Kaliane has produced a good debut novel about time travel that is a little bit different from most of the time travelling books I have read recently. In ‘The Ministry of Time’ the protagonist doesn’t time travel herself but acts as a ‘bridge’, handler if you like, for a sea commander who has been brought forward from 1847. Together with a group of other handlers and characters rescued from the past the reader is taken through the attempts to assimilate the time travellers into the modern world. Why is the Ministry doing this and who is the mysterious brigadier?
A great debut novel.

Packed with mind-bending plot, charming and infuriating (and very repressed) Victorian men rescued from time, a whip-smart complex narrator, lesbians from the 1600s, spies, conspiracy theories, time-travel romance and a twist that I did NOT see coming, The Ministry of Time was a joyous and occasionally hard-hitting story of love, second-chances, identity, the power of forgiveness and also an astute commentary on the British nation.

I loved every moment!

I thought that the characters jumped off the page, and were wonderfully complex - they really kept me grounded in what otherwise would have been a pretty intricate plot. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t even see the main twist near the end of book, and that really tickled me. It’s nice to read a narrative focused on intrigue but that doesn’t rely on simply bamboozling readers in order to surprise them.

I was equally surprised at how often I was murmuring in agreement, or at how well executed a concept or feeling was thanks to Bradley’s deliciously descriptive but accessible writing style. It had the emotiveness and tangibility of good poetry, but without any of the vagueness, and made for fast reading despite the plot heavy structure.

I highly, highly recommend this as a great and thought provoking read!

4.25*

I was so intrigued when I saw the concept of this debut novel from Kaliane Bradley - A time-travel romance, speculative spy thriller and workplace comedy all rolled into one and it didn't disappoint.
This is an imaginative and innovative debut with wonderfully vibrant and vivid writing that brings the characters to life and for the most part manages to seamlessly weave the disparate genre strands together.

I'd read a little on the lost Franklin Expedition in 2023 and was glad to have that prior knowledge as it helped give me much more empathy and brought more of a connection to Gore and the situation he found himself in. The fish-out-of-water setting for the characters as a whole brought a lot of pathos to the story and also a great deal of humour and I enjoyed these sections of the narrative immensely. I felt immediate connections to Margaret and Arthur and their joy at discovering the new world and also the sadness and dissonance felt at being out of time but also with their own backgrounds completely in time in the present. I also appreciated the discussions around the ethics of the situation mixed in with commentary about the bureaucracy of the civil service and it's own lack of humanity and understanding when handling these people that they 'saved' from their own time.

The comedy in these early sections of the book does give way to focus more on the dystopian spy thriller aspects of the story in the final third. There are many complex and important threads that are touched upon (environmental disasters, migration, the refugee experience to name a few) and at times some of the analogies felt a little heavy handed. The romance also took me out of the story a little. I loved the slow burn build up and so I didn't need the in-bedroom scenes but, with the ending, I understood the importance of them.

These elements are quibbles and didn't stop me from loving the reading experience. This is a startlingly fun, complex, witty, and sad story. It's speculative and yet also so very human and I'm so glad that I've been afforded the chance to read it, absorb it and continue to think about it after finishing it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton | Sceptre for a digital review copy of "The Ministry of Time" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this book! It's not often I feel like I'm experiencing something new. I'm kind of a sucker for a predictable book, one where I see everything coming and I can soak up the comfort that comes from this.

This book was not predictable. The discussion of time travel, the queer representation thought time, and the author showcasing people who are often forgotten and their stories just lost to time was so captivating.

It was fascinating and witty all while show casing human relationships and how they can thrive even when people have what appears to be startlingly little in common.

I would recommended this book to anyone, and not just so I get to talk about it with more people.

This was a really fun book. The main character is an absolute mess trying to negotiate and manage time travel, the importance of history, ethnicity and identity politics... as well as Graham Gore. This is a story that has a slow burn romance but it is also a complicated tale. How does someone who manages another and has secrets over them and about them manage a relationship? How does the person from the Victorian era manage modern romance and dating?

I especially love some of the side characters in this such as Margaret and Arthur, as well as Graham of course. I did find that a lot of the "bridges" early in the story were trickly to keep hold of and kept mixing up the characters, but this did not take away from my overall enjoyment of thr book. It might have been handy to have a diagram at the start of the books that showed the bridges and their person from the past, as well as who each of the "years" were. Especially as some characters get referred to later numerically such as "46" later on which did get confusing.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC!

I loved this book – I crashed through it in no time at all because I couldn’t stop reading it once I started.

Briefly, the British government have some technology that allows them to extract people from their own time, and bring them forward to the current day, the date of which is left vague. To help them acclimatise, these ‘expats’ have a ‘bridge’, or case-worker. ‘The Ministry of time’ focusses on Commander Graham Gore, formerly of the Royal Navy, and his bridge.

With a setting like this, of course there’s romance, but there are a lot of other layers in the book: colonialism, the perception of history, the use of language and crucially, what does happen to a person when they are transplanted from their natural environment. For me though, it was the relationships between the characters that made the book sing. Graham Gore, formerly of the Franklin expedition to find the Northwest Passage, is funny, thoughtful and extremely sexy. His bridge is an enigma, and I still can’t make up my mind about her. I do know that I am going to reread the book very soon.

Whilst I was reading, I kept thinking of Audrey Niffenegger’s ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’. ‘The Ministry of Time’ isn’t like that book at all, but for me it had the same emotional weight. If you like a book that isn’t quite SF, isn’t quite romance, and will make you think about contemporary issues as well as laugh out loud, this is for you.

I finished this fairly quickly so it was definitely very entertaining. I would classify this book as more of a 'slice of life' type of story with some light sci-fi, historical fiction, romance, and spy plot lines sprinkled in. There is a lot going on but it is more slow paced than expected. I was pleasantly surprised by this since it allowed for more character insight. In fact, the author could have removed some of the sub-genres and I wouldn't have minded (would've maybe even preferred it) since the character study was a bulk of the story anyway. Throughout the story, the author weaved in commentary on refugees, immigration, race, micro-aggressions, biracial identity, family trauma, colonialism, post colonialism, climate change, homophobia, and more. I thought all of this was extremely interesting but, again, I do wonder if maybe the story was trying to be too many things at once. While I felt frustrated by the (unnamed) main character's lack of action and agency as the story progressed, I understand what the author was trying to say about how oppressive systems & trauma shape a person, about the model minority myth, and about how seemingly small decisions can make giant ripples through the timeline.
All in all, I would definitely be interested in future books by this author.

The premise of "the Ministry of Time' is great, and there were so many characters in this book I loved. The main trio from the past were so compelling. Graham is genuinely so charming and funny, Maggie is sweet and fun and her excitement towards the future really endeared me to her, and then there's Arthur with his quiet devotion which makes him such a joy to read about and root for.

I found the pacing of the book to be difficult, and the retrospective nature of the tone made it difficult for me to feel excited and present in the narrative -- I was experiencing my own dissociation between 'hereness' and 'thereness' (borrowing some of the book’s time travel terminology here) while reading. When reading a book about time travel you're expecting some kind of flippy twist, some moment when you realize the thing you've been looking forward to has been behind you all along, but I found when that twist came there didn't seem to be any real narrative investment in it - the big stakes were immediately and easily side-stepped. I also never understood any of the real goals for the Ministry, and not in a way which pointed towards the Ministry having an unknowable nature, but just plainly I had a tough time believing in the Ministry because its actions seemed to be contradictory and unfocused.

I thought the author had a genuine gift for writing these historical characters, in the sense that I believed they were from their respective times completely and I loved the way language was used. There were a few too many moments of disconnect for me to feel really grabbed by the story — moments when a new character was introduced just for the sake of it but not really fleshed out. But that’s not to say that was always the case, some of the situations the characters got put into were genuinely very cinematic and wonderfully uncanny, but it wasn’t enough to make up for where it lacked. I also didn't appreciate how much of the main character's identity was dependent on her standing with Graham; I really needed more of a sense of her own growth and development rather than just seeing how well Graham was doing and then associating her own success through his. The main character's dependency on him for identity affected my ability to feel excited about their romance.

This was a book I was incredibly excited about, and I was so happy to receive this advanced copy -- while there were some great elements I found it fell short for me and left me feeling a bit disconnected and disheartened. I do hope it finds a happy and dedicated audience as it's clear in the writing how much care and research was put into the book -- I thought including the photo of the real Graham Gore to be a really lovely touch.

The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley took me by surprise with its blend of humor and thought-provoking themes.

The narrative centers on a biracial British-Cambodian translator employed by the Ministry of Time, tasked with facilitating the integration of historical figures into the present. Specifically, she is assigned to assist Commander Graham Gore, who was part of the failed Franklin expedition to the Arctic in 1847.

What unfolds is a genre-bending tale that seamlessly merges elements of romantic comedy, sci-fi, and speculative fiction. At its core, it's a slow-burning romance that explores topics such as colonialism, slavery, inherited trauma, and racial identity.

The initial part of the story is a riot of laughter, as we witness the antics of historical figures adjusting to the modern world. Their curiosity and commentary were hilarious, I found myself chuckling out loud more than once. However, as the story progresses, it takes on a more introspective tone, going into deeper, more poignant reflections on life and society.

The characters are well-developed, with understandable motivations and depth. However, I did find myself struggling to navigate some of the past segments. While they offered valuable insights into the character, they occasionally disrupted the flow of the main narrative for me.

Overall, though, I wholeheartedly recommend "The Ministry of Time" to anyone who enjoys romantic comedy with substance and reflection. It's a delightful blend of humor and depth that's sure to entertain and provoke thought.

What an incredible -and unique - debut novel this is. Genuinely unlike anything I have read before. While at times the plot comes over as being little too quirky and contrived, Bradley always manages to pull you back in by writing a sentence which punches the breath right out of you. I loved the time travellers and like, everyone else who reads this, fell a little in love with the dashing, chain-smoking, curly haired charmer that is Graham Gore. No spoilers, but the ending will have you weeping into your pillow for a good 24 hours or so.

The Ministry of Time is outrageously sexy, outrageously readable and outrageously good fun. It is going to be absolutely huge and deservedly so.

I was excited for this book when I read the blurb as I’ve never heard anything like. I think the premise is an amazing idea and I will keep an eye out for Kalianes future works.

However, I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to. I thought it was just okay. The writing style wasn’t to my taste and I found myself getting bored quite easily.

I’ve been so eagerly anticipating this book and it didn’t disappoint! I loved the concept, and keep finding myself bringing it up with friends to talk about it - for a history fan like me, this is a great read, especially being it focused on what it really means to be located in time as well as (very entertainingly) the bureaucracy and logistics of time. It lagged a little at times - bogged in all those details, and then sometimes rushed through explanations a bit - but I really enjoyed it. Funny and clever and snarky - and I loved the relationship between the main character and Gore! AH!

Interesting and entertaining time travel thriller. As time travel is discovered, five people are intercepted just before death from various eras to avoid creating changes in history. As a bridge assigned to mind one of those people, a disgruntled civil servant is caught up in a multi era threat while also managing her feelings and relationship with a man from the past. Interesting and well paced thriller.

I hope time travel doesn’t happen because this world is messed up enough without letting people who think they “know best” go and interfere with history. 🚫 ⌛️
I enjoyed this book; I wasn’t entirely sure that I would because of the references to historical events. As I was reading, I felt a sense of protectiveness toward the “expats.” I was saddened for them about not having the choice but to adjust and was rooting for them to make it. ❤️
“There is nothing left in the world that has known me for longer than a few months. I am a stranger in a strange land.” 🌎
I’m looking forward to hearing Kaliane Bradley speak about the creation of “The Ministry of Time” at one of her author events. 🗣️ 📖
Thanks, NetGalley, for the early copy. 📚

Time agency, Bureaucracy and companionship

This is a confident debut novel with a twist on the classic time travelling concept. Instead of the protagonist going back in time. How about they come to our time. The book felt fresh and engaging. At the heart of it is relationships. I especially enjoyed the ‘flashbacks’ to what life was like for Graham. I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for some escapism and a fun time.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This book was wonderful! I read it in one day as I couldn’t put it down. This is a near future sci-fi novel. We follow a civil servant known to us only as The Bridge. She joins a mysterious ministry that has brought people from different historical periods to modern day. Her job is to look after and report on a man called Graham Gore who was taken from an arctic expedition in the 19th century. We see the year that they spend living together as Gore learns about (what to him is) the future and tries to assimilate.

There was so much to love about this, the writing is thoughtful and engaging. We have a fascinating exploration on the effects of time travel on individuals and the meeting of minds from the past and future. We delve into discussion on refugees, climate change, conspiracy the experience of being mixed race in the U.K.

The author has seamlessly blended so many genres. We have a speculative sci-fi novel, a spy thriller, a time-travel romance and it all works together beautifully. I was so impressed by this and I can’t wait to see what this author does next.

Honestly, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read! I felt the ‘hereness’ and ‘thereness’ throughout and loved the genre mixture. Romance, futuristic, crime, erotic, thriller were all in there and Kaliane’s descriptive use of language is out of this world. I felt like every word was true and cannot wait to read her next book!

3.5 stars

This book was not what I expected at all. Time travel and mystery abound, but there's more under the surface.

The story is told like a cross between a diary and a report, what all makes total sense as the story goes on. However, I didn't enjoy that style of writing and never gelled with the story teller at all.

The story was ok. Dragged in parts and rushed through other parts that I'd have liked more of. This does work well with the diary style of story telling, who doesn't dwell on the sad and happy parts when writing it down.

The characters. I adored Maggie! She was fun and embraced the world she was thrust into.
I didn't like the storyteller, the bridge. She felt flat and her romance with Graham reminded me a little of Stockholm Syndrome/Beauty and The Beast.
But Maggie and Arthur and Quentin were great characters.

I'm glad I stuck with the story. Without spoilers this is worth the read for the amazing end the author concocted, which I guess could also be a beginning?

Grab this book for a weekend read. Snuggle down and be pulled through the door.

Time travel is one of my favourite subgenres, so I was excited to read this one. Sadly it just didn't work for me and I found myself questioning too much instead if just suspending my belief and enjoying it as I have with other similar style novels.

This book was completely different from what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a civil servant myself, I’m always intrigued by how they and their roles are depicted and this did not disappoint.

It’s a testament to the structure, narrative style and character development in this book that I liked it as much as I did. I normally need clear plot development from the outset and while I struggled to see where this story was going until Bradley was ready to let us see that the characters were compelling enough that I wanted to keep reading.

I loved the elements of humour that the time travellers brought to the story as they acclimated to a new time and I particularly thought that Arthur and Maggie brought a lovely warmth to the story which at times did provoke a lot of thought. I know it’ll be one I keep thinking about going forwards for various reasons (including a new interest with Arctic exploration).

Thanks to the NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy.