Book info

• Title TimeRiders: The Pirate Kings
• Author Alex Scarrow
• Year 2013
• Genre Science Fiction

Relocated to Victorian London, the TimeRiders joy-ride back to 1666 to witness the Great Fire of London. In the ensuing chaos, Liam and their newest recruit, Rashim, find themselves trapped between the fire and the Thames. They escape onboard a river boat, only to be confronted by an unscrupulous captain with his heart set on treasures of the high seas... Back in 1888, Maddy and the rest of the team are frantically trying to track them down. But with limited resources at their new base, can Liam and Rashim survive the bloodthirsty and barbaric age of piracy long enough to be rescued?

Thoughts

It’s been a while since I delved into the world of the TimeRiders - I’ve been saving them up so as not to have to hang on too long for the final installment. With book nine only a few weeks away, I opened up the seventh installment, slightly nervous about what was in store. The idea of the TimeRiders somehow finding themselves involved with pirates seemed somehow far-fetched, but actually it was really well done.

Fresh from finding out they’re aren’t quite who they thought they were, the TimeRiders spend most of the book trying to figure out where that leaves them. Do they continue with their mission? Are they allowed to have any fun? Should they try and find out more about their history? I really liked some of the moral and philosophical questions that were raised during this one, nicely juxtaposed with the pirate story.

The fact that Liam ended up on quite an epic adventure across the high seas also added another aspect, living a life and then having all that undone by the means of time travel. A good story, and one that didn’t end with a huge cliffhanger like others have. Just two more to go now!

Rating: 4 / 5