By Iain McLaughlin

Thebes Publishing, out now

Ancient Egypt, 1884 AD, the present day and the 25th century – what links them all?

We’ve reached the point with Thebes Press’ Erimem saga that the books can concentrate more on one of the new characters than on the pharaoh at the heart of it all, without it feeling as if we’re being shortchanged. Across the series, the characters of Andy, Ibrahim and Helena in particular have been increasingly brought into focus, with questions about the last-named starting to crop up more and more frequently. Sensibly, McLaughlin has decided to deal with the entire issue in one novel.

It’s one of the best of the series to date, with the various strands feeling very disparate initially but gradually coming together – not all at once, but across the book, so that one in particular bubbles away beneath the surface until its relevance becomes important to the plot. There are elements that echo aspects of Doctor Who without actually going as far as using the same terms – and the occasional fun Easter egg, such as a familiar throwback to The Three Doctors/Day of the Doctor.

The Victorian section features a familiar name from literature, although McLaughlin uses the by now standard get-out of claiming that he’s presenting the “real” character upon whom the novels were based. For a long time I wondered why he bothered, although you realise eventually that this is an alternate take on the events of one of the key parts of that character’s canon – but I’d like to read a complete story featuring this epic hero. The title riffs off the famous Joanne Woodward movie from 1957, although the story tilts in a different direction.

That’s not to say that Erimem doesn’t feature in a book bearing her name: when she’s involved, she’s as loyal to her ideals and her friends as ever, and there’s one sequence that gives her the heroic last stand that maybe she’s always wanted…

Verdict: A well-crafted time travel tale. 8/10

Paul Simpson