The Map of Time
My first book for Perils the First
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma.
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Atria Books;(June 28, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1439167397
Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time boasts a triple-play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and thereby save the lives of an aristocrat in love with a murdered prostitute from the past; of a woman bent on fleeing the strictures of Victorian society; and of his very own wife, who may have become a pawn in a 4th-dimensional plot to murder the authors of Dracula, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, in order to alter their identities and steal their fictional creations.
But, what happens if we change history? FÉlix J. Palma raises such questions in The Map of Time. Mingling fictional characters with real ones, Palma weaves a historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting, a story full of love and adventure that also pays homage to the roots of science fiction while transporting its readers to a fascinating Victorian London for their own taste of time travel.
Right off the bat I am going to admit that the cover had me on this one. The fact it was in England in Victorian time was the second grabber. And then Mr Palma uses names that are known to us all such as H.G. Wells, Jack the Ripper, Bram Stoker and Henry James. It seemed to have everything that a great book needs!
However........... the book began slowly, and after 50 pages I wondered if I should go on. The beginning should have been the grabber, seeing as it was about Jack the Ripper... but the style of writing just wasn't making me feel like I was in the book.
But I did continue..
The book picked up for me after 100 pages for a while and I was getting into it... then ... I hit an area that was not holding my attention at all. *sigh*
I read on and later it got pretty good again!... then it lost me again. It was this way all through the book for me.. the era was right, the characters were right...but the telling of the story just didn't keep me throughout the book. I have my wonders if maybe something was lost in the translation...
The book is laid out in 3 parts. Loosely connected it's almost 3 separate stories..again, that did not thrill me.
Over all I will say that I didn't just put it aside I read the whole book, and considering that the book was 624 pages long, that has to mean it wasn't all bad. I'm sure others will love the book much more then I did .
I even googled this book for reviews and it seems I am in the minority and most really like the book.. so.. there you have it lol.. sorry I am not much help on this one!
So goes my first book for RIP.
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma.
Hardcover: 624 pages
Publisher: Atria Books;(June 28, 2011)
ISBN-10: 1439167397
Product Description
THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERSet in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time boasts a triple-play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and thereby save the lives of an aristocrat in love with a murdered prostitute from the past; of a woman bent on fleeing the strictures of Victorian society; and of his very own wife, who may have become a pawn in a 4th-dimensional plot to murder the authors of Dracula, The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, in order to alter their identities and steal their fictional creations.
But, what happens if we change history? FÉlix J. Palma raises such questions in The Map of Time. Mingling fictional characters with real ones, Palma weaves a historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting, a story full of love and adventure that also pays homage to the roots of science fiction while transporting its readers to a fascinating Victorian London for their own taste of time travel.
Right off the bat I am going to admit that the cover had me on this one. The fact it was in England in Victorian time was the second grabber. And then Mr Palma uses names that are known to us all such as H.G. Wells, Jack the Ripper, Bram Stoker and Henry James. It seemed to have everything that a great book needs!
However........... the book began slowly, and after 50 pages I wondered if I should go on. The beginning should have been the grabber, seeing as it was about Jack the Ripper... but the style of writing just wasn't making me feel like I was in the book.
But I did continue..
The book picked up for me after 100 pages for a while and I was getting into it... then ... I hit an area that was not holding my attention at all. *sigh*
I read on and later it got pretty good again!... then it lost me again. It was this way all through the book for me.. the era was right, the characters were right...but the telling of the story just didn't keep me throughout the book. I have my wonders if maybe something was lost in the translation...
The book is laid out in 3 parts. Loosely connected it's almost 3 separate stories..again, that did not thrill me.
Over all I will say that I didn't just put it aside I read the whole book, and considering that the book was 624 pages long, that has to mean it wasn't all bad. I'm sure others will love the book much more then I did .
I even googled this book for reviews and it seems I am in the minority and most really like the book.. so.. there you have it lol.. sorry I am not much help on this one!
So goes my first book for RIP.
posted by DesLily | 6:32 AM
14 Comments:
Okay, I must say you really weren't much help! LOL! The concept sounds fascinating. But I fear the style of writing might not appeal to me either, and if that's the case, I'd likely give up where you stuck with it. Perhaps I should just read the first few pages in the bookstore to see what I think of the writing style. Anyway, I'm sorry your first RIP wasn't more of a complete winner for you, but hopefully your next read will be!!!
I would have been attracted to that cover too, and with all those authors appearing in it... would have been a no-brainer for me! It sounds like it was patchy in quality and that's a bit of a shame. But at least it wasn't a total loss.
Debi: yeah it had everything I usually like but it was either the writing itself or the stories... parts I liked very much but on the whole it wasn't "great " to me
Cath.. for some reason or another the cover reminds me of Michael Cox books..weird huh? lol
I am sorry that this one wasn't as good as you expected. I thought it sounded wonderful, so I am disappointed that it failed to hold your attention. I hate it when books can't keep your attention!
Yep, that cover combined with the interior image would have grabbed hold of me as well.
I have heard praise about this book and I've read reviews like yours in which the book just didn't work well. Knowing the stuff you've loved, I certainly trust your judgment on this one.
I hope your next R.I.P. read is a winner through and through.
lola: I am sure others will like it.. google the name and "review" and read some of the other reviews if you think you might like it.
Carl: yeah well I started Peculiar Children and the writing grabbed me instantly! So no problem with this book! lol
You can trust me, that one just gets better and better.
carl: ohhhh k but you know the last time someone said "trust me it only gets better" i got pregnant! LOLLOL.. j/ k hahahaha.. too bad you read this one early on this should have been your "group read"!..even the feel of this book in my hands feels good! sheesh..
Yes, it would have been fun to group read, that is for sure. But I just couldn't resist at the time.
And if reading a book makes you pregnant I might need to rethink my hobbies. ;)
What a bummer that you found it hit and miss. The storyline sounds interesting and the cover is fantastic. I guess I'll stick to real Victorian lol. Thanks for the review!
Sorry this wasn't a great start to RIP :( I hope that the next books are better!! Also sorry I missed your last two calls :( I've been so busy with dad…but I'll email you soon…I have an 11 hour day tomorrow between clients and work, so hopefully after that I can sneak in an email! Love you mama!!
I personally think this book was fantastic but a friend of mine also objected he wasn't captivated by the writing at all, so I can see your angle.
I've never even heard of this but probably would have picked it up based on the cover and the plotting. Maybe I'll give it a go sometime, but I'll have to take your experience in advisement :)
The cover calls to me too. If I read it and the writing gets slow, I'll just go back and stare at the cover, lol!
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