The Ministry of Time - A Review
(This review appeared in the Speculative Fiction Writers' Association website. You can read that version here .) Few sci fi books have been as popular lately as Kalienne Bradley's novel, The Ministry of Time. It's a beautiful work, but as I'm about to show, it has its flaws. And no, they are not small ones. I'm aware of a certain controversy surrounding this book. When the BBC announced it wanted to turn the novel into a miniseries, it was discovered that the premise bears a striking similarity to the Spanish TV series, "El Ministerio del Tiempo." This led to accusations of plagiarism against Bradley. But I will overlook this crisis and instead evaluate the book on its own merit. Or rather, the lack thereof. The story revolves around one Commander Graham Gore, an officer who was part of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to the Arctic. Gore is plucked from the year 1847 by the 21st-century Ministry of Time. Such people, designated "expats,"...