====== Do They Know It's Christmas Yet?, by James Crookes ====== ISBN: 978\\ Amazon ID: [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08Q5W1S4T|B08Q5W1S4T]] Somehow, or perhaps because, so many of them are introduced all at once, I found it a bit difficult to work out "who's whom?" so here's a summary (no spoilers involved): * Dot is "Grandma" * Her husband was Ernest, now deceased * George is their son * Andrea is George's wife * Natasha (Tash) is George and Andrea's daughter * Jamie is Natasha's brother * Lucan (not his real name, but he's only a baby and hasn't been given one yet) is Natasha's son ===== Chapter One ===== Face masks are in abundance (although I've often wondered what a bun dance might be like - something like a tea dance, only fruitier?), so this is clearly written in the year of publication - 2020 - and yet we find the phrase (regarding a train leaving St Pancras) "Quick! The doors lock at five miles an hour". In fact I think you'll find that in the 21st century, the doors on British trains get locked well before the train even considers the idea of contemplating the thought of entertaining the concept of the possibility of actually moving. There are even signs proudly telling you this at all major railway stations, as though preventing people who have just arrived in time to catch their train from being able to get on to it is a good thing, and that British Rail (or whatever split-off privatised subsidiary this particular train, or station, happens to be run by) is pleased to be offering the service of providing personnel to deliberately prevent their customers from getting on to trains __before__ the advertised departure time. Oh, and "This is my least favourite family tradition." "You have just one? I have a list." suggests that someone doesn't quite get the hang of "least". ===== Chapter Three ===== "Her lip was grazed, her eyes look sunken, and her homemade neck brace held her tiny face in an unnatural position." I think that should be "her eyes looked sunken", and she was almost certainly also wearing a "home-made" neck brace. I wonder what the proof-reader thinks. ===== Chapter Four ===== She glanced over at "her grandparents beloved Airedale Terrier", and I just wish there had been an apostrophe at the end of "grandparents". ===== Chapter Five ===== "She slid her phone into the rear pocket of her pyjama trousers." - How many pyjama trousers have pockets? - Especially female pyjama trousers... - How many pyjama trousers have enough pockets that you have to specify "rear"? He "gently started to unfurl the first roll of fabric which spun smoothly on its poll..." Hm, hint to proofreader: I think that might be a pole, not a poll. ==== Derivative? ==== Compare: [The screen] was lit up, and text typed out in front of their tired eyes: Destination Date: written and published in 2020, with: Another message pops up on the screen... Input path restore date:from [[The '86 Fix]] by Keith A Pearson, published in 2016... ==== Confusion ==== Sooner or later, some other characters turn up in the story, and then implausibly remain involved with it for pretty much the rest of the book. This is quite confusing, as you keep anticipating them disappearing again after they've had their scene and played their part, but they just hang around and keep in with the main characters as though the scriptwriter couldn't work out how to make them go away. ==== Conclusion ==== A nice enough concept, spoiled only by the fact that it's been done better, before. If you want unintentional time travel back to the 80s, [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M3QFCQA|The '86 Fix]] is better, and if you want a good-sized story involving, but not really focused on, time travel, read [[https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07R1Z64PB|Impossible Times]]. ---- [[.:|Go up]]\\ Return to [[:|main index]].