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jennhb's review
3.0
I finally finished this monster of a book. Actually, only it's size makes it a monster.
Map of Time is a collection of three novels that are interweaving. At times, I wanted to throw this books across the room for its wordiness; the author/narrator is quite verbose and descriptive. That being said, I really enjoyed the story.
My recommendation is to read a part, take a break with another book, and then come back for the next part. Otherwise, like me you will lose the joy of reading it out of frustration!
Map of Time is a collection of three novels that are interweaving. At times, I wanted to throw this books across the room for its wordiness; the author/narrator is quite verbose and descriptive. That being said, I really enjoyed the story.
My recommendation is to read a part, take a break with another book, and then come back for the next part. Otherwise, like me you will lose the joy of reading it out of frustration!
dkwaye's review
3.0
Giving it a 3.5 because of the satisfying closure and thought-provoking ending. Overall, the story was very inventive despite being inspired from classic literature and the plot twists came at the very right moments, just when things seemed too absurd and confusing, to put things back in order and push me to read more. In fact, this book is a perfect example of 'don't judge a book by its cover', because first of all, it is NOT a teenage magical-fantasy kind of book, but appeals more to an adult readership due to the underlying themes, and also because the apparent 'magic' feel of the book, including the sci-fi and fantasy look eventually leads to a disillusionment, making the story actually more believable and relatable (trying not to spoil here, but basically if you are a patient reader, keep reading as although the first part of the book might seem exaggeratedly fantastical to the point of annoyance, the unfolding of the plots was very satisfying, to me at least). However, I feel that the book was unnecessary lengthy, with often long descriptive passages that only made for a dragging storytelling. At first I was very tempted to put the book down for good, but I kept on, and it was worth it in the end. The writing was also quite clumsy, in my opinion and could have been much better.
I usually don't write detailed reviews, but this book is divided into 3 parts/stories that interlinked and I can't resist to share my surprisingly conflicting reactions and opinions about each of them:
Reaction to Part 1: This is so overly romantic in that teenage silly fashion... and draggy... Not even close to my expectations of what would consist a good speculative fiction novel. What am I reading... But wait... oh! That ending! Aha! Some sense at last! That plot twist gives me hope!
Reaction to Part 2: I believe that this part was the strongest aspect of the book as it introduced and underlined in depth the main hypothetical theme of the book, at least my favourite one among many, which is that the meaning that we give to life is only a bunch of illusions we are attached to. In truth life is meaningless unless we decide to think otherwise. There is nothing 'magical' like in the movies, only people's greed, wealth and power over others. And sometimes it is less destructive to stay blind and oblivious to the real non-fantasy world in which we live in. The author brilliantly shows the wonders of a story, only to break it to the real course of reality.
Reaction to Part 3: This seemed to be an attempt to go back to that fantastical theme which depicts the book cover so well, but having being disillusioned with a kind of calm acceptance of the meaning of Life, I was personally reluctantly to go back to that field, therefore I was a little disappointed. Yet, I still felt satisfied with the ending and I'd say that this story was not bad at all!
I usually don't write detailed reviews, but this book is divided into 3 parts/stories that interlinked and I can't resist to share my surprisingly conflicting reactions and opinions about each of them:
Reaction to Part 1: This is so overly romantic in that teenage silly fashion... and draggy... Not even close to my expectations of what would consist a good speculative fiction novel. What am I reading... But wait... oh! That ending! Aha! Some sense at last! That plot twist gives me hope!
Reaction to Part 2: I believe that this part was the strongest aspect of the book as it introduced and underlined in depth the main hypothetical theme of the book, at least my favourite one among many, which is that the meaning that we give to life is only a bunch of illusions we are attached to. In truth life is meaningless unless we decide to think otherwise. There is nothing 'magical' like in the movies, only people's greed, wealth and power over others. And sometimes it is less destructive to stay blind and oblivious to the real non-fantasy world in which we live in. The author brilliantly shows the wonders of a story, only to break it to the real course of reality.
Reaction to Part 3: This seemed to be an attempt to go back to that fantastical theme which depicts the book cover so well, but having being disillusioned with a kind of calm acceptance of the meaning of Life, I was personally reluctantly to go back to that field, therefore I was a little disappointed. Yet, I still felt satisfied with the ending and I'd say that this story was not bad at all!
girlwithherheadinabook's review
2.0
I thought that this book would be really good - the concept of time travel is one that I have enjoyed before. I also like Victorian fiction too. On paper, it should have been win-win. Still ... I wound up being bored rigid. I didn't mind ... it has actually been a while since I read a book that I didn't like so it was interesting to think about exactly what it was I found so tedious.
First of all, the blurb was misleading. It seemed to be about Andrew Harrington's quest to save his lover Marie Kelly from the Ripper. I thought that this sounded clicheed but possibly an interesting twist on The Time Machine. Then there was Claire Heggarty, another Colour-by-Numbers Victorian would-be feminist ... these seemed to be the protagonists. They weren't. Oddly, H.G. Wells was. Now, Andrew and Claire's whining and general gullibility put me out like a light (seriously, I have insomnia issues and I have never got off to sleep so easily as when I read this book) but still, I thought it was kind of weird that they had the first section of the novel and then the 'real' plot felt so squished towards the end. The guilt for that doesn't just rest with Palma - I mean, an editor should have really shaken that mess out. What makes it even worse is that it's the first book in a trilogy ... won't be rushing to read the rest of it.
For my full review:http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-map-of-time-felix-j-palma.html#more
First of all, the blurb was misleading. It seemed to be about Andrew Harrington's quest to save his lover Marie Kelly from the Ripper. I thought that this sounded clicheed but possibly an interesting twist on The Time Machine. Then there was Claire Heggarty, another Colour-by-Numbers Victorian would-be feminist ... these seemed to be the protagonists. They weren't. Oddly, H.G. Wells was. Now, Andrew and Claire's whining and general gullibility put me out like a light (seriously, I have insomnia issues and I have never got off to sleep so easily as when I read this book) but still, I thought it was kind of weird that they had the first section of the novel and then the 'real' plot felt so squished towards the end. The guilt for that doesn't just rest with Palma - I mean, an editor should have really shaken that mess out. What makes it even worse is that it's the first book in a trilogy ... won't be rushing to read the rest of it.
For my full review:http://girlwithherheadinabook.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/the-map-of-time-felix-j-palma.html#more
jinksb's review
4.0
I'll read almost anything involving time travel, so when this crossed my desk I was quick to reserve it. I was not disappointed. I enjoyed the quirky omniscient narrator who inserted himself in the flow of the narrative from time to time. I enjoyed the mix of fictional and historical characters, as well as the mix of actual and altered history. A few times the twisty plot shook me off, but I was able to grab hold and subdue it so I could follow it to the end. I found The map of time a fun and entertaining read, with a nice non-English flavor. I hope more of Palma's books are translated into English, and soon.
strikingthirteen's review
2.0
It this book is anything it is a fast read and a compelling one. I always wanted to get back to it no matter how annoyed or frustrated with it I got. Despite how readable it is I didn't like. I think it was trying to be too many things at once. The "time travel" just seemed silly to me and I have to admit feeling a little misled. I was expecting HG Wells heading off to save literary classics and nothing like that even remotely happened until the final third of the book.
***SPOILERS FROM HERE OUT***
What actually happens here is Wells uses the idea of timd travel to do whatever he has to until the real thing appears at the end. He keeps a man from killing himself by making up the idea that he has created a parallel universe where him and his murdered girlfriend are living happily ever after. He uses it again to write letters from a man from the,year 2000 (who really is a mostly illiterate actor from the fake time travel show) to keep a girl. I wonder how long that cherade is going to last. Then again the girl does seem pretty dumb.
Part three attempts to tie everything together but by this point i'm just over it. The narrator interruptinf, justifying, and explaining everything was cute at first but quickly became annoying. There's a lot of love for Wells' novel, which is all well and good, but it doesn't do anything to move the plot. If we'd kept to part three we might havr had something.
I'll be skipping the sequel.
***SPOILERS FROM HERE OUT***
What actually happens here is Wells uses the idea of timd travel to do whatever he has to until the real thing appears at the end. He keeps a man from killing himself by making up the idea that he has created a parallel universe where him and his murdered girlfriend are living happily ever after. He uses it again to write letters from a man from the,year 2000 (who really is a mostly illiterate actor from the fake time travel show) to keep a girl. I wonder how long that cherade is going to last. Then again the girl does seem pretty dumb.
Part three attempts to tie everything together but by this point i'm just over it. The narrator interruptinf, justifying, and explaining everything was cute at first but quickly became annoying. There's a lot of love for Wells' novel, which is all well and good, but it doesn't do anything to move the plot. If we'd kept to part three we might havr had something.
I'll be skipping the sequel.
perri's review
2.0
This's a zany book-three different stories with a thread linking them. I thought the all seeing/ knowing narrator tries a little too hard. A fun romp through the first two stories, but the third didn't fit and brought the star level from "I liked it to just OK".
jdonliturgy's review
4.0
This was a fun read. The twists and turns of the plot and the surprises that kept coming made it a real page-turner, especially in the final pages. By the time I finished, I was not sure which reality I was in.
lisagray68's review
5.0
This might be the most ingenious book I've ever read. In the reviews, people either love it or hate it. And I should hate it: I don't like books from the Victorian era; I didn't know anything about H.G. Wells nor did I really care to; I tend to not like books with completely different storylines that take many chapters to come together; and I usually absolutely HATE it when authors talk directly to their readers in asides. BUT, I DO love time travel, so this book made it onto my list. The twists and turns of this book are so astounding, you could probably ponder it for months on end. I was simply delighted with the cleverness of the author, and I'm sorry I can't say more, but this book is completely unexplainable. If you love time travel, you'll love it, or if you like historical fiction. But maybe, like me, this book will simply surprise you with it's delightful romp through history.
jennyanydots's review
5.0
I really liked it, but it's hard to explain. The story has several different strands, tied together by a narrator. To be honest, I initially found the voice of the narrator a little annoying, but it grew on me (and the book is translated from Spanish, so the elements that grated slightly may not be present in the original). It opens with Andrew Harrison, who is about to kill himself 8 years after his lover was killed by Jack the Ripper, and after we mostly conclude his story, we get that of Claire Haggerty, a wealthy young Victorian woman chafing against the constraints of society. The thread that joins both together is the public fascination with time travel following the publication of HG Wells' The Time machine, and Wells himself is the main character in the final section. And that's really all I can say without getting too close to giving away some of the twists and turns of the plot (and it's very twisty!). Thought-provoking, entertaining and very different to anything I've read before.