For a while now, I have been meaning to pick up The Time Travelers, The First Book of The Gideon Trilogy by Linda Buckely-Archer. It has been touted as the new series to fill the gap for Harry Pottter fans, and I wondered how well it would hold up to the comparison. After having read the first in the series, I must admit to being perplexed. Yes, The Time Travelers is a fantasy, and yes it's an adventure story where good and evil are pitted against one another, but that's where the similarities end. The Time Travelers has a strong historical base, and a much less edgy feel to it. It's well written, engaging, and the historical aspect adds an interesting layer of richness to the story that the Harry Potter books lack.
The premise is that Kate, the daughter of an English scientist, and Peter, a visiting acquaintance of her family's, are whisked back in time after an accident with an antigravity machine at her father's lab. The children land (none too gently either) back in the year 1763 where the villainous Tar Man takes off with the machine and their only hope of returning home to their own time. The children are fortunate enough to meet Gideon Seymour, a gentleman who is hiding a dark past. He agrees to help them try to get the machine back. Along the way they meet, highwayman, nobility, famous characters, and even King George III and his queen. They also learn of their ability to "blur" or disappear and rematerialize ghost-like in their own time.
This may not be a Harry Potter substitute, but it is a well-written adventure with colourful characters, surprise twists, and an ending that will leave you wanting more. So, be smart and pick up The Time Thief, Buckley-Archers's second book of The Gideon Trilogy. And if you're lucky, by the time you finish it, she'll have published the third.
Posts
5 comments:
i havent read this book yet but i am going to . You should read the artemis fowl series if you havent and blog about it to. I t is by Eoin Colfer and the sixth book is coming out in june or july.
there a awesome books umm does anyone know when the 3rd book is comming out.
another great book is endymion spring.
I did read one of the Artemis Fowl books but I can't say I loved it. It reminded me too much of the "know it all kids" I went to school with oh so long ago. Maybe I should give them another try.
it is a great book filled with twists and turns and a kick ass ending
I am wondering if Linda Buckley-Archer has an e-mail address. My son received the first and second book as a gift and went to read the third one (which was not released apparently), but the first book ended up with a title change. The Time travelers and Gideon the Cutpurse, I believe are the same. He is quite disappointed that the bookstore misinformed him when the book was ordered (it took over 6 weeks before that book even came in). We did not even take the plastic off until it was time to read the third book. Well, one month passed (he is only in grade 5) and he finished the first 2 books and the book store would not let him return the book as it was well past 30 days. How disappointing! The popular well-known bookstore was quite rude to him and myself. It is a sad circumstance. He now has a perfectly good hard cover copy of the first book of Gideon's Trilogy never read. This is somewhat of a complaint, but hoping the author has a suggestion. The cost of the book for a grade 5 student is alot and the fact that even if he gives it away as a gift to a friend he loses "his gift". I know now the third book comes out in October 2009. Anyway, I was just venting slightly. More so at the fact the bookstore shows no "grace" and compassion.
Post a Comment