The Ministry of Time merges time travel with a romance and a spy thriller with varying results.
A minor government translator is given a dream job. She is hired to teach a time traveler from the 1840s how modern life works. They will live together for a year. Rent, food and all the trappings are free. She just needs to provide weekly reports on the time traveler’s acclimation to modern society. The job also includes a giant bump in pay. She can’t say no to all of that. However, things get complicated when she finds herself attracted to her charge, Commander Graham Gore. In the meantime, her government agency is beset by challenges from both within and without.
The world building of the universe is excellent. The fact that Commander Gore was a real person is a mind-blowing addition to the meta feel of this book. The translator also reflects a lot about being biracial in Britain and the horribleness of the Cambodian war. There are also many humorous scenes of Graham and his fellow time travelers’ issues with the modern world.
Unfortunately, the middle of this book dragged a bit for me. I struggled to get past it. However, the slam bam thrilling finale of The Ministry of Time was definitely worth the slog. 3.5 stars.
Thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.