Plot: When Kate, Chris, and Andre are researching the old ruins of a medieval village, they try hard to recreate everything in their minds: the buildings, the people, the speech. But the three friends' research doesn't compare to what they experience when they are sent back in time 600 years. They find plenty of death, politics, and occasions when they must run for their lives. Will their studies allow them to survive this bloody, dangerous era?
Comments: This book started very slowly. It was rather confusing when I looked back after a few chapters, because the story started with several characters all included in a strange medical mystery, but they were soon cast aside to make room for a whole new set of characters. It's all very well to provide background, and obviously the first character introduced is not necessarily the most important, but it took me a while to realize that I needed to be paying attention to the new characters. All the time I'd been thinking the story would switch back to the first set of characters. Once I'd sorted all that out, I liked the characters, especially Chris, for his awkwardness and the way he changed throughout the story.
I wonder how much research the author himself did while writing this story. All the descriptions of the people, buildings, clothes, and speech in the 1300's were very interesting, and seemed to be accurate to me. However, I have little knowledge of this era, so I rather hope I haven't formed some ignorant idea in my head from this story that will later prove completely inaccurate. The brutal killing in this story was shocking at times. Knights seemed to think nothing of slicing off a poor victim's head, even if it was just for fun. I must warn you that this story can get a little gory at times, but it's not a bloodbath. It just seems accurate to the era; power was gained by physical force. I'm glad the main characters weren't totally nonchalant about all the death, because then I wouldn't have really liked them. The characters seemed very real, and acted in a way I think anyone would have, given a similar situation.
Rating: I rate this book a seven and a half out of ten. Good adventure novel, with some science and history (and gore) mixed in.
Comments: This book started very slowly. It was rather confusing when I looked back after a few chapters, because the story started with several characters all included in a strange medical mystery, but they were soon cast aside to make room for a whole new set of characters. It's all very well to provide background, and obviously the first character introduced is not necessarily the most important, but it took me a while to realize that I needed to be paying attention to the new characters. All the time I'd been thinking the story would switch back to the first set of characters. Once I'd sorted all that out, I liked the characters, especially Chris, for his awkwardness and the way he changed throughout the story.
I wonder how much research the author himself did while writing this story. All the descriptions of the people, buildings, clothes, and speech in the 1300's were very interesting, and seemed to be accurate to me. However, I have little knowledge of this era, so I rather hope I haven't formed some ignorant idea in my head from this story that will later prove completely inaccurate. The brutal killing in this story was shocking at times. Knights seemed to think nothing of slicing off a poor victim's head, even if it was just for fun. I must warn you that this story can get a little gory at times, but it's not a bloodbath. It just seems accurate to the era; power was gained by physical force. I'm glad the main characters weren't totally nonchalant about all the death, because then I wouldn't have really liked them. The characters seemed very real, and acted in a way I think anyone would have, given a similar situation.
Rating: I rate this book a seven and a half out of ten. Good adventure novel, with some science and history (and gore) mixed in.
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