The Timeseer’s Gambit
Sequel to The Deathsniffer’s Assistant (See that review here.)
Kate McIntyre
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Gaslamp (Historical) Fantasy
Should You Read It: Yes
2-LINE SUMMARY
In a world where bound elementals power everything from toilets to air conditioning, a rogue “binder” of said spirits makes for a terrifying and elusive killer. Christopher Buckley, the slightly vain and emotionally overwrought young assistant to the flamboyant detective Olivia Faraday, must use his own mysterious skills to help her find out who is killing so many seemingly innocent priests – all before their sweltering Victorian city of Darrington suffers a bloody political collapse.
PROS
- General Improvement. I complained in TDA of typos, but this book has been much more cleaned up. I also felt it ran smoother -and that the pages turned faster!
- An Underlying Storyline. Several different stories are happening simultaneously, and they intertwine and enrich one another well. This builds into a third book without losing any of its own splendor.
- Character Development. In TDA, I felt that the character of the Deathsniffer was a little cliché and perhaps a little inept. No more. McIntyre has rounded out Olivia Faraday and put a little more devil in her details, and both Olivia and Chris are growing and changing within the story in an organic and meaningful way. I was also pleased with the character additions; the inventor Emilia Banks, for instance, made for a fun read.
- Incredible Worldbuilding. Once again, extremely dangerous “elementals” are used as power sources in McIntyre’s world, and all of Darrington’s people have some innate magical talent, which is categorized at age nineteen and used to place them in society. The sequel only improves upon this world, adding new abilities – and new technologies – into the mix.
CONS
- No Background Information. My biggest complaint is that none of the political conflicts in TDA are re-explained in The Timeseer’s Gambit, and the book therefore becomes very limited to sequelhood. I found myself completely lost as to the difference between the “reformists” and “traditionalists,” including what they were fighting about and why they wanted Dr. Livingstone (a character central to the plot) dead.
- Unnecessary Prologue. Another carryover from TDA, I felt – again – that the prologue in this book was unnecessary. It didn’t seem to do any real heavy lifting for the story. However, it was short and interesting, so it didn’t put a damper on my experience.
- What Is Truthsniffing?! As in TDA, I still have no idea what Olivia’s “categorization” really means. It’s supposed to be a quasi-magical power, like Chris’s “wordweaving,” or his ability to write with his mind; yet Olivia seems entirely human, just a human with very good investigative skill. Perhaps McIntyre means to make her secretly a failure at categorization, and thus non-magical… but by the end of the sequel, I should still know what the well-known skill of “truthsniffing” actually is. Yet, again, it doesn’t do much harm to this quality read – it just bugs me as a reader.
- Sexuality Change. The main character’s sexuality becomes more clear in this sequel, and is in fact a driving force; however, it seems to come from left field, as the first book led me to believe he “swung” a certain way. To me his changes felt a little disingenuous and convenient, although I do appreciate the added diversity (of which he is not the only example).
THE LAST WORD
Once again, my expectations for a boutique-press book were wildly exceeded, and despite my high standards, I could not put it down. However, I spent far too much time confused: I would have given five stars if the book stood alone, rather than relying on the first book in the series to explain the political atmosphere of the world.