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Just One Damned Thing After Another

Book 1 in the series:The Chronicles of St. Mary's

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"Just One Damned Thing After Another" by Jodi Taylor follows the adventures of Dr. Max Maxwell at St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research, where historians travel back in time to investigate important historical events. The writing style is described as intelligent, fast-paced, and filled with action, humor, and suspense. The plot revolves around time travel, historical accuracy, and the challenges faced by the characters as they navigate through various historical periods.

Characters:

The characters are diverse and uniquely quirky, contributing to the humor and heart of the story.

Writing/Prose:

Taylor's writing is characterized by humor and a lively narrative style, making for an engaging read.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative combines humor with time travel adventures as historians observe historical events.

Setting:

The story unfolds across various historical settings, anchored at the St Mary's Institute.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, with frequent shifts between comedic episodes and serious plot points.
The first occurred when, after another disruptive day at school, I stood in front of my head teacher, Mrs De Winter. I’d done the sullen silence thing and waited for expulsion, because I was long past...

Notes:

The book is the first installment of a long series called The Chronicles of St. Mary's.
The main character is Dr. Madeleine Maxwell, also known as Max.
St Mary’s is a historical research institution that uses time travel to observe major historical events.
The researchers at St Mary’s are described as 'disaster magnets', often leading to chaotic situations.
The narrative involves humor, action, and elements of romance, alongside historical facts.
The story covers various historical periods, including the Cretaceous Period and World War I.
The author, Jodi Taylor, is known for her witty British humor and engaging writing style.
The series has received positive reviews for its fun and addictive nature, with many readers recommending it.
The title reflects a common sentiment about history, quoting historian Arnold Toynbee: 'History is just one damned thing after another.'
The series combines elements of light science fiction with history and adventure.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Medium content warnings are applicable, particularly regarding themes of violence, death, and sexual assault.

Has Romance?

There is a medium level of romance present throughout the book, intertwined with the main plot.

From The Publisher:

The first book in the USA Today bestselling British madcap time-travelling series, served with a dash of wit that seems to be everyone's cup of tea.

"History is just one damned thing after another." -Arnold Toynbee

Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary's Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don't call it "time travel"-these historians "investigate major historical events in contemporary time." And they aren't your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets.

The first thing you learn on the job at St. Mary's is that one wrong move and history will fight back-sometimes in particularly nasty ways. But, as new recruit Madeleine Maxwell soon discovers, it's not only history they're often fighting.

The Chronicles of St. Mary's tells the chaotic adventures of Max and her compatriots-Director Bairstow, Chief Leon Farrell, Mr. Markham, and many more-as they travel through time, saving St. Mary's (too often by the very seat of their pants) and thwarting time-travelling terrorists, all the while leaving plenty of time for tea.

From eleventh-century London to World War I, from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria, one thing is for sure: wherever the historians at St. Mary's go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Ratings (47)

Incredible (5)
Loved It (16)
Liked It (14)
It Was OK (7)
Did Not Like (4)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (108):

Read It (45)
Want To Read (44)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (17)

2 comment(s)

It Was OK
6 days

This was a good and entertaining story, quite unique and other a wonderful title. But i can't give it more then 3.5 stars as I didn't quite enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Enjoyed reading it but keeps forgetting to pick it back up.

 
Did Not Like
3 months

At about halfway through (53% to be exact) I realized I am just not enjoying this have shelved it. I already had put it aside to read The Institute which I enjoyed. I should have known when I was reluctant to go back to this that it wasn’t cutting it. Sometimes it was okay. Sometimes it was befuddling. Often it evoked absolutely nothing in me. Not amusement. Not annoyance. Zip. Life’s too short and the reading list too long to read books I don’t like.

 
 
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