Title: The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray
Author: O.R. Simmonds
Publisher: Appellation Press
Publication Date: July 30, 2021
Genre: Time Travel
1980s LONDON. A SENSELESS MURDER, A BIZARRE DISAPPEARANCE AND A MYSTERY DECADES IN THE MAKING.
William Wells, a gifted but risk-averse US college dropout living an unadventurous life in London, stumbles upon a mysterious timepiece with the ability to alter time. When the Timepiece’s previous owner is brutally murdered by unknown assailants, Will flees, only to see his girlfriend, Abigayle, vanish before his eyes when she comes into contact with this remarkable watch.
He now finds himself alone in an unfamiliar city, wanted for a murder he didn’t commit and the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance. Whether he knows it or not, Will does have one advantage – control over the most powerful force in the universe: time. The only problem is that he has no idea how to wield it. Those that do, members of a secretive and long-forgotten organisation, are also on his trail and there are no lines they won’t cross to recover The Timepiece.
Why This Book
Time travel is such a hit or miss thing for me. Science is not my strong suit, so I usually come out of a book with time travel with a vague, confused smile and force myself to believe it all absolutely made sense. Internally, I’m desperately trying to formulate a review that won’t make me cry with frustration. Time travel is not an easy thing to handle or describe how it functions. But The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray had a system that made absolute sense to me, and I could have cried with relief, because I actually got it. It was simple and accessible and so neatly laid out. So I’m thankful to this book for teaching me time travel doesn’t have to be some mysterious thing to me and maybe I can actually enjoy it. Excited, even, to dive into a time travel book. Now I’m just waiting for Simmonds’ next book.
Reviews
My review: “The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray is a delightful romp through time with unforgettable characters and incredibly detailed and well-thought out time travel. While it doesn’t quite have as much mystery as I anticipated, the time travel component was so impeccably done and the characters so well-developed that I quickly forgot about it and was quite happy to let myself be swept up in Will and Frenz’s adventures.”
Bookish Beyond rated this a 4, saying “The Timepiece and The Girl Who Went Astray was a unique novel, revolving around time, love, and long held secrets.”
Self-Publishing Review said “Simmonds echoes the declarative formality of certain English mystery writers, but also displays a whimsical, philosophical bent that makes this book a delightful, epic, and thought-provoking escape”
Purchase Links
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