Customer Reviews

British Summertime

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I came across this book by chance at a used bookstore. I read the description on the back--time travel, angels, religion...it seemed interesting, if a bit scattered. I paid maybe $4 for it, and had it for a year before I actually read it.

Once I got past the first few chapters, I was hooked--this book is complicated, and fast-paced. The characters are strong but the story is stronger. I am a fan of modern fantasy and sci-fi that doesn't resemble star trek. Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. If you like his imagination and complex storylines, like American Gods or Anansi Boys, you will be blown away by this book. It is even more imaginative, even more complex.

This isn't a light read, it takes some getting used to in the beginning, but it all comes together later on. Lots of powerful images, and a touching/tragic love story woven into it as well. I would recommend this to anyone who likes an expansive, surprising story. It does not dissapoint.

Paul Cornell wrote the single best episode of Doctor Who in the entire decades-long history of the program with the two-part episode "Human Nature / the Family of Blood." He's also one of the best of the writers to emerge from the Virgin Books line of Doctor Who novels, and is proving to be an accomplished comic book writer with his recent work for Marvel. British Summertime is one of his two "mainstream" science fiction novels, and it's an absolutely brilliant work. I'm glad to see it making it's US debut now and I hope that US readers are about to discover what a fantastic writer Paul is.

Don't let the goofy cover and useless title fool you. British Summertime is a gripping yarn and with excellent prose, detailed characterization, and a highly imaginative time travel story. There are so many threads that by the time you reach the three-quarters point that you might think Cornell couldn't possibly tie them all together, but he does for a mostly satisfying conclusion.

It is sort of odd though, to read a book that is so avowedly and unapologetically pro-Communist. I suppose there have been enough ultra libertarian SF books by now that it's about time someone went the opposite way. The way he ties Communism to the story of Jesus is a nice touch--Jesus being, after all, probably the prototypical small-c communist. It's a startling and original premise, though some readers might find it off-putting.

Without giving anything away, the conclusion to British Summertime could have been better. There is a bit of hand waving to cover up various time paradoxes and certain challenges that seem like they would be very difficult to overcome end up being almost comically easy. But these flaws detract only very slightly from what it otherwise a fine SF novel worthy of more attention.

If you like Tim Powers, Theodore Sturgeon, Neil Gaiman, PKD, and Jon Courtenay Grimwood, you'll like this time-tripping read. This is not really young adult fiction, be prepared to think about weighty issues such as Christianity, capitalism, sex, and drugs.

This was a unique concept tying time travel, religion, fantasy, science fiction, horror, romance and several other devices into one story. I had fun reading it, but I was disappointed in the number of things he left dangling. I don't mind open ended stories but the lapses in this book didn't seem to be deliberate. There was also a considerable lack of editing.

The ending left Cornell an opening for a sequel. If there is one, I'll pass on it. This was far from the worst I've read recently, but it just didn't live up to its potential.