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sonofthe's review against another edition
4.0
Been hearing about this one for a while and finally decided to give it a try. Reminds me a bit of [b:Doomsday Book|24983|Doomsday Book (Oxford Time Travel #1)|Connie Willis|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1403972500s/24983.jpg|2439628], but I like this one a bit better. I've already got the sequel from the library.
Why'd I like it? There was a good mix of science fiction and romance. There was good character growth and world-building. I'm most torn about the time-travel element. Even though the book is ostensibly a time-travel story, it's really only part of the backdrop. An important part, yes, but not in the foreground.
What keeps me going? I want to see what happens next for Mendoza—who she becomes and what she discovers about how The Company and its working throughout history.
Why'd I like it? There was a good mix of science fiction and romance. There was good character growth and world-building. I'm most torn about the time-travel element. Even though the book is ostensibly a time-travel story, it's really only part of the backdrop. An important part, yes, but not in the foreground.
What keeps me going? I want to see what happens next for Mendoza—who she becomes and what she discovers about how The Company and its working throughout history.
lisalark's review against another edition
5.0
I actually really loved this. At first it felt too similar in some ways to other authors, like Connie Willis, but then it took on its on life. Baker is hilarious and writes very human characters. I loved the historical details throughout and languages (Latin, Greek, Spanish, German) and just general cleverness. It was really fun to see Tudor history unfurling in the background.
The main character tells you from the beginning that it's not going to be a happy story, so I didn't mind that. Plus I have a pretty jaundiced view of romance.
Good for history buffs, humor fans, and sci fi readers. Specifically I think Connie Willis and Douglas Adams fans.
The main character tells you from the beginning that it's not going to be a happy story, so I didn't mind that. Plus I have a pretty jaundiced view of romance.
Good for history buffs, humor fans, and sci fi readers. Specifically I think Connie Willis and Douglas Adams fans.
thinde's review against another edition
3.0
I've conflicted feelings about this series. After finishing each novel I was left only slightly moved. At no time did I rush to the next book in the series. However, the story never truly left me. Scenes would float back to mind. Mendoza is as real to me as my sister. There's just something here that resonates in my psyche. I'm regularly, if gently, drawn back to this world.
Make of that what you will.
Make of that what you will.
otl1987's review against another edition
3.0
As part of my Basically Books! Winter challenge, this was my first sci-fi. It was a light one I must say, being situate in 1555 England and not somewhere in the far future with robots and new species and planets etc, as I thought a sci-fi book would be.
The plot
It's a love story. An original one, but still, a love story. Ninteen-year-old botanologist, Mendoza, has her first love story with a mortal, on a case in England. It was very fun to read about how she felt and how she adored her lover, in a naive way that I think almost everyone had when falling in love for the first time. How she thinks everything will be settled and solved as long as they don't part. But, as almost always happens with first loves, it ends. It ends in a fairly dramatic way, as Nicholas, her lover, is burnt as an heretic by the English church.
Other than the love story, Baker manages to describe very well the surroundings, the spirit of that age and the historical facts.
I chose this book after reading a short story of the author in [b:Wizards: Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy|126437|Wizards Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy|Jack Dann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171915574s/126437.jpg|121762], a fantasy one, which I loved. then decided to read something else by the same author as well. So, I did a little research and found out about the Company series. I ended up with the Garden of Iden, being the first novel of the series.
But, being so, I wasn't as impressed by the writing as I was when reading the short story. I think that's because this was Kage Baker's first book, and naturally, she wcouldn't be perfect right from the start.
Overall, I expected more of it. As a love story it's pretty nice, but I expected more adventure from it, a little more action. I am going to read more Company books soon, but this one I wouldn't reccomend as a great read.
Also, I wanted to add that I hate the cover! If I saw it on a book store, I would have ignored it completely!
(ok, this review sucks, but it's only because I wasn't very impressed by the book! Sorry, guys!)
The plot
It's a love story. An original one, but still, a love story. Ninteen-year-old botanologist, Mendoza, has her first love story with a mortal, on a case in England. It was very fun to read about how she felt and how she adored her lover, in a naive way that I think almost everyone had when falling in love for the first time. How she thinks everything will be settled and solved as long as they don't part. But, as almost always happens with first loves, it ends. It ends in a fairly dramatic way, as Nicholas, her lover, is burnt as an heretic by the English church.
Other than the love story, Baker manages to describe very well the surroundings, the spirit of that age and the historical facts.
I chose this book after reading a short story of the author in [b:Wizards: Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy|126437|Wizards Magical Tales From the Masters of Modern Fantasy|Jack Dann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171915574s/126437.jpg|121762], a fantasy one, which I loved. then decided to read something else by the same author as well. So, I did a little research and found out about the Company series. I ended up with the Garden of Iden, being the first novel of the series.
But, being so, I wasn't as impressed by the writing as I was when reading the short story. I think that's because this was Kage Baker's first book, and naturally, she wcouldn't be perfect right from the start.
Overall, I expected more of it. As a love story it's pretty nice, but I expected more adventure from it, a little more action. I am going to read more Company books soon, but this one I wouldn't reccomend as a great read.
Also, I wanted to add that I hate the cover! If I saw it on a book store, I would have ignored it completely!
(ok, this review sucks, but it's only because I wasn't very impressed by the book! Sorry, guys!)
abhrasach's review against another edition
4.0
Another wonderful surprise in my cache of neglected ebooks. A sci-fi novel with well-done historic fiction elements, and all the awkward bits of time travel acknowledged and dealt with. I wasn't sold on the doomed-love plot, but it was so right for the character that I can't argue with it in the aftermath. Particularly well suited to re-enactment nerds!
amynbell's review against another edition
4.0
This book has been on my radar for ages, and I'm glad to have finally read it. It's set up as a time travel novel, but it adds another facet to it in that the time travelers are immortals. These immortal time travelers are all recruited by The Company during their childhood and are surgically altered to become immortal. They go forward in time the normal way (living year by year), but they are able to travel back in time in a time travel ship of some sort. It seems that the main point of The Company is to observe history and preserve those things we've lost from history such as plant and animal species and art.
I really wanted this to be a 5-star book. And I think that what kept it from being was that the author seems to have written it with a view to create a series from it. As such, it's obvious that the book has a series arc more than a book arc. Yes, there is a tense ending, but it's almost surreal because the mortals our main character are going to meet are all going die and pass on whether by natural causes or tragedy. The book seems more to meander through Mendoza's first love with a mortal and the idea of immortality rather than to be a book compelling the reader toward a specific goal or hard ending.
I like the idea of exploring history with an immortal. This book is set in Tudor England with Bloody Mary on the throne. I think I perhaps appreciated it more having recently read [b:The Lady Elizabeth|1933181|The Lady Elizabeth|Alison Weir|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431623866s/1933181.jpg|1935630]. I have a hard time, however, imagining immortals living an eternity of pretending to be something they're not. Of course, a large portion of England is pretending to be Catholic during Mary's reign lest they meet with death, so at least they've got plenty of company with their pretending.
I don't feel an urgency to read the next book like with some series. There isn't a cliffhanger luring me to it. However, it does sound interesting as it's set in the New World with the Mayans. I could see myself reading it just for the pleasure of reading rather than a need to find out what happens next.
I really wanted this to be a 5-star book. And I think that what kept it from being was that the author seems to have written it with a view to create a series from it. As such, it's obvious that the book has a series arc more than a book arc. Yes, there is a tense ending, but it's almost surreal because the mortals our main character are going to meet are all going die and pass on whether by natural causes or tragedy. The book seems more to meander through Mendoza's first love with a mortal and the idea of immortality rather than to be a book compelling the reader toward a specific goal or hard ending.
I like the idea of exploring history with an immortal. This book is set in Tudor England with Bloody Mary on the throne. I think I perhaps appreciated it more having recently read [b:The Lady Elizabeth|1933181|The Lady Elizabeth|Alison Weir|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1431623866s/1933181.jpg|1935630]. I have a hard time, however, imagining immortals living an eternity of pretending to be something they're not. Of course, a large portion of England is pretending to be Catholic during Mary's reign lest they meet with death, so at least they've got plenty of company with their pretending.
I don't feel an urgency to read the next book like with some series. There isn't a cliffhanger luring me to it. However, it does sound interesting as it's set in the New World with the Mayans. I could see myself reading it just for the pleasure of reading rather than a need to find out what happens next.
ljcostel's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting read. I'd hoped for more botany, but it was mostly a love story that ended unusually simply and tragically for fiction
goolaina's review against another edition
Didn't finish. Just didn't seem like it was a book for me.
amandelirium's review against another edition
4.0
Really interesting, loved the concept of a time traveller without the actual travel.