Tag: time travel

Review: The Ruby Red Trilogy

Leave a comment

Ruby RedSapphire BlueEmerald Green

Kerstin Gier, Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, and Emerald Green (trans. Anthea Bell)

Gwyneth Shepherd belongs to an unusual family: every generation, one of its members has the ability to travel through time. Gwyneth has always assumed that her cousin Charlotte has this gift, and Charlotte has spent her entire life preparing for it. But to everyone’s shock, it is Gwyneth who unexpectedly travels through time, revealing herself as the true possessor of the gift. Unfortunately, Gwyneth doesn’t have Charlotte’s extensive training in history and etiquette to help her navigate the past. Moreover, it seems that her family, as well as a secret cabal of fellow time-travelers, is keeping a lot of crucial information from her. For example, what is the meaning of the mysterious prophecy involving “the ruby”? Who is the Count Saint-Germain, and what is his plan for Gwyneth? And most importantly, can Gwyneth trust her partner in time travel, Gideon de Villiers, whose unpredictable behavior both frustrates and attracts her?

First off, I’m very glad that I read all these books at once, because there’s definitely no resolution to the story at the end of Ruby Red or Sapphire Blue. I did enjoy the series overall, but in looking back, I find myself focusing more on its flaws. The plot feels very cluttered to me: Gwyneth and Gideon are constantly jumping back and forth through time to uncover various secrets, yet at the same time, nothing much really happens until about halfway through the second book. The series sets up lots of mysteries, but most of them are fairly easy to solve. It all just felt a little overwrought to me. Also, I was not a fan of the romance; I don’t think Gwyneth should have put up with Gideon’s mixed signals and condescending behavior! I do have to say, I was impressed with how the time travel itself was handled; the timeline of the series makes sense, and I didn’t catch any glaring logical inconsistencies. If you like the genre and don’t mind YA, this series is worth a read, but I’m glad I got the books from the library instead of buying them.

Review: Landline

Leave a comment

LandlineRainbow Rowell, Landline

TV writer Georgie McCool is at a turning point in her life. For several years, she and her best friend Seth have been working on a dumb but popular sitcom, but now they’ve been given a chance to create their very own show. Georgie is thrilled, but her husband Neal is less so: Georgie now has to spend Christmas in L.A. and wants to cancel the family trip to Neal’s mother’s house in Omaha. But instead of deferring to Georgie like he usually does, Neal takes their two daughters to Omaha without her. At first Georgie assumes this is just one of the many small fights they’ve been having lately…but then Neal stops answering his cell, and she can’t seem to get ahold of him. Stunned and grieving, Georgie goes to her own mother’s house for comfort, where she finds an old rotary phone in her closet. She soon discovers that the phone has magic powers: when she uses it to call Neal, present-day Georgie is able to talk to 22-year-old Neal the week before he proposed to her in 1998. Can Georgie use the phone to solve the problems in her marriage? Or will she learn that she was never supposed to marry Neal in the first place?

I’m a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell’s previous books, so it’s no surprised that I devoured this one in two days, albeit with a couple of quibbles. But first things first: I love that Georgie and Neal are already married when the book starts, and I love that they’re having such a common problem. Georgie wants her husband to support her career dreams, while Neal feels taken for granted as the stay-at-home parent, and I could really sympathize with both points of view. I also love the flashbacks to the beginning of Georgie and Neal’s relationship. They really lent a lot of weight to the story, because we know exactly what Georgie will be losing if she can’t find a way to reconnect with Neal. That said, I wasn’t a fan of Seth; he seemed to exist as “the other man” who comes between Georgie and Neal, yet he’s never really presented as a viable option for Georgie, so I just didn’t see the point. I also didn’t like the way that Georgie’s career ambitions seemed to be the sole cause of her marital problems. To me, the message was that she should be willing to give up those ambitions to make her husband happy. But aside from these grumbles, I really loved the book and would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Rowell’s other books!

Review: A Midsummer Tempest

4 Comments

A Midsummer Tempest

Poul Anderson, A Midsummer Tempest

Set during an alternate version of the English Civil War, this novel follows Prince Rupert of Bohemia, one of King Charles’ most valiant allies. Unfortunately, Charles is losing his war against the Puritans, and after a particularly brutal battle, Rupert is captured by a Puritan nobleman and placed under house arrest. He immediately begins plotting his escape, but fate steps in when he meets his captor’s beautiful niece, Jennifer. The two of them end up fleeing the Puritan’s house together and receiving help from an unlikely source: Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of Faerie. They encourage Rupert to find the lost treasure of Prospero, whose magical artifacts will help the king’s cause; but Rupert must brave many dangers before he can fulfill his quest.

There are so many clever, ingenious concepts at work in this book that it’s almost too hard to list them all. First there is the obvious debt to Shakespeare: in this world, he is not merely a playwright but also the Great Historian, so everything he wrote is factually true. (Bohemia even has a sea coast!) Thus, this book is full of all the wonderful Shakespearean plot devices — faeries, star-crossed lovers, uncouth jesters, shipwrecks, and a very unusual tavern, to name a few. My favorite thing was realizing that several of the characters actually talk in iambic pentameter. Sure, it makes the style a bit choppy and stilted, but the characters talk in iambic pentameter! Add in a discussion of parallel universes, some trains, and angry Puritans getting their comeuppance, and I’m sold! I’d definitely recommend this one if you’re interested in the premise.