Review: The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Quite simply, this is one of the best books I've read this summer. No, let me amend that: this is one of the best books I've read, period. With The Map of Time, Felix J. Palma has created a world that allows the reader to wallow in its luxuriousness while simultaneously voraciously devouring this suspenseful story.

Palma's meta-fictional story places H.G. Wells at the center of a tale rife with twists and turns that occur at the exact time you think you have things figured out. Told in three interconnected parts, Wells finds himself a participant in a drama in which the very existence of several classic novels depends on his actions.

While this tome weighs in at a hefty 600+ pages, the story flows so well that it flies by and is over before you know it. Originally a Spanish novel, The Map of Time marks Palma's U.S. debut as a writer...as a master storyteller. The story itself moves effortlessly, and the first two parts come together seamlessly in part three. Palma blends fictional and non-fictional characters and events in a rich, multi-dimensional tapestry that will be continued with the much hoped for and eagerly awaited translations of his second and third novels in this trilogy.

Published in the United States by Atria Books and available from your local, independent bookstore. (Shop local and shop independent: it makes a difference!)