Madeline "Max" Maxwell is recruited by St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research to be a historian. The researchers at St. Mary's use time travel to observe the past and provide data to mysterious, wealthy clients. Max relates her training and first five years as a historian. It's a dangerous job with a high body count and Max particularly seems to be particularly a magnet for disaster.

Over the course of the novel, Max learns of rivals, time travelers from the future who do not follow the ethics of St. Mary's. The novel is a somewhat darker, but humorous take on historians using time travel for research compared with similar concepts by Connie Willis and Jack Finney. The book is also surprisingly horny, as romance blossoms between Max and Chief Technical Officer Leon Farrell. This is the first of a series of books called "The Chronicles of St. Mary's" and Max's experiences in this book lead to a new direction for St. Mary's. I think it will be worthwhile to read the ensuing books to find out what happens next. ( )

Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DETAILS:
-Print: COPYRIGHT ©: 8/20/2015; ISBN: 978-1910939482; PUBLISHER: Accent Press Ltd; PAGES: 348; UNABRIDGED. (Info from Amazon)
-Digital: COPYRIGHT ©: (8/20/2015) 1/1/2019; PUBLISHER: Headline; PAGES: 282; UNABRIDGED. (Info from Amazon)
*Audio: COPYRIGHT ©: (8/20/2015) 16 Mar 2021; PUBLISHER: Headline; DURATION: 10 hrs approx; Unabridged; (Info from Libby)
-Feature Film or tv: No.

SERIES: Chronicles of St. Mary’s #1

MAIN CHARACTERS: (Not comprehensive)
(Copied from the book-but I left a lot out)
“Dr. Edward - Director of St. Mary's
Bairstow - Tall, authoratative. Early 50's. Holds together a volatile mix of technicians, historians, kitchen staff, security teams and the sometimes explosive Research and Development Section.
Mrs. Partridge - PA to Director. Not to be crossed.
History Department:
Madeleine (Max) Maxwell - Historian. In her late 20's. Short red-haired, engaging, impatient, self-deprecating, with a murky past and a precarious future.
Tim Peterson - Historian, late 20's Tall and shaggy. A good friend.
Kalinda (Kal) Black - Historian. Blond and blue-eyed. Looks like a Disney princess. Possibly drinks the blood of recently qualified trainees. Recipient of Mr. Dieter's affections.
Sussman, Grant, Rutherford, Stevens, Nagley, Jordan - Max's fellow trainees.”

As I said, there's many more -- see the book. :-)

SUMMARY/ EVALUATION:
-SELECTED: I wish I could remember how I discovered the first short story that begins the series, but alas, I do not. I liked it well enough –could really only get a feel for the tone of the book – not much happened in that one, but we (Hubby/Don & I) decided to see what the complete first novel was like before deciding whether to continue the series or not. So, that’s why I listened to this one.
-ABOUT: Now that the staff have been gathered (in that initial short story), the historian trainees are brought in. Max (AKA Madelaine Maxwell) becomes our protagonist. She is self-deprecating, witty, and clever, while also gaining a reputation for courting disaster.
-LIKED: I enjoyed the historical references to the Cretaceous/Dinosaur age, the humor, the plot and the characters.
-DISLIKED: No, nothing of note for this section.
-OVERALL: It’s in the “liked” section.

AUTHOR:
Jodi Taylor:
From inside the digital version of the book:
“"Jodi Taylor is the author of the bestselling Chronicles of St. Mary's series, the story of a bunch of disaster-prone historians who investigate historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel!
Born in Bristol and educated in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers, and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and pick up a pen. She still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up"

NARRATOR:
Zara Ramm:
From IMDb
“Zara Ramm is known for Afterlife (2005), Royal Shakespeare Company: King John (2021) and Grandpa in My Pocket (2009).”
*Zara’s narration is perfect!

GENRE:
Fiction; Historical Fantasy; Action & Adventure; Romantic Fiction

TIME FRAME:
Contemporary; multiple historic periods

SUBJECTS: History; Historians; Time Travel; Dinosaurs; Animal Cruelty; Archeology

DEDICATION (sort of) "I made all this up. Historians and physicists - please do not spit on me in the street"

SAMPLE QUOTATION:
From Chapter One:
“There have been two moments in my life. Moments when everything changed. Moments when things could have gone another way. Moments when I had to make a choice.
The first occurred when, after another disruptive day at school, I stood in from of my head teacher, Mrs. De Winter. I'd done the sullen silence thing and waited for expulsion, because I was long past three strikes and you're out. It didn't happen.
She said, with a strange urgency, 'Madeleine, you cannot let your home circumstances define your entire life. You are intelligent - you have abilities of which you are not even aware. This is the only chance you will ever have. I can help you. Will you allow me to do so?'
No one had ever offered to help me before. Something flickered inside me, but distrust and suspicion die hard.
She said, softly, 'I can help you. Last chance, Madeleine. Yes - or no?'
No words came. I was trapped in a prison of my own making."

RATING:.
5

STARTED READING – FINISHED READING
7/30/2023 to 8/5/2023 ( )

This book marked a new era for me as a reader. I have been recommending it to everyone that will listen. The Chronicles of St. Mary's series is great for fans of Doctor Who. It is a low-tech science fiction with a fun relatable main character to be enjoyed by all. My dad loves the series, too! ( )

Someone should have warned me that I'd need to strap myself in before picking up this book, because whoa, what a ride! I adored everything about St. Mary's: the quirky team, the time-travel elements, the interesting and inevitable politics while navigating academia.

Also, Jodi Taylor is a fabulous writer. She has a knack for humour and wit that's hard to find, but she tempers those lighthearted tendencies with some genuinely dark and emotional moments. Her prose is beautiful and sparkles with British charm.

I'm a huge fan of Connie Willis' Oxford Time Travel series, and this book brought me back to the first time I read DOOMSDAY BOOK, over two decades ago. Like Willis' work, this is a love letter to history and brings different time periods to life with a vividness that's almost tangible. The trips back in time are without a doubt the highlight of the book. (Although I have to say I also really enjoyed the romantic subplot - it's handled wonderfully and felt incredibly realistic.)

I do wish Taylor had stayed clear of info-dumping... there's a chapter where she threw in everything she knows about dinosaurs, and that got a little tedious. But those moments are few and far between, thankfully. I also thought the bad guys came across as stereotypical caricatures, but given just how damn propulsive this book was, I was able to overlook that. I can't wait to read the next book in the series! ( )

A good easy summer read. ( )