***Many thanks to my local independent bookstore Charter Books for this ARC.***
Much like the author, I have been fascinated by polar exploration, espe***Many thanks to my local independent bookstore Charter Books for this ARC.***
Much like the author, I have been fascinated by polar exploration, especially the Franklin Expedition, for quite some time. My friends and I refer to it as “sad boat� � expeditions to the polar regions that usually don’t turn out very well. My first exposure to this genre as something adjacent was Nathaniel Philbrick’s In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, but then I learned about the Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage, and I was a goner. I was able to see the exhibit showcasing what scientists have recovered from the wrecks of the Terror and the Erebus, and was even able to see the Victory Point note with my own eyes before they took it off public display.
All of this is to say that when my local indie bookstore received this ARC, the owner, knowing of my love of sad boat, immediately knew I had to read it. In fact, when I visited the store last weekend, he insisted that I had somehow ghost-written this novel because of my fascination with the Franklin Expedition. Alas, I am not nearly as clever as Kaliane Bradley, or write nearly as well as she does.
This book was just perfection to me. I used to enjoy science fiction a lot more when I was in my teens, but for some reason I haven’t been feeling that pull towards this genre in many years. When I learned this book involved time travel, I was slightly leery, but with the idea that one of the characters was rescued from the Franklin Expedition, I had to at least try it. I’m so very glad I did.
The unnamed narrator of this book works for the British government, initially in their Languages department, as she is the daughter of a woman who escaped the genocide in Cambodia. At some point, the British government has managed to procure some sort of time machine, and to test it out, they’ve decided to rescue folks from the future who are destined to die soon anyhow. This is how we meet Commander Graham Gore. We know he would not have lived much longer, as all the men who joined Sir John Franklin on his expedition to find the Northwest Passage died. Each person brought forward is assigned a “bridge,� someone who acts as a liaison between the historical person and the modern world. This is the job of the narrator, to be the bridge between Gore and the modern world.
Bradley is such a fantastic writer. Her world-building is so vivid, and her characters so wonderfully drawn that you feel you really get to know them. Even the side characters are charming: how can you not fall in love with Maggie, the woman from 1665? Your heart goes out to poor shell-shocked Arthur from 1916 (aside: I loved that Bradley put in a bit about Maggie having Graham watch the movie 1917 so that he could understand what Arthur had endured; that is one of the very best movies out there and one of my all-time favorites). I also appreciated that some of her characters were LGBTQ+, as it proves that there have been gay people all throughout history; it is not some modern perversion.
I can only hope that this book helps get folks interested in the sad boat genre so that I don’t seem so weird when I wax lyrical about all the various expeditions. Even if you have no interest in that, this book is just so good. It has everything � time travel, adventure, even romance. I highly recommend it....more
**I received an ARC from my local independent bookstore, Charter Books.**
I’ve been a fan of F.T. Lukens for so long, and I’m amazed at how they can al**I received an ARC from my local independent bookstore, Charter Books.**
I’ve been a fan of F.T. Lukens for so long, and I’m amazed at how they can always tell such a beautiful story. This one really hit me in the feels, dealing with a person called Ellery who had to leave home so as not to be a burden on their parents, but who ended up with the sweetest and kindest found family with their cousin Charley, Charley’s girlfriend Zada, and Knox. Found family will always be one of my favorite tropes.
I loved how Lukens was able to weave so many disparate inspirations together into one cohesive whole. I was reminded of Narnia with the everlasting winter, but then you’ve got reminders of Greek mythology with Ellery’s descent into the Other World and crossing the Styx to beseech the Queen of the Other World. Lukens also writes an excellent quest novel. While the reader goes in hoping that things are going to work out fairly well for all involved, Lukens keeps us guessing as to what’s really going to happen as the characters fulfill their quests.
Lukens is also a master of witty banter between their characters, and I couldn’t help but wish I had Charley and Zada in my life as well. They’re so adorable!
I’m so pleased that Lukens has hit it out of the park again, and I hope everyone loves this book as much as I have....more
Loading...
