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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Significant violence including murders, supernatural attacks, and the brutal realities of early 19th-century London
Language
Some
Adult language in the historical adventure register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Period-appropriate drinking; opium in the historical London setting
Emotional Intensity
Some
The psychological disorientation of time travel and the question of whether Doyle can maintain his identity through everything that happens to him creates the novel's sustained existential tension
What this book is about
Tim Powers's World Fantasy Award-winning novel follows Brendan Doyle, a scholar of the Romantic poet William Ashbless, who is hired for a time-travel expedition to 1810 London — and accidentally left behind. Powers's time travel rules are extraordinarily rigorous; the novel weaves together Egyptian sorcery, body-swapping, historical figures, and a villain with genuine menace. The violence is significant and the mythology is intricate. A foundational work of secret history and time travel fantasy; for adult readers of complex speculative fiction.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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