A book whose plot involves separate agents fighting a war throughout time, which involves fantastical places such as Atlantis and alternative London’s, technological societies and primitive ones, and all else in-between should have been an immediate home run. After the first chapter, however, I could immediately tell that the story would unfortunately be stumped by the authors’ insistence on writing the story in the most superfluous way possible, making the book a chore to read, rather than enjoyable. It’s not that the book is impossible to read, although I can’t say that it’s the most accessible writing. Rather, as you read the characters describing things in the most roundabout manner possible, all you can do is roll your eyes. I can’t even say that the novel had a leg up on its masterful storytelling. Yes, it had wonderful allusions (or, rather, references. They weren’t exactly subtle) to Greek mythology, fairy tales, Romeo and Juliet, and the Bible. However, it still felt…sloppy. And predictable. That’s the trouble with time travel stories. You can only do so much without becoming cliche. And this, unfortunately, was stunted because of that. How aggravating to read something that had so much potential, yet couldn’t reach it. 

And if I have to read the phrase “as the prophet says” one more time…