Just one damned thing after another

Title:

Author:

Taylor, Jodi, author.

ISBN:

9781597808682

9781910939529

9781910939482

Personal Author:

Taylor, Jodi, author.

Edition:

First Night Shade books edition.

Publication Information:

New York : Night Shade Books, 2016.

Physical Description:

335 pages ; 21 cm.

Series:

The Chronicles of St. Mary's ; 1

Chronicles of St. Mary's ; book one

Chronicles of St. Mary's; 1.

Chronicles of St. Mary's ; book one.

General Note:

Pagination and/or size vary between published editions.

Abstract:

"Madeline "Max" Maxwell has stumbled on the dream of a lifetime: a career as a time-traveling historian with St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research. The researchers are under strict orders to observe only--no interaction with the locals is allowed. But from her first mission rescuing artifacts from the Great Library of Alexandria, Max realized that time travel is a dangerous activity and that history--and other historians--will go to elaborate lengths to protect themselves." -- adapted from Library Journal review.

Subject Term:

Time travel -- Fiction.

History -- Research -- Fiction.

Historians -- Fiction.

History -- Research. (OCoLC)fst00958282

Time travel. (OCoLC)fst01151176

Genre:

Fiction.

Science fiction.

Time-travel fiction.

Document ID:

SD_ILS:2234000

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Library	Collection	Collection	Call Number	Status
Searching... Clovis Branch Library (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Science Fiction Area	TAYLOR JO Just	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Corcoran Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC TAYLOR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hanford Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC TAYLOR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Lemoore Branch Library (Kings Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Adult Fiction Area	FIC TAYLOR	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ridgecrest Branch Library (Kern Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Science Fiction	SCI FIC TAYLOR JOD	Searching... Unknown
Searching... West Fresno Branch (Fresno Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Science Fiction Area	TAYLOR JO Just	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wilson Road Branch (Kern Co.)	Searching... Unknown	Science Fiction	SCI FIC TAYLOR JOD	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The first book in the USA Today bestselling British madcap time-travelling series, served with a dash of wit that seems to be everyone's cup of tea.

"History is just one damned thing after another." --Arnold Toynbee

Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don't call it "time travel"--these historians "investigate major historical events in contemporary time." And they aren't your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets.

The first thing you learn on the job at St. Mary's is that one wrong move and history will fight back--sometimes in particularly nasty ways. But, as new recruit Madeleine Maxwell soon discovers, it's not only history they're often fighting.

The Chronicles of St. Mary's tells the chaotic adventures of Max and her compatriots--Director Bairstow, Chief Leon Farrell, Mr. Markham, and many more--as they travel through time, saving St. Mary's (too often by the very seat of their pants) and thwarting time-travelling terrorists, all the while leaving plenty of time for tea.

From eleventh-century London to World War I, from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria, one thing is for sure: wherever the historians at St. Mary's go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Author Notes

Jodi Taylor is, and always has been, a history nut. Her Chronicles of St. Mary's, a wild mix of history, adventure, comedy, romance, tragedy, and anything else the author could think of, began as a self-published book called Just One Damned Thing After Another . It's now a bestselling, wildly addictive series.

Reviews (4)

School Library Journal Review

Time-traveling historians: just pop in, have a look at, say, the Battle of the Somme, and pop back home. What could possibly go wrong? Taylor presents a compelling, astute take on time travel in this first of an eight-volume series. (http://ow.ly/h2xF305MzTe)-Sarah Flowers, formerly at Santa Clara County Public Library, CA © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publisher's Weekly Review

The first novel in Taylor's Chronicles of St. Mary's series (of which six volumes have been published in the U.K., with more forthcoming) takes readers on a carnival ride through laughter and tears with a bit of time travel thrown in for spice. St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research is kind of, but not quite, attached to England's Thirsk University; it's dependent on the educational institution for funding and ostensibly receives some oversight. But St. Mary's has its own mission to undertake. The Historians, aided by a phalanx of support personnel, are tasked with traveling throughout the past and reporting their findings. They're restricted to observation only, with minimal interaction. Madeleine "Max" Maxwell, an expert in the field of history, finds herself pulled into the institute's chaotic orbit, and she brings her own special brand of madcap innovation. Of course, her introduction to time travel doesn't go smoothly, especially as several people are out to destroy St. Mary's and all within its hallowed walls. The humor is plentiful, but the comic situations aren't overly exaggerated. Max's world is depicted in lush detail, mixed with appropriately interesting historical tidbits. U.S. readers will be impatient for later installments to make their way across the Atlantic. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Madeline Max Maxwell has stumbled upon the dream of a lifetime: train and work as a historian for Saint Mary's Institute of Historical Research. Brought in for an interview by longtime mentor Mrs. DeWinter, Max quickly learns that Saint Mary's is more than the typical academic hallowed hall. The key to their success is time travel; historians are trained to jump back to various historical events to observe and record, keeping their influence to an absolute minimum so as to avoid any time-space continuum hiccups. All is dandy until Max learns of a plot spanning thousands of years to disrupt Saint Mary's success and thwart its director, Dr. Edward Bairstow. Max and her colleagues travel back to dodge dinosaurs, protect valuable treasures, and save Saint Mary's, all while falling in love. Taylor has written a madcap and very funny hodgepodge of a novel whose pacing and humor is reminiscent of a Simon Pegg-Edgar Wright film. As with all time-travel stories, try not to get too caught up in the details, and just go along for the quite enjoyable ride.--Ciesla, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist

Library Journal Review

A job interview arranged by a former teachers leads Madeline "Max" Maxwell to a new career as a time-traveling historian with St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research. The researchers are under strict orders to observe only-no interaction with the locals is allowed. But from her first mission rescuing artifacts from the Great Library of Alexandria, Max soon realizes that time travel is a dangerous activity and that history will go to elaborate lengths to protect itself. -VERDICT Taylor does a great job of setting up an appealing cast of characters in this new series opener, most especially the intrepid Max. There is plenty of humor, lots of action, and even a touch of romance. Six more entries are out in the UK and due to be published here in the next year.-MM © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.