Time Hunter: The Severed Man

By George Mann

     Those time travelers Honoré and Emily are back for another adventure. When Honore spots a tramp who appears to belong to no possible time period, he starts off on a chase through Victorian London, 1920s rural Staffordshire and his own bleak post-war period. How is this linked with a series of Ripper-style murders (these in foggy 1880s London, of course), a monster, an angel and a young boy?

     This is part one of a two-part story to be continued in Time Hunter: Echoes. In true Time Hunter style, the author is adept at sketching in the ambience of a particular place and time in a fine laconic style in keeping with the book's novella length. But this tale is rather fragmented, and I hope that the conclusion will prove more satisfying than this disparate first volume. Also, some of the elements have been visited before too many times, such as the Victorian murders and I found myself trying in vain to grab hold of a cohesive whole story in among all the elements. This is on the whole an imaginative series, but I felt that this particular tale could have been stronger. I hope that I am pleasantly surprised with Echoes, and that this will bring something fresh and new to the series.

     Obtainable from Telos Publishing Ltd, 61 Elgar Avenue, Tolworth, Surrey, KT5 9JP
     Standard edition £7.99, Deluxe edition £25
     P&P for UK customers £1.50
     Visit the website http://www.telos.co.uk