A Tale of Time City [Hardcover]

Diana Wynne Jones (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

Time City is built on a patch of time and space outside history. It is full of wonders and haunted by "time ghosts," but it is nearly worn out and doomed to destruction.

In September 1939, Vivian Smith is on a train, being evacuated from London, when she is kidnapped by two boys from Time City, Jonathan and Sam. They mistakenly think she is the mysterious Time Lady disguised as a child. Only the Time Lady can wake the founder of the city, Faber John, from his age-long sleep, and only he can save the city.

Vivian wants to get home; Jonathan and Sam want her to help them in their quest through the ages of history to save Time City. Meanwhile, someone seems to be tampering with history, changing it over and over, complicating everything. When Faber John is at last aroused, Time City's and Vivian's dilemmas are resolved in ways that are as satisfying as they are unexpected.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A young evacuee from the London blitz is captured and taken to Time City, a place that exists in space and time outside history. "A powerfully moving story about children who are, quite literally, racing through time to save their world," said PW. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up High-spirited time travel fantasy that is sure to delight its readers. When 11-year-old Vivian Smith is evacuated from London in 1939, she expects to end up in the peaceful British countryside. Instead she is kidnapped by two youthful time travellers who mistake her for the ``Time Lady'' and whisk her off to Time City, a richly imagined alternative world which exists in time but not in history. Time City observers, Viv learns, have reason to believe that the Time Lady, the wife of the founder of Time Citya mysterious Merlin figureis at large in history and is busily altering it, thereby endangering not only the historical world but Time City itself. If Vivian is to return to her own world and time, it will be necessary for her to help her kidnappers foil the Time Lady first. That almost nothingwhether person or incidentis precisely what it appears to be at first encounter both complicates Vivian's task and delights readers. This ability to surprise has become a Diana Wynne Jones signature, as have her unflagging inventiveness and almost uncanny ability to create imaginary worlds of resounding reality, a capacity based in part on her attention to detail and in part on her capacity to create believable and sympathetic characters. All of these gifts are in abundant evidence in A Tale of Time City which is, accordingly, absolutely first-rate entertainment. And to her fans, this will be one of the few things about her new book which will come as no surprise! Michael Cart, Beverly Hills Public Lib .
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060298847
• ISBN-13: 978-0060298845
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,582,017 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Diana Wynne Jones spent her childhood in Essex and has been writing fantasy novels for children since 1973. With her unique combination of magic, humour and imagination, she has been enthralling children and adults with her work ever since. She won the Guardian Award in 1977 with Charmed Life, was runner-up for the Children's Book Award in 1981, and was twice runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. She is married with three sons, and lives in Bristol with her husband.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An uncommon masterpiece, June 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Tale of Time City (Paperback)

Based on the fact that I rarely see this book in bookstores or libraries (and that almost nobody I know has read it) I don't think "A Tale of Time City" receives quite the recognition it deserves. My only copy was purchased several years ago and by now, from multiple re-readings and age, it's beginning to fall apart. (I've noticed that the Chrestomanci books are beginning to be reprinted; maybe they'll get around to "A Tale of Time City" sometime soon.)

This book is classic Diana Wynne Jones: convoluted plot, multiple and fascinating characters, a setting that is at once completely outrageous and very real, and all of it tied together with a wonderfully descriptive style of writing. The story begins during World War II when Vivian Smith, a young girl going to stay with her cousin because of the bombings in London, is snatched from a railway station by two boys from Time City (a patch of space-time outside of the normal course of history, designed to make sure that history runs properly and paradoxes are avoided) who believe that she can avert the city's impending destruction.

Unfortunately for Vivian, Jonathan, and Sam (and fortunately for the reader, who gets to enjoy their adventure) it's not quite that simple. Time City's well-being seems to have been bound up in four mysterious "polarities" created by Faber John, the almost mythical founder of the city, each of which has been hidden in a different age. Not to mention the fact that somebody, whom Jonathan and Sam suspect is the Time Lady, Faber John's vengeful wife, seems to be trying to destroy Time City. All in all, there's enough adventure to keep a reader turning pages at blinding speed until the end. On the lighter side, of course, there are also butter-pies (if only they existed!) and Jonathan's father, Sempitern Walker, who is dry, boring, and runs around screaming in his underwear for a half hour before every major ceremony. What can I say? This book is delightful. It deserves all the recognition it can get.

If more people read Diana Wynne Jones, this world would be a better place.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time travel made easy, January 29, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Tale of Time City (Paperback)

One fatal flaw in many time-travel adventures is making it too overwrought and self-conscious. Thankfully Diana Wynne-Jones recognized this, and as a result "Tale of Time City" is shot through with her delightfully otherworldly, wry sense of humor.

It's 1939, and Vivian Smith is heading to the country to stay with her Cousin Marty, while London is being bombed. But as Vivian steps off at the train station, a strange boy moves off and drags her into another world. His name is Jonathan Lee and his younger cousin Sam is helping him. They think that she is the extremely important Time Lady, who is the only one who can wake Time City's founder: Faber John.

Time City, where Jonathan and Sam live, is a futuristic civilization existing outside of time, and observing it closely. And grabbing a person from an unstable era such as "Twenty Century" is a serious offense -- both for them and for Vivian. They hastily disguise her as their cousin Vivian, who is currently living with her parents in Twenty Century as observers, and claim that their aunt and uncle sent Vivian to live back in Time City. Jonathan's family welcomes Vivian with open arms, but she still has to get used to a strange world filled with invisible furniture, androids -- and a future timeline for Earth that boggles the mind.

But Time City itself is in danger. The timekeeping "polarities" are being stolen, and the Faber John's stone (that will supposedly crumble as Time City crumbles) is cracking and crumbling. No one knows what to do -- but Vivian, Jonathon and Sam are determined to find out. Who is stealing the polarities? Who is affecting time? Where are Faber John and the Time Lady -- and how can they help?

"Tale" is a complex book. Perhaps too much so, because though I don't confuse easily, I had a little trouble keeping track of the meanings of various words, the time periods, and some of the secondary characters. It may be one of those books that is impossible to soak in fully at one reading, so I suggest that readers read it more than once.

Wynne-Jones's sense of humor is still present here; she doesn't overdo Vivian's surprise at her futuristic surroundings, but does a realistic job of portraying the desperation a person in her place would be feeling. We also have little nods and winks -- wait for the section where we find out what happened to "Leon." Sempitern Walker is a hilarious character; Elio, the android, is also fun as he experiences things like pain and anger for the first time, as well as the scene where he runs around screaming "SHOOT ME!"

If you're hoping for this book to provide lots of time-hopping to exotic locales rather than a central plot, however, you will not like this. Most of the book is concerned with Time City itself -- but don't worry, it's more than interesting enough to keep interest! One interesting detail is that though Time City itself appears rather science-fictiony, the elements in it such as the "time egg" and the Caskets are pure fantasy and quite enjoyable for a fan of either genre. Twists and complications occur that the reader can't predict or expect, so expect to be stunned and say "Of course!" more than a few times.

Characterizations are great: Vivian is perfect as a young girl snatched from her worrisome but ordinary life; Jonathan is also great, with just enough personality flaws to make him realistic; Sam is a nice sidekick, though his obsession with butter-pies becomes annoying after a while. (He IS only eight...) Elio is a nice character for fans of good androids.

Overall, a nice, complex book both for fanasy/SF fans and for fans of Wynne Jones.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of THE BEST books ever!!!, June 8, 2003

By 

Christa Carlson "bookzinator" (Moorpark, California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Tale of Time City (Paperback)

This is one of my absolute favorite books and is also my first Diana Wynne Jones book.
Vivian Smith has just been evacuated from London and on the train ride to the country side where a Cousin Marty is supposed to meet her. She imagines millions of things that could go wrong, except what actually does.
Two boys kidnap her off to Time City, thinking she was the "Time Lady" and was trying to destroy Time City, which exists in Time, but not in history.
After finally convincing the two boys (Jonathan and Sam) that she wasn't the Time Lady, they realized they're in trouble and can't take her back. So she poses as Vivian Sarah Lee, their cousin, whose parents are out watching time in the 1940's.
All the kids then, after finding a time egg, which allows them to move through time and as Time City gets nearer and nearer torward the end of its cycle, travel through time trying to warn Gaurdians of Caskets (which hold Time City together) that someone is trying to steal them.The iron gets stolen, as well as the silver, but they continue thinking that the Time lady had something to do with it, although a boy keeps showing up.
As time runs out, unsuspected people prove to have important parts and Time Ghosts are made.
This is an absolutely wonderful book, although some parts, mostly the very end for me, are a bit confusing and you may want to read it a few times to help clarify.