall, I thought this book was spectacular. This is a long, heavy book, not for light reading…More likely to be read during a snow storm where you cannot leave your house or turn on the tv, but no less brilliant for its length. The one vice I found, was that the author takes time to speak to the reader, and although it isn’t an unusual tactic and in some books it is even necessary, but in this book, a book written with an omniscient narrator, I don’t feel the dialogue between narrator and read Overall, I thought this book was spectacular. This is a long, heavy book, not for light reading…More likely to be read during a snow storm where you cannot leave your house or turn on the tv, but no less brilliant for its length. The one vice I found, was that the author takes time to speak to the reader, and although it isn’t an unusual tactic and in some books it is even necessary, but in this book, a book written with an omniscient narrator, I don’t feel the dialogue between narrator and reader added anything…Because he only interrupted the flow to remind the reader that he knew everything… Which the reader already knew due to the story being written in third person. Although I should note the interruptions were comical enough that they didn’t detract anything either.

Book One was by far my favorite of the collection, it sucks you right in by introducing a main character who is determined to kill himself, but refusing to give up the answer to why he wants to die without any sort of brevity. Then the author begins to weave in his reoccurring themes, Time travel, the mysteries of the human brain and heart, Jack the ripper, and time as an ideology… Time being something that can’t be objectively measured because its all about how the believer envisions it.

Book two was probably my least favorite, simply because of the naivety Victorian Era women were taught to possess. The main heroine, Clair thinks she is least naïve of all but that belief turns false. I can’t really relate to her -- I am by no means a feminist, but I think anyone can agree, that woman have changed over the decades-- but I can understand her co-character Tom… Everyone at some point has a moment where they want something out of reach, where they dream to be better, to be loved…

Book Three made me smile despite the violent imagery. HG Well, “the father of science fiction” who was merely a player in books 1 & 2 is cast in a leading role. And despite all the speculation of “guardian of time” between the three stories, I feel he is the only character who doesn’t receive an epiphany, but the reader is allowed to feel what he cannot… That if there is a guardian of time, HG Wells may be that guardian…even if he’ll never know it. The one thing I didn't like about Book 3 was that character Gilliam Murray talks too much...In books 1 and 2 his narration is needed to explain things...and while I understand he is the villian recounting his master plan to his arch nemesis...it probably could have been shortened. ...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Lian Tanner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, historical, fantasy, translation

This has to be one of the strangest and most original books I have read in a long while. It purports to be about one thing, but is really about something else. It debunks time travel for more than three quarters of its length and then throws in something - um - odd. It is rambling and overly discursive, and it takes ages to get to any sort of point (despite the Booklist quote on the cover which describes it as 'fast-paced'!).

And yet - it is totally charming. And unexpected. And funny and poignan ...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Bobby rated it really liked it

A marvelous tale using the real H.G. Wells as one of several protagonists. Mr. Palma has an imagination that is unrivaled in the telling of the possibility (or not) of time travel. This was a joy to read and I look forward to the next installment.

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