Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time traveler from 2354 AD and a gladiator living in ancient Rome, Far’s very existence defies the laws of nature. All he’s ever wanted was to explore history for himself, but after failing his entrance exam into the government program, Far will have to settle for a position on the black market-captaining a time-traveling crew to steal valuables from the past.
During a routine heist on the sinking Titanic, Far meets a mysterious girl named Eliot who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Eliot has secrets-big ones-that will affect Far’s life from beginning to end. Armed with the knowledge that history is not as steady as it seems, she will lead Far and his team on a race through time to set things right before the clock runs out.
THE REVIEW
Have you ever read a book that drew you in so much that it was all you could think about? A book whose characters were so real, you wanted to reach out and ask them how they were? INVICTUS by Ryan Graudin is definitely one of those books for me.
INVICTUS is told in alternating POVs in third person past tense, which lends itself well to the mysteriously science fiction feel of the entire story. Though she has four other books out, this was my first foray into Graudin’s writing, and I found it immensely refreshing. Her writing is fast-paced but eloquent, a combination I don’t find often these days, with lines that are beautifully crafted. I’m definitely picking up WOLF BY WOLF as soon as feasibly possible.
Farway is a boy born outside of time, so the story takes place everywhere and everywhen—Imperial Rome, at the Library of Alexandria before its destruction, 18th century France at Versailles. The only time the crew is not allowed to jump to is the future. So when his hopes of graduating the Academy and earning his way onto a Central Time Machine (CTM) are dashed in his final exam, Far finds himself joining the employ of a time-traveling smuggler, building his own crew to jump through time to steal treasures from times that won’t be missed, usually at disasters such as the burning of the Library at Alexandria or the sinking of the Titanic.
It’s only when a strange girl shows up and jacks with his mission that the story begins to change. Farway is special, having been born outside of time, and now something strange and dark is devouring the universe. This strange girl offers herself as part of the crew, and together she and Far must navigate through time to stop this menace before it’s too late.
While I read mostly fantasy, my historian roots deeply enjoyed this romp into history. Time travel is a central point of contention in this book; without it, INVICTUS wouldn’t be the story it is. Far and his crew are fun characters that could truly exist in the far future. The technology (especially the datastreams and integrated digital interfaces) is definitely something that could develop and become so integrated into our daily lives.
The different settings are definitely my favorite part of the book. I’m a historian by nature (and nurture), so seeing this aspect of time-traveling done so well is fun. If I were part of a time-traveling crew, I’d definitely be the Historian—researching the eras, finding outfits that match the time, making sure everything fit in smoothly into the era so as to not cause any disruptions. Plus, it would be so cool to travel to all these places and see firsthand fights at the Colosseum would be magical.
If you like space or time travel, and enjoy a good mystery/action adventure, definitely check out INVICTUS. As the cover says, fans of DOCTOR WHO and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY will love this story. If you enjoyed PASSANGER by Alexandra Bracken and ILLUMINAE by Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, you’ll find something to love in the pages of INVICTUS.
THE INFO
Title: INVICTUS
Author: Ryan Graudin
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Pub Date: September 26, 2017
Format: Hardback
Pages: 464
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Source: Publisher
Links: Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Goodreads