On Votaries, I reference a writing problem--when society's response to a fictional event is not entirely realistic.I reference a series, specifically Jackie North's Time Travel series. I maintain that the first book, Honey from the Lion, is problematic. It is far more likely that the police would suspect the dude ranch of being staffed by serial killers than switch their attention to best friends back home. It is also fairly unimaginable that the dude ranch would let Laurie stay on their premises after he got "lost" or that the dude ranch wouldn't suffer unimaginable financial losses.
Simply saying that it didn't isn't enough.
However, these issues are the type that I find easy to ignore in a novel since only slight editing would fix the problem (Laurie leaves the ranch, goes to a hotel, leaves messages for his friends, starts back, realizes that the meteor shower gives him a tight window and takes off--the friends are never suspected; other events push them to leave town).And I highly recommend the following books in the series so if, unlike me, you started with the first book, don't get thrown by the plot holes. Move on to the next books!
Of the three set in the West, I found Zach and Layton's the most satisfying, mostly since the characterizations remain consistent and the psychological problem is excellently delineated, explored, and resolved.Out of all the time travel books so far, I enjoyed Hemingway's Notebook the most. The characterizations are strong while the milieu and its conditions, as seen through the eyes of college student Jake, are evocative without being lecture-ey.
Jackie North has an ability that I greatly envy: she makes setting/place omnipresent, real, and historical without it feeling Historical. That by itself makes the books worth reading.
