For lovers of history ....Jodi Taylor

For lovers of history ....Jodi Taylor

Author
Discussion

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Monday 19th January 2015
quotequote all
I cannot recommend Jodi Taylor highly enough.

Its Doctor Who crossed with Terry Pratchet. This is a wonderful wonderful series of books for anybody who has ever been a history geek. Funny brilliant and written by an author who so obviously loves her niche.

irocfan

40,153 posts

189 months

Wednesday 28th January 2015
quotequote all
and don't expect Jodi Taylor the author to be the first search result!!!

I have read the 1st in the St Mary's series and found it to be quite enjoyable, are now getting ready for the sequels smile

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Friday 30th January 2015
quotequote all
They remain highly enjoyable iroc and at times pull no emotional punches. Some great comedy aswell smile

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Sunday 19th April 2015
quotequote all
Book 5 released in last month. It's brilliant.

If you want a new Pratchett - this is your girl.
And God if you love history is this your girl!

Morf

215 posts

169 months

Monday 27th April 2015
quotequote all
Thanks for this recommendation, I'm about half way through the first book and it's very good.

I have to say, though, that the basic idea (time travelling historians, history won't let you change things in the past hence avoiding paradoxes) is not that original.

You'll find very similar ideas from Connie Willis with "Doomsday Book", "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and the WWII series "Firewatch", "Blackout" and "All Clear" http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/connie-willis/.

Also, more recently, Neve Maslakovic's "Incident" series http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/neve-maslakovi....

I'd recommend both of these if you enjoy time travel/history stories.

...and if you like your time travel mixed in with all sorts of other weirdness including living inside books, try Jasper Fforde http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/jasper-fforde/

Morf

215 posts

169 months

Wednesday 20th May 2015
quotequote all
A "boxed set" of the first three books in Jodi Taylor's "St Mary's" series is currently available for Kindle at 99p, offer valid for the next 3 days:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chronicles-St-Marys-Boxset...

Well worthwile at that price!

tomw2000

2,508 posts

194 months

Monday 8th June 2015
quotequote all
Really enjoying these. Done the first 4 in two weeks smile

Morf

215 posts

169 months

Tuesday 16th June 2015
quotequote all
tomw2000 said:
Really enjoying these. Done the first 4 in two weeks smile
They get to you like that, don't they!

If I had any criticism of these books at all, it would be that the pace never slows down at all, so there's never an easy point to stop reading.

Most books sort-of go:

crisis 1
resolution 1
quiet bit
crisis 2
resolution 2....

whereas these seem to go:

crisis 1
crisis 2
resolution 1
crisis 3
crisis 4
resolution 2...

there's never a quiet bit in between!

I'm actually working through them a second time, and I'm finding that because I know how the crises will be resolved, I can concentrate more on the story and I'm finding there's a lot I don't remember from the first reading.

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Sunday 19th July 2015
quotequote all
The pace is brilliant smile

Its not just the story of the plots its the context she sets them. This is an author who LOVES her history, she is completely and utterly in love with history itself, the series is basically a love poem to the subject of History.

As a lapsed true devotee to the greatest subject in the world, these books are basically like a balm upon my soul. To study history academically I found is to have all the fun and joy sucked out of the subject. Once I finished with it at uni I pretty much ignored the subject for a decade. Ive rediscovered my love of it since turning 30 and been able to indulge myself back into the subject and rather than worrying about how dry and annoying Id find it again, thinking about Uni etc, instead its been like it was when I was younger, its been a joyful reunion. I so get what Taylor is writing about and how she wants to make it leap of the page and make you want to read more about the period she immerses you in.

I may be biased because Im also a HUGE Troy/Mycenai geek smile And Im an engineer. A book series about Historians and engineers and rogue maniac inventing Professors? Its the greatest series in the world smile

irocfan

40,153 posts

189 months

Sunday 19th July 2015
quotequote all
DJRC said:
I may be biased because Im also a HUGE Troy/Mycenai geek smile
With this in mind what did you think to David Gemmell's Troy trilogy?

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
It's a good series - standard Gemmel, ie. well written, taut, good plot and engaging read.

Unfortunately - it's standard Gemmel.

Gemmel's trouble is that created Druss and Waylander first and every character since then has either been Druss or Waylander lite or just not as good.


ali_kat

31,988 posts

220 months

Monday 20th July 2015
quotequote all
Purchased, on your head be it if I don't enjoy it!

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Tuesday 21st July 2015
quotequote all
Ali...trust me smile

Nom de ploom

4,890 posts

173 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
irocfan said:
and don't expect Jodi Taylor the author to be the first search result!!!
erm...quite! I think the Other jodi taylor is more involved in something that rhymes with books.

work place image filter needs upgrading i think...jeez.

ali_kat

31,988 posts

220 months

Thursday 30th July 2015
quotequote all
DJRC said:
Ali...trust me smile
On chapter 4 of 1st... I'm curious

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Tuesday 4th August 2015
quotequote all
And...?

ali_kat

31,988 posts

220 months

Tuesday 4th August 2015
quotequote all
Book 4... thumbup

DJRC

Original Poster:

23,563 posts

235 months

Tuesday 4th August 2015
quotequote all
Next book comes out later this month I think smile The short stories are also enjoyable.

Morf

215 posts

169 months

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Monday 10th August 2015
quotequote all
Read the first, just started the second. Jolly good.
Time for a cuppa.