The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow

Time loops are a staple of science fiction, but they can work in a fantasy setting, too - whether medieval or pseudo Victorian steampunk.

Alix E. Harrow’s ‘The Everlasting’ covers both of these, with a pseudo Victorian historian sent to the deep past to Chronicle the exploits of a national hero.

In addition to the magical sci-fi elements, the novel covers politics, feminism, gender stereotypes, the nature of nations and empire. It also has the some of the worst sex scene I’ve read in a mainstream work of fiction in recent years.

I liked it, but I didn’t love it, and it’s hard to say why exactly. There’s war and ambition, love, cowardice, courage, and all of the necessary ingredients for a great book. It just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Maybe it was all the yearning.