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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Christian Hurst’s Lily Starling and the River of Time returns Lily Starling to the Salamander after a violent attack interrupts Lieutenant Commander Leena Caris’s wedding celebrations and leaves questions surrounding Caste-Prime, a Saravethi movement associated with the assault. Back aboard ship under Captain Jax, Lily learns that temporal distortions have begun appearing across Union space as Gherion Prime activates the Omniwall, a probability system designed to detect catastrophic events before they occur. When the disturbances begin affecting the Salamander itself, Lily turns to Nola Esche, a time traveler linked to Abigail Esche, the girl Lily was before the Krythar altered her body and memories. Nola believes history has fractured at several points, sending Lily into different eras to repair events as the changes spread across the Union.
Christian Hurst’s Lily Starling and the River of Time is brilliant time-travel science fiction, and Hurst knows exactly how to make temporal distortion feel physical and, perhaps most importantly, understandable. The science is fantastic, especially when Lily activates the temporal cuff, and the Salamander’s engine vibration stretches until each pulse separates. I also love the crew. Basco is a favorite, and his excitement over finding coordinates in the stressed syllables of the Ballad of Galatia gives his exchanges with Lily a dry humor. The science fiction elements are creative, from an abandoned Union data center lit in amber beneath its floor grating to a damaged compartment appearing in pieces under pulsing light. The pacing keeps Lily moving through unfamiliar eras as the temporal problem widens around her. Well written and totally immersive, readers who enjoy character-led space opera with ambitious time travel will adore this.
