The Outcasts of Time

by Ian Mortimer

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Pub Date Jan 02 2018 | Archive Date Dec 31 2017

Historical Fiction

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Description

December 1348. What if you had just six days to save your soul? With the country in the grip of the Black Death, brothers John and William fear that they will shortly die and suffer in the afterlife. But as the end draws near, they are given an unexpected choice: either to go home and spend their last six days in their familiar world, or to search for salvation across the forthcoming centuries – living each one of their remaining days ninety-nine years after the last. John and William choose the future and find themselves in 1447, ignorant of almost everything going on around them. The year 1546 brings no more comfort, and 1645 challenges them in further unexpected ways. It is not just that technology is changing: things they have taken for granted all their lives prove to be short-lived. As they find themselves in stranger and stranger times, the reader travels with them, seeing the world through their eyes as it shifts through disease, progress, enlightenment, and war. But their time is running out—can they do something to redeem themselves before the six days are up?

December 1348. What if you had just six days to save your soul? With the country in the grip of the Black Death, brothers John and William fear that they will shortly die and suffer in the...

A Note From the Publisher

LibraryReads nominations due by 11/20.

Advance Praise

"It's an incredible tour de force, a vivid and page-turning evocation of an age that is long-gone yet has been brought to life again in vibrant and robust fashion thanks to Ian Mortimer's impeccable scholarship and pacy writing.”—Alison Weir, New York Times bestselling author

"This vividly descriptive time-travel adventure by the acclaimed author of 'The Time Traveler's Guide' series reads like historical fiction, but given the surreal plot, becomes a story about the love and devotion between two brothers caught in an impossible situation.... The period immersion in this unusual tale of time travel and redemption comes close in detail and tone to Jack Finney's Time and Again and From Time to Time, as well as Diana Gabaldon's 'Outlander' series. Highly recommended." - Library Journal, Starred Review

"Through everyday details, the reader, along with the brothers, is drawn into the experience of the astounding changes in technology and society that occur with the passage of time." - Booklist

Available Editions

EDITION	Other Format
ISBN	9781681776163
PRICE	$25.95 (USD)
PAGES	400

Additional Information

Average rating from 19 members

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Featured Reviews

Adrienne D, Reviewer

Homo homini daemon - man is a devil to man - that is the prevailing theme behind this moving story by historian Ian Mortimer. The Outcasts of Time opens deep in the heart of that most troubling period in English history, the time of the plagues, where we are introduced to our protagonist during his darkest hours. In the heat of the moment, John of Wrayment makes a decision that will have significant repercussions for the rest of his life - the last six remaining days he will face on Earth.

Mortimer, known for his Time-Traveler's Guides to history, once again takes us on a journey through the changing centuries, but this time we have our own personal guide...a beautifully crafted, complex and sympathetic man by the name of John of Wrayment. Each century is expertly constructed in such rich, heart-rending detail, I often felt as if I too had followed along on John's pilgrimage.

More than a story, this novel is a lesson in humanity. What do we do with the bounty we have been given? How do we help our fellow man? These are the questions left lingering in my mind after finishing The Outcasts of Time. Easily one of the best books I've read all year.

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Anya L, Reviewer

Ian Mortimer is a master. The book opens on our two main characters, william and John in plague-ridden England. Through a series of misfortunes our friends travel throughout time and see how their area begins to change. I admit to a strange fascination with the plague so I was hooked from the first on this account, but the descriptive language and the very meticulously researched historical basis kept me going throughout the book.
Not only was it thoughtful and well written, it also made me think about how I go about my daily life and how i will affect those I encounter on a daily basis. A+, mr. Mortimer!