Scan barcode
timinbc's review
3.0
First, a minor quibble: would reviewers please refrain from doing reviews that summarize the entire plot? It's especially bad when it's a shorter work.
S0 ... This is either half a novel or an exercise in writing time travel prior to the creation of a larger series. Maybe both.
My main beef with this is that it doesn't quite fit what it is. Some novellas, and many short stories, leave you feeling "Mmm, that was EXACTLY the right length to tell that story." This one is not only imcomplete, but also rushed in places, as Heartfield jams in a lot of elements.
The odds of a biracial lesbian-or-maybe-bisexual lead connecting at random with a Belizean woman from 2070? Never mind, authors get to do this. And it never got in the way of the story; they're just two people needed to play roles in the story–as are we all. And we needed someone who would be underestimated and semi-invisible to the locals.
I liked the use of Jane as a counterfoil, so that we don't have a generic Plucky Heroine Who Just Dashes Into Danger At Every Opportunity. It works much better when there are two characters triggering the Dash Into Dangers for reasons.
Novellas are also excused the details. In a novel I might have quibbled with Alice hacking the time travel machinery, and the robot highwayman is a great idea, but doesn't bear close examination. It's a bit too Tom Swifty for me. Jane may well end up being one of those "ooh, is that a sonic screwdriver? Let me see ... aha, I understand how it works, gimme that bent teaspoon, Im'a make my own ..."
Dad and Alice together are a bit too much like their counterparts in the Flavia de Luce series, but that kind of Dad was needed for the plot so let's move on.
Still, there's potential in Alice, Jane and Prudence. I expect the handsome cop will get dragged in somehow too. I'll read #2
S0 ... This is either half a novel or an exercise in writing time travel prior to the creation of a larger series. Maybe both.
My main beef with this is that it doesn't quite fit what it is. Some novellas, and many short stories, leave you feeling "Mmm, that was EXACTLY the right length to tell that story." This one is not only imcomplete, but also rushed in places, as Heartfield jams in a lot of elements.
The odds of a biracial lesbian-or-maybe-bisexual lead connecting at random with a Belizean woman from 2070? Never mind, authors get to do this. And it never got in the way of the story; they're just two people needed to play roles in the story–as are we all. And we needed someone who would be underestimated and semi-invisible to the locals.
I liked the use of Jane as a counterfoil, so that we don't have a generic Plucky Heroine Who Just Dashes Into Danger At Every Opportunity. It works much better when there are two characters triggering the Dash Into Dangers for reasons.
Novellas are also excused the details. In a novel I might have quibbled with Alice hacking the time travel machinery, and the robot highwayman is a great idea, but doesn't bear close examination. It's a bit too Tom Swifty for me. Jane may well end up being one of those "ooh, is that a sonic screwdriver? Let me see ... aha, I understand how it works, gimme that bent teaspoon, Im'a make my own ..."
Dad and Alice together are a bit too much like their counterparts in the Flavia de Luce series, but that kind of Dad was needed for the plot so let's move on.
Still, there's potential in Alice, Jane and Prudence. I expect the handsome cop will get dragged in somehow too. I'll read #2
avacazo's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rogue_lurker's review
3.0
When I read the synopsis of this book, I was beyond eager to read it. Time travel, highway(wo)man, lesbians ... how could you go wrong, right? Unfortunately, this one fell short. It was an all right read but perhaps I my expectations were too high going in.
The narrative style (first person, present) was distracting to the point of annoying but I kept on because ... time travel, highway(wo)man, lesbians. There was just too many good ideas and plots in too short of a novel(la) and ended up with a bit of a jumble. There's dystopian futures, shifting timelines, conspiracy, warring ideological factions, steam punk, alt history, and Georgian/Regency sensibilities, etc all competing in a 176 page novel - and there's a fair number of characters that just don't have enough time on the page to get to know or be invested in. At times I found there were massive info dumps and at others I was desperate for an info dump so I could figure out what the heck was going on. This is a series - and the ending definitely leaves you with questions. I'm on the fence as to whether I'll read the next one.
The narrative style (first person, present) was distracting to the point of annoying but I kept on because ... time travel, highway(wo)man, lesbians. There was just too many good ideas and plots in too short of a novel(la) and ended up with a bit of a jumble. There's dystopian futures, shifting timelines, conspiracy, warring ideological factions, steam punk, alt history, and Georgian/Regency sensibilities, etc all competing in a 176 page novel - and there's a fair number of characters that just don't have enough time on the page to get to know or be invested in. At times I found there were massive info dumps and at others I was desperate for an info dump so I could figure out what the heck was going on. This is a series - and the ending definitely leaves you with questions. I'm on the fence as to whether I'll read the next one.
amlibera's review
4.0
Fun alt-history time travel stuff - part f/f romance novel, part dystopian sci-fi. Lots of explaining and world building but I kind of dig that.
caitgauthor's review
5.0
I hoovered up this novella and cannot wait to read the next one. The blend of 18th century life with... well, all the other centuries (lol) worked for me. It feels like there are duo protagonists in Alice and Prudence, each from their own time, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. Great interweaving of past and future worldbuilding. Happy for the queer rep as well.
spinstah's review against another edition
4.0
A delightful time-travel novella. I wish there’d been a little more of the 1780s culture, and a little more context for the main driver of the plot, but given the length there’s not much else to cut to make room.
hidekisohma's review against another edition
3.0
*Possible minor spoilers*
So i got this book recommended to me. Seeing that i like time travel, and it was very short (it's a novella) i thought i'd give it a shot.
And the result? ...eh?
That's basically my reaction. eh.
The biggest problem with this book is its length Having just read a novella, where the book, albeit with a very quick resolution, actually had one. It had a full story and wrapped itself up. It has sequels yes, but the story was self contained and, in all honesty, could have stopped there. THIS book however, does not do that. This book basically gives you the first part of a book. And then they have the audacity to charge $16 for it. (i'm very glad i got a library copy)
It's like charging you more than full price for half a story. If you can't tell your story in a novella, don't make it a novella, go the extra mile and write the whole novel in an actual novel length format. the story was only 170 pages. the author could have easily written both and squished them together for a full 340 page novel and i'm pretty sure everyone would have been fine with that.
The story itself was fine, even though there really wasn't really exciting time travel shenanigans. There's a pair of lovers in the late 1700's in England (the titular character Alice is both African-British and a lesbian) and she interacts with another African american lady from the future whose name is prudence. Prudence wants to erase time travel because she's terrible at her job at altering time and thinks it would be better if they just erase time travel. But the story ends before they actually do anything. It's a setup for the second book.
The characters are...fine? I didn't really care about Alice's plight or her lover Jane who somehow managed to invent robots in 1788 (And no, as far as i know, Jane's not a time traveler, she just knows how to make robots for some reason) and Prudence is extremely selfish.
The biggest problem in this story is that there's no character that i'm really rooting for. If every single character exploded and the book ended i'd be like "ah. oh well." and move on from there.
MAYBE part 2 of the book will be better? (yes i'm calling it part 2 because i refuse to acknowledge that this was a full book)
As it is, i'm intrigued enough to keep reading it and see where it goes, mainly because of JUST how short it is. Not because i have any real sort of investment in the story or characters.
2.5/5 rounded up to a 3.
So i got this book recommended to me. Seeing that i like time travel, and it was very short (it's a novella) i thought i'd give it a shot.
And the result? ...eh?
That's basically my reaction. eh.
The biggest problem with this book is its length Having just read a novella, where the book, albeit with a very quick resolution, actually had one. It had a full story and wrapped itself up. It has sequels yes, but the story was self contained and, in all honesty, could have stopped there. THIS book however, does not do that. This book basically gives you the first part of a book. And then they have the audacity to charge $16 for it. (i'm very glad i got a library copy)
It's like charging you more than full price for half a story. If you can't tell your story in a novella, don't make it a novella, go the extra mile and write the whole novel in an actual novel length format. the story was only 170 pages. the author could have easily written both and squished them together for a full 340 page novel and i'm pretty sure everyone would have been fine with that.
The story itself was fine, even though there really wasn't really exciting time travel shenanigans. There's a pair of lovers in the late 1700's in England (the titular character Alice is both African-British and a lesbian) and she interacts with another African american lady from the future whose name is prudence. Prudence wants to erase time travel because she's terrible at her job at altering time and thinks it would be better if they just erase time travel. But the story ends before they actually do anything. It's a setup for the second book.
The characters are...fine? I didn't really care about Alice's plight or her lover Jane who somehow managed to invent robots in 1788 (And no, as far as i know, Jane's not a time traveler, she just knows how to make robots for some reason) and Prudence is extremely selfish.
The biggest problem in this story is that there's no character that i'm really rooting for. If every single character exploded and the book ended i'd be like "ah. oh well." and move on from there.
MAYBE part 2 of the book will be better? (yes i'm calling it part 2 because i refuse to acknowledge that this was a full book)
As it is, i'm intrigued enough to keep reading it and see where it goes, mainly because of JUST how short it is. Not because i have any real sort of investment in the story or characters.
2.5/5 rounded up to a 3.
caitcoy's review
3.0
Alice Payne Arrives combines time travel shenanigans with some very adventurous ladies and a war that's fought across the pages of history. In 1788, Alice Payne is a gentlewoman (not nobility but not dirt poor either) who moonlights as a highwayman, the Holy Ghost, robbing the deserving men who cross her path with the help of an automaton named Laverna. Meanwhile, in 1888, Major Prudence Zuniga is attempting to change history to suit her side of a war which has been waged for decades and throughout time. When Prudence develops a new plan to win the war for good, she'll have to do her best to recruit Alice Payne or one of her companions and hope that everything turns out alright. It'll be up to these women to finish this time war one way or another.
That I enjoyed this book at all is, quite frankly, a miracle. I'm not much of a fan of the timey wimey sort of stories and only picked this one up because it was nominated for a Nebula this year. I really enjoyed the main characters, both Alice and Prudence as well as Alice's companion Jane. All three were strong-willed and intelligent and interesting in their own ways without all fitting exactly the same mold. And all struggled in some way over restrictions placed on them because of their station. However, there is a LOT of time jumping in this one and a lot of games played with the effects of messing around in the pages of history and that's exactly the aspect of time travel that both confuses and annoys me. Which is why it gets three stars from me rather than four or five.
If you're a fan of time travel, history and kickass ladies, Alice Payne Arrives is a great novella. It got too embedded in the threads and consequences of time travel for my tastes but it still managed to be entertaining and that's saying quite a lot for me.
That I enjoyed this book at all is, quite frankly, a miracle. I'm not much of a fan of the timey wimey sort of stories and only picked this one up because it was nominated for a Nebula this year. I really enjoyed the main characters, both Alice and Prudence as well as Alice's companion Jane. All three were strong-willed and intelligent and interesting in their own ways without all fitting exactly the same mold. And all struggled in some way over restrictions placed on them because of their station. However, there is a LOT of time jumping in this one and a lot of games played with the effects of messing around in the pages of history and that's exactly the aspect of time travel that both confuses and annoys me. Which is why it gets three stars from me rather than four or five.
If you're a fan of time travel, history and kickass ladies, Alice Payne Arrives is a great novella. It got too embedded in the threads and consequences of time travel for my tastes but it still managed to be entertaining and that's saying quite a lot for me.
geminix1312's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5