What do you think?
Rate this book
Thomas Knight #2
What Time Devours
A dead woman. A literary treasure. A dangerous quest.Thomas Knight, the protagonist from On the Fifth Day, returns and is faced with a centuries-old mystery surrounding a long-lost—and now priceless—Shakespearean play. To find it, Thomas will have to enter a story which drags loss and death after it like one of Shakespeare’s tragedies, a story bound to time and all it devours.
402 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 24, 2008
14 people are currently reading
243 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
August 19, 2017
El propio autor da a entender a través de una conversación de su protagonista, el profesor Thomas Knight, que este libro ha surgido a la estela de “El código Da Vinci”, y se nota mucho. La diferencia principal es que, aquí, la trama se basa en la búsqueda de una supuesta obra perdida de Shakespeare, y el héroe de turno se desplaza desde Estados Unidos hasta la Inglaterra natal del autor con el objetivo de encontrar indicios sobre el posible paradero de la obra.
Quizás con una novela de menos páginas la trama no se me hubiera hecho tan monótona, llegando incluso a saltar párrafos enteros. Además, esta es la segunda entrega del subsodicho protagonista, y toda la parte referida a su mujer, que ahora reside en japón, está muy mal explicada para los que no hemos leído la primera. Lo único que salvo de la novela son las descripciones geográficas de los lugares que visita, los apuntes históricos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y de la historia de Inglaterra sobre esos mismos lugares, y las notas biográficas sobre Shakespeare. Lo demás se me hizo tedioso. Sin ganas de continuar con la serie.
Quizás con una novela de menos páginas la trama no se me hubiera hecho tan monótona, llegando incluso a saltar párrafos enteros. Además, esta es la segunda entrega del subsodicho protagonista, y toda la parte referida a su mujer, que ahora reside en japón, está muy mal explicada para los que no hemos leído la primera. Lo único que salvo de la novela son las descripciones geográficas de los lugares que visita, los apuntes históricos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y de la historia de Inglaterra sobre esos mismos lugares, y las notas biográficas sobre Shakespeare. Lo demás se me hizo tedioso. Sin ganas de continuar con la serie.
April 7, 2022
Nefasto intento de thriller, Lo que devora el tiempo, resulta una lectura tediosa y bastante aburrida. Aunque la premisa inicial resulta muy atractiva pronto se diluye en una trama absurda, que hace que todo el libro sea pesado y difícil de acabar.
Lo primero que leo de Andrew Hartley, autor de este libro, me ha parecido a duras penas aceptable. Y es que Hartley es un escritor mediocre, con un estilo insulso y simplón. Su prosa es intrascendente y sorprendentemente lenta para ser una novela de misterio, su lenguaje sencillo y pragmático y las descripciones bastante sosas. Ni siquiera se puede decir que la documentación haya sido muy minuciosa o particularmente brillante.
Lo que devora el tiempo narra una historia “tipo” dentro del género policíaco: aparecen pistas que conducen al descubrimiento de algo muy valioso. Por otro lado, van surgiendo una serie de cadáveres en el camino que están relacionados con lo que se pretende descubrir. En este caso, la pieza valiosa a encontrar es un libro. Más concretamente, Trabajos de amor ganados, la segunda parte de la famosa comedia, Trabajos de amor perdidos, una de las primeras obras de William Shakespeare. Es aquí donde entra en escena nuestro protagonista, Thomas Knight, profesor de literatura y ex estudioso de Shakespeare, que se encuentra a una desconocida muerta en su jardín. Esta mujer afirmaba poseer la obra perdida del dramaturgo inglés. A partir de ahí, la trama decae hasta lo descabellado en el que se mezclan insulsos viajes, reflexiones literarias soporíferas, escenas de acción tediosas y, un misterio tan simplón y estúpido que no sabes si reír o llorar por el tiempo malgastado. Y eso sin contar el final. Un desenlace abierto y simplemente horrible.
En definitiva, Lo que devora el tiempo es una novela totalmente prescindible y un producto literario mediocre, como muchos de los libros que se editan hoy en día. Y es que el título de la novela es toda una profecía de lo que le espera a éste título, el tiempo devorará esta historia hasta el olvido. Como muchas otras…
Lo primero que leo de Andrew Hartley, autor de este libro, me ha parecido a duras penas aceptable. Y es que Hartley es un escritor mediocre, con un estilo insulso y simplón. Su prosa es intrascendente y sorprendentemente lenta para ser una novela de misterio, su lenguaje sencillo y pragmático y las descripciones bastante sosas. Ni siquiera se puede decir que la documentación haya sido muy minuciosa o particularmente brillante.
Lo que devora el tiempo narra una historia “tipo” dentro del género policíaco: aparecen pistas que conducen al descubrimiento de algo muy valioso. Por otro lado, van surgiendo una serie de cadáveres en el camino que están relacionados con lo que se pretende descubrir. En este caso, la pieza valiosa a encontrar es un libro. Más concretamente, Trabajos de amor ganados, la segunda parte de la famosa comedia, Trabajos de amor perdidos, una de las primeras obras de William Shakespeare. Es aquí donde entra en escena nuestro protagonista, Thomas Knight, profesor de literatura y ex estudioso de Shakespeare, que se encuentra a una desconocida muerta en su jardín. Esta mujer afirmaba poseer la obra perdida del dramaturgo inglés. A partir de ahí, la trama decae hasta lo descabellado en el que se mezclan insulsos viajes, reflexiones literarias soporíferas, escenas de acción tediosas y, un misterio tan simplón y estúpido que no sabes si reír o llorar por el tiempo malgastado. Y eso sin contar el final. Un desenlace abierto y simplemente horrible.
En definitiva, Lo que devora el tiempo es una novela totalmente prescindible y un producto literario mediocre, como muchos de los libros que se editan hoy en día. Y es que el título de la novela es toda una profecía de lo que le espera a éste título, el tiempo devorará esta historia hasta el olvido. Como muchas otras…
May 20, 2009
There’s the old axiom declared by countless authors saying, “Write about what you know.” Hartley knows his Shakespeare! Hartley knows his history!
Beyond the obvious respect, admiration, and perhaps some perplexity about the depths of which he knows the historical and academic content of his book, I have another appreciation for the author’s writing. It involves the preservation of history in its available accuracy despite deeply involving a subject that, if true, would "shake and rattle the pages of history to the point of escaping their bindings." Hartley preserves the pages, adds between the lines (changes a name here and there), but neither erases nor rewrites anything with this novel, fiction or not. The novel even goes so far as to portray a certain disgust for novels that blatantly disregard historical fact for the sake of fancy in fiction. Yet, he expertly does so, in my opinion, without pounding the proverbial pompous mallet of academia into the head of the reader despite his obvious authoritative expertise in the field(s).
He takes some overindulged ruminations of the average suspense novel: murder, mystery, double-crossing, dark shadowy figures lurking in dark passages, and seamlessly masks them behind an educational adventure through history, art, and geography he saw fit not to redefine from the known facts. Not an easy task to accomplish! He does so perfectly, and I was both entertained and educated right to the end. Congratulations, Mr. Hartley. It would seem that Hartley also knows his suspense!
Beyond the obvious respect, admiration, and perhaps some perplexity about the depths of which he knows the historical and academic content of his book, I have another appreciation for the author’s writing. It involves the preservation of history in its available accuracy despite deeply involving a subject that, if true, would "shake and rattle the pages of history to the point of escaping their bindings." Hartley preserves the pages, adds between the lines (changes a name here and there), but neither erases nor rewrites anything with this novel, fiction or not. The novel even goes so far as to portray a certain disgust for novels that blatantly disregard historical fact for the sake of fancy in fiction. Yet, he expertly does so, in my opinion, without pounding the proverbial pompous mallet of academia into the head of the reader despite his obvious authoritative expertise in the field(s).
He takes some overindulged ruminations of the average suspense novel: murder, mystery, double-crossing, dark shadowy figures lurking in dark passages, and seamlessly masks them behind an educational adventure through history, art, and geography he saw fit not to redefine from the known facts. Not an easy task to accomplish! He does so perfectly, and I was both entertained and educated right to the end. Congratulations, Mr. Hartley. It would seem that Hartley also knows his suspense!
July 30, 2020
On the one hand, this book lacks such a plot dynamics that we sometimes expect from an intellectual detective like the "imperishable" books of Dan Brown. And I agree that a lot is far-fetched here.
But in return we get communication with a very clever, interesting author, and with not a "cardboard" one, but a relief describrc protagonist. and we see a whole layer of discourse about modern literary criticism - in particular, Shakespearean studies, about comparing England with America, about wars in history, about the structure of human life. Moreover, everything is very uncommon, unobtrusive and at the right moment.
We see here such a degree of intricacy of the plot, which is precisely what is usually present in real life, in contrast to the incredible plot intricacies of the luminary of this genre - the great and mighty Dan Brown.
But in return we get communication with a very clever, interesting author, and with not a "cardboard" one, but a relief describrc protagonist. and we see a whole layer of discourse about modern literary criticism - in particular, Shakespearean studies, about comparing England with America, about wars in history, about the structure of human life. Moreover, everything is very uncommon, unobtrusive and at the right moment.
We see here such a degree of intricacy of the plot, which is precisely what is usually present in real life, in contrast to the incredible plot intricacies of the luminary of this genre - the great and mighty Dan Brown.
April 19, 2009
A promising start, a meandering middle section and a fizzle of an ending.
Tom Knight is a high school literature teacher. One morning, he gos to make coffee and finds a dead woman smashed against his window. That evening, a former student calls him claiming to have found a new play by Shakespeare. After someone tries to kill Tom--and kills the former student--he's off to England to try and find the play. While I liked the jabs at academics, the mystery was overwhelmed by the wandering of Tom and his pointless musings over stuff. The sub-plot of his estranged wife getting breast cancer doesn't help to round out a rather flat main character.
Give it a miss.
Tom Knight is a high school literature teacher. One morning, he gos to make coffee and finds a dead woman smashed against his window. That evening, a former student calls him claiming to have found a new play by Shakespeare. After someone tries to kill Tom--and kills the former student--he's off to England to try and find the play. While I liked the jabs at academics, the mystery was overwhelmed by the wandering of Tom and his pointless musings over stuff. The sub-plot of his estranged wife getting breast cancer doesn't help to round out a rather flat main character.
Give it a miss.
September 9, 2017
I read the first of this series quite a while ago. I liked it well enough, but never got around to reading the next one. I saw the author at DragonCon this past weekend, so I checked at work to see if we had this one. We did! So, on I read.
I LOVED this one. I was highly entertained. The pacing was good. I didn't get why the MC, who was trying to hide from the person he was following in the dark, then from the people trying to find him, also in the dark, was using a flashlight. But other than that, I loved this one.
I LOVED this one. I was highly entertained. The pacing was good. I didn't get why the MC, who was trying to hide from the person he was following in the dark, then from the people trying to find him, also in the dark, was using a flashlight. But other than that, I loved this one.
November 12, 2019
Wow! A very impressive feat that brings together a tangled web of otherwise complete coincidences to fashion into a mystery, replete with murders and villains.
The ending does disappoint, but I found this to be a fascinating and compelling page-turner, and I won't reduce the overall score too much for that quibble.
The ending does disappoint, but I found this to be a fascinating and compelling page-turner, and I won't reduce the overall score too much for that quibble.
May 9, 2024
This is just the type of suspense novel I love. An ordinary citizen accidentally gets involved in something that becomes dangerous. You do have to suspend belief a bit...since when does a school teacher have the ability to just jump on a plane (we all know that flights are hugely expensive when you don't book in advance) and run around England? No one I know has that kind of money. Aside from that, I enjoyed the story.
Thomas Knight is a high school teacher. He never did finish his theses on Shakespeare in college, though was always fascinated with the topic. One day an old student approaches him with the idea that there could be a lost Shakespeare play and he wants to share it with the world. The next day the student ends up dead. In a related matter, the writer who was to help him get it published and written into a screenplay turns up dead as well. Coincidence?
Maybe there is a lost Shakespeare play. And someone else wants it. Or maybe they want to make sure it never sees the light of day. Who could it be? And what is their motive? Thomas takes a series of journeys to various Shakespearean conferences and places in England associated with him to try to find out if there ever could be such a thing as what his student suggested. The play was thought to be titled Loves Labor Won, the sequel to a known play named Loves Labor Lost.
I thought it might be boring since Shakespeare's writing doesn't do much for me. But fortunately, the story doesn't really discuss his writings or attempt to analyze much, it is mostly all about finding out about Shakespeare's biography if something could have been produced and then tracking down who ever is now following Thomas. They are hoping he leads them to the play, if such exists.
An interesting tale that is surprisingly fast-paced, witty dialogue, and great action. A fun story for those who like writing and history. Right up my alley.
Thomas Knight is a high school teacher. He never did finish his theses on Shakespeare in college, though was always fascinated with the topic. One day an old student approaches him with the idea that there could be a lost Shakespeare play and he wants to share it with the world. The next day the student ends up dead. In a related matter, the writer who was to help him get it published and written into a screenplay turns up dead as well. Coincidence?
Maybe there is a lost Shakespeare play. And someone else wants it. Or maybe they want to make sure it never sees the light of day. Who could it be? And what is their motive? Thomas takes a series of journeys to various Shakespearean conferences and places in England associated with him to try to find out if there ever could be such a thing as what his student suggested. The play was thought to be titled Loves Labor Won, the sequel to a known play named Loves Labor Lost.
I thought it might be boring since Shakespeare's writing doesn't do much for me. But fortunately, the story doesn't really discuss his writings or attempt to analyze much, it is mostly all about finding out about Shakespeare's biography if something could have been produced and then tracking down who ever is now following Thomas. They are hoping he leads them to the play, if such exists.
An interesting tale that is surprisingly fast-paced, witty dialogue, and great action. A fun story for those who like writing and history. Right up my alley.
March 5, 2009
A murder mystery about a lost Shakespeare play, you say? My anticipatory response was: Insert girlish clapping here. I so wanted to love this book, but when a mere handful of pages in, I was being walked through the protagonist's grocery-shopping -- and not in a good way -- I thought, Oh, it's going to be that kind of novel, is it? The kind where the author has just gone shopping or perhaps wants to go shopping and has a wordcount deadline to make and, hey, doesn't knowing someone's grocery habits count as character development? The answer is NO, KNOWING ABOUT SOMEONE'S GROCERY HABITS DOES NOT BUILD CHARACTER IN A BOOK THAT STARTS WITH A DEAD WOMAN IN A WINDOW, UNLESS SOMEONE IS SHOPPING FOR RAT POISON OR A VERY LARGE BRICK. It did get more exciting; I did keep reading; and ultimately, with better editing and the use of the AWESOME plot points I came up with on my own, it could be a really good read. Alas, as is, it's an airplane book, which I should have known because I bought it at an airport. Sigh.
March 24, 2018
High school English teacher, Thomas Knight, is thrust into a mystery and quest when a famous author is found dead in his yard. A former student, David Escolme seeks out Thomas to help find a lost Shakespeare play, Love's Labour's Won. Thomas isn't interested until somebody murders David.
Thomas is later shot in the shoulder. He attends a Shakespeare conference and meets up with fans of the bard. His search takes him to England as he pieces together the parts of the puzzle over the lost manuscript which the murdered author claims to have possessed it.
He travels to France in pursuit of more clues which bring him back to England. Thomas becomes involved in researching the death of five girls who died in a tragic fire. One girl was the daughter of the murdered author and another girl was the daughter of the murdered author's writing partner.
Thomas is able to learn about the cause of the fire and finds out about the lost manuscript.
It is a good story but not compelling enough for me to want to try his other books.
Thomas is later shot in the shoulder. He attends a Shakespeare conference and meets up with fans of the bard. His search takes him to England as he pieces together the parts of the puzzle over the lost manuscript which the murdered author claims to have possessed it.
He travels to France in pursuit of more clues which bring him back to England. Thomas becomes involved in researching the death of five girls who died in a tragic fire. One girl was the daughter of the murdered author and another girl was the daughter of the murdered author's writing partner.
Thomas is able to learn about the cause of the fire and finds out about the lost manuscript.
It is a good story but not compelling enough for me to want to try his other books.
May 10, 2022
me encantó el mensaje que deja, es dulce y triste. aunque nos cueste aceptarlo, nos duela, así es la realidad: cruda y frío, sin piedad.
hay cosas que no me convencen pero la verdad que es muy adictivo desde el principio. lastima que hay cosas poco creíbles, pero por lo demás lo amé.
hay cosas que no me convencen pero la verdad que es muy adictivo desde el principio. lastima que hay cosas poco creíbles, pero por lo demás lo amé.
March 25, 2022
This was a blind date book that really captured me. I have not thought mich of Shakespeare but it does make for mystery.
August 7, 2025
No entendí si se trataba de una novela policiaca o una novela histórica con tintes de suspenso. La terminé por puro compromiso.
Te engancha al principio sobre que se trata de la búsqueda de una obra perdida escrita por Shakespeare, pero hay tantos personajes (que no contribuyen a nada) involucrados para conseguir información que te pierdes entre todo lo que dicen.
Las descripciones que da sobre los lugares que el protagonista visita, en específico las calles por las que camina las hace como si el lector conociera el lugar de memoria; totalmente innecesarias.
No me parece novela policiaca porque en ningún momento se dan pistas clave para que el lector sienta que va resolviendo el crimen a la par que el protagonista, y no la consideraría novela histórica porque no se sigue ningún evento histórico en particular; el autor entremezcla muchísimos eventos en muy poco tiempo de desarrollo del tiempo ficticio.
Y ni hablar de los personajes, son tan planos que no puedes empatizar con ninguno ni sentir interés genuino por su historia.
Te engancha al principio sobre que se trata de la búsqueda de una obra perdida escrita por Shakespeare, pero hay tantos personajes (que no contribuyen a nada) involucrados para conseguir información que te pierdes entre todo lo que dicen.
Las descripciones que da sobre los lugares que el protagonista visita, en específico las calles por las que camina las hace como si el lector conociera el lugar de memoria; totalmente innecesarias.
No me parece novela policiaca porque en ningún momento se dan pistas clave para que el lector sienta que va resolviendo el crimen a la par que el protagonista, y no la consideraría novela histórica porque no se sigue ningún evento histórico en particular; el autor entremezcla muchísimos eventos en muy poco tiempo de desarrollo del tiempo ficticio.
Y ni hablar de los personajes, son tan planos que no puedes empatizar con ninguno ni sentir interés genuino por su historia.
April 9, 2020
Diría un 3.5*
Es la primera vez que leo a este autor. Me gusto bastante la trama, había mucha intriga, mucho misterio, el personaje principal Thomas me gustó pero no congenie mucho con él, en partes me pareció un poco sonso.
Debo decir que las razones que se explican en parte no tuvieron mucho sentido para mí, me pareció un poco tonto, además de que hubieron cosas que no explica como terminaron, el auto lo dejo en el aire. Pero aún así es un libro interesante al menos para las personas que son amantes de este género creo que es opción estupenda!
Es la primera vez que leo a este autor. Me gusto bastante la trama, había mucha intriga, mucho misterio, el personaje principal Thomas me gustó pero no congenie mucho con él, en partes me pareció un poco sonso.
Debo decir que las razones que se explican en parte no tuvieron mucho sentido para mí, me pareció un poco tonto, además de que hubieron cosas que no explica como terminaron, el auto lo dejo en el aire. Pero aún así es un libro interesante al menos para las personas que son amantes de este género creo que es opción estupenda!
September 3, 2017
An engaging, if improbable, plot, but I often found the protagonist tedious. The chip on his shoulder was more than I could appreciate.
November 19, 2017
Shakespeare+una obra perdida+ asesinatos= A este libro lleno de tension y misterio alrededor de Europa
January 14, 2018
I read the start and the end of this book, which was sufficient.
February 25, 2025
3.5 ⭐ Enjoyed the first one more but the Shakespeare conspiracies fascinate me, definitely not the first time I have read a fiction book steeped in this idea and probably won't be the last.
March 16, 2024
pesimo intento de thriller me costo un huevo terminarlo
May 6, 2009
WHAT TIME DEVOURS (Ama. Sleuth-Thomas Knight-Chicago area/England/France-Cont) – G+
Hartley, A.J. – 2nd in Thomas Knight series
Berkeley, 2009, US Paperback – ISBN: 0425226239
First Sentence: Thomas Knight froze, one hand on the coffeepot, the other extended to the faucet over the sink.
The morning starts badly for high school English teacher, Thomas Knight. The body of an unknown dead woman is pressed up against his kitchen window. He then receives a call from a former student, David Escolme, who asks that Thomas come see him at the Drake Hotel in Chicago as he needs the help of someone who is familiar with the writings of Shakespeare.
Arriving at the hotel, Thomas finds a frantic Escolme. Someone has removed several pages of, what is purported to be, “Love’s Labour Won,” one of the missing Shakespeare plays. When Escolme is murdered, it sends Thomas off on an international search for the play, while trying to stay alive himself.
As a fan of Shakespeare, I was really looking forward to this book. It definitely has a creepy grabber of an opener. Unfortunately, it delivers less than it promises and both the writing and pacing were very uneven. The book, for the most part, reads very flat.
There is very little character development beyond the protagonist. We are almost one quarter of the way through when we learn about the situation with Thomas’ marriage. However, I did like Thomas’ thoughts and realizations about his wife and their marriage when she is facing a health crisis.
Thomas makes some decisions that almost fall into the “too-stupid-to-live” category and he is fairly casual about breaking the law. There are massive coincidences. The timing of when Thomas is in threatening situations becomes overwhelming convenient. Interesting observations about the academic community and just how tightly focused is it; everyone knows everyone and if not enough people know you, you are no one.
There are constant references to Thomas being involved in solving his brother’s death the year before. If found it annoying as, rather than giving information, it felt to be a plug to read the previous book.
The suspense and action scenes are the strongest and most interesting part of the story. There is a very enjoyable reference to “The Da Vinci Code.” The historical information, and that on Shakespeare and his plays, is fascinating. The sense of place is very strong with wonderful descriptions of the various locales.
It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not great either.
Hartley, A.J. – 2nd in Thomas Knight series
Berkeley, 2009, US Paperback – ISBN: 0425226239
First Sentence: Thomas Knight froze, one hand on the coffeepot, the other extended to the faucet over the sink.
The morning starts badly for high school English teacher, Thomas Knight. The body of an unknown dead woman is pressed up against his kitchen window. He then receives a call from a former student, David Escolme, who asks that Thomas come see him at the Drake Hotel in Chicago as he needs the help of someone who is familiar with the writings of Shakespeare.
Arriving at the hotel, Thomas finds a frantic Escolme. Someone has removed several pages of, what is purported to be, “Love’s Labour Won,” one of the missing Shakespeare plays. When Escolme is murdered, it sends Thomas off on an international search for the play, while trying to stay alive himself.
As a fan of Shakespeare, I was really looking forward to this book. It definitely has a creepy grabber of an opener. Unfortunately, it delivers less than it promises and both the writing and pacing were very uneven. The book, for the most part, reads very flat.
There is very little character development beyond the protagonist. We are almost one quarter of the way through when we learn about the situation with Thomas’ marriage. However, I did like Thomas’ thoughts and realizations about his wife and their marriage when she is facing a health crisis.
Thomas makes some decisions that almost fall into the “too-stupid-to-live” category and he is fairly casual about breaking the law. There are massive coincidences. The timing of when Thomas is in threatening situations becomes overwhelming convenient. Interesting observations about the academic community and just how tightly focused is it; everyone knows everyone and if not enough people know you, you are no one.
There are constant references to Thomas being involved in solving his brother’s death the year before. If found it annoying as, rather than giving information, it felt to be a plug to read the previous book.
The suspense and action scenes are the strongest and most interesting part of the story. There is a very enjoyable reference to “The Da Vinci Code.” The historical information, and that on Shakespeare and his plays, is fascinating. The sense of place is very strong with wonderful descriptions of the various locales.
It’s not a terrible book, but it’s not great either.
February 12, 2011
High school teacher Tom Knight is in a Shakespearean frame of mind as he goes on the hunt for "Love's Labor Won", the fabled lost play attributed to the bard and hotly sought after for centuries. Knight's never believed in its existence, not until a celebrity writer and her agent, one of Tom's former students, are murdered within a day of each other, in his own neighborhood. Tom being Tom, he drops everything at takes off for Europe. In the meantime, he receives some painful news from his estranged wife, Kumi, who lives in Japan and has just received a diagnosis of breast cancer.
What Time Devours is a much more soul-searching adventure than its predecessors. True, Knight is still his old, wildly impulsive self, hurling himself into one impossible, life threatening situation after another, without a glimmer of forethought. But he's been missing Kumi and hoping for a reconciliation, and the shock of her illness has brought him to the sobering recognition of the brevity of life and the vagaries of fate. Love and loss are major themes in Shakespeare's writing, and spending time in Stratford-upon-Avon embeds them firmly in Tom's consciousness. He is fully aware of "...the pointlessness and stupidity of the whole thing", but no amount of threat or violence can shake him off this mission.
There is a tremendous dose of the wildly unlikely in this novel, but if you simply accept that, it's a heck of a good story. Author Hartley has created some character gems, such as the verger from Westminster Abbey who assists Knight, the sadly eccentric mystery writer mourning for her long dead daughter, and the fierce concierge who guards the door at the Shakespeare Institute. He takes a hefty whack at scholarly pretension, and also includes a few of the Bard's sonnets' which do much to illuminate Tom's interior struggles. As for the mystery, it's first rate, with plenty of zigs and zags, and an appropriately spooky setting for its denouement.
What Time Devours is a much more soul-searching adventure than its predecessors. True, Knight is still his old, wildly impulsive self, hurling himself into one impossible, life threatening situation after another, without a glimmer of forethought. But he's been missing Kumi and hoping for a reconciliation, and the shock of her illness has brought him to the sobering recognition of the brevity of life and the vagaries of fate. Love and loss are major themes in Shakespeare's writing, and spending time in Stratford-upon-Avon embeds them firmly in Tom's consciousness. He is fully aware of "...the pointlessness and stupidity of the whole thing", but no amount of threat or violence can shake him off this mission.
There is a tremendous dose of the wildly unlikely in this novel, but if you simply accept that, it's a heck of a good story. Author Hartley has created some character gems, such as the verger from Westminster Abbey who assists Knight, the sadly eccentric mystery writer mourning for her long dead daughter, and the fierce concierge who guards the door at the Shakespeare Institute. He takes a hefty whack at scholarly pretension, and also includes a few of the Bard's sonnets' which do much to illuminate Tom's interior struggles. As for the mystery, it's first rate, with plenty of zigs and zags, and an appropriately spooky setting for its denouement.
July 30, 2012
I am generally an easy mark for any book that involves Shakespeare, lost Shakeaspearean plays, or any other connection to the Bard, so when I found this I had to read it. Sometimes, my Shakespeare obssession is rewarded, other times, not so much! This time, however, was a wonderful treat!
The book is about a high school teacher, and failed graduate student, Thomas Knight, who completely inadvertently becomes embroiled in an international treasure-hunt for a previously unknown Shakespeare play.
Although the book is clearly a thriller, a la Tom Clancy, and is filled with the requisite danger, mayhem, implausible situations and crafty bad guys, because it is largely cast with academics - specifically Shakespearean academics - there is the delightfully unexpected addition of a healthy amount of history, background, anecdotes and quotes about and from Shakespeare sprinkled liberally, and cleverly throughout the book. For me, this added exponentially to my enjoyment of the story.
Some of the stuff that happens to this ordinary, average high school teacher as he chases after this play, traipsing across an ocean to do so, is a tad unbelievable, but that's a very minor complaint, as the story is exciting, well-written and nicely paced with just the right amount of intellectual "colour" to keep those of us who like more than just explosions and hand-to-hand combat in our books avidly turning the pages.
If you are a fan of thrillers, this book has something for you. If, like me, you're a Shakespeare nut, this book has lots for you. If you happen to like both these things, then you should go get this book immediately, because you'll definitely enjoy it immensely - I certainly did!!
The book is about a high school teacher, and failed graduate student, Thomas Knight, who completely inadvertently becomes embroiled in an international treasure-hunt for a previously unknown Shakespeare play.
Although the book is clearly a thriller, a la Tom Clancy, and is filled with the requisite danger, mayhem, implausible situations and crafty bad guys, because it is largely cast with academics - specifically Shakespearean academics - there is the delightfully unexpected addition of a healthy amount of history, background, anecdotes and quotes about and from Shakespeare sprinkled liberally, and cleverly throughout the book. For me, this added exponentially to my enjoyment of the story.
Some of the stuff that happens to this ordinary, average high school teacher as he chases after this play, traipsing across an ocean to do so, is a tad unbelievable, but that's a very minor complaint, as the story is exciting, well-written and nicely paced with just the right amount of intellectual "colour" to keep those of us who like more than just explosions and hand-to-hand combat in our books avidly turning the pages.
If you are a fan of thrillers, this book has something for you. If, like me, you're a Shakespeare nut, this book has lots for you. If you happen to like both these things, then you should go get this book immediately, because you'll definitely enjoy it immensely - I certainly did!!
May 27, 2010
Started reading this book for our college book club. I must say this is not the type of book I would normally choose. It is a lot along the line of the Di Vinci Code. Short chapters, lots of layers of mystery. The author attended our meeting and it was interesting to get his perspective on both the book and the publishing world. At the time of our meeting I was about half way through the book and thought the book was exciting (at that point). However, as the book continued, I began to get that, "OK, what could possibly happen now?" feeling. There were multiple chases through dark passageways that were described in extreme detail - almost TMI. Do I really need to know that the walls were cold? Do I need to know over and over again that he was trying to remember the layout of the castle from his tour that morning? And how many times can a man actually be chased? With that said, there were some interesting twists and turns in the book. At times, I could not lay it down. One interesting pieces was the way the main character dealt with his wife's cancer diagnosis in light of the fact that they had lived apart for many years. The other part that I found totally intriguing were how the unspoken elements of academia were woven into the plot. The author addresses the pretenses of academics, the insecurities of graduate students and tenure track faculty, and the air of superiority that rank seems to acquire. Without spoiling the ending, let's just say that the academic arena is the final curtain for one of the characters.
January 24, 2016
Again, I didn't know there was a book one. Note, the case in this book is entirely different from the first one, I take it. From what I've learn, much damage is already done onto the relationship between the man and his wife. There were friends whom I know nothing about or professors and what gave this man such as pessimistic view of the world. Oh, the main character has plenty of flaws alright and there are more than plenty of unfortunate circumstances which I felt could be dealt better by the main character. To be blunt, it didn't get me leaping off my seat with excitement when danger approached him. (And what's with all the sarcasm with all those policemen and women?)
I think the writer wrote around an interesting concept. But it's too predictable. I knew the culprit even before the end came. Yet, for the last two chapters it kept me reading.
I love the fact that the author created short chapters and how a chapter ends with a "what's going to happen next" sort of thing. But as I said, for the most parts, predictable. I don't see the chemistry of the main character with Kumi though (but, that's because I did not read book one). The one thing I love was the bond and conversation he held with a certain someone who didn't allow him to seat in to all those presentations.
I think the writer wrote around an interesting concept. But it's too predictable. I knew the culprit even before the end came. Yet, for the last two chapters it kept me reading.
I love the fact that the author created short chapters and how a chapter ends with a "what's going to happen next" sort of thing. But as I said, for the most parts, predictable. I don't see the chemistry of the main character with Kumi though (but, that's because I did not read book one). The one thing I love was the bond and conversation he held with a certain someone who didn't allow him to seat in to all those presentations.
February 7, 2016
Again, I didn't know there was a book one. Note, the case in this book is entirely different from the first one, I take it. From what I've learn, much damage is already done onto the relationship between the man and his wife. There were friends whom I know nothing about or professors and what gave this man such as pessimistic view of the world. Oh, the main character has plenty of flaws alright and there are more than plenty of unfortunate circumstances which I felt could be dealt better by the main character. To be blunt, it didn't get me leaping off my seat with excitement when danger approached him. (And what's with all the sarcasm with all those policemen and women?) I think the writer wrote around an interesting concept. But it's too predictable.
I knew the culprit even before the end came. Yet, for the last two chapters it kept me reading.
I love the fact that the author created short chapters and how a chapter ends with a "what's going to happen next" sort of thing. But as I said, for the most parts, predictable. I don't see the chemistry of the main character with Kumi though (but, that's because I did not read book one). The one thing I love was the bond and conversation he held with a certain someone who didn't allow him to sit in to all those presentations.
I knew the culprit even before the end came. Yet, for the last two chapters it kept me reading.
I love the fact that the author created short chapters and how a chapter ends with a "what's going to happen next" sort of thing. But as I said, for the most parts, predictable. I don't see the chemistry of the main character with Kumi though (but, that's because I did not read book one). The one thing I love was the bond and conversation he held with a certain someone who didn't allow him to sit in to all those presentations.
April 10, 2012
This story has high school English teacher Tom Knight haring off to England and then to France to chase down a killer while also doing some soul searching on 1) his reasons for not reconciling with his wife 2) his need to find the lost Shakespeare play and 3) his dropping out of his graduate program in Shakespeare, years before.
We never really get a resolution to any of these, but the book is based on quite a few historical truths, including the lists of Shakespeare's plays, which indicate there really was a play "Love's Labour Won". However, I had a little trouble accepting the willingness of the main character to chase madly down corriders, through catacombs, and across British moors after killers and thieves.
Finally - I never did figure out when he removed the shoes in the wine catacombs. I looked. Confused me and made a big jarring note in the story line.
We never really get a resolution to any of these, but the book is based on quite a few historical truths, including the lists of Shakespeare's plays, which indicate there really was a play "Love's Labour Won". However, I had a little trouble accepting the willingness of the main character to chase madly down corriders, through catacombs, and across British moors after killers and thieves.
Finally - I never did figure out when he removed the shoes in the wine catacombs. I looked. Confused me and made a big jarring note in the story line.
August 26, 2011
May underwhelm the regular 'Dan Brown' sort of reader. The pacing, for most of the book, is much slower. Several parts of the story, in fact, seem to have only one reason for their existence: To promote the lore of Sir William Shakespeare.
Which, as I want to make clear, is absolutely fine with me. Because Shakespeare-buffs like I am will love Thomas Knight's journey to find a lost manuscript by The Bard himself. Many, many educating details on Shakespeare.
Other than that, Thomas Knight is a likeable fellow, someone who gets himself way in over his head, and not just by accident.
The novel has a few quite suspenseful thriller moments, but they're not what the book is ultimately about.
If you love Shakespeare, you'll love this book. If not - think twice before ordering it.
Which, as I want to make clear, is absolutely fine with me. Because Shakespeare-buffs like I am will love Thomas Knight's journey to find a lost manuscript by The Bard himself. Many, many educating details on Shakespeare.
Other than that, Thomas Knight is a likeable fellow, someone who gets himself way in over his head, and not just by accident.
The novel has a few quite suspenseful thriller moments, but they're not what the book is ultimately about.
If you love Shakespeare, you'll love this book. If not - think twice before ordering it.
September 6, 2016
A mild thriller. Like a dvinci book mystery. Lots of little mysteries and characters that fit together at the end to solve the "crime". However, the crime is finding an old unpublished Shakespeare play.
I found it hard to follow the assumptions that Tom leaps to in some of the clues. I enjoyed the book, it kept me entertained and guessing. It seemed like the wife was added as an afterthought, like oh, I need another character to make the hero more real. She doesn't add a lot til the end when you actually see them together.
I will add I read this without the first book.
I enjoyed all the history in the book a lot, I find that very interesting and fulfilling. It makes me feel like I am learning while reading pleasurable fiction.
I found it hard to follow the assumptions that Tom leaps to in some of the clues. I enjoyed the book, it kept me entertained and guessing. It seemed like the wife was added as an afterthought, like oh, I need another character to make the hero more real. She doesn't add a lot til the end when you actually see them together.
I will add I read this without the first book.
I enjoyed all the history in the book a lot, I find that very interesting and fulfilling. It makes me feel like I am learning while reading pleasurable fiction.
March 11, 2014
Thrillers are not my first choice, I get tired of all the dark alleys, dead bodies, and running. However, this was a mystery about one of the plays that Shakespeare likely wrote but that was not saved through the ages. I enjoyed the combination of known history, credible speculation and the glimpse into Shakespeare academia. I liked how the main character just pursued his interest at his own pace and constantly kept police in the loop over 3 countries even though they didn't really seem to care. I also like that although it was possible people were being killed constantly to be kept quiet, he told any one and everyone along the way.
April 11, 2009
I really wanted this to be better than it turned out to be. The author is a Shakespearean scholar & is a decent writer - not fabulous, but some lovely bits of characterization. His plotting, however, is a little predictable. It sort of tries to be a cross between the The Da Vinci Code & one of those British drawing room mysteries (The Butler did it to Miss Scarlet in the library with the candlestick ... owait ...), but somehow manages to be neither.
It was a decent bit of "I bought it at the grocery store" reading, but not an author I'll look for again.
It was a decent bit of "I bought it at the grocery store" reading, but not an author I'll look for again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews