You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I found out about this series in the Time Travelers Almanac and I couldn't be happier that I did.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
-2 stats for the romance... I didn't realize it would be so sex-heavy, so sue me.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
A time travel novel with a twist. This has a great narrative voice and a fantastic set-up, and I can't wait to read the next one!
3.5 on the 4 side
--
The truth is that the story is a blend of genres, though the first installment focuses heavily on historical romance. I want to be clear, however, that the historical romance descriptor alone does not adequately convey what In the Garden of Iden is. The romance is itself a catalyst for the events of the rest of the series, and so while it was sweet, and fun, and tragic, it was also very utilitarian.
Honestly? I respect the hell out of that. Fixating so unashamedly upon a cyborg/16th-century Protestant's love affair in the first novel of your sci-fi series is a bold move; you risk isolating a lot of people who showed up expecting one genre and found a weird mishmash of a bunch of others they (perhaps) don't usually enjoy.
Now, personally, the genre-bending worked for me. This is, in itself, quite shocking. "Cyborg" and "Mid-1500s Europe" seem like the perfect example of things that don't or shouldn't work together. In another author's hands, they probably wouldn't. But Baker taught Elizabethan English as a second language, and she used this unique skill to deftly combine two drastically different things. In fact, the Elizabethan speech patterns felt somewhat more realistic than the slangy speech of the cyborgs when they weren't in the company of humans. I mean, come on, how can you not be charmed by the dissonance here?
This was far from a perfect novel, however much I enjoyed it. Like a lot of others, I found the lack of information regarding the Company frustrating but (given the narrator's own limited understanding of her "employer") excusable. The writing was okay but it could be more polished, particularly during scenes of high action (such as the scene where Joseph is "revealed" and Nicholas confronts Mendoza). It seemed like Baker was trying to be experimental or unconventional in how she communicated these events occurring, but it wasn't done very well and just left me confused as to what had just happened. You had to kind of piece things together from context or dialogue in the subsequent pages, which I don't enjoy.
I'm going to request the next book from the library, but I have no clue how I'll respond to the rest of the series, or even what kind of direction Baker will take the story in. It's exciting and a bit daunting!
--
This is the time to rehearse the wise and careful speeches about parting, those slick ways to begin the end. This is when you need to tell yourself, and then tell him, how natural it is to grow in different directions, and that it doesn't mean failure, it doesn't mean love is any less. All that beautifully phrased bullshit, over nerves screaming for release. But God help you if no such speech comes into your head, and you cling to the sullen rock of his shoulder in the night ocean.I feel a disservice was done to this book when it came time to advertise it, because so many of the negative reviews appear to be from folks who went in expecting a very different tale--particularly one that is far heavier on the science-fiction/action than the historical/romantic.
The truth is that the story is a blend of genres, though the first installment focuses heavily on historical romance. I want to be clear, however, that the historical romance descriptor alone does not adequately convey what In the Garden of Iden is. The romance is itself a catalyst for the events of the rest of the series, and so while it was sweet, and fun, and tragic, it was also very utilitarian.
Honestly? I respect the hell out of that. Fixating so unashamedly upon a cyborg/16th-century Protestant's love affair in the first novel of your sci-fi series is a bold move; you risk isolating a lot of people who showed up expecting one genre and found a weird mishmash of a bunch of others they (perhaps) don't usually enjoy.
Now, personally, the genre-bending worked for me. This is, in itself, quite shocking. "Cyborg" and "Mid-1500s Europe" seem like the perfect example of things that don't or shouldn't work together. In another author's hands, they probably wouldn't. But Baker taught Elizabethan English as a second language, and she used this unique skill to deftly combine two drastically different things. In fact, the Elizabethan speech patterns felt somewhat more realistic than the slangy speech of the cyborgs when they weren't in the company of humans. I mean, come on, how can you not be charmed by the dissonance here?
"Still blue . . They tell no lies that call thy Spanish gentry bluebloods."Furthermore, I found that the central conflict of the novel (that of Mendoza's life-altering and life-elongating bargain with the Company) worked beautifully within the setting. We've all read stories about immortals grappling with what it means to experience immortal life, particularly when forming relationships with mortals along the way, but this novel went a step beyond the usual narrative. Baker was able to make some really fascinating comparisons to satanic bargains by situating her narrative in a time period where one's faith could be--and often was--as intrinsic a part of one's identity as one's name. Stories discussing immortality through the lens of a modern (Western) audience and at least one modern (Western) protagonist can't hope to emulate such themes because we interact with religion so differently than we did 500 years ago. The question of free will, corruption, and uninformed / coerced bargains with seemingly all-powerful godlike entities just hits different when people in the novel are being burned at the stake, if you feel me.
Actually in my case it was antifreeze, but I looked haughtily at him. "Well, I shall not so chill my blood again until the spring returneth. This snow is a horrible marvel."
This was far from a perfect novel, however much I enjoyed it. Like a lot of others, I found the lack of information regarding the Company frustrating but (given the narrator's own limited understanding of her "employer") excusable. The writing was okay but it could be more polished, particularly during scenes of high action (such as the scene where Joseph is "revealed" and Nicholas confronts Mendoza). It seemed like Baker was trying to be experimental or unconventional in how she communicated these events occurring, but it wasn't done very well and just left me confused as to what had just happened. You had to kind of piece things together from context or dialogue in the subsequent pages, which I don't enjoy.
I'm going to request the next book from the library, but I have no clue how I'll respond to the rest of the series, or even what kind of direction Baker will take the story in. It's exciting and a bit daunting!
After reading just so many heavy, "big picture" novels, all I need is a light fun read that I'm going to enjoy and is not going to tax my brain that much. Based on the first book in this series, "The Company" is going to fit the bill nicely.
That right people, sometimes all I want is a story about an immortal, teenage, time-traveling, cyborg working for a possibly evil shadow company. Yes the main character, Mendoza is a tad petulant at times, but show me a teenager who isn't petulant at time and I will prove they are in fact an immortal, teenage, time-traveling, cyborg working for a possibly evil shadow company!!
That right people, sometimes all I want is a story about an immortal, teenage, time-traveling, cyborg working for a possibly evil shadow company. Yes the main character, Mendoza is a tad petulant at times, but show me a teenager who isn't petulant at time and I will prove they are in fact an immortal, teenage, time-traveling, cyborg working for a possibly evil shadow company!!
I felt oddly bereft at the ending of this book, primarily because it seemed very abrupt to me. I'm curious to read more in this series, though, as I hope they'll embellish the story further.
Oh, Kage Baker, how is it that I only now have started to read your work? If ever there was a novel suited to my taste, it was IN THE GARDEN OF IDEN. Let's see . . . we have time travel, a 16th-century English setting, The Spanish Inquisition, conspiracies, a strong female protagonist, and religious intolerance! Yep, definitely up my literary alley, so to speak.
Kage Baker clearly knows her setting, and has the chops as a writer to keep the reader interested and intrigued as the plot moves along. What's even more impressive to me is that this was her first book! I will definitely be reading the rest of her canon.
Kage Baker clearly knows her setting, and has the chops as a writer to keep the reader interested and intrigued as the plot moves along. What's even more impressive to me is that this was her first book! I will definitely be reading the rest of her canon.