The Ministry of Time is equal parts thought-provoking and hilarious. I really enjoyed the characterization of the expats, especially Graham Core. This story could have so easily just been a fun romance novel with time travel aspects sewn in, but it did such a good job of navigating past hardships and present-day conflicts and turning them into a really memorable, enjoyable story that stays with you well after the last page.

Thank you Avid Reader Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Despite this being one of my most anticipated spring 2024 releases, I ended up DNFing it sadly. The concept was really intriguing to me, but it read like a bad self-insert fan fiction - but with an arctic explorer instead of any random one might be interested in. I know it’s getting a ton of good reviews, but this was not for me.

Every book description I read about this starts with this sentence: "A time travel romance, a speculative spy thriller, a workplace comedy, and an ingeniously constructed exploration of the nature of truth and power and the potential for love to change it." Nothing I write will get close enough to describing everything that this book is half as well and I'm worried that even mentioning details about the plot or characters will ruin the experience that is reading this book. Just know that it's about a young woman working at a shady government Ministry that's exploring time travel and supposedly studying its effects on humans by 'rescuing' people from different eras and seeing how they do in the modern world.

It's full of complex emotions and even more complex relationships that Bradley seems to delight in never fully revealing, and that's what I loved most about it. Every character is fully realized to the point that you feel like you know them and want them to succeed, which makes the twisty path Bradley takes them (and us) on even more exciting. The mix of genres is done in a way that feels organic without ever feeling like elements of one or the other were just shoehorned in to fit a forced narrative. Of course, there are going to be spies in a story about a shady Ministry. Of course, there's romance when two people live in each other's pockets. Of course, the time travel element is going to result in fun fish-out-of-water moments and funky technology. Of course, it all blends together to make a wonderfully entertaining read.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster for the mindblowing read!

“History is not a series of causes and effects which may be changed like switching trains on a track. It is a narrative agreement about what has happened, and what is happening.”

This one’s a doozy. The Ministry of Time has it all – romance, spies, humor, questions about racial justice and feminism and climate change and corporate responsibility. I can’t wait to see what the discourse about this book looks like. But, more than anything, Kaliane Bradley has her finger on the pulse of what makes choice so enchanting. She looks at the way the universe rolls the dice and asks how people make sense of it, like reading tea leaves. As a historian, I’m intrigued. As a writer, I’m captivated. As a person, I’m reassured that in the ebb-and-flow of time, we are so relentlessly here, so audaciously alive.

Philosophizing aside, this novel was a delight to read. I laughed out loud more than once at the perspectives of the time travelers on germ theory and TV, which Graham calls “deformed monstrosities against the will of God—’ ‘What?’ ‘Sesame Street.’” They reminded me of the UK version of Ghosts, throwing a Victorian explorer, a WWI solider, and a 17th century peasant woman into a world of streaming services and dating apps. Commander Graham Gore is stoic and charming, making the reader love him just as much as the characters do. And boy, do we love him.

I can definitely see this being adapted into film at some point, as it has the action, mystery, and energy that would translate well on screen. Fans of Doctor Who, Stuart Turton, and Sea of Tranquility will find themselves devouring this novel and Bradley’s immersive writing style. Apologies in advance to all our local bookstore customers – I’ll be talking about this one for quite a while.

Thanks to NetGalley for the last-minute ARC, and be sure to pick up a copy of The Ministry of Time on May 7, 2024!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for an arc of this book.

The Ministry of Time was delightful. A fun premise for a romance. Never have I read anything quite like it. A time traveling romance doesn’t sound unique but the details really make the story.

"The Ministry of Time" by Kaliane Bradley presents a unique tapestry of time travel, romance, and speculative fiction, wrapped within a workplace comedy setting. This debut novel stands out for its ambitious fusion of genres, creating a narrative that is both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Set in a near-future scenario, the novel introduces us to a civil servant who lands a dream job that quickly turns into an adventure beyond the confines of typical bureaucracy. Tasked with working alongside "expats" from different historical periods, the protagonist serves as a bridge for Commander Graham Gore, a 19th-century explorer who famously perished on an Arctic expedition. The premise is intriguing: what happens when past and present collide, not just culturally but also personally?

Bradley excels in the character development of both the protagonist and Commander Gore, crafting a relationship that evolves from awkward cohabitation to a deep, complex romance. This unexpected love story is the heart of the novel, exploring themes of isolation, connection, and the timeless nature of human emotions. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and their growing bond provides a stable anchor through the more speculative elements of the plot.

The supporting cast adds a vibrant layer of humor and chaos to the mix, from a 17th-century cinephile addicted to Tinder to a World War I captain navigating the absurdities of modern life. These interactions not only provide comic relief but also reflect on the broader human experience, highlighting the universality of certain traits across ages.

Bradley's writing shines when it delves into the speculative aspects of time travel. The narrative is peppered with philosophical questions about the impact of time travel on personal identity and the fabric of reality, providing a richer backdrop to the unfolding drama. The blend of historical intrigue and futuristic speculation is well-balanced, making "The Ministry of Time" a compelling read for fans of both genres.

However, the novel is not without its faults. At times, the pacing can feel uneven, with some plot developments requiring a suspension of disbelief that might challenge more critical readers. Yet, these moments are often redeemed by the author's clever dialogue and sharp insights into human nature.

Overall, "The Ministry of Time" is a delightful and imaginative debut that successfully blends elements of science fiction, historical drama, and romance. It is a testament to Bradley's creativity and her ability to weave disparate threads into a cohesive and engaging story. This book is recommended for readers looking for something a little different in the realm of time travel fiction, packed with both intellectual depth and heartfelt emotion.

Perusing reviews for this book before getting started writing this one kind of gave me a headache, like .. do we know it’s still okay to have <i>fun</i> while reading and not everything is or has to be the-most-serious-business? 🧐😏
Let’s start there - this book is so many things, but what first caught me was the humor; dry, deprecating, v. British, praise be. It kept me going while sussing out the other few genres this book flips through, and while spy intrigue isn’t usually my thing and was probably my least favorite thing about this book, I still enjoyed those bits and loved everything else this story had to offer.
The readability and structure were overall great for me, and the characters again had something for everyone. The expats are freaking lovely and hilarious and the modern characters all fit/fill a piece of the puzzle in a way that’s interesting vs. overly predictable. The pace of the romance is technically slow burn, but the agony of the little moments, the questioning of the chemistry, if you really saw what you saw (read, lol), hurts so good. 🥺
While the story was a little all over the place and almost like two books happening at the same time, it made me cry at least twice and I’d decided on a reread before finishing it, both no small things for me in what has felt like a few years of largely forgettable reads. If you love time travel, historical nerding out, and/or having your heart stomped on, pick this up. ✨

<i>Thanks so much to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! 🙏🏼</i>

Darkly funny and beautifully inventive, this genre bending novel of time travel takes us from a 19th century Arctic exploration to a future climate catastrophe by way of the greatest love story ever told. There’s almost no way to describe it, but you’ll love the journey!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy. These opinions are my own.

Although time travel/sci fi isn't something I usually read, I had heard so much about this book that I gave it a shot. The concept is great - a ministry that studies time travel and has expats from other time periods living with bridges who help them navigate contemporary London. The book started out really strong. About half way through though things started to fall apart for me

A solid, fun spin on time travel. Bradley is an artful writer and her passion for Graham Gore really shines through in her prose. It was a brave choice to include a biracial but white passing main character in contrast to the racism, colonialism and sexism that Gore normalised in his life. That said, the book attempts to tackle a lot of big themes even beyond the aforementioned and I can't help but feel as though Bradley could've provided more substantial commentary if she focused on fewer themes with deeper commentary.

A really engaging read that starts off slow but picks up significantly around the 2/3 mark. The writing is rich and the characters grow on you as the story progresses. I have whiplash from those final chapters: for much of the book, very little happens, and then suddenly everything happens at once. But if nothing else, this makes for a binge-worthy ending that delivers a few surprises at the last moment and yet still manages to tie things up nicely. 3.5 stars.

A genre-defying time-travel story , that's perfect for people who prefer non-marketable books.

I was laughing out loud, biting my nails, holding my breath and moaning softly reading this book. This book is a lot of things, it's a critique of British colonialism, an exploration of identity, it's a time-travel story, it's a slow-burn romance, it's Jason Bourne-level political intrigue and it's a love letter to hope.

The entire book is written as a letter to the reader with our unnamed FMC describing events of the story. Because she is essentially in the future, remembering a past that has already happened, we get hints about how the story will unfold. Within this letter she details becoming the person responsible for Graham Gore, a naval officer brought to the present day from the mid 1800s by a government controlled time-travel device.

This book had me laughing out loud on one page, then pondering expat identity politics in the next. I loved not knowing where the author was going to take us next.

Romance tropes include
⌛Rides a motorcycle and wears leather
⌛Sexy forearms
⌛Witty banter
⌛He learns to cook her favourite cultural meals
⌛Slow-burn, two chillies

Thriller tropes include
💀 Cannibalism
💀 Gun fights and motorcycles
💀 Political spies
💀 Murder

The only thing holding this back from a five star read is the last 20% of the book takes a darker tonal shift, and I wish the author had weaved in a little more of the light-heartedness we started the book with. Even with that said, the last 20% was fast-paced, and heartbreaking in equal measure.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press for the ARC.

This book is best read after becoming a vegetarian, but before researching the lost Franklin Arctic Expedition.

This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, time travel, spy thriller. It has a unique premise with a captivating storyline, a likable and engaging female protagonist, well-developed, interesting and diverse characters, romance, intrigue, several laugh our loud moments, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. The author's afterward is interesting and informative, and is truly appreciated. Many thanks to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster, NetGalley, and Ms. Kaliane Bradley, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this amazing novel. This is my honest opinion.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley was such a fun story.
I really liked this book! I thought it was incredibly well-paced and very well written.
And this book has it all….. action, sci-fi, mystery, historical fiction and romance.
Such an extraordinary debut.

Thank You NetGalley and Publisher for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Something about this just didn’t sit right with me. The plot sounded interesting but the writing was a bit wonky. The plot had no real surprises, everything is pretty evident from the beginning. The addition of Graham’s historic views seemed misplaced. They added nothing to the story. There were sex scenes that felt out of place as well. In my opinion the book would have been better as a whole if it had focused on all of the misplaced folks and their back/current stories instead of just mostly Graham. This would have fleshed out the story more.

The premise for this was really interesting, who isn't interested in time travel, right? I won't lie, the first 50% of this was pretty slow and tedious. I'm also all for expanding vocabulary, but some of the words chosen seem to have been chosen solely for the purpose of "I know this word, now go look it up" I wonder if it is supposed to reflect on the narrator or author. The back half of the book was more eventful. I feel like this book had a lot of potential and was really bogged down by the glacial ( 9et it?) pace and pretentiousness of it all. It's not a romance, it just has a romantic subplot. It is about time-travel, and yet time-travel is hardly discussed. This book is trying to do too many things at once, and doesn't really land anywhere, in my opinion.


Thank you to netgalley and avid reader press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Debut author Kaliane Bradley has splashed deep into the lore of a doomed polar explorer, Graham Gore. And she has surfaced with a time travel romance/spy thriller that deals with mixed-race identity, inherited trauma, and not just living in, but doggedly working for, a country whose imperial legacy controls history. Maybe dogged isn't the right word for this speculative fiction novel's protagoniste, whose name we never learn, though we understand that her "bizarre Eurasion double-barrelled surname" offers a clue to her family history. As a Ministry of Time employee, she is assigned the task of acting as historical bridge to Graham Gore, a kind and exceedingly charismatic Victorian naval officer who has been brought from his time to hers, somewhere in the near future. An expat from history, the polar explorer refers to his bridge as "little cat," a nickname which hints at his feelings for her. The ensuing intrigue and romance that spark from this pairing fuses genres and ideas. The result is humorous and thought-provoking and had me rapt. What does it really mean to make history, to alter the future?

[Thanks to Avid Reader Press and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I’m not capable of reviewing The Ministry of Time without gushing to you all like a total fangirl. Kaliane Bradley’s debut novel is the ultimate genre mashup and I found it absolutely riveting. It’s a unusual blend of speculative time travel fiction, spy thriller, slow burn romance, and workplace comedy with a through line of social and anti-colonial criticism.    
 
To give you a sense of just how many genres this book straddles, it’s worth mentioning that The Ministry of Time has been blurbed by both Eleanor Catton and Emily Henry. It’s comps include Ling Ma’s Severance, NK Jemisin’s The City We Became, Emma Strab’s This Time Tomorrow, St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility, Chloe Gong’s Immortal Longings, El-Mohtar and Gladstone’s This is How You Lose The Time War and Zakiya Dalila Harris’ Other Black Girl.
 
Set in the near future, Bradley’s novel is narrated by a biracial British-Cambodian woman who has parlayed her experience as a translator for refugees into a top secret position at the new Ministry of Time. The government has discovered a method of time travel and has covertly plucked a handful of individuals from past eras and brought them to the book’s present time in order to test whether this new technology is practicable over the long term. The narrator has been hired as a “bridge” – a cultural liaison and caretaker – for one of these displaced historical figures and her job is to acclimatize him to modern society.
 
To my mind, this novel had three key threads: First, the romantic comedy.  Throughout the book, the narrator gets to know her assigned expat, the beguiling Commander Graham Gore, a real historical figure who embarked on the British 1845 expedition to the Arctic. Secondary characters include Gore’s fellow time travelers, such as Maggie, a spunky lesbian from the 17th century who is eager to get on Tinder, and Arthur, a very kind, melancholic WWI officer who is struggling with PTSD. They comprise a quirky crew and Bradley’s account of their adventures acclimatizing to modern times is charming, funny, heartfelt and just a total joy-ride. I could have read an entire book just about their friendship.
 
It doesn’t surprise me that this felt like the heart of the novel. In Kaliane Bradley’s foreword, she discusses her book’s origin story. After watching the AMC TV show “The Terror,” she became fascinated by a secondary character in the show based on real world events. Researching Commander Graham Gore led to writing fan-fiction for friends about Gore, which led to her writing The Ministry of Time. If you like reading relationship-driven books, and have ever dipped your toes in fan-fiction, odds are that you, too, will delight in this novel.
 
The second key part of this novel was its social commentary. The nameless protagonist is in an interesting position as a biracial woman and daughter of Cambodian refugee who is a government employee for the country who once had an empire that the sun never set on. Caught between her personal and professional identities, the narrator comes to suspect that her employer’s motives may be less than benign, and she herself occupies a very morally grey space in the novel, which I found fascinating.  The Ministry of Time reminded me a bit of RF Kuang’s Babel and Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi’s The Centre in its exploration of identity, race, inherited trauma, and colonialism. This aspect of The Ministry of Time was particularly thought provoking and set the novel apart from any other time travel stories I’ve encountered. I only wish the book had been longer and that Bradley had been able to delve deeper into these themes.
 
The last major feature of this novel was the time-travel / spy thriller element, which Bradley executed successfully in that I was utterly incapable of putting this book down and accomplishing any of my plans for the day. The somewhat dystopian near-futuristic setting of the novel captivated me. However, I think it’s worth flagging that this time travel novel is very light on the “science” and heavy on the “fiction” – which is to say that Bradley skates over the mechanics of time travel and asks the reader to generally accept its feasibility. That was A-OK with me since I was there for Bradley’s strong writing and storytelling as opposed to her knowledge of physics, but it’s worth noting in advance to any fans of hard science fiction.     
 
I will concede that I don’t believe the author completely succeeded in shifting the tone of the novel from a romantic comedy to a dystopian spy thriller without jarring the reader. However, I can forgive the imperfections in this effervescent, poignant and clever novel because I enjoyed it so damn much.
 
A huge thank you to Netgalley and Avid Readers Press for the advanced copy! I can’t wait for BBC to adapt this into a TV show. The Ministry of Time releases May 7th.

Tell me — what’s your favorite time travel book and is The Ministry of Time on your radar?

Based on the synopsis which describes this book as a time travel romance / thriller hybrid, I was very excited to dive in. While I was captivated by the overall premise, the witty banter, the lovable characters, ultimately this book was a bit of a let down for me.

First, what I liked:
- The dialogue was really well written, especially between the characters, the banter was witty, funny and endearing. The expats language felt very true to their eras.
- There are a lot of great micro moments that take place when they introduce the expats to inventions and norms in the present day that were very funny.
- The premise — I enjoyed the exploration of what it would be like to jump 200-300 years in the future and try to acclimate, what it would be like to try to date someone who comes from a past era. I also appreciated the tidbits of history about the arctic expedition.

What I didn’t like as much:
- The plot and pacing — It started strong, but quickly lost momentum and then plateaued for a lot of the book, where honestly, not much happened.
- Calling this a “speculative spy thriller” seems like a stretch, there’s not a whole lot of action and any that takes place is in the last 20% of the book, which all takes place so fast it felt rushed and convoluted.
- A nit pick, but I think the synopsis spoils too much of the story.

Thank you to Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

She had no idea what she was getting into when she applied for this job.

The narrator, a biracial young woman whose name we never learn, is working in a civil service office job but wishes she were a field agent. She applies for a new post that is only vaguely defined but comes with a salary far above what she is currently receiving, and finds herself getting it (she suspects in part because her mother was a Cambodian refugee). She is told that she will be a “bridge”, acting as a companion to help someone (an “expat”) become adjusted to their new life in present day Britain. The “present day” part is the key here….her “expat”, one of a small group of such people, has been plucked from the past and brought into the present via a recently discovered door that allows for time travel. She is now the roommate and personal support system for Commander Graham Gore, a Royal Navy officer and polar explorer who was part of a doomed 1845 exploration to discover the Northwest Passage. Instead of dying in 1847, Gore has been transported.into the future, part of a government experiment to map out the boundaries of successful time travel. A newly formed ministry of the government dabbling in the space/time continuum….what could possibly go wrong?

The Ministry of Time is a novel quite difficult to categorize, with elements of science fiction, espionage, romance, and satirical comedy all wrapped up into one story, but it is remarkable easy to get pulled in to the world it has constructed. Our narrator (as she is never named, let’s call her “little cat” as does Gore, aka 1847) is an endearing character, snarky but vulnerable, uncomfortable in being deemed and pigeonholed as biracial, and wholly unprepared to cohabitate with the genial, adventurous and attractive man who is now her job. 1847 (how typical of a bureaucracy to reduce people to a number) is a fascinating look at how a Victorian man (who existed in the real world, by the way) would struggle to adapt to a world whose mores are completely foreign to him and where the country he served is no longer the Empire he knew. The rest of the characters, other bridges and expats as well as the handlers and other functionaries who make up the ministry which has (with unknown but highly suspicious motives) undertaken this experiment in tinkering with lives, are distinct and well-formed. The plot is similary well=paced, with humorous scenes, minor rebellions, and the confused but irresistible stirrings of love between two people from very different worlds interspersed throughout. For readers who enjoy Jasper Fforde’s Tuesday Next series or movies like Time After Time (1979) and Kate and Leopoldo (2001), as well as people who want to read something that defies categorization but creates a thoroughly believable world in which to explore relationships, power struggles, and the clash of histories, The Ministry of Time is not to be missed. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for allowing me early access to this addictively quirky novel.