Before The Time Machine by Lisa M. Lane is a tale of historical fiction. The book is a merging of conversations between protagonist Katherine and the author, H. G. Wells, coming together across time. Katherine dedicates her historical studies to Wells, going as far as travelling to England from her home in California. For fans of H. G. Wells, this is a must read, as Lisa blends characters and events who were real within his personal and professional life with fictitious scenes within the book. In addition, this also makes it an interesting read for those not familiar.
The story contains professional editing and a strong structure. In terms of pacing, I did find myself struggling at the slowness of it. Splitting the book into Katherine’s scenes verse Wells’ scenes was a wise choice to break up the pacing of the book. Of course, Wells features in Katherine’s scenes also, like an old friend shadowing her throughout her experiences. Occasionally, Wells dialogue in Katherine’s chapters threw me off as they aren’t in speech marks but as a reader you do get used to it.
I award 4 stars.
