Timekeeper by Heather AlbanoMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Timekeeper (Timepiece series) by Heather Albano
I love a book that makes me work and this one did that.
Well not just this one, there's the stack of historical romance novels that all boast the name Trevelyan on them somewhere and then there's the previous series of Steampunk I've read with a Lady Trevelyan and now this with one with minor major characters of the same name. So of course being a neophyte of both Steampunk and Historical Romance and possibly even History itself, I needed to explore to find out about the obsession here.
Were talking Victorian era and that's usually most likely associated some how or another with the UK and others of the EU. There really is a family of that name that seems to have quite a colorful history with the UK and some show up nicely in this time frame. I would hope or imagine this is more in reference to G. M. Trevelyan who was a noted historian after whom was named a college. As an aside to that I noted that Trevelyan College of Durham University ( named after the historian G. M. Trevelyan) presently boasts a professor Trevelyan of mechanics in the school of engineering and that Cardiff University boasts a Dr. who obtained his PhD under the supervision of same said Trevelyan. So there may even be relevance today for the engineering skills of this Trevelyan character.
That said I loved this story as much as the previous but felt in a way that as far as the real plot of this one it was encapsulated within only a small portion of this book and probably could have been inserted into the end of the previous novel. That's just an observation and not a judgement. Surely had it been condensed into the part that seemed appropriate to the plot if we were to continue from the plot of the previous book then we would have missed out on the gem that showcases the authors skills in writing. Since I really enjoyed the story and a prevailing theme is about people making informed choices I can't possibly complain since this sets these people up for an informed choice.
We have here, largely, the story of Gavin Trevelyan and Brenda Evens; Katerina Rasmirovna and Frederick Kent. All of these we have met or heard mention of previously in another reality. This is mostly the story of what they must decide to sacrifice or not in order that our time travelers, Maxwell, William and Elizabeth can move on and attempt to muddle up history again. I can't say that I'm totally happy that it seemed they were almost forced (by events) into the decision in the long run, but at the very least it thrusts our characters back into the main plot-line, which is the important part.
I could almost envision William and Elizabeth as two authors who are writing and rewriting the story of these people. They should try to realize that the more they rewrite the less they may want to actually get to know these people, especially since introductions seem to include having at some time to reveal that they could inadvertently be the architects of these peoples lives. I suppose Maxwell had escaped that by trying in most cases to not reveal too much of who he was.
There is one more time traveler in this one; but you will simply have to read it to find out who it is.
This book brings us to a satisfactory conclusion while leaving the door open for more novels in this set. I can honestly say by the time it finished I almost felt I had spent more time at Waterloo than Napoleon and Wellington. Thankfully Heather keeps every visit there visually entertaining and somewhat modified: each time.
If you've read the previous book you will enjoy this one as much. If not you should: it should interest anyone interested in alternate history and SFF and SteamPunk ; although this one seems more Victorian Romance than Steampunk. In that respect it did lose a bit of... Steam.
I might slowly be coming to be a fan of Steampunk and even some limited-ly so of Victorian Romance. I'm definitely becoming a fan of Heather Albano.
J.L. Dobias
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