The only thing that managed to irritate me this time was Carigger's set intent of not taking anything seriously. The point is that I could get enjoyment despite the horrible writing, one dimensional characters and puerile plot, so it was a pretty successful escapism, hence the two stars. Maybe it was because of my one year Carriger abstinence, maybe it was because I read it during a horribly boring six hour bus trip, who knows. Personally I had a really good time with this one. It would generally be a good idea to give the Parasol Protectorate books time to breathe, and read only 2 a year, so you can get the maximum enjoyment out of them and avoid being bored or severely irritated. I would suggest reading Timeless at least six months after you've read Heartless.

'lethal', and brutally murder any enjoyment you might get out of them. It's just that too many doses of Carriger's books in a short amount of time can turn out. Timeless is not the dumbest book in the series, books 2 to 4 provide a strong competition for that title. Finally, almost a year passed and I was victorious in my quest to finish Timeless.

My second attempt happened sometime during the summer but still I could not get over the obnoxious pastiche. I first tried to read Timeless a week after I finished but I couldn't focus on the plot because I was too preoccupied with laughing with the prose and counting how many times per page certain 'Victorian' words would appear. I finally found the strength and courage to read Timeless, the fifth and final installment to the Parasol Protectorate series.

I hope so, but regardless, if Gail Carriger writes it, I'm reading it. I know she has two new series planned, but I don't know if either is in the same world and time.

The parallel plot lines were equally good, and I really hope to see how the supporting characters' stories play out. Of course, there was one bitty bit where I considered throwing the book across the yard (I was outside) or tearing it to shreds, but thankfully, that didn't last long I laughed all the way through and greatly enjoyed the addition of Prudence to the cast of characters. The supernatural adventure and humor didn't lose steam (har har) in this latest installment of the Parasol Protectorate series. If I'm in a reading slump or need a brain-cleanse after a particularly bad reading experience, I know their writing will fix everything. For me, Gail Carriger is right up there with PG Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett on my list of authors I can depend on when I need something good.

Timeless by Gail Carriger