All That Shaz: BOOK REVIEW: The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

I?m a fan of sci-fi tales, particularly the time-travelling variety.? Temporal paradoxes, alternate realities and the grand web of time thrill me in much the same way catnip excites my cat.? When offered a chance to preview The Map of Time, I literally jumped at it.? I mean, just look at that gorgeous cover!

Set in Victorian London, the story mixes together elements of science fiction, historical fiction, romance and a dash of mystery.? Instead of one cohesive tale, Felix J. Palma offers three interconnected stories, each featuring H. G. Wells.?

At times, the author gets a bit longwinded, providing details that are superfluous to the already lengthly and convoluted plot.? Also, throughout the book, the author directly addresses the reader. Personally, I liked the technique.? But I can understand why others might find it annoying as it does bring the narrative flow to a screeching halt.

Still, I really wanted to love this quirky book.

The story started out rather grimly with a young man contemplating suicide and, to be honest, things didn't get much cheerier.? There are some pretty grisly descriptions of what Jack the Ripper did to his victims.? I gritted my teeth and kept reading.

There?s also a lot of nonsense about a tram that can take people to the year 2000.? Being a Doctor Who fan, I know a bit about camp sci-fi plots, so I smiled tolerantly and continued on.

However on page 400, I encountered something so foul I hurled the book from me with a cry of disgust.

What, you ask, was this vile thing that stopped my reading dead in its tracks?? Some of the worst erotica it has ever been my misfortune to read.?

Now, I?m no prude and over the years I?ve read (and re-read) more than a few steamy scenes.? But this one was turgid rather than torrid and completely unnecessary.

In a voyeuristic attempt to learn what it feels like for a girl, Wells requests a young woman to describe her first sexual encounter.? As the woman wondered how she could have lived so long without feeling a man ?thrusting sweetly? into her, I wondered why the author felt it necessary to clutter his mildly interesting tale with such pointless purple prose.? Perhaps it was meant to titillate, but I found it badly written and unspeakably infuriating ? especially since 50 pages earlier, the author assured readers he had no intention of taking us into the bedroom where the act was taking place.? (And just for the record gentlemen, the book's depiction is most definitely NOT how it feels for the ladies.)

The next day I tried to get back into the story, but skimming through the remaining 200 pages, I couldn?t find anything that interested me.? The truth is, I didn?t like any of the characters and didn?t care in the least what happened to them.

The Map of Time?was a massive disappointment.? If I had a time machine, I?d go back and tell myself not to bother with it.?

An advance reading copy was sent to me for consideration. ?????????

Source: http://allthatshazzer.blogspot.com/2011/06/book-review-map-of-time-by-felix-j.html

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