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trib's review against another edition
4.0
Full disclosure: I'm already a fan of John Birmingham, and I talk to him occasionally on Twitter; so I read A Girl in Time with some preconceptions, and more than a little positive spin on my bias.
Birmo is a big fan of manipulating both time and history in his recent fiction; his very excellent Axis of Time series (three full-length novels and three novellas) plays hard and fast with 21st Century military forces being inadvertently sent back to WWII and the massive fallout from the way those forces align with both Axis and Allies. The alt-history of The Disappearance series (I've only read the first one so far) is equally compelling.
He's a great fan of the pop-culture zeitgeist, and few authors are as adept at dropping hints (and frankly, unsubtle sledgehammers) as to how strongly they have the pulse of the times. A Girl in Time is the latest take on that; we get JB's typical dives into the vibe of the now, though they don't quite come as thick and fast as something like Ernest Cline's Ready Player One (another book I read recently - I know, late to the party).
The rollicking speed of the action recalls the work of Matthew Reilly as well, with barely a breath to be drawn between set pieces and yet another moment of danger. If we're drawing parallels to Birmingham's contemporaries (especially the Australians), we're only missing parallels to Max Barry at this point.
Abed's darkest timelineWith callbacks to the election of Donald Trump, and what that might mean in an alt-darkest timeline (or maybe this timeline is the darkest) totalitarian USA I have to wonder how long before the election he started writing, and how long after it he finished.
As a part of this rollercoaster, we also visit Victorian England and the dim, dark, dangerous world of late-1800s London, and even take a dive into Spartacus' Roman times (I fully expected Batiatus to be described looking like John Hannah and Crixus to look like Manu Bennett).
In terms of our protagonists, Cady McCall as our flawed heroine is appealing, appropriately sardonic, driven, and whip-smart, even with her flaws that bring her close to screwing up a few times (who are we dream casting here? Liv Hewson, maybe? Emma Stone in Easy A/Zombieland snark mode?) and Titanic Smith (Jason Momoa with a shorter haircut and no beard?) is a lot of fun with his Western homespun wisdom and hard man attitude.
I'm keen for the next instalment.
Birmo is a big fan of manipulating both time and history in his recent fiction; his very excellent Axis of Time series (three full-length novels and three novellas) plays hard and fast with 21st Century military forces being inadvertently sent back to WWII and the massive fallout from the way those forces align with both Axis and Allies. The alt-history of The Disappearance series (I've only read the first one so far) is equally compelling.
He's a great fan of the pop-culture zeitgeist, and few authors are as adept at dropping hints (and frankly, unsubtle sledgehammers) as to how strongly they have the pulse of the times. A Girl in Time is the latest take on that; we get JB's typical dives into the vibe of the now, though they don't quite come as thick and fast as something like Ernest Cline's Ready Player One (another book I read recently - I know, late to the party).
The rollicking speed of the action recalls the work of Matthew Reilly as well, with barely a breath to be drawn between set pieces and yet another moment of danger. If we're drawing parallels to Birmingham's contemporaries (especially the Australians), we're only missing parallels to Max Barry at this point.
Abed's darkest timelineWith callbacks to the election of Donald Trump, and what that might mean in an alt-darkest timeline (or maybe this timeline is the darkest) totalitarian USA I have to wonder how long before the election he started writing, and how long after it he finished.
As a part of this rollercoaster, we also visit Victorian England and the dim, dark, dangerous world of late-1800s London, and even take a dive into Spartacus' Roman times (I fully expected Batiatus to be described looking like John Hannah and Crixus to look like Manu Bennett).
In terms of our protagonists, Cady McCall as our flawed heroine is appealing, appropriately sardonic, driven, and whip-smart, even with her flaws that bring her close to screwing up a few times (who are we dream casting here? Liv Hewson, maybe? Emma Stone in Easy A/Zombieland snark mode?) and Titanic Smith (Jason Momoa with a shorter haircut and no beard?) is a lot of fun with his Western homespun wisdom and hard man attitude.
I'm keen for the next instalment.
jonathanpalfrey's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books in which the protagonists jump to escape from a bad situation, which lands them in another bad situation, and so on. A bit like [b:The Unicorn Girl|757054|The Unicorn Girl|Michael Kurland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348126935l/757054._SX50_.jpg|743167] or the film Time Bandits, to take two examples that spring to mind.
The situations they get into are well imagined and described, and the off-balance chaos of it all reminds me vaguely of [b:Take Back Plenty|1415743|Take Back Plenty (Tabitha Jute, #1)|Colin Greenland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183420640l/1415743._SY75_.jpg|2662002].
However, the best feature of the book is the pair of main protagonists, Cady and Smith, who are original creations and complement each other nicely. They're both somewhat more capable than average, but in different ways, and their capabilities are sensibly limited: neither of them is Superperson. Both are fairly likeable though not flawless. In the course of the story, they cause trouble for each other but also help and rescue each other. They're an incongruous pair, which gives the opportunity for welcome touches of humour.
They have two problems in addition to the normal problems of time travel: first, they have little understanding of their time-travel device, so they don't know where or when they are after a jump; second, they're pursued through time with lethal intent by a mysterious group of people who call themselves Apprentices.
Although it's not important, I'm not keen on the title. "A girl in time"? It's not a very imaginative description of the story, and I wonder how Cady would react to it. She's not a little girl, she's an intelligent adult with professional programming skills.
The situations they get into are well imagined and described, and the off-balance chaos of it all reminds me vaguely of [b:Take Back Plenty|1415743|Take Back Plenty (Tabitha Jute, #1)|Colin Greenland|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1183420640l/1415743._SY75_.jpg|2662002].
However, the best feature of the book is the pair of main protagonists, Cady and Smith, who are original creations and complement each other nicely. They're both somewhat more capable than average, but in different ways, and their capabilities are sensibly limited: neither of them is Superperson. Both are fairly likeable though not flawless. In the course of the story, they cause trouble for each other but also help and rescue each other. They're an incongruous pair, which gives the opportunity for welcome touches of humour.
They have two problems in addition to the normal problems of time travel: first, they have little understanding of their time-travel device, so they don't know where or when they are after a jump; second, they're pursued through time with lethal intent by a mysterious group of people who call themselves Apprentices.
Although it's not important, I'm not keen on the title. "A girl in time"? It's not a very imaginative description of the story, and I wonder how Cady would react to it. She's not a little girl, she's an intelligent adult with professional programming skills.
mankan's review against another edition
4.0
A really fun read
I bought this book without knowing anything about it or the author, and I liked it a lot. A great fun time-travel romp. Recommended.
I bought this book without knowing anything about it or the author, and I liked it a lot. A great fun time-travel romp. Recommended.
jhouses's review
3.0
Tras disfrutar las serie Axis of Time (aunque su segunda iteración Stalin's Hammer es más floja) quise seguir leyendo historias de viajes en el tiempo de Birminham. En esta novela me encontré que sigue dominando el choque cultural entre personajes de distintas épocas y una aventura más episódica a lo Dr. Who. La novela flojea al tener solo dos personajes principales ya que parte del encanto de las anteriores era el manejo de múltiples puntos de vista en distintos escenarios que permitía una descripción impresionista de la situación en la que deslizaba la trama. Ahora se ve obligado a detallar y describir en profundidad para no quedarse en un cuento corto y la sensación es de inflado.
Por lo demás lo tipico del viaje espaciotemporal anglosajón: El Londres victoriano, la antigua Roma y un futuro cercano distópico. Todo el espaciotiempo a su disposición y siempre acaban en los mismos sitios.
Por lo demás lo tipico del viaje espaciotemporal anglosajón: El Londres victoriano, la antigua Roma y un futuro cercano distópico. Todo el espaciotiempo a su disposición y siempre acaban en los mismos sitios.
kariszanetta's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
4.0
One night in Seattle Cady McCall is attacked while walking home after meeting friends. She is saved by a mysterious cowboy before being knocked out. When she wakes up she finds she is in 19th century London. Thus begins an adventure tale of a girl lost in time and trying to get home.
There's a lot of "fish out of water" situations as she and her cowboy companion, Marshal John Titanic Smith, try to work out where they are and what is happening and they can survive while trying to work out to get back home. It's an interesting mix of companions but together they find a way to work together. The strength of the Titanic and the smarts of Cady. Though Cady does need to learn to keep her big mouth shut as it's going to get her into deep trouble.
I enjoyed this tale and look forward to the next.
There's a lot of "fish out of water" situations as she and her cowboy companion, Marshal John Titanic Smith, try to work out where they are and what is happening and they can survive while trying to work out to get back home. It's an interesting mix of companions but together they find a way to work together. The strength of the Titanic and the smarts of Cady. Though Cady does need to learn to keep her big mouth shut as it's going to get her into deep trouble.
I enjoyed this tale and look forward to the next.
dmwhipp's review
2.0
I found Cady selfish and obnoxious and Marshall Smith a little too hokey. When she finds herself in old London, Cady decides to party it up with some instant friends, despite Smith warning her to keep a low profile and her own reference to the butterfly effect. She gives her new bestie (Cady likes the word bestie) a dance lesson and, "Soon she was twerking and grinding like a stripper on double time." Okay...
The second half of the book is quite a Trump bash - which I wholeheartedly agree with since I find him an utter moron without moral scruples - but it felt like more of a statement than part of the plot. Also, I have no problem with cursing and certainly indulge in that habit myself on occasion, but Cady's inability to curb it when Smith found it offensive was pretty juvenile. Additionally, it was quite coincidental that our main characters ran it to such historic persons/events in the span of a few days... which reminded of the Magic Tree House mysteries I used to read to my kids when they were younger. Except I liked those.
The second half of the book is quite a Trump bash - which I wholeheartedly agree with since I find him an utter moron without moral scruples - but it felt like more of a statement than part of the plot. Also, I have no problem with cursing and certainly indulge in that habit myself on occasion, but Cady's inability to curb it when Smith found it offensive was pretty juvenile. Additionally, it was quite coincidental that our main characters ran it to such historic persons/events in the span of a few days... which reminded of the Magic Tree House mysteries I used to read to my kids when they were younger. Except I liked those.
gorillotaur's review against another edition
4.0
A really fun read
I bought this book without knowing anything about it or the author, and I liked it a lot. A great fun time-travel romp. Recommended.
I bought this book without knowing anything about it or the author, and I liked it a lot. A great fun time-travel romp. Recommended.