Book #178 of 2019:
Alice Payne Arrives by Kate Heartfield (Alice Payne #1)
Although this novella about rival factions of time-travelers isn’t as mind-bending or as inventive with the concept as the similarly-focused This Is How You Lose the Time War, it’s still a lot of fun and offers some great character moments throughout. Alice Payne herself is the epitome of wish-fulfillment in the best possible way, a mixed-race woman in the late 18th century whose inventor girlfriend builds clockwork devices to aid the heroine’s secret work as a highway bandit waylaying and robbing abusive men. The other viewpoint protagonist, Prudence Zuniga, is an idealistic black woman from the future who enlists Alice to fight in her cause against the dangerous unraveling of history.
These personalities bounce off one another nicely, and while their story ends too soon — and on a bit of a cliffhanger — that’s ameliorated by the fact that it’s the beginning of a series and not just a standalone adventure. As with many shorter works, there are worldbuilding details and plot issues that could have been fleshed out more fully, but it’s overall a fine launch to the sequel(s) that will hopefully improve upon these elements.
★★★★☆
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