Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
This funny sci-fi tale sparkles with Pratchett-esque brilliance. A Home Office department, with a lot that Kafka should be answerable for, drags people from centuries past into modern day London as part of a mysterious experiment dabbling with time travel.
We focus on one Victorian naval officer, saved from a desolate death on a pack-iced ship in the Arctic, and his Home Office handler. The drip-feed characterisation is delicate and delectable, as these two circle falling in love like an irresistable whirlpool. They are hunted by time travellers from the future and haunted by their own pasts. The intertwining of the threads is sublime.
I loved the wide ranging vocabulary, forging playful and yet significant similes and newly-wrangled idioms made it a joy to read. Five stars!