An Argumentation of Historians - Jodi Taylor

   2017; 467 pages.  Book 9 (out of 14) in the series “The Chronicles of St. Mary’s”.  New Author? : No.  Genres: Time Travel; Humorous Fantasy; Historical Fiction.  Overall Rating: 8½*/10.

 

    It’s sad that it took so long.

 

    The Institute of Historical Research at St. Mary’s and the chrono-hopping law enforcement agency known as the Time Police share a common foe: Clive Ronan.  But thus far, the two groups have done too much fighting between themselves to even think about going after Clive.

 

    Until now.  The head of St. Mary's History Department, “Max” Maxwell has come up with a plan.  It’s risky, and hinges on Ronan’s insatiable greed for historical treasures, but it just might work.  And St. Mary’s and the Time Police will both play key roles in it.  All they have to do is cooperate with each other.

 

    And hope that Clive Ronan takes the bait.

 

What’s To Like...

    An Argumentation of Historians is the ninth book in Jodi Taylor’s series showcasing the time-traveling adventures of St. Mary’s historians.  One of the many reasons I’m hooked on this series is that there are always a bunch of time-jumps in the stories, many involving historically fascinating events.

 

    This book is no exception; St. Mary’s personnel make six time-jumps, three of which are for historical witnessing and recording, including one centered on one of my history idols, Alexander the Great.  The other three are done for personal survival reasons including one extended visit to 1399 CE, where Max, along with the reader, learn how to live day-to-day in Medieval times.  It was an enlightening experience.

 

    The text is written in the first-person POV, Max’s.  It is also written in English, not American, which means we Yanks will encounter odd spellings, such as wilfully and pedlar, and odd words, such as knackered and swive.  I love learning foreign languages.  The “Author’s Note” at the book’s beginning is worth taking time to read, and as always, the Dramatis Thingummy is both useful and entertaining.

 

    It’s always a treat when Adrian and Mikey show up at St. Mary's in their 12-foot-high teapot.  The acronym FOD was new to me; it’s the term time-travelers use for the occupational peril "Foreign Object Drop".  The question of “do Medieval castle gate open inward or outward” is examined by St. Mary’s historians, and the reader learns why this is an important detail.  It was also educational to learn the specific duties of a courtesan.

 

    The ending is twisty (is there a traitor in our midst?), exciting (fighting on rooftops), tense (falling from rooftops), and revealing (how does Clive Ronan anticipate every move of St. Mary's).  In short, it is superb.

 

Ratings…
    Amazon: 4.7*/5, based on 6,260 ratings and 470 reviews.

    Goodreads: 4.52*/5, based on 8,645 ratings and 671 reviews.

 

Excerpts...

    “You appear to be setting up a scenario in which you almost invite Clive Ronan to swoop in and shoot you.”

    “Yes, sir,”

    “You don’t think that’s a little — obvious?”

    I can’t help it.  I’m a showman, too.

    I brought up the second part of my plan.

    He read it through.  And read it through again.  And read it through for a final time.  I waited patiently because every reading was a step nearer acceptance.  Finally, he looked over his desk at me.

    “I might find it quite difficult to apply the word “unoriginal” to this part of your proposed plan.”

    “Thank you, sir.”

    “That wasn’t a compliment.”  (pg. 60)

 

    “I don’t want any visitors.”

    “Just as well,” she said cheerfully, laying out pyjamas and a dressing gown.  “You’re not allowed any.”

    I was unreasonably annoyed because that was supposed to be my decision.  “Who said so?”

    “Dr. Stone.  He’s waiting for you if you want to go out and argue with him.”

    I humphed.  I’ve argued with Dr. Stone before.  It’s like trying to fill a bath without a plug.  There’s an enormous amount of effort and when you finally pause to get your breath back, absolutely nothing has happened and you realise you’ve been wasting your time.  (pg. 360)

 

Kewlest New Word ...

Caparisoned (adj.) : decked out in rich, decorative coverings

Others: Swive (archaic).

 

You could have heard a slipper-wearing mouse dance the fandango on a feather cushion.  (pg. 129)

    The profanity is pretty sparse in An Argumentation of Historians, just 17 instances in the first 50% of the book, about half of which were the common scatological term.

 

    There was a smattering of typos, most of which were things I’d have thought Spellchecker would catch.  Examples include: top/stop, ever/every, and of/off.  I’ll excuse Spellchecker for missing the two spellings of one of the characters: Midgely/ Midgeley.

 

    But enough of the nitpicking.  An Argumentation of Historians maintains the usual high standards of a Jodi Taylor novel: fast-paced, action-packed, historically-detailed, and lots of time-traveling.  This was part of a ten-volume paperback bundle given to me as a Christmas present by a friend a few years back.  I’m 90% of the way through it and have never yet been disappointed.

 

    8½ Stars.  One last thing.  Here’s a poser for anyone who has time-traveling acquaintances.  What’s the best method of communicating with someone who lives in the future?  Answer in the comments.