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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
First in the W.A.R.P. (Witness Anonymous Relocation Program) sci-fi fantasy series for Young Adults revolving around Chevron Savano and young Riley and taking place in London between today and 1898.
My Take
This was fascinating! Colfer has completely twisted time travel and secret agents, coming up with a unique approach to both. He is an artist in his introduction of his concept for this story; his colorful, exotic characters; and, the mechanics of the traveling.
Combine this with his descriptive genius that pulls me into turn-of-the-century London with its "aromas" and the clever depictions of both sides of the law in The Reluctant Assassin and...well, all I can say is that I haven't stopped thinking of this story since the day I read it. Sure, it's gets a bit hokey, but I can't deny Colfer's excessive imagination and his ability to write a vivid picture.
One of my disconnects in this story is Chevron's being an FBI agent at the age of 16, even if she isn't seriously considered one. If she isn't, then why are they employing her at all? She's written as being a smart person, so is it only her youth that keeps her from being smart enough to wonder why she could possibly be "on a fast track to becoming a real agent"? And why would she want to work for an agency that keeps trying to weasel out from under their agreements?
Reading about Orange tap-tap-tapping his way back to the past with his clunky keyboards makes me think just a little bit steampunk. Then Riley and his thoughts about Chevie's plans...too funny.
If this is the first time Garrick comes forward, how can there be many of his enemies in our time?
Oh, man, Colfer really knows how to crank up the evil against Chevie and Riley. That's got to be one of the keys in writing a good story you can't stop reading: a seemingly unstoppable villain. With an unstoppable set of twists!
The Story
Riley's master forces him to kill an old man in his bed, but a trap pulls Riley into the time machine which spews him out in London where Chevron Savano is keeping watch.
Where she learns the concept of the Witness Anonymous Relocation Program, and how it all went awry between greed, fear, and paranoia.
To fix it, she'll need the Timekeys, preferably before Garrick absconds with them.
The Characters
Chevron Savano is a very young not-quite-FBI agent with a task to accomplish in London. Now if only she could lose the attitude and get smart.
Young Riley is forced into an apprenticeship with Garrick. One he's tried to escape so many times already. And Ginger Tom keeps appearing in his dreams.
The FBI
Special Agent Lawrence Witmeyer is Chevie's boss in the FBI office in L.A. Cord Vallicose was her instructor at Quantico. Colonel Clayton Box with Special Forces likes the idea of the box for black ops. Duff is a friend of Valicose's.
FBI in London
Agent Orange is her boss in London with W.A.R.P.; he's also Professor Felix Smart. Charles Smart is his father and the missing quantum physicist. Waldo, a.k.a., Special Agent Waldo Gunn, operates the safehouse in London, the suite at the Garden Hotel.
Terrence Carter is one of the W.A.R.P. witnesses lost in the past.
Victoria is Charles' friend and runs an antique shop as she waits for him, his last trip. And it just makes me want to cry.
Albert Garrick was an illusionist---known as the Great Lombardi---who discovered his joy of the dark side. Now he fulfills his desires with assassination. Sabine was the old Lombardi's assistant and became Albert's as well. Until.
The Battering Rams
Otto Malarkey (I am enjoying Colfer's choices of names!) is the mister-master of the Battering Rams, a criminal gang of bully boys. His own walking signpost of all the possibilities, *chuckling cheekily*. Mr. Percival, Turk, and Pound get their contract to fulfill---they've never failed yet. Golgoth's little brother is the behemoth who isn't going to fight Chevie. Mr. Farley is the gang tattooist. Mr. Skelp, Ben Jeeves, and Noble are some of Otto's gang.
Tibor Charismo---known in our time as Terrence Carter---is the most inventive, intelligent man who is a novelist---he wrote of Commander James Bond of Her Majesty's Navy, composer of such marvels as "Another Brick in Yonder Wall", and spiritualist to the Queen. It helps that he has a photographic memory. Barnum is his coachman and manservant.
Lacey Boggs is a singing pickpocket. Colonel Jeffers of the Knightsbridge Barracks is on the job with his men. Bob Winkle is one of the inhabitants of the Old Nichol.
The Cover
The cover is an exploding blue and terrifies me just looking at it. Add in a strong hint of the Artful Dodger peering from above while the crouching Riley and the ever-alert Chevron twists with both looking on in apprehension. And with good reason!
The title is all Riley, for its The Reluctant Assassin he is for Garrick.
My Take
This was fascinating! Colfer has completely twisted time travel and secret agents, coming up with a unique approach to both. He is an artist in his introduction of his concept for this story; his colorful, exotic characters; and, the mechanics of the traveling.
Combine this with his descriptive genius that pulls me into turn-of-the-century London with its "aromas" and the clever depictions of both sides of the law in The Reluctant Assassin and...well, all I can say is that I haven't stopped thinking of this story since the day I read it. Sure, it's gets a bit hokey, but I can't deny Colfer's excessive imagination and his ability to write a vivid picture.
One of my disconnects in this story is Chevron's being an FBI agent at the age of 16, even if she isn't seriously considered one. If she isn't, then why are they employing her at all? She's written as being a smart person, so is it only her youth that keeps her from being smart enough to wonder why she could possibly be "on a fast track to becoming a real agent"? And why would she want to work for an agency that keeps trying to weasel out from under their agreements?
Reading about Orange tap-tap-tapping his way back to the past with his clunky keyboards makes me think just a little bit steampunk. Then Riley and his thoughts about Chevie's plans...too funny.
If this is the first time Garrick comes forward, how can there be many of his enemies in our time?
Oh, man, Colfer really knows how to crank up the evil against Chevie and Riley. That's got to be one of the keys in writing a good story you can't stop reading: a seemingly unstoppable villain. With an unstoppable set of twists!
The Story
Riley's master forces him to kill an old man in his bed, but a trap pulls Riley into the time machine which spews him out in London where Chevron Savano is keeping watch.
Where she learns the concept of the Witness Anonymous Relocation Program, and how it all went awry between greed, fear, and paranoia.
To fix it, she'll need the Timekeys, preferably before Garrick absconds with them.
The Characters
Chevron Savano is a very young not-quite-FBI agent with a task to accomplish in London. Now if only she could lose the attitude and get smart.
Young Riley is forced into an apprenticeship with Garrick. One he's tried to escape so many times already. And Ginger Tom keeps appearing in his dreams.
The FBI
Special Agent Lawrence Witmeyer is Chevie's boss in the FBI office in L.A. Cord Vallicose was her instructor at Quantico. Colonel Clayton Box with Special Forces likes the idea of the box for black ops. Duff is a friend of Valicose's.
FBI in London
Agent Orange is her boss in London with W.A.R.P.; he's also Professor Felix Smart. Charles Smart is his father and the missing quantum physicist. Waldo, a.k.a., Special Agent Waldo Gunn, operates the safehouse in London, the suite at the Garden Hotel.
Terrence Carter is one of the W.A.R.P. witnesses lost in the past.
Victoria is Charles' friend and runs an antique shop as she waits for him, his last trip. And it just makes me want to cry.
Albert Garrick was an illusionist---known as the Great Lombardi---who discovered his joy of the dark side. Now he fulfills his desires with assassination. Sabine was the old Lombardi's assistant and became Albert's as well. Until.
The Battering Rams
Otto Malarkey (I am enjoying Colfer's choices of names!) is the mister-master of the Battering Rams, a criminal gang of bully boys. His own walking signpost of all the possibilities, *chuckling cheekily*. Mr. Percival, Turk, and Pound get their contract to fulfill---they've never failed yet. Golgoth's little brother is the behemoth who isn't going to fight Chevie. Mr. Farley is the gang tattooist. Mr. Skelp, Ben Jeeves, and Noble are some of Otto's gang.
Tibor Charismo---known in our time as Terrence Carter---is the most inventive, intelligent man who is a novelist---he wrote of Commander James Bond of Her Majesty's Navy, composer of such marvels as "Another Brick in Yonder Wall", and spiritualist to the Queen. It helps that he has a photographic memory. Barnum is his coachman and manservant.
Lacey Boggs is a singing pickpocket. Colonel Jeffers of the Knightsbridge Barracks is on the job with his men. Bob Winkle is one of the inhabitants of the Old Nichol.
The Cover
The cover is an exploding blue and terrifies me just looking at it. Add in a strong hint of the Artful Dodger peering from above while the crouching Riley and the ever-alert Chevron twists with both looking on in apprehension. And with good reason!
The title is all Riley, for its The Reluctant Assassin he is for Garrick.
cutenanya's review
4.0
Actual Rating: 3.5 stars
This book reminds me a lot of [b:Time Riders|15792436|Time Riders (Time Riders, #1)|Alex Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344295673s/15792436.jpg|6973444], which is also about a bunch of kids from different time periods all gathered up together by fate and they have to meander through different time streams while their actions trigger changes to the future. Time traveling is always a mystery but I believe it should be possible to leap from one time stream to another. I imagine it as a flying fish, hopping from one river to another river. When the fish is in water, apparently it will flow in the direction of the currents (aka from upstream to downstream). However, when the fish flies, it is no longer bound by the restrictions of the current. It can fly backward to an earlier point in the river, or forward to a position more downstream. In addition, it can also hop into another river and experience a completely different environment.
The mechanism of time traveling does not seem to be the main plot in this story, rather it is learning the truths of their past and fending themselves against the villain that's the main issue. I have no problem with this setup but I have real problems with:
1) Underaged agents working for the FBI: if I am not troubled by time traveling, why would I have issues with FBI recruiting kids to work for them? That's because I am those old fashioned types who think kids should be at school and not be employed as cheap labor (not sure if they're even properly paid).
2) Characterization is another problem for this book: the characters are too flat and too typical in the YA genre. When there are over a million YA books out there, you've got to innovate to stand out. Artemis Fowl & Butler are INTERESTING, they're flawed but unusual. Granted Artemis is totally unrealistic, I still like him and find him worthy of the hero of his own series. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Riley.
3) The plot is too predictable and the villain too one-dimensional wicked. I prefer more complicated villains, not one-sided monsters who are way beyond redemption.
Despite these weaknesses, overall, it is fun to travel between old and modern London and there is enough material to earn a 3.5 rating from me but not more.
This book reminds me a lot of [b:Time Riders|15792436|Time Riders (Time Riders, #1)|Alex Scarrow|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344295673s/15792436.jpg|6973444], which is also about a bunch of kids from different time periods all gathered up together by fate and they have to meander through different time streams while their actions trigger changes to the future. Time traveling is always a mystery but I believe it should be possible to leap from one time stream to another. I imagine it as a flying fish, hopping from one river to another river. When the fish is in water, apparently it will flow in the direction of the currents (aka from upstream to downstream). However, when the fish flies, it is no longer bound by the restrictions of the current. It can fly backward to an earlier point in the river, or forward to a position more downstream. In addition, it can also hop into another river and experience a completely different environment.
The mechanism of time traveling does not seem to be the main plot in this story, rather it is learning the truths of their past and fending themselves against the villain that's the main issue. I have no problem with this setup but I have real problems with:
1) Underaged agents working for the FBI: if I am not troubled by time traveling, why would I have issues with FBI recruiting kids to work for them? That's because I am those old fashioned types who think kids should be at school and not be employed as cheap labor (not sure if they're even properly paid).
2) Characterization is another problem for this book: the characters are too flat and too typical in the YA genre. When there are over a million YA books out there, you've got to innovate to stand out. Artemis Fowl & Butler are INTERESTING, they're flawed but unusual. Granted Artemis is totally unrealistic, I still like him and find him worthy of the hero of his own series. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Riley.
3) The plot is too predictable and the villain too one-dimensional wicked. I prefer more complicated villains, not one-sided monsters who are way beyond redemption.
Despite these weaknesses, overall, it is fun to travel between old and modern London and there is enough material to earn a 3.5 rating from me but not more.
theglossreview's review against another edition
4.0
A bizarre story! 3.5 stars.
The quirks of this method of time travel and the flamboyant personalities of the characters are memorable. The plot feels like a hectic, messy rush from place to place, century to century and villain to villain.
On the downside, violence is completely overused in a meaningless way. There is a severe lack of logic - does time travel create alternate timelines? Is reality changed or has everything “already happened” so there will always be the same outcome? If time travel was possible, would THAT be the best and only use? Why is it so terribly unexplored? (At one point they cite a 99% success rate, but it’s a 50/50 chance.) And the biggest logical flaw: Why would they let a single TEENAGER guard a functioning time machine two thirds of the time? It would’ve been easy to just make an excuse for why Chevie was the only one present AT THAT MOMENT, but she’s on duty as the (almost) sole guardian.
It’s ironic (but in a funny, good way) that the time travelers just DO NOT CARE in which century they are in. Even the ones set on staying in a certain time do so for practical reasons, not for the sake of living in a different era. They are not deeply moved by being in a different century, nor are they attached to anything in the time they call home. The lot of Chevie and Riley will make you sad. That’s no way for teenagers to live. I hope they get better.
The quirks of this method of time travel and the flamboyant personalities of the characters are memorable. The plot feels like a hectic, messy rush from place to place, century to century and villain to villain.
On the downside, violence is completely overused in a meaningless way. There is a severe lack of logic - does time travel create alternate timelines? Is reality changed or has everything “already happened” so there will always be the same outcome? If time travel was possible, would THAT be the best and only use? Why is it so terribly unexplored? (At one point they cite a 99% success rate, but it’s a 50/50 chance.) And the biggest logical flaw: Why would they let a single TEENAGER guard a functioning time machine two thirds of the time? It would’ve been easy to just make an excuse for why Chevie was the only one present AT THAT MOMENT, but she’s on duty as the (almost) sole guardian.
It’s ironic (but in a funny, good way) that the time travelers just DO NOT CARE in which century they are in. Even the ones set on staying in a certain time do so for practical reasons, not for the sake of living in a different era. They are not deeply moved by being in a different century, nor are they attached to anything in the time they call home. The lot of Chevie and Riley will make you sad. That’s no way for teenagers to live. I hope they get better.
rockysoap's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
eyreguide's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun story, but after I read it, I really didn't find it all that memorable. I think it's mostly personal preference since it's hard to put my finger on what it was I disliked - or rather failed to like. The characters were interesting, the story moves pretty quickly, and the time travel aspect is involved and intriguing. Perhaps the only thing I can fault is in the villain Garrick who was so annoyingly superior, was often way ahead of everyone, yet in the end everything was too easily resolved.
Riley and Chevie have a really fun relationship because they are both so different from each other. I enjoyed their banter and Chevie's sometimes caustic personality. It was easy to see why the two got along though, and I felt that their interactions really held this story together. I appreciated the grounding believability of Riley and Chevie because there are some colorful and exaggerated characters in this story which felt a little jarring at times. They were sometimes Dickensian, and sometimes just over-the-top and it was hard to believe that they were really very dangerous. Because it is mostly the threatening characters in Victorian England who were so outrageous. Garrick was often seen as the most dangerous - almost superhuman in his cunning and fighting ability - yet it was really hard to feel that menace come through in the story which I think made it harder to immerse myself in the narrative. Garrick is a well drawn character though because his past and his mind are so complicated and it is interesting to learn more about him as the story develops.
The pure adventure of the story is appealing though, and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the author, or for time travel romps. Probably a readiness to suspend disbelief would help as well. And because I really liked Riley and Chevie's dynamic it might be interesting to see how they are developed further in the next book.
Riley and Chevie have a really fun relationship because they are both so different from each other. I enjoyed their banter and Chevie's sometimes caustic personality. It was easy to see why the two got along though, and I felt that their interactions really held this story together. I appreciated the grounding believability of Riley and Chevie because there are some colorful and exaggerated characters in this story which felt a little jarring at times. They were sometimes Dickensian, and sometimes just over-the-top and it was hard to believe that they were really very dangerous. Because it is mostly the threatening characters in Victorian England who were so outrageous. Garrick was often seen as the most dangerous - almost superhuman in his cunning and fighting ability - yet it was really hard to feel that menace come through in the story which I think made it harder to immerse myself in the narrative. Garrick is a well drawn character though because his past and his mind are so complicated and it is interesting to learn more about him as the story develops.
The pure adventure of the story is appealing though, and I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of the author, or for time travel romps. Probably a readiness to suspend disbelief would help as well. And because I really liked Riley and Chevie's dynamic it might be interesting to see how they are developed further in the next book.
paragraph's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
fyrekatz's review
3.0
This book me forever to read... it was an ok story just not like by me I guess. Not enjoyable like his artemis fowl series which I missed. :( Maybe I'll reread that series one day. POOP! LOL. Well I can't say it was horrible there was a few good parts and I like the relationship between Riley and Chevie. And Riley's past was interesting but just dropped. I wonder if the next book will talk more about things left to question. :)