SPOIL-FREE SUMMARY
Vivian is on a train to stay with Cousin Marty during WWII. But when she arrives in the country instead she meets a boy who takes her away to a place called Time City. Turns out she was mistaken for someone who can save the city, which is big trouble. Vivian just wants to go home but she has to help if she is ever to achieve this.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Vivian is a worrier who can still be quite bold. She is rather practical but learns to take risks.
Jonathan Lee is the used to being treated well and thinks he knows most everything. He is repeatedly described as “Lordly”. Eventually he becomes humbled and his desire to save Time City is genuine.
Sam is younger than Jonathan and rather immature. He loves butter pies and has little self control. He is prone to tantrums when he doesn't get his way. He doesn't really develop.
Elio is an android that works as a servant for Jonathan's household. He becomes a main character later in the book.
Faber John was the founder of time city.
PACING
The story doesn't linger in 1939 as Vivian is quickly kidnapped and taken to Time City. But after that it is rather slow paced. Vivian gets a tour of the city, attends school, gets to live with Jonathan's family not to mention being tutored. She goes on a picnic.
There are plenty of times where we learn important things that contribute to the story—like seeing different time ghosts. It just starts to feel like there is no real urgency to get Vivian home.
A DETAILED WORLD
The world of Time City has different parts, landmarks, ect. It even has a history as well as different explanations of different Eras, such as Iron, Silver and Gold. It's explained as to why different eras are stable while others are unstable and how they are maintained. (Vivian can't go back home because the twentieth century is an unstable era).
There are different types of ghosts which are echoes, like memories. And there are different caskets in each era, which stabilize Time city. It's all very complicated. The detailed world is really where Diana Wynne Jones shines.
TOURIST TRADE
It's mentioned that most inhabitants of the city are just tourists from other times. I found this kind of confusing. How did these people effect their time with the knowledge of time city, as many went to school there? Does everyone know about Time city? Is it impossible to reach? And that's why it doesn't have to be secret?
MESSING UP HISTORY
When Vivian tells Jonathan's parents about when the war started (she pretends to be their cousin who was in the twentieth century) they say it has started too soon. It has gone critical. So basically the people of time city are in charge of keeping things stable. There are a group of people called the Time patrol who send out observers in history.
EXPOSITION
There are many scenes of exposition where Jonathan and Vivian need to learn something, either from Elio, their tutor or Jonathan's father. Normally I wouldn't mind but there is so much of the story where we are being shown things: the city, the day to day going ons of Jonathan's house, ect.
Not that it's not interesting. When Vivian distracts Elio by asking him about how he was made and how he is different from a human, I was curious. I just found there were so many of these scenes and they were not all necessary. I mean, did I like learning about androids? Yes. Was it necessary for the story? No.
FORESHADOWING
There are a few different time ghosts that appear that we know will occur later. The first, being Jonathan and Vivian coming back from a time traveling trip. The second is a huge group of people trying to escape somewhere in a hurry. And thirdly is the man who tries to climb the bell tower. Eventually we see how and why each event happens.
RELATIONSHIPS
I know that the main characters are only children, but I wished at least Vivi and Jonathan had developed a closer relationship. I didn't expect Sam to develop as he felt far too one dimensional.
Jonathan does take Vivian aside and apologize after he realized he messed up. But this is only one scene and Vivian never confides her anxiety about never getting to go home, or not being able to help him save Time City.
A BETRAYAL
There is a characters that Jonathan confides in that turns against him. I barely knew the character so I didn't get to feel shocked. In fact it was rather obvious that this was going to happen as Vivian feels suspicious of this person right away.
REVENGE ON SAM
There is a small side story where Sam steals Vivian's money to eat so many butter pies that he gets ill. Vivian gets revenge twice, first by putting a pie in his face and second by making him eat one when he didn't desire it. It had nothing to do with the story and Sam never learned any lesson. It also made Vivian look childish and selfish.
COUSIN MARTY-SPOILERS
Half way through the story, Vivian gets to return to 1939. But she discovers an ugly truth about her new home. After that, she makes a decision about her future. I thought this should have made a bigger impact on her. But instead they just continue on in their search for the Time Lady. I thought at least after this scene (which had a lot of action) there would have been a scene set aside where Vivian dwelt on the reality of having no home.
A DECEPTION-VAGUE SPOILERS
When Elio decides to travel in time with them, they think they have met a real guardian, only to find they have been tricked. This is a slight hint at what is to come.
VIVIAN'S STAND
It's mentioned early on that there are not a lot of kids in Time City. That's basically why Jonathan is friends with Sam.
Near the climax Vivian suddenly loses her temper, saying how selfish everyone in the city is and how they never help anyone but just stand by and watch. I thought it was kind of out of the blue as Vivian doesn't dwell on the fact that there are so few children in the city.
I just assumed it was because the couples were selfish and didn't want more than one child. It just wasn't a theme of the book.
CLIMAX-SPOILERS
The real culprits show up, taking Vivian, Jonathan, and Sam hostage in the clock tower. (They actually witnessed two of them in other times). Sam escapes. Elio uses the time egg to try and stop the villains. Faber John and his wife show up and our villains get sent back in time.
I actually found this part rather confusing-about Faber John I mean. Dr. Wilander (their tutor) shows up and says he has to hold the time egg before he “recollects” who he is. Then the other guardians show up, dissolve and Faber John appears. Turns out he turned himself into different beings in history. That was the confusing part to me.
CONCLUSION
Vivian and Jonathan are likable characters and the story is very unique with a detailed world with its own history and technology. It's so complex that if you don't pay attention you might miss something important. Unfortunately the pacing is slow and there is a lot of exposition. I give “A Tale of Time City” three stars.
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