This captivating novel about time travel in turn-of-the-century Copenhagen has a surprisingly romantic dimension. It’s split into four sections, the first reminiscent of Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ – full of dark goings on in the basement of the intimidating Fru Krak, whose husband Professor Krak has mysteriously disappeared. When Charlotte, a prostitute, and Fru Fanny Schleswig, the incoherent old woman she lives with, become Krak’s housekeepers, it’s only a matter of time before Charlotte’s curiosity gets the better of her and she ventures out into the ‘Great Beyond’.
The time machine, which lands both Charlotte and Schleswig in London, is in danger, and Professor Krak (who turns out to be very much alive and kicking) entrusts Charlotte with the task of ensuring that the time-travelling Danish community get home safely. In return, she will be allowed to take possession of Fru Krak’s house and run it as a brothel. Complications – namely, Charlotte falling in love with Fergus, a twenty-first-century Londoner, and a mishap with the machine which accidentally takes Professor Krak to the Afric Isle of Marroquinta, AD1000 – get in the way.
Jensen’s thoroughly modern prose switches readers between time zones without leaving us feeling jarred or confused. There are moments of genius: the secret yet simple time machine potion; Professor Krak’s faked ‘Fine Lady’ astrology; and Jensen’s knack of addressing the reader so that we feel as if the tale is being relayed directly to us. Packed with charm and energy, this is definitely worth taking the, er, time to read.
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