The Map of Time: A Novel [Hardcover]

Do you ever start a book , get a few pages in, recognize that you are inextricably hooked already and jump for joy when you realize there are 600 more pages left to savour?

That's exactly how I felt after the first two chapters of Félix J. Palma's novel The Map of Time.

It started off in one of my favourite time periods - Victorian England - with an unknown narrator telling us of a young man's visit to Whitechapel in 1888- the time of Jack the Ripper - and more.

"Yes, I know that when I began this tale, I promised there would be a fabulous time machine, and there will be, there will even be intrepid explorers and fierce native tribes - a must in any adventure story. But all in good time, isn't it necessary at the start of any game to place all the pieces on their respective squares first? Of course it is, in which case let me continue setting up the board, slowly but surely..."

At the heart of it all - Murray's Time Travel. Could the fourth dimension really have been discovered in 1896? ..."what was underneath the world, what was behind reality." Can the Murray Company really take travellers to the year 2000? All of Victorian England would like to believe so. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and their futuristic novels are all the rage.

H. G. Wells plays a prominent role in this tale, as well as other historical figures including the Elephant Man, Henry James, Bram Stoker. Palma creates many other characters, all incredibly well drawn, leaping off the page and into my imagination with ease.

The book is written in three parts, with each part approaching time travel from a slightly different angle, with the third part tying it altogether. But not tying it all up with a neat little bow, for Palma plays with us many times throughout the 600+ pages. We are kept on our toes, wondering if time travel was/is possible....

There is no way to pigeonhole this book into any one genre. It is incredibly imaginative, ingenious, whimsical and addictive, combining history, mystery, romance, adventure and fantasy into a page turning, clever, keep you on your toes, thought provoking tale. What would you do if you could go back in the past or see what's coming in the future?

Palma is an absolutely fantastic storyteller. I was captured from first page to last. For those who are looking for something completely different, pick up The Map of Time, releasing today.

Until I was several chapters into this book I was beginning to wonder if I wanted to continue. At times I groaned while reading, sometimes smiled, and often stopped to ponder certain paragraphs. It was a story of many things; imaginative, different, strange, but yet, soon became compelling enough to finish. When I finally read the last page, I felt I had been thoroughly entertained and pleased to have read such a creative and unique book.

Review for 'The Map of Time' by Félix J. Palma (guest reviewer Derwyn Costinak)

Let me begin at the outset by saying that it is difficult to write about this book without giving anything away. The creativity of the storyline and the approach taken by Palma in describing the story is one that I have not seen in any book I can recall. However, to go into much detail about what exactly the author does is to risk setting a new reader up, causing him or her to anticipate the direction of the narrative. I do not wish to do that, so I will be necessarily general in this review.

'The Map of Time' is about time travel in the late nineteenth century. Palma has chosen to tell his tale using fictional characters which interact with historical figures. This particular approach makes for an entertaining read as it brings the reader into a much more plausible world; Palma has worked to ensure that the events he narrates might very well have been experienced by these real people. Divided into three parts, the book tells three stories, each told by the same all-seeing narrator. I must say that the occasional asides the narrator directs to the reader were less than enjoyable for me, interrupting the flow of the story as they do. Starting from a rather small story, the narrative seems to be narrow and slow at first, but broadens as the second part of the book approaches. As it continues, Palma's brilliance in creativity is displayed, causing the reader to keep turning pages, eager to discover how everything is resolved. Once reached, that resolution may or may not be satisfactory, depending on the expectation of the one turning pages. I had hoped for more, but I cannot say that I was disappointed, either.

Based on Wanda's practice of granting a 5 only to books that are 'unputdownable,' I must give this one a rank of 4 out of 5. Let me quickly add, though, that this is a good thing, as you will want to put the book down at times so that you can think over what you've read in preparation for what is to come. You will not want to speed through this one...

I received this book free from Atria Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.