lulitta2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
4.75
tyrex117's review against another edition
4.0
Wow.. has it really been a month since I last picked this up... should probably keep on top of my reviews!
I really enjoyed this one. I'm used to the set up now, and can kinda expect what will happen - something goes wrong, the team are required to fix it, more stuff goes wrong and Bam! They save the day! Yet, Mr Scarrow has decided to shake up the system a lil'.
This time, something does go wrong in the past and Liam, Sal, and Bob go to check it out. Here, they save Abraham Lincoln's life. Thinking everything's fine again, they head back home... only to find upon arrival back home that a curious Mr Lincoln has followed them through the portal.
This leads for an interesting consequence. For once, the timeriders are not stuck in the past, but stuck in an alternative of their own time - 2001 if Lincoln had not become President. Scarrow becomes adventurous here, by exploring the possibilities of an endless war.
His creations seem a lot more in depth, and I liked this - even to the extent where his human characters still believed themselves to be the more superior. The new creatures had a lot of depth to them, and we began to understand them - unlike many of the creatures introduced earlier in the series. It was nice to have new organisms that were not merely threats, but potential allies.
Nice job there, Mr Scarrow!
The reason this is a four star review, rather than a five is for character development. Maddy went through emotional turmoil, and even Sal was embellished, showing more of a central role. However, little ol' Liam has had many opportunities to perfect his "hero" role of the group over the last few books. However, he's still a bit of a plonker. Perhaps this is just a part of the "Liam" charm, and I'm missing it.
Nice try Liam.
I really appreciated the darker turn the series took with this instalment. It certainly pondered the darker side of human nature, and the horrors this element of time provided. It allowed an insight to how a battlefield would function and the despondent feelings portrayed by both sides of the army were reminiscent of attitudes given by soldiers in both World Wars.
Alex Scarrow created a realistic impression of these consequences which didn't appear far-fetched (even next to the impossible contemplation of Time Travel).
Impatiently awaiting the moment I get time to read the next instalment!
Adios!
I really enjoyed this one. I'm used to the set up now, and can kinda expect what will happen - something goes wrong, the team are required to fix it, more stuff goes wrong and Bam! They save the day! Yet, Mr Scarrow has decided to shake up the system a lil'.
This time, something does go wrong in the past and Liam, Sal, and Bob go to check it out. Here, they save Abraham Lincoln's life. Thinking everything's fine again, they head back home... only to find upon arrival back home that a curious Mr Lincoln has followed them through the portal.
This leads for an interesting consequence. For once, the timeriders are not stuck in the past, but stuck in an alternative of their own time - 2001 if Lincoln had not become President. Scarrow becomes adventurous here, by exploring the possibilities of an endless war.
His creations seem a lot more in depth, and I liked this - even to the extent where his human characters still believed themselves to be the more superior. The new creatures had a lot of depth to them, and we began to understand them - unlike many of the creatures introduced earlier in the series. It was nice to have new organisms that were not merely threats, but potential allies.
Nice job there, Mr Scarrow!
The reason this is a four star review, rather than a five is for character development. Maddy went through emotional turmoil, and even Sal was embellished, showing more of a central role. However, little ol' Liam has had many opportunities to perfect his "hero" role of the group over the last few books. However, he's still a bit of a plonker. Perhaps this is just a part of the "Liam" charm, and I'm missing it.
Spoiler
That's real heroic Liam. You hear a scream, rush to the poor soul's aid and... smack your head on a wooden beam, passing out cold...Nice try Liam.
I really appreciated the darker turn the series took with this instalment. It certainly pondered the darker side of human nature, and the horrors this element of time provided. It allowed an insight to how a battlefield would function and the despondent feelings portrayed by both sides of the army were reminiscent of attitudes given by soldiers in both World Wars.
Alex Scarrow created a realistic impression of these consequences which didn't appear far-fetched (even next to the impossible contemplation of Time Travel).
Impatiently awaiting the moment I get time to read the next instalment!
Adios!
fantasytravelerxv's review against another edition
5.0
Every time I think now I need a break from this series and read something different I end up reading the following book. I just can't put it down. How the author could think up so many different possibilities for what might have happened if this or that big life changing event didn't, is just incredible. This time around it's about the American civil war that takes place without Abraham Lincoln and the future that unfolds because of it. Believe me, even if it this does not sound like your type of book, it's almost guaranteed that the worldbuilding will surprise and shock you. SPOILERS: Think about an almost steam punk future America, where the civil war between North and South never ended, but each became pawns for other countries. Then add a eugenics movement that didn't die out, but led to the creation and oppression of unspeakably misformed and at times grotesque creatures that were meant to serve human needs. There is also the underlying mystery to solve about the time traveller's themselves. PS this is the first cover I really liked from the series
fueledbyrobert's review against another edition
3.0
Good book, but boring at times. Took me ages to read, but the ending was good. It kinda poses more questions than it answers, but hopefully they'll be answered in the next book
heather34's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
zoeebone's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
vampiresessah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
krfanthony's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
Date Reviewed: 13 January 2018
This Review was first posted on Keep Reading Forward. If you want to see more, check out our other locations as well as here.
This is the only series that I have to push myself to get the next book and continue. Now, I enjoy reading the series, but I always have this thought that says there is something else I can read, something better. These thoughts just want to make me stop and give up the series completely. However, I refuse to give up the series and I will finish it. I will finish all nine books of the series.
I have expressed many times that I worry for the series because I just don’t want it to be repetitive book after book. In each book, a different story involves another time period. Along with the time travel, it usually takes place within that certain time period. However, in this place, I am glad to say that Scarrow has finally shaken it up. It finally feels that Scarrow knows that it was time to make something different. Instead of the team being in a certain time period, the team was stuck in an alternate present day. That has really became an interesting take for the stories, and it was one that I really enjoyed.
The series are so darn good and for once, I am finally excited to read the next book (which will be in a while because I have a ton of other books to read…) which takes place in Rome! If I had to read anything involving history, it would either in Greece/Rome or Egypt (in which would totally have been cool for this series, but I guess not…). Now, onto the next time-traveling adventure!
Date Reviewed: 13 January 2018
This Review was first posted on Keep Reading Forward. If you want to see more, check out our other locations as well as here.
This is the only series that I have to push myself to get the next book and continue. Now, I enjoy reading the series, but I always have this thought that says there is something else I can read, something better. These thoughts just want to make me stop and give up the series completely. However, I refuse to give up the series and I will finish it. I will finish all nine books of the series.
I have expressed many times that I worry for the series because I just don’t want it to be repetitive book after book. In each book, a different story involves another time period. Along with the time travel, it usually takes place within that certain time period. However, in this place, I am glad to say that Scarrow has finally shaken it up. It finally feels that Scarrow knows that it was time to make something different. Instead of the team being in a certain time period, the team was stuck in an alternate present day. That has really became an interesting take for the stories, and it was one that I really enjoyed.
The series are so darn good and for once, I am finally excited to read the next book (which will be in a while because I have a ton of other books to read…) which takes place in Rome! If I had to read anything involving history, it would either in Greece/Rome or Egypt (in which would totally have been cool for this series, but I guess not…). Now, onto the next time-traveling adventure!