And Now For Something Completely Different (The Chronicles of St Mary’s #9.7)

I always start off saying I’m the biggest St. Mary’s fan there is, and that remains true. This is the annual Christmas very short story (the length of 1-2 chapters) with a clever new approach that will delight 99% if us hard-core St. Mary’s fans. But, if you’re not familiar with the St. Mary’s canon, DON’T get this; you’ll be hopelessly lost! Do yourself a favor by starting at the beginning (JODTAA) and work your way forward.
Inevitably, this series has “matured,” and can’t continue as is; the author has said she’s considering a Time Police series (something I predicted awhile back) and focusing on other characters (do the next generation! Atherton, et al! Make Sykes-North best friends and have adventures! And my plea: flesh out Mrs. Partridge!) All of us fans have our fingers tightly crossed and are hoping for the best.

This is a great addition to the Chronicles. I laughed out loud many times. Revisiting Pinkie was lovely, and caused me to go back and reread her story. It’s also a great introduction to the Time Police series coming out in October.

It also raises some interesting philosophical questions: does something that we don’t strive to achieve have the same value as what we struggle to gain? Should we do something just because we can, without regard to the impact that might have?

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve read some Facebook comments about people who didn’t like the story because–pick one or all–it wasn’t “Christmassy;” Leon and/or Markham weren’t in it; there wasn’t enough of Max and Peterson. Oh, and some folks say the jump really wasn’t unauthorized. The Time Police would certainly disagree!

Stop whinging, people–and yes, I meant “whinging.” It’s a word. Look it up.

The interaction between Commander Hay and Pinkie is hysterical. I actually felt sorry for Hay–Pinkie is like Max on steroids.

People need to come to grips with the fact that in the Time Police series Max, Leon and all the other disaster magnets are unlikely to have major roles.

To ding an entry in the series because the old familiar faces aren’t there makes no more sense than to ding a Pratchett book about the City Watch because it doesn’t have Granny Weatherwax in it. Judge each book and short story on the individual merits, and cherish them all.

Here endeth the rant.

Rarely(at least in my experience) can an author mix humor, drama, mystery and thriller all in the same book. Jodi Taylor does just that. Having read all of the Chronicles of St. Mary series and several other books by Ms. Taylor, I can honestly say she is a master of this style. Many other authors give you thrillers, mysteries and drama…none of them that I have read give you all that and humor too, all in one book. Ms. Taylor does that in each of her books. The main protagonist, Max somehow manages to get into the worst situations in the best and worse of times. If you want to be delighted, informed (she does her research on history…) and simultaneously have your funny bone tickled, this author is a must read, no matter what she writes. Like other reviewers, I do suggest that you start from the beginning with the Chronicles of St. Marys series. However, if you choose not to…you will still enjoy. This is one of her short stories involving the characters from St. Marys and the only one yet (more to come…who knows) that involves traveling to the future. Have fun reading this wonderful book!

Yep, I enjoyed this short immensely. It was wonderfully St. Marys at their finest. And Dr. Pinkerton represents St. Marys with breathtaking snarkiness, almost in line with dear Dr. Maxwell.

Note: I missed this books release and rediscovered it after reading Maxs latest. Im glad I did, the snark level was high, very high.

Now I want Dr. Pinkerton to go back in time, to discover the authors/artist responsible for the graffiti they discovered in the lava tube.

Oh, one part I didnt understand – the discussion near the end between Dr. P. and Colonel H. Were they implying the Time Police were involved? That the TP helped things along? Or was it one of Times corrections that we sometimes see in these novels.

Either way, if youre a fan of Dr. Max and her exploits at St. Marys, youll love this short story.

Enjoy.

This is unusual in that it isn’t about the regular crew at St. Mary’s. Max and Peterson are involved but not the main focus. This story is about the battle of wits between the future director of St. Mary’s, and the director of the Time Police. Throw in a little jaunt to Mars and what could possibly go wrong? As with all of the “Chronicles” the focus of St. Mary’s and that of the Time Police are at opposite sides of the coin. It’s not a Christmas story, but an adventure all the same.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member