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“I was in Mexico City for three months, and yet returned to England on the same day that I left…��

Through her time-travel research, physicist Dr Sofia Ustinova has attracted the interest of higher beings from a distant galaxy��

Luna, a porcelain-skinned teenager, lives alone in a Danish forest where she guards an astonishing secret��
Pablo, an optimistic shoeshine boy, struggles to earn a living on the sweltering streets of Mexico City��

Meanwhile, Hugo Wilde, a British secret agent, embarks on a mission to kill a Russian assassin, unaware that his life is about to change in ways he could never have imagined��

I'm about halfway through. The first few chapters threw me off a bit but I'm well into the story now. The author is surprising me with plot developments that I hadn't expected.

Who else is reading this one?

I'm reading this for the second time. Kevin is an awesome writer. I loved this book and his other books as well. He was kind enough to gift me with a signed copy of this and The Fish That Climbed A Tree, which is my favorite.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Who else is reading this one?"

The book is absent in my library plus no audio, which is my preferred medium right now. If I see rave reviews here I may buy the book

Thirteen members voted for this selection with the understanding that they would read the book and participate in the discussion. Glenda and I are here. Where are the other eleven?

Loz
Nilanjana
Andrew
isainblue
Adrian
Praveen
Anna
Daniel
Gibbothegreat
Barb
Nick

I think people vote to be part of the group and may intend to read the book of the month but cannot for some reason (which is their own business).
I plan to read In the Shadow of Time but will have to do so at the end of the month. I volunteered to read an ARC months ago and the author released it a couple weeks ago. Also, though my local library has many branches to borrow from, but I just found out I can also use interlibrary loan for libraries outside of my system. So I requested Sun of Suns and assumed it would take 6-8 weeks to arrive but it came in only a week. I need to read those two ASAP.
I appreciate those who vote, as well as those who read and comment, because more involvement means a richer experience for everyone!

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Thirteen members voted for this selection with the understanding that they would read the book and participate in the discussion. Glenda and I are here. Where are the other eleven? ."

I see this problem times and times again in different groups, Usually, it can be 'helped' by not member-mailing the poll's link, so only those who follow the group's posts are voting. I put helping in quotes because this method also decreases the chance that a 'non-regular' member will vote and participate

Hi there RJ Slayer, I would love to learn about your thoughts on the character Luna, my favourite character in the book.

I think the character sketch is great and one gets the feel of a fractious alien.

Your thoughts?

And yes, author Ansbro is full of surprising plot developments. I have felt felt in each of his novels.

I did not vote for it, but I always try to read the chosen book - unless I read it before as was the case of the last botm. This month's book looks interesting to me but, like Oleksandr, I can't find it in a public library I have access to.
About the voting, I think there are different reasons why people vote. Sometimes people vote for a book they think is the best of the offered choices, but not necessarily want to read or discuss it.
Some voters like myself vote for a book with the intention of reading it with the group.
And this month we see there are also new voters that have read Ansbro's book already, so I think they nominate and vote to promote the book and writer, and not with the intention to read it together with the group. I guess that is not against the 'rules', but it creates the strange situation here that RJ points out.

Nilanjana wrote: "Hi there RJ Slayer, I would love to learn about your thoughts on the character Luna, my favourite character in the book.

I think the character sketch is great and one gets the feel of a fractious..."

Luna seems to me - at this halfway point of my read - to be the central character of the story, yet she was also one of the last characters to be introduced. Luna is featured on the cover wearing her 1/2 Dia De Los Muertos makeup (I had been wondering what was going on with that - it looked almost like she had a black eye) so it does seem like she's going to be important to the novel.

Luna seems to be somewhat based on that archetype of the assassin's daughter that I always associate with the film Hanna but can be traced back at least to La Femme Nikita (although Nikita would be a "daughter" only in the metaphorical sense in that film). She's uber-smart and confident and very independent.

But she can also fly, or "float." And she seems to have some precognitive powers. She was raised by a serial killer (unknown to her) but her real parents left her in the woods to be found and raised then they died at the base of her tree.

So my opinion is not firm regarding Luna. I think we have a lot to learn about her in the next 200 pages.

Thank you for joining the discussion Nilanjana. Have you finished the book or are you still reading it?

Oleksandr wrote: "I see this problem times and times again in different groups, Usually, it can be 'helped' by not member-mailing the poll's link, so only those who follow the group's posts are voting...."

The disadvantage of that method is that it seems to stifle participation. And the number of votes drop way down when the email invitation isn't sent. I'm not saying that way is wrong, just that it has distinct disadvantages. I think the goal in either case is to select the book that the most members want to read and then to promote and encourage a healthy discussion. I'm not sure what the answer is - it's not an easy solution though, or everyone would be doing it.

Leo wrote: "I did not vote for it, but I always try to read the chosen book - unless I read it before as was the case of the last botm...."

Interesting. I don't feel any compulsion to read a book I didn't vote for, but if I voted for something I will read it and comment. I think your way has the advantage of opening the door to some reading experiences that might otherwise be missed. I couldn't do that because I'm in a lot of groups and have to pick and choose my group reads carefully. But I think for a group like this there are a lot of advantages to your method.

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "I think your way has the advantage of opening the door to some reading experiences that might otherwise be missed. I couldn't do that because I'm in a lot of groups ..."

That is indeed why I choose this. But hard to keep up when you are participating in a lot of groups.

Hi RJ Slayer,

You are welcome ^_^

I had already read the book before joining the book club. But I am happy to join the discussion nevertheless.


Ah! You are the first person who has picked up that cover picture detail in my opinion. Wonderful! I found it very sinister too in the beginning until I realised why it was designed to be that way. It’s enigmatic!


I didn’t know of La Femme Nikita and checked the official trailer for it. Intriguing that you thought of Luna that way. Right! She is uber smart and confident.

When I began reading about Luna, I had no clue I would discover all I discovered about her later.

What struck me with shivers down my spine throughout the novel were the plot designing, and unexpected changes in the story. Some caught me off guard very sharply ( something I really like). The Pablo story is rather heart rending.


Which part, may I ask, are you reading now, RJ Slayer? Thoughts on what you have read so far? You said that you found some really unexpected plot developments.

More from me later 😃

Nilanjana wrote: "...Which part, may I ask, are you reading now, RJ Slayer? Thoughts on what you have read so far? You said that you found some really unexpected plot developments...."

I'm almost done. I should finish in the next couple days and I'll share some final thoughts then.

How is everyone else doing on the read?

I finished the book. While I can see its appeal (strong writing, some interesting characters, artistic hyperbole) I felt it read too much like fiction for my taste.
Having recently read Hyperion and Cloud Atlas which both have longer segments of fiction, I just feel ready to immerse myself in a made up world. I read largely for the escapement factor and when a book is too close to reality, I find my enjoyment goes down.

I would love to read your thoughts on the novel someday, RJ.

Hi Natalie, I understand and get your points.

Thanks for your opinion, Natalie! I, depending on current mood i guess, either like or dislike literary pieces

Nilanjana wrote: "I would love to read your thoughts on the novel someday, RJ...."

Well, today your dream is coming true Nilanjana. ;-)

First, here's my review, if anyone wants to read it: /review/show...

And there will be spoilers below, which - since we've just about reached the end of our month-long discussion of the book, is probably OK, but don't read any farther if you haven't finished the book.

I wouldn't classify the story as Science-Fiction. The time travel is more like "magical realism" - with no explanation given other than a shoulder shrug - that scoots the characters around the world in time and location to wherever they need to be next.

I did enjoy it though. The story is fun and easy to read - there's not a lot of lengthy descriptions or existential hand-wringing. Although bad things - including death - happen to some of the characters, the story is fairly upbeat and optimistic. I found myself enjoying the optimism and joyful zest for life that shone through, and I wonder how much of it was a reflection of the author's personality.

I should mention the other Sci-Fi element that we learn near the end: Luna is actually an alien. She's a very human-esque alien apparently, but alien nevertheless. Did her people grant the time machine to our heroes to allow them to live their destiny and shape the life of Luna? Again, this is not really answered, but we can assume it to be so.

A solid review, RJ!

Oleksandr wrote: "A solid review, RJ!"

Thank you Oleksandr. Did you read the book too?

RJ - Slayer of Trolls wrote: "Did you read the book too?"

No, neither of my several libraries had it and I haven't been persuaded to buy it

Hi RJ Slayer,

I just read your lovely review and your thoughts here.

I was moved to a smile at the Denise Richards comment. 😁

I really loved your points. I never knew thought of the final Luna insights in your message above. Intriguing! That’s very much possible. 😃

I agree that the optimistic and bouyant air throughout the story is a joy to behold. That’s one of the first things that a reader comes to notice 😃.

I loved the switches in time made by the author. They really catch one off-guard!


I fully agree with this line��-> the author’s writing is uncluttered and sprightly.

I think that makes one aware of the fact that for a story to appeal to one, it needn’t by ‘usual convention�� fit into an exact established genre but succeed in taking on an immersive journey. Which I can clearly see you came to experience RJ Slayer.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really loved reading them. 😃

Have a good day, Sir!

Nilanjana wrote: "Hi RJ Slayer,

I just read your lovely review and your thoughts here...."

Thanks Nilanjana, and thanks for commenting on my review. I did like the pleasant upbeat writing style of Ansbro. I hadn't realized how grim my reading selections have been lately until I read this book which was like a breath of fresh air. It reminded me that it's OK to read just for the fun of reading.

You are welcome, Sir RJ.

I agree. And I’m happy that you came across such a book.

We do tend to forget that the real reason we read a book is to escape into any world. 😊

I have found myself lost in other worlds whenever in have read an Ansbro novel ( he is primarily a magical realism author).

Take care. Hope you continue having such memorable reading experiences 😊

I'm the "Daniel" from the list of those who voted for this book. Sorry it took me a bit to finish!

I enjoyed reading the book but I hate the book. I can hold space for that will be explained later, so just wait or even this is going somewhere, right?, but when I finish, those things I held space for should be resolved!

I'm kind of angry about it--the wasted time. It was a dice-roll hodgepodge: Randomly select some main characters... female Russian physicist, British spy, Mexican shoe shine boy, and Danish albino witch child. Have them all fall in love (throw in a teenage sex scene too). Then toss in pointless bad guys who cause problems that get solved in the next chapter!

There was no character development or growth, no deep meaning, no poetry of words or emotion. It was all too easy, everyone was already a genius and was spoon-fed everything they wanted.

The one question that could have tied it all together at the end--who helped our adventurers travel through time? wasn't even answered. Wah wah.

My first one-star book this year :(

That is a good question: "who helped our adventurers travel through time?" The science, or alien intervention, is missing.
I felt similarly about another book we read where the characters discuss what aliens left behind. I would have liked to meet the aliens!

Natalie wrote: "That is a good question: "who helped our adventurers travel through time?" The science, or alien intervention, is missing...."

Yes, that never is answered, is it? I felt as though that was intentional on the part of the author. It seemed that he was playfully acknowledging that in most time travel stories the time travel exists just to make the story work. Although the scientist theorized early on that aliens granted her the time travel machine because they were so impressed with her work, that explanation doesn't really ring true. After all, the way the controls work, it's more like "time travel for dummies" - taking the characters exactly where they need to be next and nowhere else, so they can't accidentally go back and change history in momentous ways. Thinking back to the beginning of the story, where the baby is left in the forest and the parents die, it seems to me as though the entire story was set up by the baby's parents, whether they were aliens or from the future or whatever. They must have been the ones who sent the time machine and set the events in motion to ensure that their daughter would be raised by the right people, in the right situation. One can imagine her birth parents also standing in spirit next to Hugo and Sofia and happily observing the wedding day festivities. It made me think about the things parents will do for their children. So I'm sad to hear you didn't like it, Daniel, but I can respect your desire for a more thorough explanation.

That's a plausible guess RJ, that the girl's parents set up the time machine. I've read several time travel books and most that I read (like The End of Eternity and The Doomsday Book) select exactly where they want to go, or at least try to do so. Having the time selected for the time travelers seems a bit unusual from what I have read.