Unbeatable. A fantastic start to my reading year.This is another book I once dreamed of writing myself. It didn't happen, but Ben Elton pulled it off, and for that, he has my utmost respect. Time is an eternal theme for writers. No matter when they lived, there are always these literary alternatives to human history. The attempt to change the terrible sins of the past is a hot topic, no matter how you look at it. Who wouldn't want to? Who hasn't thought about it? Probably everyone. But when the ...

I absolutely loved this one. Time and Time Again is a truly excellent slice of science fiction. It is fast-paced, intelligently written, featuring appealing characters and even a few laughs. That said, this is not a comedy. A lot of the negative reviews I’ve seen for this book have been from people who expected it to be—perhaps understandably, as Ben Elton is far better known for his comedy writing (he did write most of Blackadder, after all).It isn’t exactly high-brow speculative fiction; the t...

If you could travel back in time and change just one thing, what would it be?This question was put to ex-special services soldier Hugh Stanton by his former Cambridge University history professor. The year is 2024, and Hugh’s spirits are low as he struggles to deal with the loss of his wife and children, who’d been killed in a road accident. He’d received a call from Professor McCluskey summoning him to a meeting at Trinity College where she unveiled a letter that had been passed down the ages, ...

Time and Time Again by Ben Elton was just okay for me. It had its funny moments and was surprisingly informative regarding the assassination that sparked WWI. However, I didn’t really click with the writing style; I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag, shifting between irritating and downright boring. If you are looking for a historical fiction book review, this one is a bit of a hit or miss.

Time and Time Again by Ben Elton features some original ideas, but the writing feels like pure pulp fiction. Maybe reading Philip K. Dick and Cixin Liu has spoiled me, but I just didn't find this sci-fi story convincing. There were too many moments that felt like a cheap screenplay—like when a character shouts, 'The emperor will be dead in 24 hours!' and yet the action continues three days later. Sorry, I know, no spoilers, but this book is so irredeemably predictable that if you don't see the p...

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/12/11/b...While I enjoy time travel books as much as the next reader, I still recall my doubts when I was first pitched this book: What if I don’t know that much about World War I? How much history do I need to know in order to follow the plot? Will I still be able to enjoy this story?Looking back at those questions now, I have to laugh. Really, I needn’t have worried about a thing. Even though history is at the center of this plot ...

The premise is an interesting one; can you go back in time and prevent the suffering of millions? Hugh’s target is the First World War, understandably an event that triggered a snowball effect across the world. If he can prevent the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and stop his warmongering uncle, the Kaiser of Germany, from stirring trouble, will the future be different? Is one event really the cause of so much pain? I found the sections about the history, especially the assassination in Saraj...

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTI found the premise of Time and Time Again by Ben Elton to be quite intriguing... what would happen if we went back and stopped the bullet that killed Franz Ferdinand? Unfortunately, the rest of the novel fell flat for me and became overly predictable. I still enjoyed the writing style, but I didn't enjoy the overall experience as much as I had hoped. The cover art definitely drew me in—isn't it cool?It blends history, sci-fi, and dystopian elements, which all worked s...

Another brilliant read from the very talented Ben Elton. Time and Time Again is an absolute page-turner that would make a fantastic movie or TV mini-series. If you are looking for your next great book recommendation, this gripping story is well worth the read.

I thought I “knew” Ben Elton. I remember the sharp-tongued, fast-talking monologues on Friday Night Live and Blackadder, and years ago I read and enjoyed Stark and at least one other of his books, but for the life of me, I can’t remember which one. Time and Time Again, though, is a book that I will find very hard to forget—it absolutely blew me away. I loved it, and I’m going to be telling everyone to pick up this must-read novel.If you could go back in time and change one piece of history, what...