A review by megapolisomancy
No Present Like Time by Steph Swainston
5.0
The continuing adventures of Jant and his fellow misfits, the Circle of 50 immortals tasked with protecting their world from the onslaught of the alien Insects. The latter take a back seat in this entry in favor of a newly-discovered utopian island. Said island is an Athenian democracy (convincingly alien to our protagonists), as opposed to the imperial Fourlands, but the two nations share a struggle with balancing stasis and progress, one of the key thematic touchpoints of the series.
Ironically, given this examination of time and development, pacing and plot were the biggest flaws of _Year of Our War_, which careened from subplot to subplot before a rather abrupt ending, but Swainston has improved on that aspect a thousandfold here, ably weaving Jant's personal crises together with events on the socio-historical stage. Jant's flight is what makes him unique in this world, and Swainston is particularly adept at conveying the physical, mechanical issues of his flying. Same with his addiction to the drug "cat," actually, and it's probably no coincidence that these are both sources of deep physical and mental pain for our POV character. It was a little frustrating to see the drug use pop up again after he shed it in the first book, but that's addiction, I guess. It was not frustrating to revisit the Shift, a kind of gonzo multidimensional parallel world that Jant's spirit visits when he ODs.
Ironically, given this examination of time and development, pacing and plot were the biggest flaws of _Year of Our War_, which careened from subplot to subplot before a rather abrupt ending, but Swainston has improved on that aspect a thousandfold here, ably weaving Jant's personal crises together with events on the socio-historical stage. Jant's flight is what makes him unique in this world, and Swainston is particularly adept at conveying the physical, mechanical issues of his flying. Same with his addiction to the drug "cat," actually, and it's probably no coincidence that these are both sources of deep physical and mental pain for our POV character. It was a little frustrating to see the drug use pop up again after he shed it in the first book, but that's addiction, I guess. It was not frustrating to revisit the Shift, a kind of gonzo multidimensional parallel world that Jant's spirit visits when he ODs.