Description
You only THINK you know what happened at Waterloo. The real story involved more monsters. And a lot more time travel. It’s 1815, and Wellington’s badly-outnumbered army stares across the field of Waterloo at Napoleon’s forces. Desperate to hold until reinforcements arrive, Wellington calls upon a race of monsters created by a mad Genevese scientist 25 years before. It’s 1815, and a discontented young lady sitting in a rose garden receives a mysterious gift: a pocket watch that, when opened, displays scenes from all eras of history. Past…and future. It’s 1885, and a small band of resistance fighters are resorting to increasingly extreme methods in their efforts to overthrow a steampunk Empire whose clockwork gears are slick with its subjects’ blood. Are these events connected? Oh, come now. That would be telling.

My Review
Timepiece was not a book I would have normally been interested in reading. However, there was something about the description that caught my eye.

The story is about traveling in time to dangerous time in Victorian London, specifically traveling in time forward. That in itself was interesting. It starts off in 1815 where by a young woman receives a pocket watch.

The characters we well written and overall it had enough ingredients to make this a great romantic steampunk novel. This ARC was provided to me in exchange for my honest opinion. If you enjoy time traveling novels, then this is a great novel to consider.

Timepiece has a really interesting concept - Regency characters travel forwards in time to a dangerous steampunk Victorian London - but something about the writing just didn't click for me. I was a little put off, I admit, by the foreword in which another author lauds the book's cleverness - since this isn't a classic, it seemed self-serving and boastful, and made me wary of the book itself.

I'm genuinely surprised that this is under 300 pages long, because the writing is so verbose that I felt like it was much longer. This may have been what stopped me from connecting with the characters, as the opening scene in particular is full of dense detail that bogs you down, without having built the connection to the characters that would make you interested yet.

That being said, the concept is entertaining, and I liked the nods to Frankenstein and the fact that the characters-out-of-time were travelling forwards, not backwards in time, as I've not seen this before. It's an interesting and unusual novel, for sure, just one that didn't quite work for me.

"Timepiece: A Steampunk Time-travel Adventure " eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Heather Albano (http://www.heatheralbano.com/). This is Ms. Albano's first publication and the first in her "Keeping Time" series. 

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in a variety of times and places in Europe. It begins in 1815 with the primary character 17-year-old Elizabeth Barton receiving a very special pocket watch.

In this alternate reality, the monsters of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are real. The British have created an enslaved army of them to counter Napolean. After that victory, they are employed as forced labor in mines, but soon they rebel. England is desperate to control them. A brilliant inventor steps in with mechanical men, not quite robots as they are controlled by a human crew. 

That allows the monsters to be brought under control, but the mechanicals are then used by the government to control the populace. As more and more work is done by the mechanicals and other automation the displaced are kept in check by the mechanicals. 

Into this steps Barton and her new acquaintance, 21-year-old Willaim Carrington. Carrington had been a soldier but a wound to his arm caused him to be discharged. The unlikely pair soon discover that the watch has the astounding ability to travel through time. 

They discover the plight of future inhabitants of England and try to change history to prevent the mechanical men. They also attempt to stop the use or even the creation of the monsters used to beat Napolean. Their travels are not without risk but they do find allies in other timelines. They also discover that theirs is not the only special pocket watch. 

I enjoyed the 8 hours I spent reading this 264-page steampunk fantasy. While this has a touch of Romance and appeals to the Young Adult, it was an enjoyable story. I liked this slightly new take on time travel with the travelers starting off in the past. I like the chosen cover art. I give this novel a 4 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/. 

My book reviews are also published on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/31181778-john-purvis).

It’s a well written novel, very reminiscent of Wells with a twist & the concept is interesting.
I found it a little difficult to get invested in the story & I’ not really sure why.
I found Elizabeth to be a bit annoying & at times overbearing. I guess because she’s headstrong & coming from the early 1800s she wanted more freedom & independence that she wasn’t allowed in her time.
I was intrigued by Mr. Maxwell & am interested to read the next book to hopefully find out more about him.
Overall it’s a good read, if this is a writing style & genre you enjoy.

The concept: Jane Austen-style characters travel through time to keep Frankenstein’s monsters from saving the Battle of Waterloo and transforming Victorian London into a nightmare of pollution and Orwellian robots.

The execution: Deft prose, careful characterization, and meticulous historical research brought the story alive from the opening pages; On the eve of the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington’s position is dire. The French have inflicted massive losses on his forces and he fears with good reason that his lines cannot hold another determined assault. The Prussians, whom he had counted on for relief and reinforcement, have been delayed, despite promises of imminent arrival. His only hope: the “special battalion” troops, descendents of the monsters created by “the Genevese” student (presumably a historical Dr. Frankenstein) a generation ago. He makes a choice and sends for them. That’s the set-up.

Across the Channel in England, a young woman, straight of the pages of Jane Austen and very much an homage to Elizabeth Bennett, aptly named Elizabeth, befriends William, a disabled veteran of those same Napoleonic wars. A mysterious gift, a watch-like device with multiple dials whose purposes are unfathomable, catapults the two to London half a century later, where the city has become an inferno-esque nightmare of pollution, poverty, child labor, and an Orwellian spy state, enforced by gigantic robots. The robots, it turns out, were developed against the “monsters,” who did not simply go away after Waterloo but were used as slaves in hazardous occupations like mining, rebelled, and were driven to Scotland behind “Moore’s Line” (shades of Hadrian, anyone?) Here they meet enigmatic Maxwell, possessor of a second time-travel watch, whose goal has been to prevent the current catastrophe by changing history. His multiple attempts – convince the Genevese to not create a monster, prevent Wellington from using the “special batallion,” etc., have all been unsuccessful. Now our stalwart team, aided by a few sundry folks from 1885 and a few more allies they make upon the way, embark upon the same mission. Needless to say, the following adventures are vastly entertaining, full of poignant moments, character development, and perspectives on the cultural shifts between 1815 and 1885, particularly for women. When they finally return to 1885, the initial signs are good: clear skies, fresh air, streets bustling with normal commerce…except they have inadvertently broken history. And obviously must go on to fix it in the second volume.

Now comes the complaint! Although I read Timepiece in a NetGalley ARC in 2019, when I went looking for the sequels, I found that it was originally published in 2011. All three volumes (Timepiece, Timekeeper, Timebound) are still in print, with new hardcover editions running a shy short of $26.00. Alas, none are available through my public library. While I did enjoy the first installment and am looking forward to the rest, I’m a bit puzzled why Timepiece was offered as an ARC eight years after its publication. The only thing I can figure out is that the third volume was released last year, and this is a strategy to drum up buzz about the series so folks go out and buy all 3.

Regardless, the Keeping Time trilogy is finely handled, thoughtful but exciting travel across time and parallel worlds, all done up in grand steampunk style. I had never heard of it before, but hope that with this re-issue it receives the attention and enjoyment it merits.

The usual disclaimer: I received a review copy of this book, but no one bribed me to say anything in particular about it. Although chocolates and fine imported tea are always welcome.

I had a fun time poking my head into someone's take on the regency period. I also had a wholesome chuckle at the second hand culture shock of our poor heroine time traveling. I'll most definitely have to be continuing with the series.

You only think you know what happened at Waterloo... This story is an interesting take on time travel in the Regency period.

In an attempt to save themselves at the battle of Waterloo, Wellington's forces call upon a race of monsters created by a madman nearly a quarter of a century before. But the price for using such magic will be collected seventy years ahead in the future.
When Elizabeth Barton receives a mysterious parcel with an old and elegant pocketwatch, things start to get a little weird. She and William Carrington, a solider wounded in the Peninsula, are whisked away to the future... Seventy years in the future to be exact. They land in a Victorian England filled with clockwork machines and booming industry. Like two members of Regency/Georgian England would be they are completely shocked to meet a band of resistance fighters. Elizabeth is the prim and proper seventeen year old that her parents raised a young lady to be, where as most women in her newfound land are pant wearing... gun shooting... women of somewhat questionable character. It is, to say the least, a culture shock for our young heroine.

A definitely different set of stories that remind me of the science fiction that was popular 30 years ago. Set in the Napoleonic era, I'm not sure how much of the young adult market they will draw. I found the book interesting but a little confusing until I figured out the time jumps. Then the story lines "clicked". The time travel interactions made the book. I'm looking forward to book #2.

I read time travel, so count me in. There's an introduction in the book about the special setting where, from our POV, people from one historical setting visit another one. Besides it is set in an alternative steampunk London where monsters and the machines that were meant to keep them in check roam around.

This is a good example of how thing gradually became worse, with the solution being even worse than the problem and this for several problems. Luckily there is a bunch of time traveling pocket watches available and some young people who are willing to use it to rid the world once and for all of these problems. Our main characters are from Georgian England and it is clear that HG Wells and the like have not yet been around, because of course they should have realized right from the start that History doesn't want to be changed and that these things NEVER end well.

The story was a bit slower than I expected. While they do jump around in time quite some, I was perhaps still used to the mayhem that is St Mary's in that other Time Travel series that I'm reading. I'm however, not entirely on board with the rules of the time travel in this one, especially since they glance over (or at least give a unsatisfactory answer) to two of the most important paradoxes of time travel. I hope this will be resolved a bit better in the next book, which I hope to read soon.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I read all 3 books in this trilogy and I would highly recommend all three! All 3 books had:
Great writing with strong language skills.
Good plot that will make you turn pages fast.
Great plot that will make you crave more!
I hope to read more books by this author for sure!

Timepiece is an addicting time-travel steam punk novel that you won't be able to put down!

Whether you enjoy 19th century history or not, this book is an exceptional pick. Albano rewrites history time and again as Maxwell, Elizabeth and William try to change the dreaded future from becoming reality.

Elizabeth is discontent with her cushy, yet controlled, life in 1815. When she is sent a magical timepiece that throws her and an acquaintance, William, 70 years into the future to 1885, they find Britain is overrun by robot like monsters. It is their good fortune that Maxwell, a fellow time traveler finds them and brings them to meet his friends, rather than them being captured and their timepiece discovered.

As they help their new friends the next day and see this terrible reality, they find that once disaster strikes and they return home that they can not, in good conscious, stay there and let the future unfold as it does.

Elizabeth is such a fascinating protagonist. While growing up in a life of plenty, she is not like most of the young women of her era. She is adventurous and inquisitive, bold and brave, and above all, fiercely loyal to those she cares about. Through the novel, she is willing to risk everything, her life included, to save others.

William, while much less vibrant than Elizabeth, is caring and intelligent, and a nice contrast to Elizabeth. Maxwell is somewhat of an enigma. We haven't heard his back story yet, however, it feels like the author may giving some foreshadowing hints if I am reading into it correctly.

The writing is fantastic. Albano's work feels very seasoned and is both intriguing and addicting. Her work seems quite researched. While she obviously puts her own spin on events, there are certainly parts that lend from actual history as well. The story is congruent with history up until Waterloo, where one vital decision completely changes the timeline.

I can't wait to start the next book and am anxious to see where Maxwell, Elizabeth and William will go in the next novel!

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and the publisher Stillpoint Digital Press
Prometheus. Thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review.

Time travel is again at the forefront of the story. Ms. Albano tries hard but this story is a bit of a miss. To call this a steampunk story is a bit of a reach. Not a difficult read, it tries too hard to be too clever.

2 out of 5 stars.

The first in a trilogy of timetravel cum cyberpunk novels that read like some undiscovered manuscripts of H.G. Wells.

Time travel, yes, but the adventurers through whose eyes we see events future and past (for them) are not from OUR present, nor indeed our future, but from 1815. Their future is 1885, a cyberpunk Empire under threat from the descendants of Frankenstein’s monsters, and from the oppressive regime that has evolved to deal with them.

The writing is strong – it’s such a pleasant surprise to read a book of this type and not instantly think “fan-fiction” – as is the characterisation and feel for historical detail. As I said, it evokes a feeling of reading Wells, but with admixtures of Jane Austen and Mary Shelley.

Interesting, original, and well worth reading!