“But at my back I always hear
Time’s wingèd chariot hurrying near,
And yonder all before us lie
Vast deserts of eternity.”
Andrew Marvell, To His Coy Mistresse
Welcome to the universe of Time’s Chariot (a.k.a. Wingèd Chariot) by Ben Jeapes: a story of murder, conspiracy, time travel and philosophy.
- 5000 BC: a man from the far future falls to his death from his villa in the Himalayas.
- 1029 AD: a time travelling correspondent arrives in Isfahan, Persia.
- 2000 years later: no matter how hard he tries to stay out of trouble, trouble keeps finding Rico Garron.
- Author’s note about Times Chariot
- The world of Time’s Chariot
- Read “Correspondents”, the short story that started it
- Read a bonus chapter, not available in print
- Time’s Chariot on Goodreads
Reviews
“The ideas being played with are hellishly complex, made more so by Jeapes’s antic sense of humour. The jokes are small, dry and pungent, like peppercorns, the clues as tenuous as soap bubbles — take your eye off them and they’re gone. It’s all hard work but it’s also enormous fun, and the sensation of having reached the same conclusion as the author is exhilarating.”
Jan Mark, TES.“Wingèd Chariot is good children’s fiction for adults, or good adult fiction for children, depending on the way you look at it. Either way, it’s a gentle touch, a fulfilling read.”
Interzone“Jeapes creates a clever, twisty plot; it would be unfair to try to summarise any part of it, as that would spoil the surprises. It’s partly political thriller, partly murder mystery, and partly a serious inquiry into how we will use the wonders of technology that out future promises … The book is full of ideas, with a real sense of how human beings can change their future and will inevitably be changed by it.”
Vector“Ben Jeapes has written an engrossing and muscular thriller. Garron may be an off-the-peg rebel with a cause, but the sinuous and twisting snake of a plot demands a pretty unconventional approach to resolve its paradoxes.”
The Scotsman“All science fiction is dual-genre, adventure, mystery, western etc and this one is a gripping thriller and murder mystery. The surprises pop and crackle on every page while the conceptualisation of the time travel scenario has all the originality that science fiction addicts crave.”
Trapped in the Real World
Jan Mark, TES.“Wingèd Chariot is good children’s fiction for adults, or good adult fiction for children, depending on the way you look at it. Either way, it’s a gentle touch, a fulfilling read.”
Interzone“Jeapes creates a clever, twisty plot; it would be unfair to try to summarise any part of it, as that would spoil the surprises. It’s partly political thriller, partly murder mystery, and partly a serious inquiry into how we will use the wonders of technology that out future promises … The book is full of ideas, with a real sense of how human beings can change their future and will inevitably be changed by it.”
Vector“Ben Jeapes has written an engrossing and muscular thriller. Garron may be an off-the-peg rebel with a cause, but the sinuous and twisting snake of a plot demands a pretty unconventional approach to resolve its paradoxes.”
The Scotsman“All science fiction is dual-genre, adventure, mystery, western etc and this one is a gripping thriller and murder mystery. The surprises pop and crackle on every page while the conceptualisation of the time travel scenario has all the originality that science fiction addicts crave.”
Trapped in the Real World
“Science, adventure and romance are brought together … A couple of dozen ingenious ideas are thrown in, and they blend marvellously: time travel, space travel, singularities, biogenics and weapons technology to name but a few. More importantly, the characters are likeable and the plot moves at a cracking pace.”
Keighley News“With its twists and turns, chases and fights, this is a substantial, intriguing, well-told and thought-provoking story which keeps you guessing right up to the end.”
Books for Keeps“The story is actually like a murder mystery and it leads you on, deeper and deeper into the book, and you are never sure what is going to happen.”
Teen Titles“Wingèd Chariot is a clever blend of science fiction, detective story and all-out action thriller. From the first page it moves along at a breakneck speed. It is a well-told story which keeps you involved with the characters and the plot right up to the final page.”
Sunday Morning Post“It is an excellent novel.”
Books in Schools
Keighley News“With its twists and turns, chases and fights, this is a substantial, intriguing, well-told and thought-provoking story which keeps you guessing right up to the end.”
Books for Keeps“The story is actually like a murder mystery and it leads you on, deeper and deeper into the book, and you are never sure what is going to happen.”
Teen Titles“Wingèd Chariot is a clever blend of science fiction, detective story and all-out action thriller. From the first page it moves along at a breakneck speed. It is a well-told story which keeps you involved with the characters and the plot right up to the final page.”
Sunday Morning Post“It is an excellent novel.”
Books in Schools