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A review by jonathanpalfrey
The Ivanhoe Gambit by Simon Hawke
4.0
Many authors have written time-travel stories in which some people (usually the baddies) are trying to change history, and some other people (usually the goodies) are trying to stop them. Hawke's rather misnamed Time Wars series falls into this category, but it has several distinctive features of its own.
1. The goodies in this case are a group of soldiers who've been promoted to special time-policing duties from the front lines of the time wars. The time wars are something going on in the background that are quite implausible, but don't worry about them because they're not really relevant.
2. Our soldier heroes seem to be modelled on American soldiers of the Vietnam era. They're motivated, they try to get the job done, but at the same time they're rather cynical, and their distrust of people on their own side sometimes turns out to be justified.
3. Time travel is done using portable devices called chronoplates. These are issued to relatively few people, for security reasons, but can occasionally be found in the hands of criminals or deserters.
4. By special whim of the author, the historical scenarios that crop up in these books all turn out to be fictional. The soldiers go back in time to find themselves in the plot of a classic novel ([b:Ivanhoe|6440|Ivanhoe|Walter Scott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630481585l/6440._SX50_.jpg|1039021] in this case), which it's their duty to defend from interference. All these fictional scenarios are solemnly treated as real history by everyone involved.
This novel is the first in the series, so it introduces the main concepts and some of the regular characters. It also has one of the best stories in the series, in which Richard the Lionheart has been killed and his place taken by a baddie, and our heroes are infiltrating the situation by impersonating Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, and Little John. The story of [b:Ivanhoe|6440|Ivanhoe|Walter Scott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630481585l/6440._SX50_.jpg|1039021] proceeds to unfold, but with added mayhem caused by the time travellers on both sides.
Characterization is not deep, but varied, colourful, and quite enjoyable. The main characters are likeable enough in their way. Note that all characters have risky lives: they're often wounded and some get killed.
The plot is lively, with plenty of action, although the characters sometimes pause to argue about time-travel theory and its practical implications. This can be hard to follow, but I do appreciate an author who takes the subject seriously and tries to explain and stick to a consistent theory of time travel.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes time-travel adventures and doesn't mind a rather military flavour.
1. The goodies in this case are a group of soldiers who've been promoted to special time-policing duties from the front lines of the time wars. The time wars are something going on in the background that are quite implausible, but don't worry about them because they're not really relevant.
2. Our soldier heroes seem to be modelled on American soldiers of the Vietnam era. They're motivated, they try to get the job done, but at the same time they're rather cynical, and their distrust of people on their own side sometimes turns out to be justified.
3. Time travel is done using portable devices called chronoplates. These are issued to relatively few people, for security reasons, but can occasionally be found in the hands of criminals or deserters.
4. By special whim of the author, the historical scenarios that crop up in these books all turn out to be fictional. The soldiers go back in time to find themselves in the plot of a classic novel ([b:Ivanhoe|6440|Ivanhoe|Walter Scott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630481585l/6440._SX50_.jpg|1039021] in this case), which it's their duty to defend from interference. All these fictional scenarios are solemnly treated as real history by everyone involved.
This novel is the first in the series, so it introduces the main concepts and some of the regular characters. It also has one of the best stories in the series, in which Richard the Lionheart has been killed and his place taken by a baddie, and our heroes are infiltrating the situation by impersonating Sir Wilfred of Ivanhoe, Robin Hood, and Little John. The story of [b:Ivanhoe|6440|Ivanhoe|Walter Scott|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630481585l/6440._SX50_.jpg|1039021] proceeds to unfold, but with added mayhem caused by the time travellers on both sides.
Characterization is not deep, but varied, colourful, and quite enjoyable. The main characters are likeable enough in their way. Note that all characters have risky lives: they're often wounded and some get killed.
The plot is lively, with plenty of action, although the characters sometimes pause to argue about time-travel theory and its practical implications. This can be hard to follow, but I do appreciate an author who takes the subject seriously and tries to explain and stick to a consistent theory of time travel.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes time-travel adventures and doesn't mind a rather military flavour.