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kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
I've been hearing about the Company novels for years. When this got nominated for the Beyond Reality reading group, I finally got around to reading it.
It's a really good book.
The story centers around member of the Company, people who have been transformed into cyborgs who help gather information and items from the past. This story is about Mendoza, a young woman who joins the Company, trains as a bontanist and travels to England under Mary Tudor.
Mendoza makes the book for she is a totally realstic and breathing character. She acts as a immortal and as a young woman which leads to conflicts. Her companions are well drawn as well, making the interactions of the Company members wonderful reading.
It's a really good book.
The story centers around member of the Company, people who have been transformed into cyborgs who help gather information and items from the past. This story is about Mendoza, a young woman who joins the Company, trains as a bontanist and travels to England under Mary Tudor.
Mendoza makes the book for she is a totally realstic and breathing character. She acts as a immortal and as a young woman which leads to conflicts. Her companions are well drawn as well, making the interactions of the Company members wonderful reading.
mranster's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adnohr's review against another edition
3.0
I doubt I'll read the rest of the series, not quite what I was looking for.
dotsonapage's review against another edition
Time travel, historical romance and immortal cyborgs. Really, what's not to love about this book? A good start to an exciting series.
wealhtheow's review against another edition
4.0
A really incredible book, possibly the best book in the Company series. Mendoza is saved from the dungeons of the Inquisition to become an immortal cyborg working for Dr.Zeus, a company that has harnassed both immortality and timetravel. For her first trip to "the field", she travels to Tudor England to rescue rare plants from extinction. Unfortunately for her, she falls utterly in love with a remarkable mortal man--who is devoutly Protestant when Queen Mary takes the throne. Mendoza observes the mortal world with both a teenager's verve and naivete and a genius immortal's knowledge.
plaidbrarian's review against another edition
2.0
Lots of clever time travel and cultural stuff up top, but turns bodice ripper about halfway through (the main character's bodice is literally ripped in the first of many moments of angst and passion, which felt a little on the nose), where it lost me.
kielma's review against another edition
3.0
This is based on the idea of what would happen if somewhere in the future the figure out how to make people immortal and also how to time travel. It's given in this story that you can't change history and you can't bring objects forward through time, but other than that, there's nothing you can't do. Even better, why not make immortal slaves and have them do all the dirty work for you? This is the story of one of those slaves...er, employees...as she becomes immortal during the Spanish Inquisition and then attempts to save various plants from extinction. Very little time was spent in the science fiction aspect of this story such as the time traveling, the immortality, and the rescuing of plant species. Instead, a great deal of time was spent dwelling on a romantic relationship that seemed improbable from every angle. This was entertaining, but nothing spectacular. I'd be willing to give the second book in this series a try, but I won't be in a rush to do so.
lep42's review against another edition
3.0
The ending really redeemed this one...you know about 80% of the way through when there actually started being conflict.
ellenw's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this, but no. I think it was another casualty of the "just like Connie Willis, we swear!" time travel recommendations that never pan out (see also: The Anubis Gates).
ksparks's review against another edition
3.0
This one has a great premise and interesting characters. It's basically a historical romance, light on the history and light on the sci-fi. I'm definitely interested in continuing the series, although I hope that the next installment has a little more in the way of a plot.