What do you think?
Rate this book
Sam Linnifer #2
Timekeepers
With the aid of the Pandora Spirits, the elder Gods have taken a giant step toward freeing the dread Lord Cronus. It seems that Earth's only hope rests with Sam Linnifer and the power of the Light bestowed upon him by Time. But unleashing the Light would have deadly consequences for Sam. For to do so, he must touch the mind of every human on Earth. And to save their souls, he may have to destroy himself. This is the stunning sequel to Waywalkers.
309 pages, Paperback
First published May 6, 2005
5 people are currently reading
289 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Webb
18 books341 followersAn English science fiction author, she is best known for her Carnegie Medal-nominated books, Timekeepers (2005) and The Extraordinary and Unusual Adventures of Horatio Lyle (2006). She wrote her first novel, Mirror Dreams, when she was only fourteen years old.
She began writing mostly in the young adult genre and has since begun authoring books for adults. Also a performing arts enthusiast, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2010. She also attended the London School of Economics.
She helped pioneer a new genre of writing called Urban Magic, which combines fantasy elements with modern-day city environments.
She grew up in London, England. Her father, Nick Webb, also had a career as a writer.
Catherine Webb also writes adult fiction under the pen names Kate Griffin and Claire North
She began writing mostly in the young adult genre and has since begun authoring books for adults. Also a performing arts enthusiast, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2010. She also attended the London School of Economics.
She helped pioneer a new genre of writing called Urban Magic, which combines fantasy elements with modern-day city environments.
She grew up in London, England. Her father, Nick Webb, also had a career as a writer.
Catherine Webb also writes adult fiction under the pen names Kate Griffin and Claire North
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 3, 2017
This is part two of the story of Sam Linnifer, an apparently normal young man who is actually Lucifer with a very different character from the one you would expect.
Life is not going well for him in this book, in fact he says he is having a very bad millennium. For various reasons he finds himself friendless and up against enemies who include Thor, Loki, Jehovah, Odin and the Archangel Gabriel who is a woman called Gail for short.
The story is clever, the writing is excellent, the characters, especially Sam, are well drawn and entertaining. There is some very witty dialogue and a lot of action. The only drawback for me was that the ending became so complicated I got lost. It was late at night though so it may have been just me, not the book!
It didn't matter anyway because I still enjoyed it all enormously.
Life is not going well for him in this book, in fact he says he is having a very bad millennium. For various reasons he finds himself friendless and up against enemies who include Thor, Loki, Jehovah, Odin and the Archangel Gabriel who is a woman called Gail for short.
The story is clever, the writing is excellent, the characters, especially Sam, are well drawn and entertaining. There is some very witty dialogue and a lot of action. The only drawback for me was that the ending became so complicated I got lost. It was late at night though so it may have been just me, not the book!
It didn't matter anyway because I still enjoyed it all enormously.
July 11, 2020
Yes, another five-star rating for Catherine Webb, or whatever pseudonym she may write under. That's three books I've read and three max star ratings so far. I'm becoming convinced that everything this writer publishes is going to blow me away.
Anyway, to the book...
I think I actually enjoyed this sequel even more than I enjoyed Waywalkers: Number 1 in series, the first book in this duology. There's no messing about here, no build-up, no getting to know the world or characters, we know all that stuff from the first book, we are just plunged head-first into the action. It's all quite high paced, there's a great chase scene near the beginning between Tinkerbell and Sam. And it was fantastic to finally get to see Thor in this offering. Not that Thor was really Thor, you need to read it to get it.
The story is pretty much single track and compact so it's easy to follow. The ending is a little abstract but to my surprise, I actually enjoyed that, testament again to Catherine's amazing writing.
Speaking of the writing, the prose here isn't as elegant, flowery, dressed-up, or whatever phrase you prefer, as it usually is in her books, but even with a more direct form of wordplay it is still a wonderful read.
And the fact that this writer published her first novel at the age of fourteen still utterly blows my mind.
Anyway, to the book...
I think I actually enjoyed this sequel even more than I enjoyed Waywalkers: Number 1 in series, the first book in this duology. There's no messing about here, no build-up, no getting to know the world or characters, we know all that stuff from the first book, we are just plunged head-first into the action. It's all quite high paced, there's a great chase scene near the beginning between Tinkerbell and Sam. And it was fantastic to finally get to see Thor in this offering. Not that Thor was really Thor, you need to read it to get it.
The story is pretty much single track and compact so it's easy to follow. The ending is a little abstract but to my surprise, I actually enjoyed that, testament again to Catherine's amazing writing.
Speaking of the writing, the prose here isn't as elegant, flowery, dressed-up, or whatever phrase you prefer, as it usually is in her books, but even with a more direct form of wordplay it is still a wonderful read.
And the fact that this writer published her first novel at the age of fourteen still utterly blows my mind.
October 2, 2024
I would say pretty much the same thing about this book as I did about the first in the series. I would maybe rate the first book slightly higher but, a good second half to the story.
February 12, 2014
Originally posted on Mhairi Reads
Now, fair warning. There are some minor spoilers for Waywalkers below so if you haven’t read it and are planning to then maybe give this post a miss.
The sequel to Webb’s first Sam Linnfer novel Waywalkers, Timekeepers resolves the duology. Sam finds himself cut off from his allies as the Pandora Spirits are used against him in a bid to release Cronus from his prison. New kids on the figuartive block, the Ashen’ia, offer Sam protection but the mysterious Master and Mistress who command them are manipulating Sam for their own ends. All the while Sam’s father, Time, demands he submit to his fate: save the universe and destroy himself in the process.
Since Sam can no longer rely on pretty much anyone we met in Waywalkers there are a lot of characters missing from Timekeepers. While we do get to meet a few new ones, such as the comically named Tinkerbell, the almost complete absence characters I was invested in frustrated me.
The actual plot wasn’t bad, with a lot of well written action and fight scenes which is appropriate since Sam spends basically the entire book on the run from one thing or another. There is an awful lot of build up for the final battle for the universe but, while there are some great action sequences and information reveals, the actual climax was almost boring and not very well described. There is also quite a lot unresolved in regards to some characters, Loki in particular.
Overall I enjoyed this series but I’m not sure if I would re-read it. If you’re a fan of magic and mythology but don’t like explicit gore in your reading then check out Waywalkers and Timekeepers.
3 stars.
Similar reads: Fated by Benedict Jacka, The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond.
Now, fair warning. There are some minor spoilers for Waywalkers below so if you haven’t read it and are planning to then maybe give this post a miss.
The sequel to Webb’s first Sam Linnfer novel Waywalkers, Timekeepers resolves the duology. Sam finds himself cut off from his allies as the Pandora Spirits are used against him in a bid to release Cronus from his prison. New kids on the figuartive block, the Ashen’ia, offer Sam protection but the mysterious Master and Mistress who command them are manipulating Sam for their own ends. All the while Sam’s father, Time, demands he submit to his fate: save the universe and destroy himself in the process.
Since Sam can no longer rely on pretty much anyone we met in Waywalkers there are a lot of characters missing from Timekeepers. While we do get to meet a few new ones, such as the comically named Tinkerbell, the almost complete absence characters I was invested in frustrated me.
The actual plot wasn’t bad, with a lot of well written action and fight scenes which is appropriate since Sam spends basically the entire book on the run from one thing or another. There is an awful lot of build up for the final battle for the universe but, while there are some great action sequences and information reveals, the actual climax was almost boring and not very well described. There is also quite a lot unresolved in regards to some characters, Loki in particular.
Overall I enjoyed this series but I’m not sure if I would re-read it. If you’re a fan of magic and mythology but don’t like explicit gore in your reading then check out Waywalkers and Timekeepers.
3 stars.
Similar reads: Fated by Benedict Jacka, The Woken Gods by Gwenda Bond.
July 8, 2016
I loved this book. I loved this series. I couldn’t put it down. Webb’s writing is fantastic and Sam was just so enjoyable as a character. It also helped that there was just non-stop action and movement. Like the first book, it was fast paced but it didn’t make the plot just zoom on by. A lot happens and while it’s happening in your head, it does seem like a lot of time has passed from the first page to the last. Which is great, I think. I just wish I had more self control as a reader and took the time to make this book last cuz I was pretty bummed when it ended. This is definitely a series that I’ll be rereading constantly.
Sam really has his luck cut out for him in this book. In Waywalkers you already felt pretty bad for him and couldn’t help but root for this underdog. Well, in Timekeepers, the stakes are higher and this time Sam doesn’t have any help (or any friends really). Because of events from the first book, Sam has lost pretty much all of his allies and so the backstabbing, betrayals, and desperation are at an all time high for the poor guy. And it’s because of this that you find yourself rooting for Sam even more so than in the first book. So very victory he gets is just a joyous event in your head (at least for me it was) cuz the amount of shitty people (most of them being his family, which made betrayals all the more sad) that he has to deal with is just crazy. You just can’t help rooting for the little guy in this book and just mentally begging for someone to give him a chance so that he can go out swinging.
So if you’re open to different interpretations of religion, like non-stop action, and can find it in yourself to have a little sympathy for the Devil, then you should totally check this series out.
Sam really has his luck cut out for him in this book. In Waywalkers you already felt pretty bad for him and couldn’t help but root for this underdog. Well, in Timekeepers, the stakes are higher and this time Sam doesn’t have any help (or any friends really). Because of events from the first book, Sam has lost pretty much all of his allies and so the backstabbing, betrayals, and desperation are at an all time high for the poor guy. And it’s because of this that you find yourself rooting for Sam even more so than in the first book. So very victory he gets is just a joyous event in your head (at least for me it was) cuz the amount of shitty people (most of them being his family, which made betrayals all the more sad) that he has to deal with is just crazy. You just can’t help rooting for the little guy in this book and just mentally begging for someone to give him a chance so that he can go out swinging.
So if you’re open to different interpretations of religion, like non-stop action, and can find it in yourself to have a little sympathy for the Devil, then you should totally check this series out.
April 26, 2013
Maybe I'm the wrong audience.
Maybe it would have helped if my copy a bit more clearly told me it was a sequel and it wasn't something I had to find out halfway through the book when I looked it up on Goodreads.
Maybe the mixing of all kinds of mythological names rub me the wrong way (do we have to have Lucifer, Freya and Seth in the same book?).
Maybe the story was a bit thin - a lot of running and hiding and running and fighting and running and fighting and hiding. And so on. And so on. And so on. Oh, and don't trust anyone. And run some more. And fight some more. And hide some more.
Actually, I think had the pace been more changing between calm and tension it would have been a rather enjoyable book - as it was I really stopped caring about the characters about halfway through which was a pity.
Maybe it would have helped if my copy a bit more clearly told me it was a sequel and it wasn't something I had to find out halfway through the book when I looked it up on Goodreads.
Maybe the mixing of all kinds of mythological names rub me the wrong way (do we have to have Lucifer, Freya and Seth in the same book?).
Maybe the story was a bit thin - a lot of running and hiding and running and fighting and running and fighting and hiding. And so on. And so on. And so on. Oh, and don't trust anyone. And run some more. And fight some more. And hide some more.
Actually, I think had the pace been more changing between calm and tension it would have been a rather enjoyable book - as it was I really stopped caring about the characters about halfway through which was a pity.
April 6, 2015
I've been looking for this book for probably a decade and finally got my hands on it. if I had read it at the same time as the first I probably would have loved it. I think I may have out grown this book because it seemed... young maybe. the plot is interesting and I haven't seen much like it out there, but I feel like so much more could have been done with the premise.
one small problem I had was that it references so many different pantheons and yet the frame work of the worlds is still strongly Christian. when all the gods are supposedly equal it's weird to claim one as more right then the others.
one small problem I had was that it references so many different pantheons and yet the frame work of the worlds is still strongly Christian. when all the gods are supposedly equal it's weird to claim one as more right then the others.
August 22, 2012
I didn't like this as much as its predecessor. It seemed like every time I turned round, someone else was turning their coat, double-crossing someone, or revealing themself to have been on another side all along. It got wearing. And the great big show-down...wasn't quite, and got dragged out, and turned into an anti-climax.
(Also I got very cross early on in the book when the protagonist bought alcohol in a newsagent, which isn't possible. And some of it was beer in screw-top bottles, which (a) I don't believe exists and (b) turned out later to be completely unnecessary, since he only wanted the screw-top bottles so he might just as well and more plausibly have bought soft drinks.)
(Also I got very cross early on in the book when the protagonist bought alcohol in a newsagent, which isn't possible. And some of it was beer in screw-top bottles, which (a) I don't believe exists and (b) turned out later to be completely unnecessary, since he only wanted the screw-top bottles so he might just as well and more plausibly have bought soft drinks.)
October 24, 2014
I did enjoy this book far more than "Waywalkers". But I was confused by the weird collection of gods and goddess from all the religions. The reason for my confusion was why there was only a select few from different cultures.
SPOILER ALERT...
I always didn't really like that the gods could be killed by silver. I mean why didn't the gods kill each other long ago if they fight for power as much as they claim.
Also what happens after a god is killed, do they get replaced or what?
Overall I did not personally like this book, but may try this again sometime.
SPOILER ALERT...
I always didn't really like that the gods could be killed by silver. I mean why didn't the gods kill each other long ago if they fight for power as much as they claim.
Also what happens after a god is killed, do they get replaced or what?
Overall I did not personally like this book, but may try this again sometime.
June 5, 2008
I don't remember much about this book, but I remember enjoying it a lot. Catherine Webb's tone is fun and interesting.
July 22, 2008
amazing! so creative and really out there. i love fantasy books like this, and i can't believe how young she is!!!
May 23, 2012
Reread this, and totally and thoroughly enjoyed it as I always have done. :)
March 21, 2015
Not quite up to her usual standards. Trying to do too much--it's an impressive attempt to weave together very many mythologies, but it's a bit messy, to be honest.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews