Synopses & Reviews
THE FUTURE OF HISTORY RESTS IN HIS HANDS
The year is 1763. Gideon Seymour, cutpurse and gentleman, hides in dense underbrush from the villainous Tar Man. Suddenly the sky peels away like fabric and from the gaping hole fall two curious-looking children. Peter Schock and Kate Dyer have fallen straight from the twenty-first century, thanks to an experiment Kate's father was running with an antigravity machine. Before Gideon and the children have a chance to gather their wits, the Tar Man has taken off with the machine and Kate and Peter's only chance of getting home. Soon Gideon, Kate, and Peter are swept into a journey through eighteenth-century London, over the routes of notorious highwaymen, and even into King George's palace and form a bond that, they hope, will stand strong in the face of unfathomable treachery.
Historical detail comes alive as debut author Linda Buckley-Archer weaves the eighteenth-century trials of Gideon, Kate, and Peter with the modern-day worries of their parents and the wily investigator trying to piece together the children's disappearance. A time-travel tale in the tradition of Mark Twain with a touch of Back to the Future, the first audiobook of the Gideon trilogy introduces listeners to a modern genre all its own.
About the Author
Linda Buckley-Archer is the author of the critically acclaimed Gideon trilogy. Originally trained as a linguist, she is now a full-time novelist and scriptwriter. She has written a television drama for the BBC and several radio dramas, as well as various journalistic pieces for papers like the Independent. The Gideon Trilogy was inspired by the criminal underworld of eighteenth-century London. Gerard Doyle has appeared in London's West End in The Hired Man and in Shakespeare's Coriolanus and The Winter's Tale, and has toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law and Order. Mr. Doyle is also an award-winning audiobook narrator.
Table of Contents
ContentsTo the Reader
1. The Birthday Treat
In which Peter looks forward to his birthday treat and subsequently argues with his father
2. Peter Misses an Important Telephone Call
In which Peter makes the acquaintance of the Dyer family and a hair-raising encounter with a Van de Graaff generator triggers an extraordinary chain of events
3. The Three-Cornered Hat
In which Peter finds himself in a puzzling and precarious predicament
4. The Howl of a Wolf
In which the police and Kate come to some conclusions about their predicament and the children spend the night in a birch wood
5. A Breakfast of Grilled Trout
In which Peter goes fishing and Kate gives her companion a fright
6. Lost in Time
In which Peter and Kate discover that their troubles have only just begun
7. The Hospitality of the Honorable Mrs. Byng
In which Peter and Kate make the acquaintance of the Byng family and Peter demonstrates his soccer skills
8. The Tar Man's Tale
In which Peter and Kate plant a cedar of Lebanon and Gideon tells the story of the Tar Man
9. The Journey Begins
In which the redoubtable Parson Ledbury insults Gideon and the company sets off for London
10. Attack!
In which Dr. Dyer meets the NASA scientists and the travelers make an unwelcome acquaintance
11. Lord Luxon's Tragedy
In which Detective Inspector Wheeler's suspicions are aroused and Gideon recounts how he met Lord Luxon
12. A Parliament of Rooks
In which Detective Inspector Wheeler is perturbed by a photograph, Kate talks to a famous scientist, and Peter sees something very shocking
13. Pandora's Box
In which Dr. Pirretti shows her true colors and Gideon tells the story of his namesake
14. Gideon's Strategem
In which the parson preaches a curious sermon and the party shows their bottom
15. A Pact Made in Blood
In which Inspector Wheeler goes on the warpath, Peter and Kate make a solemn promise, and London exposes some of its attractions and its dangers
16. Two Covent Gardens
In which the children finally make the acquaintance of the Tar Man at the Black Lion Tavern and then disrupt a juggler's street show
17. Queen Charlotte's Promise
In which Inspector Wheeler's exchange with Dr. Pirretti takes an unexpected turn, George III lays his hands on Jack, and Kate resorts to desperate measures
18. Into the Net
In which the children answer some difficult questions and Gideon walks into Lord Luxon's net
19. A Race Against Time
In which the parson insults some macaronies and displays his knowledge of horseflesh, and Gideon rides against the Tar Man
20. Newgate
In which Gideon languishes in Newgate prison, the children meet a famous author, and a chance meeting leaves Kate overjoyed
21. The Straw Men
In which Dr. Dyer explains the disappearance of the antigravity machine, and Gideon's situation goes from bad to worse
22. Tyburn
In which the party gathers at Tyburn, the Tar Man makes an unexpected appearance, and this story comes to an end
Author's Note
Acknowledgments