(Originally published 2008/English language translation 2011,
Mass Market paperback edition 696 pages)
I admit it. It was an impulse buy. I was heavily influenced into purchasing the
darn thing by its wonderful paperback cover design and the reviews printed
inside. It would be a huge exaggeration to say I read a lot of science fiction
works. Star Wars or Star Trek kind of stuff in which a new book seems to crop up
every other day isn't my sort of thing. I was pleasantly surprised to discover
that Mr. Palma's The Map of Time not only didn't fall into the cartoonish mold
of Star Wars, but calling it strictly a science fiction work would be doing it a
great disservice.
The first two-thirds of the novel is a deep character study of a handful of protagonists. The interconnected stories that weave a complex series of dilemmas are more in the romance genre than anything else. Sci-fi fans who are itchin' for the bells-and-whistles stuff to begin are going to have to be very, very, veeeery patient. Instead, Mr. Palma takes great pains in effectively portraying the desires and insecurities of the main male and female characters. The story begins in 1888 but it primarily takes place in 1896 London. The author does a wonderful job of describing the abject poverty of people living and working in the slums; the opulence of the rich; as well as the struggles of being a writer. There are so many twists and turns involved in the story, I eventually gave up trying to pigeonhole this baby. Let's just say it's a mystery, romance, science fiction, adventure yadda yadda yadda book. If there was such a thing as a kitchen-sink genre, Mr. Palma would've likely added it.
As an avid reader of a wide variety of books, Mr. Palma's The Map of Time is the most pleasant reading surprise I've had in years. Besides being thoroughly absorbed in the novel, I stopped trying to anticipate where he was going with this thing. If you are looking for purely a science fiction work, avoid this book like the plague. However, if you like complex, beautifully written stories with wellrounded characters then dig in.
The first two-thirds of the novel is a deep character study of a handful of protagonists. The interconnected stories that weave a complex series of dilemmas are more in the romance genre than anything else. Sci-fi fans who are itchin' for the bells-and-whistles stuff to begin are going to have to be very, very, veeeery patient. Instead, Mr. Palma takes great pains in effectively portraying the desires and insecurities of the main male and female characters. The story begins in 1888 but it primarily takes place in 1896 London. The author does a wonderful job of describing the abject poverty of people living and working in the slums; the opulence of the rich; as well as the struggles of being a writer. There are so many twists and turns involved in the story, I eventually gave up trying to pigeonhole this baby. Let's just say it's a mystery, romance, science fiction, adventure yadda yadda yadda book. If there was such a thing as a kitchen-sink genre, Mr. Palma would've likely added it.
As an avid reader of a wide variety of books, Mr. Palma's The Map of Time is the most pleasant reading surprise I've had in years. Besides being thoroughly absorbed in the novel, I stopped trying to anticipate where he was going with this thing. If you are looking for purely a science fiction work, avoid this book like the plague. However, if you like complex, beautifully written stories with wellrounded characters then dig in.
(Meyers - A few years ago, I
started writing, under the pseudonym Franklin the Mouse, short
reviews at Amazon's web site. This is my most recent review #331)
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