Out of Time (The Time Police)
Jodi Taylor’s book series, The Time Police, uses its police characters to prevent ‘time criminals’ from using history for their own nefarious ends. Because the invention of time travel has opened the possibility that humans can change the whole course of history.
The books are more Dr Who than War and Peace and aimed at a younger audience. But they are well-written, inventive and entertaining. In this latest instalment, a dead dinosaur is found by the side of a river in Wales. The Time Police uncover a criminal gang sheltering in a Welsh castle where a timeslip gives direct access to the Cretaceous period – and a gateway for dinosaurs to enter our world. You’d think that Jurassic Park would already have shown that this is not a good idea. Our naïve criminals think that they can control their bulky guests – but the inevitable mayhem ensues. What I found impressive about Taylor’s writing is her ability to switch between humour (comic relief provided by the ponderous ankylosaurus) and menace (the clever, fast, carnivorous velociraptors popularised by Michael Crichton).
Alongside the dinosaur turmoil, Taylor also toys inventively with some of the great disappearances in history: the vanishing of Romulus while reviewing his troops on the Campus Martius (717 BC); and the mystery of the Princes in the Tower in 1483. There is a sense of excited anticipation in standing alongside Romulus in the early days of Rome, or creeping into the Tower of London at night.
As an introduction to the enjoyment of history, these books are excellent for a YA audience. There is lots of humorous banter between the characters, an exciting story-line set against different historical periods, and moments of genuine suspense, fear and pathos. I would certainly have read the whole series with enjoyment in my younger years.
