Science Fiction
Book 4 of a time-travel series is where a lot of books start assuming you’ve done the homework. That’s usually when I lose interest.
Ghosts of time is interesting because it sits in that awkward space between science fiction and historical fiction, with a bit of fantasy in the mix too. Which can work, if the book remembers it still has to earn the reader’s trust. A famous series name is not enough to make me carry on out of obligation, sorry.
If it stays accessible for someone who hasn’t been with Jason Thanou from the start, that’s the real test. Series books should invite you in, not hand you a map and expect gratitude.
Ghosts of time is interesting because it sits in that awkward space between science fiction and historical fiction, with a bit of fantasy in the mix too. Which can work, if the book remembers it still has to earn the reader’s trust. A famous series name is not enough to make me carry on out of obligation, sorry.
If it stays accessible for someone who hasn’t been with Jason Thanou from the start, that’s the real test. Series books should invite you in, not hand you a map and expect gratitude.
Crossing genre lines can be a strength, but it also gives a book more ways to wobble. Time travel already asks a reader to do some lifting. Add history, then a bit of fantasy, and you really want the series to be doing some of that work back.
I’m usually more forgiving of a long-running series if each book has a clear on-ramp. Otherwise it starts to feel less like a story and more like admin.
I’m usually more forgiving of a long-running series if each book has a clear on-ramp. Otherwise it starts to feel less like a story and more like admin.