The Time Roads

August 11, 2014
Áine Lasairíona Devereaux is the young Queen of Éire, a intricately detailed steam-punk version of Ireland at the beginning of the 20th century. Facing assassination attempts from Anglian rebels, Áine funds the research of the scientist Breandan Ó Cuilinn, who attempts to send objects into the future. Aidrean Ó Deághaidh, police officer and the Queen’s trusted bodyguard, investigates murders of mathematicians at Éire’s largest university—until suddenly, after the explosion of Ó Cuilinn’s airship, the crimes never happened at all. Bernobich (the River of Souls trilogy) focuses on political machinations and factional trickery in this ambitious but flawed novel, in which the future of Europe depends on whether the Queen and Ó Deághaidh can handle the implications of the time travel technology as they work to avert a continent-wide war. Bernobich’s depth of world-building and richness of setting are splendid, but the shifting time lines are confusing and poorly explained, and the characters are two-dimensional and predictable to the point of banality. A plethora of explosions fails to inject emotional suspense, although the plotting and counterplotting between nations provide some satisfaction. Agent: Vaughne Lee Hansen, Virginia Kidd Agency.

October 15, 2014
An alternate universe risks destroying its own timeline (or perhaps several timelines) in this new novel by the author of Allegiance (2013, etc.).Steampunk novels are often set in or near London, and a cameo by Queen Victoria is practically de rigueur. So it's a pleasure to encounter a steampunk work in which England has a decidedly diminished role. These four interwoven stories (three previously published elsewhere) take place between 1897 and 1914 in an alternate Europe where Eire (Ireland) is a powerful nation that also rules over a splintered England as well as Wales; Alba (Scotland) remains independent. Aine Lasairiona Devereaux, the young queen of Eire, aided by her most trusted agent, Cmdr. Aidrean O Deaghaidh, struggles to establish political ascendancy over treacherous members of her own government, defuse Anglian rebels seeking independence, and build amicable relations with a turbulent Europe and Africa in the potential run-up to this universe's equivalent of World War I. The kicker is that physicists and mathematicians in Eire and elsewhere have made significant progress in time-travel research. Dissidents of all sorts seek to turn that research into a weapon, creating fractures and disruptions that cause memory confusion, madness, destruction and death. The book ends on a note of hope, albeit an uncertain one: Given what we know of time travel, both negative and positive events can be overwritten.Feels slightly unfinished but in an interesting and appropriate way.

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September 15, 2014

Four novellas set in 1897 through 1914 explore the empire of Eire under the rule of fledgling Queen Aine, an empire that faces destruction both within and without from political machinations and scientific experimentation. In "The Golden Octopus," Aine offers Dr. Breandan O Cuilinn financial backing as he investigates time fractures, but her support comes with an unexpected cost to her heart. The time fractures overlap with "A Flight of Numbers Fantastique Strange," as mathematics student Siomon Madoc discovers a connection among them, the murders of other math students, and his sister's descent into madness on a long-ago day. In "Ars Memoriae," Commander Aidrean O Deaghaidh, the queen's bodyguard who investigated the murders of math students and survived with two different memories of time, is sent to Montenegro as a spy. And in "The Time Roads," Aine is determined to forge a Union of Nations, but the unrest brewing in the Anglian Districts and across the continent explodes as terrorists combine time experiments and explosives in an attempt to change the future. VERDICT Bernobich ("River of Souls" series) subtly blends these interlocking stories so skillfully the true impact is felt only after the last page is turned. Recommended for fans of alternate history, and since elements are reminiscent of the genre, steampunk. [Previewed in Eric Norton's sf/fantasy feature, "A Multiplicity of Realms," LJ 8/14.]--Melanie C. Duncan, Shurling Lib., Macon, GA

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2014
Late-nineteenth-century Ireland is perched on the precipice of a new century, where danger and disillusion loom in this fantastical adventure. As one of the most powerful and technologically advanced societies in Europe, ire is the target of bitterly oppressed Anglican rebels and a perplexing conspiracy aimed at killing a host of brilliant scientists and mathematicians. To avert chaos and annihilation, the concept and the technology of time must be mastered and tamed. Science, time travel, politics, and mystery combine as ine Lasair-ona Devereaux, the young queen of ire, proactively attempts to protect her kingdom. Science-fiction, fantasy, and steampunk enthusiasts will enjoy the ride as this imaginative alternative history ratchets back and forth through time.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)