Our Discussion of Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor

Just One Damned Thing After Another (The Chronicles of St Mary's #1) by Jodi Taylor

“History is just one damned thing after another” - Arnold Toynbee

A madcap new slant on history that seems to be everyone's cup of tea...

Behind the seemingly innocuous façade of St Mary's, a different kind of historical research is taking place. They don't do 'time-travel' - they 'investigate major historical events in contemporary time'. Maintaining the appearance of harmless eccentrics is not always within their power - especially given their propensity for causing loud explosions when things get too quiet.

Meet the disaster-magnets of St Mary's Institute of Historical Research as they ricochet around History. Their aim is to observe and document - to try and find the answers to many of History's unanswered questions...and not to die in the process.

But one wrong move and History will fight back - to the death. And, as they soon discover - it's not just History they're fighting.

Follow the catastrophe curve from eleventh-century London to World War I, and from the Cretaceous Period to the destruction of the Great Library at Alexandria. For wherever Historians go, chaos is sure to follow in their wake ... Goodreads

Check out the summary of our discussion of just One Damned Thing After Another…

• I wanted to like it more than I did
• Every villain was one-dimensional. Each character was interchangeable. I felt that it was written to be optioned for episodic TV
• The main character could do no wrong
• It went nowhere, was predictable and juvenile: I love you, I hate you, you’re a monster, I forgive you
• It was very British
• I enjoyed it and plan to read more
• It was fun seeing dinosaurs and drinking tea. It’s not great literature, but a good read
• I enjoyed the pace – it was a nice light read
• There were too many clues planted in advance
• The title told me I didn't need to take it seriously!

Please add any additional thoughts or comments you have about Just One Damned Thing After Another. We gave this title the codes BH, FEM, TTL, PRE & HRO and an average rating of 3.4.