London by Edward Rutherfurd

Many times since the Earth was young, the place had lain under the sea.

There's a preface, but I skipped that. This is the opening line of chapter 1.

So, this opening begins with setting, in point of fact, it begins with the beginning of setting, the creation of setting - in short - geology. It's nice that the author does this, as it warns me what to expect. There is no way I will keep reading this mammoth book that begins with the geological history of the setting of a story. By beginning at the beginning of time this could be nothing more than an epic epic.

On a positive note, as this novel is titled London, we can infer that the city itself will be treated as a character in itself. So in a sense this novel begins like David Copperfield, only with a place and not with a person. It's the ultimate back story dump.

The next paragraph goes on to explain how England was formed four hundred million years ago, moving along to the ice age, to the Roman Empire etc.

On page four, after we get the gist of the first four hundred million years, we are introduced to a boy.

First thing said:

"You needn't worry."

Overall, the beginning looks like a well re-imagined history of London and people who like history and time travel should be turned on by this.

Verdict: Fail

Sincerely,
Rudy Globird