Time Tourist Outfitters, Ltd by Christy Nicholas – Review by Sarah Oakes

Time Tourist Outfitters, Ltd. by Christy Nicholas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great read about urgency. Wilda just wants to live her life running her outfitters shop for time travellers. But life seems to have other ideas for her when a time traveller collapses in her shop due to a mystery illness. The contagion spreads to every other Temporal Agent who has Travelled recently and Wilda finds herself and her team as the only ones unaffected. Pulled out of retirement, she and Mattea Travel into the past, following three men for a cause of the illness. Can they return to the present with answers before its too late?
A great read. Well developed plot with twists and turns that I just couldn’t put down. Well developed characters like Wilda sarcastic and stubborn but caring underneath or Mattea kind and naïve but stubborn underneath. Great cast of supporting characters like the supportive friend Tarren or the condescending Lady Xanthippe.
I loved the visual detail throughout the novel like with the Temporal Shifter with its brass and copper and steam like something out of a sci fi novel strange and antique but with a sense of beauty and wonder. Or the scenes in Mali with the desert and the impressive palace and its caravans, full of life and colour and people wit the animals and the vibrant dress colours with sights and smells and sounds so vivid its as if you’re actually there, wonderfully written.
I loved the idea behind the story of the outfitters shop for time travellers, fantastical but realistic at the same time and wonderfully written. A wonderful example of world building with the Temporal Agents living alongside other humans with their own rules and laws and customs clearly explained to the reader and wonderfully thought out tot he smallest detail, a lovely touch. I also liked the use of the past, with historical figures and cultures given the respect they deserve. I also loved the use of pronunciations at the start of the novel to make the names more easier for the reader to understand, a lovely addition. I also liked the sense of mystery throughout with the disease and the three men, with details revealed slowly to the reader, making you want to keep on reading to find out the answers. Overall, a great read and I would give it five stars.

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