Customer Reviews

RIPPING TIME

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If I had realized you could write a "novel" without a conclusion, I could have written one a long time ago. I liked the characters but I don't buy books without an ending. Any more of Mister Aspin's books I read will have to come from the library. Since I really want to know how this one comes out, I'll go there and see if they have a copy of the next one.

I did not like this book. To see my hero Skeeter Jackson reduced to some low level JANITOR and then some kind of self appointed protector of dopey tourists was just about all I could stand, though don't miss it if you are a fan of the serise

Wow! I love this series, but this is my favorite so far. If you haven't read the first three, go get them first. If you have, then you know how good they are, this is better!

Meaning Kit Carson, his grandaughter, Margo, Skeeter Jackson and the rest of the residents of Time Terminal 86, and this time they have to deal with that unknown "gentleman" of Victorian England known as Jack the Ripper. May as well get a couple of flaws out of the way first...As some of the other reviewers have pointed out, this is in two parts, which is needless. The book would not have been absurdly large had it all been published as a single volume, so to actually complete the story, you'll need to go ahead and buy the second book "The House That Jack Built" as well. There is also some bad writing here in a place or two...a few run-on sentences that just go on and on, to the point you find yourself having to go back and reread the passage more than once to figure out what is meant.This is not really a criticism, but the authors obviously accept the James Maybrick Diary (published a few years ago as "The Diary of Jack the Ripper") as geniune. There are some convincing arguements in favor of the diary, but just as many arguements, and just as compelling, that it is false. That said, what you are left with is a "ripping' (lousy pun intended) good story. You have a crooked polictian (isn't this becoming just a bit of cliche character now?) with his own agenda, murdering anyone who gets in the way, including his own daugther, who manages to avoid the planned hit with the help of a mysterious private investigator, and flees down the Victorian England "gate" to escape the pursuing hit men, and guess who is waiting on the other side? Actually, the "Whitechapel Murders" forms a second plot, in which a team of investigators are trying to positivly ID the Ripper,but they are in for a big surprise when they do. A pretty good book, but you do have to have both of them...

As noted by other reviewers, this book was a bit of a "rip" off since it ended with the words "To be continued" and no resolution of the major plot points. Luckily, I was warned about this flaw and didn't start the book until I had the sequel, "The House that Jack Built," in hand (now available from Amazon).

This book is as well-researched and textured as the other books in this series-- a great deal of time has clearly been put into the historical descriptions of Victorian England. While I'm sure there are mistakes, this authors clearly spend a great deal of time on this and it makes the books delightful to read.

Together, the two books are quite gripping. I recommend them. Just don't start them on a day when you have other things to do.

One side note: although this is nominally a science fiction novel taking place in the late 21st century, the descriptions of technology (except for time travel) seem right out of the EARLY 21st century. Interestingly, authors who have a clear vision of the past don't seem to have as much imagination about the future.

I would have given this book three stars except for its major flaw.

Its one major flaw is that the story stops dead with a "to be continued". In other words, you've purchased half a book and read half a story with no guarantee that part 2 (and maybe part 3...) will ever be published.

Another flaw in this book is that you need to have read earlier books in the series to understand some of the action and many of the references. The earlier books at least had an ending.

Although it was overly graphic, I did find the story lines compelling. As another reviewer commented I was really worried that they would "neatly" tie up the story as fewer and fewer pages remained. I'm glad that wasn't done, but really resent no warning that the story would be "to be continued".

If I were you, I would read this book, but not until after the sequel "The House That Jack Built" is released. It's not worth it until then!

I had really enjoyed Time Scout and its sequel, Wagers of Sin, so I eagerly grabbed a copy of Ripping Time when I found it. The characters were pale imitations of the earlier works in the series. They are now motivated by nothing beyond pure revenge, and the graphic violence in the story (not only in describing Jack the Ripper) gives the whole novel a depressing feeling. Had I not enjoyed the first two books so much, I would not even have finished it.

Granted, I did begin to feel interested in the outcome, but only in time to find out that the book doesn't end-- it's just to be continued in a future story. But no matter, these characters are all shallow enough that I will completely have forgotten about them by the time the next book comes out. Buy the sequel? I don't think so.

I got suspicious about 100 pages before the end of the book thinking that it would be difficult to tie everything up. Sure enough, another of Linda Evans' books that is continued without warning. I've been waiting for over 2 years for the 2nd part to her "Far Edge of Darkness" novel and it still hasn't been released. Very irritating.

I found the violence to be much more graphic than earlier books in the series; needlessly so. It simply made the book longer so that the authors could make it a 2 parter, and it bogged down what could have been an interesting story line. Don't bother with this one unless you enjoy vivid descriptions of people being cut up. If you do, this book's for you!

This book is okay, but falls terribly short of the excellent humorous sci-fi Myth-tery series of books. It is maybe even slightly less enjoyable than Mr. Asprin's short lived Phule's Army series. The overall story is a combination of various intertwined story lines that do not seem to fit together too well, and sometimes a story is pushed into the background for so long that you forget about it and no longer care when it resurfaces. Also, I personally find the two main characters, both teenage females, a little too similar and I could care less about their teenage insecurities. But, now that I have read the first half of the story, I am hooked and will buy the second half of the story as soon as it is available.