Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received the e-ARC book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb of the book could be find easily elsewhere here are just my comments.

I actually like the book yet it took me ages to finish as the writing style is quite dense and packed full with metaphors. I do enjoy a slow pace book once in a while but I felt this book could’ve been a little faster given the many social political comments. Yet I understand how the author needed us to pause and think for ourselves.

Was so refreshing to read how the dystopian future and the ancient past of humanity can still live together with out carrying the weight of our present (sexism/ racism/ elitism..) This book is such a good ride. Just a little too dense for me. I would still recommend it as the author clearly knows how
To write and how to build a believable world in a sci-fi kind of way.

I read the digital book but later I decided to purchase the audiobook version as I was curious to hear how they would be pronouncing the names of Mexican ancient civilisations, and the various African names of places and gods too. It was good to hear they actually try hard to be accurate.

I found this book difficult, getting the lay of the land straight in my mind and trying to keep up with plethora of characters.

Though indeed the less prosperous 'Outer Circle' and the drive within it's community to achieve residence at the 'Inner Circle' is a familiar setup, Newland distracts from the trope with extensive worldbuilding.

A River Called Time isn't a light read. For those looking for escapism you'll find it here in pages of unique fictional culture and technology.

We read of Markriss- an outsider brought into the Ark a young man as he learns and hones his ability to access an astral plane.

Whilst I struggled to immerse myself in A River Called Time I cannot pinpoint why, the writing is excellent and I do highly recommend for SFF readers.

It did take me a while to really get into this story, but I enjoyed the worldbuilding and the political commentary of the world around them. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Beginning of the book had a plot point I could follow - but from the second part onwards it just got more and more confusing. It didn't seem like the story was heading in any sort of direction.

It does feel like a lot of research was put into the book, that much is apparent from the content. However it didn't feel like there was a purpose or point to the story.

I got really confused and bored, not quite sure what the point of the sexual violence at the beginning of the story was for - and definitely not a fan of using that type of trope to make the main male character (or just the story) more interesting and to solely further his mental growth.

I flipped through to the end in hope of finding some kind of reason/conclusion for everything that was detailed, but sadly it didn't seem like there was one. The second part of the book seemed like it was heading towards some point of the disillusionment of 'a better world' but then that idea disappeared in the ending. The premise and setting of the novel's universe was really interesting, so it is a bit of a disappointment. Feels like the plot could have been polished overall to produce a more cohesive work. Perhaps this style of writing just doesn't suit my tastes.

Newland's prose again is distinct and captivating in this well-woven story of capitalism, grief, and revolution in a not-too-far off future that could be our own.

I'm very particular with speculative fiction, so I was hesitant going into this one...

But I actually really ended up liking this one! The writing was easy to read, the plot was interesting enough to keep me hooked and the characters weren't one-dimensional! Overall, a great story but the pacing was a little slower than I would've liked. But I recommend!

it took me a while to orient myself but it's well written and kind of ingenious - perhaps its message is too kind of neat - elitism is not a good thing! - but the vivid presentation of the personalities and events are exceptionally well done even if I was sort of confused by the narrative movement - and strangely the names (my perennial difficulty however) - I like how the speculative elements are flagged up easily but I was confused when suddenly it was 2020. intriguing effort for sure ... but maybe not easy ...

This book took me a while to read and was something that required a lot of processing and engagement along the way. The premise, vision and world-building are innovative and a lot of time and thought has gone into this.
It challenges literary canon fantastically well and has the potential to go far in terms of its reach.
At times it felt that it was too ambitious in scope (which is not a bad thing!) but it meant that I sometimes experienced sensory overload whilst reading and had to take regular breaks because it was overwhelming.
The level of detail and intricacy with the spiritual and philosophical elements of the narrative are breath-taking but I sometimes felt like I was left to fill in the gaps for myself a lot which is interesting but could also be frustrating at times.
This is a profound, intense story and one that you should read if you're looking for a book to get your teeth into rather than for an easy ride!
The afterward was really helpful with answering a lot of my unanswered questions and I wonder if it would have been helpful to have at the start instead.

The synopsis intrigued me. I thought this would be rich in character development and a strong plot. Now these things could happen but I struggled from the beginning. This time I know it wasn't my mood. The writing just didn't work here for me.
I felt lost and confused from the start. I dont know what about the writing caused this for me. I just know I couldn't understand. I tried paying extra attention to what I was reading. But nothing worked. It just got worse and worse.
The part I did read felt too slow. But at the same time the plot didn't seem to be going far.
I usually try to get to at least ⅓ of the way through before DNFing but I just couldn't here. The small % I read felt like a drag. I just felt forced to read more.

Interesting set up and premise which unfortunately is then completely overshadowed by a few lazy storytelling tropes. I’m afraid I DNFed. I am not a fan of ‘fridging’ or sexual violence equals ‘he’s a bad guy’ tropes used as a reason for a male character to act. When that incident bore no further fruit in terms of plot and the event was glossed over once the male MC started his arc, I put the book down. This is lazy storytelling no matter how good your ideas are. I’m astounded that (male) authors are still using these tropes as inciting incidents.

A lot to admire here, but also a lot that feels quite rote. I went in expecting some great things from the pre-pub and even the early reviews, but found myself flipping pages without any real investment in the goings-on. Might've been a pandemic-related issue, and so I might come back to this someday and give it another go.

This book fails to belong to a genre, and that's exactly what makes it so enticing. With parallel timelines and astral planes that can but cannot be explained by singular definitions, this can be a speculative fiction. But when it alters a modern universe through it's non-colonial past and a dystopian future, the intrigue raises on both historical and philosophical levels. Refreshing to see a reality where ancient cultures exist without religions overriding them, and disappointingly understandable to see discrimination and segregation built on elitism still existing as the evil seedlings in this world where the Arc — a concrete saviour structure acting as a refuge for those who don't belong to the other wasteful side — exists. Following a protagonist who, through political debates, blatant separation, and underground rebellion, discovers the deeper flaws of this society is a disguised guidance for readers who appreciate being exposed to commentaries around social disparity [an evident reality] through far-fetched yet alluring concepts like multiplied realities and in a world that adorns African cosmology.

Netgalley freebie, thank you.

Set in a world that never experienced colonialism and and the dominant religion comes from African heritage. Also sci-fi as the world has experienced a mass destruction event and one continent has developed an Arc. Everyone aspires to live in the Arc, the advertising of its superior living is very persuasive, however there are rumours it’s not all it lives up to be. Once you enter the Arc you no longer have any contact with the outside world. We follow the story of Markriss who’s been chosen to enter the Arc and leaves his mother behind with a tearful farewell.

Without giving too much away the world building is detailed. And it’s wonderful seeing so many varied characters that are well developed. Markriss can be hit and miss throughout and that makes him more believable to me.

A River Called Time by Courttia Newland is in some ways a remarkable novel, if not a wholly successful one. Quite unlike anything I’ve read before. There is plenty to enjoy and frustrate in equal measure and as critics more worthy have stated, it is better to have aimed high and failed than to have aimed low…

The story begins in a strange world where seemingly ne'er-do-well youths are, well, just being young. It is May 2000. Markriss and his friends live in a world that has an Ark Station - a place where some aspire to live (the lucky and the rich live there), and an illness has turned the rest of the world into a lesser place. The Ark is surrounded by a toxic wasteland. Not that everyone believes in the sickness. Markriss has lost a brother and that loss is keenly there as a “nagging itch”. There are recognisable features to Newland’s creation. Some places are real (London “far from the global southern seat of power” is no more and has been replaced geographically by Dinium) and others fictional creations. It seems that maybe North African culture is prevalent. There was certainly no slavery. The young, however, still play football in the evenings and buy sweets with money they earned doing paper rounds. But Markriss has the ability to astral project - not that he appears to be able to control it. He witnesses his best friend carry out a sexual assault while asleep elsewhere. Then he goes to the Ark thanks to paying attention at school, which is not as it has been mythologised, of course.

The Ark was built in 1830 when technology was already advanced to what we recognise today. It is managed by The Authority. So this is both science fiction and fantastical. An alternative history dystopia and a modern mythology based on African cosmology. It is also a political polemic about the haves and the have-nots. And a comment on racism. Now in the Ark, our protagonist gets himself a job as a journalist, where he meets both Chilshe and Keshni. Both women play important parts in the rest of the plot but to explain would be spoilers. Markriss covers poverty riots which is the interesting part of Newland’s story - Markriss is forced by the editors to demonise the poor and the rioters.

And then there are the pods. Places of sleep instead of beds. More like a device to access other realities. Markriss, one night, meets the dead architect of the Ark and that’s when the novel changes. It is in several parts. In the second part, Markriss and his friends are kind of existential terrorists, again in the Ark (no-one had spoken English since the Romans conquered England). In the third part, he lives in what might just be our modern London.

Sometimes, Newland’s writing is vague (although perhaps deliberately so) so when he describes an area the size of an aircraft hanger, I’m left wondering how big an aircraft hanger is - and is it one from Newland’s world our real one? Sometimes I nodded off as he used so many words to describe so little. Yet I like that one chapter consisted of just 8 words. The frustrations of the novel are Newland’s mystical wanderings and overwriting of descriptions. The successful elements are his portrayal of culture and racism, which is more nuanced than just the rich versus the poor, the haves and the have-nots. Markriss fights for the oppressed yet writes against them.

Following on from Afro-futurism works of the likes of Tade Thompson and the movie Black Panther, Newland examines what technology might look like in the hands of Africans. His subtlety, however, is the across the parts; the technology is not seen as great by all. Newland’s world revolves around River Time which is how the parts interlock and how Markriss travels between realities. This allows Newland to explore the ideas of racism and colonialism from different nuanced perspectives, while mixing it up with Afro-cosmology and transcendental meditations. It is just a shame that he takes so many descriptive detours to do it. While not exactly wading through treacle, it takes perseverance to get to grips with the verose worldbuilding in order to reach the end of the story, which in itself, is less than satisfying. A case of the message being hampered by the presence of the messenger.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review**

It’s taken me some time to write this review for A River Called Time because it’s a speculative fiction book that I needed to digest and to reflect on because of its scope (full props to the author because the extensive research and heart that went into this book leap off the page).

The premise of this book instantly hooked me, and the strong start lived up to expectation. I was intrigued by the first part of this story as the book follows the main character Markriss Denny from a young boy living in outer Dinium to an adult living in the Ark, an inner city for the elite. During these formative years, we learn that Markriss has a unique ability that allows his spirit to leave his body and travel beyond.

The scope of this books is engrossing and multifaceted, and covered various theories and constructs in cosmology, philosophy, time and the multiverse, as well as explored religion and various cultures, which added a rich depth to this book. While this could easily go over my head, I found that the ideas were conveyed in a way that was consumable. The writing is descriptive and immersive, and at times had a unique flow to it that instantly drew me in (although in some places I found that certain writing styles were overused, which disconnected me from the story). The deep dive into the commentary on social disparity and injustice, and the power of the media was fascinating. The worldbuilding of this alternate London was engaging and was one of my favourite elements of this book. I haven’t read a book quite like it.

However, as a character-driven reader, I had a difficult time connecting with the characters once we arrived at the Ark and I wasn’t fully invested in their character journey from that point onwards. There was also a scene early in the book that included an assault, which personally felt unnecessary. I am not always the right audience for books that feel more plot driven, and I wanted more from the characters. The pacing also slowed at this point until the conclusive final part (where it picked up as the threads started to fit together), and sometimes it struggled to hold my attention.

A River Called Time is a bold, complex and compelling speculative fiction novel with a stimulating look at social injustices with a perspective on what if colonialism had never occurred. I recommend this book for the sheer enjoyment of the powerful discussions and intriguing ideas encompassed within this book.

I almost abandoned this book about 25% in and I’m glad I didn’t.
A River Called Time has loads of interesting ideas, about parallel lives and the different ways people live and love while struggling against systems of oppression. The flips to the parallel lives were sometimes very abrupt and it took me quite a few pages to orient myself.

I really liked the way that sci-fi concepts were peppered throughout the story with little explanation, they just existed in those worlds and people used them.

However, in my view the novel was missing a consistent antagonist (the oppression is constant but there is no character that fully represents it).

Also, I felt that despite Markriss’s spiritual journey the character didn’t learn much. I found the ending interesting but didn’t feel like the novel built to it at all. I understand that it was a conscious deviation from the ending that the novel had built to, but it also didn’t feel like the next logical step.

I really liked that this was a novel that just dropped the reader into it’s ideas, but the lack of a clear antagonist (and a clear journey for the hero) meant that I often felt like I was navigating a maze in the dark.

The book began in an intriguing way, as most speculative fiction does. But, as most speculative fiction does (for me), it fell flat.
I don't enjoy violence against women as reasons for other men to act, especially when this is not expanded upon and explored.
It's also very slow-going in the middle, which tempted me to DNF.
So, despite its promising premise, it just didn't hit the mark for me.

DNF at 20%.
I couldn't get into it. As much as I enjoyed the characters and the idea of the premonitions i feel like they weren't going anywhere. especially once he gets into the ARK and only has one more vision. I liked the idea that the ARK wasn't the utopia it had been painted to be but it was a hard slog to keep going with such a slow moving plot.

As usual, I had no clue what to expect when I started this book. Right from the beginning, it was quite clear that this is certainly a work of speculative fiction - the word that came to mind for me specifically was abstract. While this did give the book a wonderfully unique feel, almost poetic, I did find it a little hard to follow at times. Maybe I'm just not the kind of person who fully appreciates speculative fiction.
The book itself was rather confusing in general. It involved various 'versions' of the main character, Markriss, in alternate timelines. It also talked about chakras and astral projection, which is something I can't say I'm all that familiar with. Again, I want to emphasise that I did appreciate the originality of this, and I did enjoy reading it. I simply couldn't describe it to someone else - I'm not sure I entirely got it, to be honest.
Some social themes were quite clear, too, such as social inequality and racism. However, I fear that I may have missed some of the important points due to the state of confusion I was in throughout much of this book. My favourite part of this book was the third section, where the story was set in modern-day London. This is probably because I could understand and relate to it much more. (There's a little subplot around a lesbian couple who want children which is rather intriguing, too.)
It is a shame that I feel like I missed so much of this book. It's not the author's fault - I just didn't quite get it. I'm sure there were some really fantastic points made in this book, and I'm certain there are people who connected with it far more than I did. For me, this book gets 3 stars.