The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

2.5 stars

I decided to read this book because I heard it was a hit in the UK and the cover looked cool. I thought it would be a change from what I normally read (women's fiction). I ended up being disappointed. The book had some promise when it talked about time travel and Jack the Ripper but most of the book was slow and somewhat boring. I found myself skimming a lot to get through the 600 pages without wasting too much of my time.

The book starts out telling the tale of a miserable young man, Andrew, who wants to kill himself on the anniversary of his beloved's death. Eight years ago, he fell in love with a whore that was killed by Jack the Ripper. Before Andrew can kill himself, his cousin convinces him that he can go back in time to save her. They go to H.G. Wells, the author of The Time Machine, for help. Turns out, Wells is in possession of a working time machine and Andrew goes back in time to kill Jack the Ripper. This is where the book had some promise and then went south.

Spoiler alert:

After Andrew kills Jack the Ripper, he travels back to his own time. He realizes that even though he saved Marie, he can't be with her because she now lives in a parallel universe. Satisfied, Andrew moves on with his life instead of continuing his wretched existence. After all this happens, you find out that Andrew has been tricked into thinking he went back in time. The whole thing was a hoax by his cousin employing actors and the help of H.G. Wells. The book also has two other spin off stories, all linked by Wells. Neither one is interesting.