A Symphony of Echoes
by Jodi Taylor
The Chronicles of St Mary's (02), The Chronicles of St Mary's {Chronological Order} (2)
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"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 Chronicles of St. Mary's tells the chaotic adventures of Madeleine Maxwell and her show more compatriots--Director Bairstow, Leon "Chief" 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. In the sequel to Just One Damned Thing After Another, Max and company visit Victorian London in search of Jack the Ripper, witness the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and discover that dodos make a grockling noise when eating cucumber sandwiches. But they must also confront an enemy intent on destroying St. Mary's--an enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy history itself to do it"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I just didn't care for this one as much as book 1. There just isn't a lot that makes much sense because it's all over the place. It starts out promising with Jack the Ripper, but it comes to a weird conclusion. Then there is the Red House incident that causes Dr. Maxwell to show her nasty side. They try to explain it away later, but there just wasn't enough that actually happened there in the book to help justify her actions. It's like a big section was missing and we were given the cliffs notes version. The premise of St. Mary's was unique and fun in the first book, but now it's just tiresome. They don't learn and are horribly inept. "Well, that's St. Mary's for you." That excuse is played out already. If you're that bad at what you're show more doing, maybe you should stop messing around with history. I was just starting to cut Dr. Maxwell some slack and then they jumped and visited Mary, Queen of Scots and once again, I realized what a horrible 'person' Max is. show less
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: Book Two in the madcap time-travel series based at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research that seems to be everyone's cup of tea.
In the second book in the Chronicles of St Mary's series, Max and the team visit Victorian London in search of Jack the Ripper, withess the murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and discover that dodos make a grockling noise when eating cucumber sandwiches.
But they must also confront an enemy intent on destroying St Mary's - an enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy History itself to do it.
My Review: You know how, as you're watching Star Trek in any of its incarnations, you end up wondering pretty darn quick what the heck they keep show more talking about this Prime Directive for since they seem not to have any intention of following it? Yeah, that. The whole book is that. The St Mary's tea-soppers are set the one really big intervention that will make History match itself. It is a matter of the survival of St Mary's, so we're told, so it's okay to monkey with History. Kleio will approve.
Getting to the magic moment is, however, quite entertaining, and the key discovery made at the end of the first book is called into play very frequently. Pay attention to the details in this book, and I assume you'll want to read it after the delirious romp of #1, because some things are larded in to the chat and background that will cause a veritable street light to go on over your head when you read #3. Which I also assume you'll want to read after the sobering and still very fun events of this book.
So you've read #1, have you? Then click here:The team goes to Mary Queen of Scots' court to fix the gargantuan error in the timeline of Elizabeth Tudor dying at the chopping block instead of Her Scottish Majesty which they discovered upon sneak-peeking the Shakespeare play that the Director coerced from the Bard's pen. It is imperative, for their time to exist at all, that the error be corrected and Mary forced...or so we imagine...to marry Bothwell, which seals her doom. Needless to say, the task is accomplished, but it brought up two issues for me. One I dealt with in the opener. The other is the nagging problem of all time-travel books, to wit the competing and mutually exclusive notions of A History, one divinely ordained way for Kleio to design and her sisters the Fates to weave; the other is the Eastern philosophical and string theory-supported proposition that we live in a many-dimensioned multiverse where all things that can happen have happened are happening will happen. (English is a titanically flexible tool, and ever willing to bow to Queen Norma Loquendi, but time travel is gonna bugger the prescriptive grammarians HARD. Come to think of it, Douglas Adams mined that vein for some laughs in Hitchhiker's Guide, didn't he.)
It would seem Ma Taylor plumped for the "One True History" solution, based on the events in this book. The Timeline must be restored!
Go with it. Even if you don't think that's the case, go with it. I promise you it will pay off.
And why the hell should dodos say "grockle"? Well, why the hell not.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
The Publisher Says: Book Two in the madcap time-travel series based at the St Mary's Institute of Historical Research that seems to be everyone's cup of tea.
In the second book in the Chronicles of St Mary's series, Max and the team visit Victorian London in search of Jack the Ripper, withess the murder of Archbishop Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and discover that dodos make a grockling noise when eating cucumber sandwiches.
But they must also confront an enemy intent on destroying St Mary's - an enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy History itself to do it.
My Review: You know how, as you're watching Star Trek in any of its incarnations, you end up wondering pretty darn quick what the heck they keep show more talking about this Prime Directive for since they seem not to have any intention of following it? Yeah, that. The whole book is that. The St Mary's tea-soppers are set the one really big intervention that will make History match itself. It is a matter of the survival of St Mary's, so we're told, so it's okay to monkey with History. Kleio will approve.
Getting to the magic moment is, however, quite entertaining, and the key discovery made at the end of the first book is called into play very frequently. Pay attention to the details in this book, and I assume you'll want to read it after the delirious romp of #1, because some things are larded in to the chat and background that will cause a veritable street light to go on over your head when you read #3. Which I also assume you'll want to read after the sobering and still very fun events of this book.
So you've read #1, have you? Then click here:
It would seem Ma Taylor plumped for the "One True History" solution, based on the events in this book. The Timeline must be restored!
Go with it. Even if you don't think that's the case, go with it. I promise you it will pay off.
And why the hell should dodos say "grockle"? Well, why the hell not.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
At the end of the first book, our band of time travelling historians (just do not call them in such way when you see them) had found a previously unknown Shakespeare play (well, found may not be the correct word but someone did stay with Shakespeare while he wrote the thing and then it was discovered so let's call it that). And the main suspect is the splinter group led by Ronan of course - the historians that rebelled, stole a few pods and are now being chased across history in an attempt to stop them from ending the world.
Welcome back to St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research - the place where historians investigate major historical events in contemporary time. And they never call it time travel - that's unprofessional after show more all. The play they found would have been a way to finance the institute for a very long time - except there is a small problem with it - it is a play about Mary Stuart but somehow at the end of it the wrong queen got executed. So either someone knew where it was buried and changed the end before the discovery or history had been a bit messed up. Or, because it is St Mary's after all, it probably is both.
But before they have a chance to investigate, Max and the rest of the historians, have a few small and easy assignments to do. Which of course is the easiest way to put everyone in mortal danger - a lovely stroll to check on Jack the Ripper ends up with discovering the truth about him but it also almost kills Max and Kalinda, the search for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a bit more successful when they realize that noone had seen them because they are in the wrong place (but of course go wrong and instead of seeing them in a nice and peaceful time, Max and Peterson end up there just in time to witness the assassination of Sennacherib (yep, wrong kingdom - because the gardens were not in Babylon after all) and Farrell being abducted to a future St Mary causes even more havoc (but it also ends up containing one of the calmest episodes for the ragtag team - the capture of a few dodos before they manage to get disappear from the face of Earth).
And when all was set and done, it was time to deal with the main problem - that play. So off to Tudor times everyone goes - and things go well enough - for St Mary's that is.
Taylor knows her history and uses it to he advantage - I did not know that there is any question about the Babylon gardens being in Nineveh but a quick check proved that to be a viable theory. But she manages to connect the real history with her inventions to create a narrative that might have been. Of course, as with the first book, it is not just a time travel story - there is a love story (if you do not feel like you want to smack Max on the head, I'd been surprised), the Ronan team is still in play (and because of the story, he is untouchable if discovered early in his criminal career), more people die (which is unexpected) and St Mary's is a disaster magnet... as always.
I really enjoy this series - it is light and airy (but that does not mean that there is no gore and violence) and entertaining. Highly recommended. show less
Welcome back to St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research - the place where historians investigate major historical events in contemporary time. And they never call it time travel - that's unprofessional after show more all. The play they found would have been a way to finance the institute for a very long time - except there is a small problem with it - it is a play about Mary Stuart but somehow at the end of it the wrong queen got executed. So either someone knew where it was buried and changed the end before the discovery or history had been a bit messed up. Or, because it is St Mary's after all, it probably is both.
But before they have a chance to investigate, Max and the rest of the historians, have a few small and easy assignments to do. Which of course is the easiest way to put everyone in mortal danger - a lovely stroll to check on Jack the Ripper ends up with discovering the truth about him but it also almost kills Max and Kalinda, the search for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon is a bit more successful when they realize that noone had seen them because they are in the wrong place (but of course go wrong and instead of seeing them in a nice and peaceful time, Max and Peterson end up there just in time to witness the assassination of Sennacherib (yep, wrong kingdom - because the gardens were not in Babylon after all) and Farrell being abducted to a future St Mary causes even more havoc (but it also ends up containing one of the calmest episodes for the ragtag team - the capture of a few dodos before they manage to get disappear from the face of Earth).
And when all was set and done, it was time to deal with the main problem - that play. So off to Tudor times everyone goes - and things go well enough - for St Mary's that is.
Taylor knows her history and uses it to he advantage - I did not know that there is any question about the Babylon gardens being in Nineveh but a quick check proved that to be a viable theory. But she manages to connect the real history with her inventions to create a narrative that might have been. Of course, as with the first book, it is not just a time travel story - there is a love story (if you do not feel like you want to smack Max on the head, I'd been surprised), the Ronan team is still in play (and because of the story, he is untouchable if discovered early in his criminal career), more people die (which is unexpected) and St Mary's is a disaster magnet... as always.
I really enjoy this series - it is light and airy (but that does not mean that there is no gore and violence) and entertaining. Highly recommended. show less
{second of 14(?) in Chronicles of St Mary's series; fantasy, history, adventure, time travel}(2013)
Max and co continue to careen from adventure to adventure up and down History when what they're supposed to be doing is observing. Even the slightest attempt to intervene is punished by History by, say, a broken arm or an extinct Historian.
Oh; and they learn that their adversary from Just One Damned Thing After Another is still making a nuisance of himself. Phew! No, wait - did I mention Thomas à Becket and the dodos? Not to mention Max's spectacular revenge when she feels humiliated by a certain someone (though I did feel sorry for the innocent car).
And if you want to know where the title comes from;
I love the concept of the Historians going back in time to observe and record things as they actually happened. I've often wondered, when reading about historical events, how the people involved actually felt and behaved especially when there's a lot of speculation and uncertainty. Mind you, Max never keeps it that simple. Of course.
And then, off to Troy we go - but that adventure is saved for A Second Chance.
(September 2023)
4 stars show less
Max and co continue to careen from adventure to adventure up and down History when what they're supposed to be doing is observing. Even the slightest attempt to intervene is punished by History by, say, a broken arm or an extinct Historian.
People think we historians are lightweights. They think we whizz up and down the timeline, document a couple of battles or the odd revolution, swan back to St Mary's, and spend the night in the bar. To some extent, that's true. However, when it goes wrong for us, it really goes wrong.A friend's last tour to observe Jack the Ripper turns into something quite nasty - and that's just the appetiser. Then show more they have to rescue Max's paramour, who's been abducted into the future; where they learn that someone has been messing around with the past. So they follow that up with an excursion to the Edinburgh of Mary, Queen of Scots to ensure that the timeline doesn't go awry - after taking a break to get stuck in time at the Hanging Gardens (not of Babylon, apparently).
Oh; and they learn that their adversary from Just One Damned Thing After Another is still making a nuisance of himself. Phew! No, wait - did I mention Thomas à Becket and the dodos? Not to mention Max's spectacular revenge when she feels humiliated by a certain someone (though I did feel sorry for the innocent car).
And if you want to know where the title comes from;
No incident, however seemingly trivial, is unimportant in the scheme of things.As madcap and entertaining as ever, with just the right amount of snark. I enjoyed this book a lot though there were some details from JODTAA that I didn't remember, it having been quite a while since I read it (yes, you do have to read this series in order) but that didn't alloy my enjoyment.
One event leads to another, which triggers something else and before you know where you are, the ramifications spread far and wide throughout History. Echoing down the ages. Getting fainter and fainter, but never completely dying away. They talk of the Harmony of the Spheres, but History is A Symphony of Echoes. Every little action has huge consequences. They're not always apparent, and sometimes, in our game, sometimes effect comes before cause, not after.
I love the concept of the Historians going back in time to observe and record things as they actually happened. I've often wondered, when reading about historical events, how the people involved actually felt and behaved especially when there's a lot of speculation and uncertainty. Mind you, Max never keeps it that simple. Of course.
And then, off to Troy we go - but that adventure is saved for A Second Chance.
(September 2023)
4 stars show less
The first book in The Chronicles of St Mary's, "Just One Damn Thing After Another" was a triumph of originality, introducing us to the world of intrepid, if chaotic, British historians risking their lives to witness past events first hand.
Chronologically, "A Symphony of Echoes" carries straight on from where the first book left off but the tone of the second book is quite different and, sadly, not quite as satisfying.
This is a darker book than its predecessor. There is less games-playing and amusingly clever trickery and more killing and death.
In this novel, Max, the plucky if unstable woman the first book followed from Trainee to Historian, has become part of management and shows an allegiance to St. Mary's that borders on the show more fanatical. Under her leadership it becomes clear that although St. Mary's appears to be an institution filled with eccentric individuals who muddle through while creating madcap mayhem, it is actually capable of being ruthless, even murderous. Its enemies are hacked to pieces, shot in the back, abducted and executed. It is even willing to go to great lengths to throw a woman in harms way to ensure that the "right" historical path, the one that protects St. Mary's, is taken.
I found myself thinking that this was a St Mary's that I would not be inclined to support.
"A Symphony of Echoes" shares many of the same strengths as its predecessor: it is witty, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and it is depicts bravery and loyalty in a way that made me want to be brave and loyal. Whereas the first book read as a novel, with a beginning, a middle and an end, this book abandons that structure and is the worse for it. "A Symphony of Echoes" is literally a chronicle, a record of important events in the order in which they occurred. It is a picaresque piece, following whatever happens to Max, without imposing any deeper narrative thrust or emotional or intellectual leitmotiv. While each episode was well described, I found the lack of unity frustrating.
I also found that some of emotional trauma Max was pushes through seemed contrived and distorted.
"A Symphony of Echoes" is still a good read, but unless the third book returns closer to the form of the first, "The Chronicles of St. Mary's" and I will part company.
By the way, the title refers to another definition of history: "History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses. Charles Angoff"
I'm hoping that this novel has some echoes I haven't heard yet and which the third book will make clear. show less
Chronologically, "A Symphony of Echoes" carries straight on from where the first book left off but the tone of the second book is quite different and, sadly, not quite as satisfying.
This is a darker book than its predecessor. There is less games-playing and amusingly clever trickery and more killing and death.
In this novel, Max, the plucky if unstable woman the first book followed from Trainee to Historian, has become part of management and shows an allegiance to St. Mary's that borders on the show more fanatical. Under her leadership it becomes clear that although St. Mary's appears to be an institution filled with eccentric individuals who muddle through while creating madcap mayhem, it is actually capable of being ruthless, even murderous. Its enemies are hacked to pieces, shot in the back, abducted and executed. It is even willing to go to great lengths to throw a woman in harms way to ensure that the "right" historical path, the one that protects St. Mary's, is taken.
I found myself thinking that this was a St Mary's that I would not be inclined to support.
"A Symphony of Echoes" shares many of the same strengths as its predecessor: it is witty, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny and it is depicts bravery and loyalty in a way that made me want to be brave and loyal. Whereas the first book read as a novel, with a beginning, a middle and an end, this book abandons that structure and is the worse for it. "A Symphony of Echoes" is literally a chronicle, a record of important events in the order in which they occurred. It is a picaresque piece, following whatever happens to Max, without imposing any deeper narrative thrust or emotional or intellectual leitmotiv. While each episode was well described, I found the lack of unity frustrating.
I also found that some of emotional trauma Max was pushes through seemed contrived and distorted.
"A Symphony of Echoes" is still a good read, but unless the third book returns closer to the form of the first, "The Chronicles of St. Mary's" and I will part company.
By the way, the title refers to another definition of history: "History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses. Charles Angoff"
I'm hoping that this novel has some echoes I haven't heard yet and which the third book will make clear. show less
Once again the intrepid historians of St Mary's travel through time, encountering Jack the Ripper, meeting Mary Stuart, witnessing the assassination of Sennacherib, and rescuing some dodos – it's all in a day's work. But they also have to deal with a traitor in their midst who threatens history's timeline, not to mention the lives of everyone at St Mary's.
This volume continues the overarching plot arc of a member of St Mary's trying to change history, whom we encountered in Just One Damned Thing after Another, and it certainly raises the stakes, both professionally and personally, for our favourite historian and narrator of the series, Dr Maxwell.
I love this series and Jodi Taylor's well-drafted and engaging, not to mention highly show more idiosyncratic, characters are worthy companions to spend one's precious time with. The historical locations are well chosen and researched, and not always what one would expect, and the author manages to convey a distinct atmosphere that transports the reader effortlessly to the distant (and not so distant) past. Though individual plot points may not always be entirely convincing, she knows ho to increase the tension and effortlessly blends the light with the dark, the humour with the tragedy. show less
This volume continues the overarching plot arc of a member of St Mary's trying to change history, whom we encountered in Just One Damned Thing after Another, and it certainly raises the stakes, both professionally and personally, for our favourite historian and narrator of the series, Dr Maxwell.
I love this series and Jodi Taylor's well-drafted and engaging, not to mention highly show more idiosyncratic, characters are worthy companions to spend one's precious time with. The historical locations are well chosen and researched, and not always what one would expect, and the author manages to convey a distinct atmosphere that transports the reader effortlessly to the distant (and not so distant) past. Though individual plot points may not always be entirely convincing, she knows ho to increase the tension and effortlessly blends the light with the dark, the humour with the tragedy. show less
A Symphony of Echoes - Taylor
Audio performance by Zara Ramm
4 stars
The Chronicles of St. Mary’s #2, the adventure continues. Historically, this book takes on Jack the Ripper, the murder of Thomas a Beckett, and dodos. (Loved the dodos!) The eventful relationship between Dr. Maxwell and Chief Farrell hits a major (and somewhat unconvincing) rough spot. This series would be a fun young adult read except for the very adult sexual content. Perfect for ‘older’ young adults, though. There’s lots of bawdy conversation to supplement the comedic sexual encounters. It’s fun, but ...erotic? ….not so much. This book does have my favorite postcoital comment ever, ”He dropped off to sleep like the giant pyramid trying to hang show more glide.” I did laugh out loud.
Zara Ramm has great delivery of the heavy-handed, sarcastic, comedy. I doubt very much that these books would interest me in written form. show less
Audio performance by Zara Ramm
4 stars
The Chronicles of St. Mary’s #2, the adventure continues. Historically, this book takes on Jack the Ripper, the murder of Thomas a Beckett, and dodos. (Loved the dodos!) The eventful relationship between Dr. Maxwell and Chief Farrell hits a major (and somewhat unconvincing) rough spot. This series would be a fun young adult read except for the very adult sexual content. Perfect for ‘older’ young adults, though. There’s lots of bawdy conversation to supplement the comedic sexual encounters. It’s fun, but ...erotic? ….not so much. This book does have my favorite postcoital comment ever, ”He dropped off to sleep like the giant pyramid trying to hang show more glide.” I did laugh out loud.
Zara Ramm has great delivery of the heavy-handed, sarcastic, comedy. I doubt very much that these books would interest me in written form. show less
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A Symphony of Echoes | A Trail Through Time | A Second Chance | What Could Possibly Go Wrong? by Jodi Taylor
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- A Symphony of Echoes
- Original title
- A Symphony of Echoes
- Original publication date
- 2013-10-18
- People/Characters
- Madeleine Maxwell (Chief Operations Officer); Cleo Partridge (Muse and personal assistant); Kalinda Black (Liaison btwn St. M's & Thirsk Uni); Isabella "Izzy" Barclay (Historian); Clive Ronan (Rogue historian); Edward Bairstow (Director, St. Mary's Institute) (show all 12); Leon Farrell (Chief Technical Officer); Tim Peterson (Chief training officer); Ian Guthrie (Head of Security); David Sands; Pinky (future Director, St. Mary’s Institute); Alexander Knox (future Director, St. Mary’s Institute)
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Edinburgh, Scotland, UK; Ninevah, Assyria; Canterbury, Kent, England, UK; St. Mary's Institute, England, UK; Mauritius
- Important events
- Murder of Thomas Becket; Whitechapel Murders
- Epigraph
- History is a symphony of echoes heard and unheard. It is a poem with events as verses.
Charles Angoff - Dedication
- This book is for Connie and Martin who had faith.
And for Dani who actually did it.
And for Christine. - First words
- One of the best things about our job is that if you live long enough, you get to choose your last jump. (Prologue)
Eines der besten Dinge an unserem Job ist die Tatsache, dass man sich seinen letzten Sprung aussuchen darf - falls man lange genug am Leben bleibt.
God only knows where we were, and we couldn't see a thing. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)'Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to Troy."
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