I'm just filling the gaps in my Ben Elton back-catalogue, I can't believe I missed this from 2014!

I thought I has read all Ben Elton’s novels (I had), and then I find 2 new ones, what a treat! This is the first of the 2, ‘the time travel one’. The thing about BE is that he writes very readable books covering a vast range of genres, and it feels like he’s having fun, unlike some of my other favourite authors, William Boyd or Ian McEwan for example; and if he’s having fun then I’m having fun :)

My head hurts to think too much about the pseudo-science of time travel, in this instance the opportunity to ‘change history’ and all the incumbent paradoxes come from a 111 year loop of time between 1914 and 2025. And yes that first date is significant, but not quite the way you imagine. So, not to give too much away, a retired grieving soldier Hugh Stanton returns to Istambul (Constantinople) charged by the secretive Chronos group to stop the First World War, or in this version of history the Great War. So lots of really interesting and genuinely fascinating glimpses of that fateful period in history seen through the eyes of one person responding to the Newtonian question*, “If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?” There’s a great twist towards the end of the book and a sobering message about meddling in time, well that’s us told ;)

*Isaac Newton has a cameo appearance as, the, erm, father of time travel. As I say great fun and a great thought-provoking read.

I'm taking this and a few others to release at the Beer Heroes Craft Beer festival ... hopefully it stays dry, well not 'dry' but you know what I mean :)

If you find this, welcome to book crossing