No Time Like the Past

Name: No Time Like the Past
Author: Jodi Taylor
ISBN: 9781472264336

St Mary’s · Novel 5 · 2015

No Time Like the Past places a chaotic fête beside assignments at Thermopylae and the Great Fire of London, letting the Institute’s plans collide with several very different kinds of historical work.

Book 5 of 15 in The Chronicles of St Mary’s · 14 published; 1 announced

AI-generated illustration inspired by No Time Like the Past; not a book cover.

What it’s about

The novel’s shape moves between public spectacle and urgent research, with Max and her colleagues trying to keep practical details straight while history supplies complications of its own.

Those contrasting settings make the book feel broad without losing its centre: the working relationships at St Mary’s and the decisions the team must make in the field. It continues to treat research as active, collaborative work, where judgement matters just as much as preparation.

The familiar group has settled into its roles, which allows the book to play with their habits while still giving each assignment its own texture. As the fifth numbered entry, it rewards readers who know the Institute and its existing dynamics.

It is an energetic continuation, not a reset, and its historical excursions sit inside the same cumulative series story.

Listen or read

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Can I start here?

This is book 5 in its series. Start with the first novel for its clearest introduction.

Reader questions

Do I need to read the earlier books first?

Yes, for a first visit to this series. This novel is the 5th numbered novel, rather than the opening volume. Read from book one to meet the recurring people. Their introductions belong within the developing series sequence. The series guide separates those novels from optional shorter adventures.

Source: joditaylorbooks.com

Who narrates the No Time Like the Past audiobook?

Zara Ramm narrates the linked UK audiobook of this novel. Choose the exact edition for this recording. Other formats can carry the same title. The Audible product link identifies the performer. Follow the listening guide to continue in numbered order.

Source: audible.co.uk

Where this fits

This is the fifth numbered novel, following A Trail Through Time and leading into What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Read the main sequence in order to keep the developing relationships and Institute context clear.

The short story The Very First Damned Thing sits just before this novel in the suggested sequence and offers background on St Mary’s beginnings.

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Why readers love it

Our view

Readers get variety without losing the pleasure of returning to familiar colleagues. The contrast between a fête, an ancient battle and a famous London disaster gives the historical side a lively range, while the Institute’s day-to-day chaos keeps the tone recognisably St Mary’s.

There is a satisfying sense of the team at work: capable in their own ways, occasionally outmanoeuvred by events, and never short of opinions. The novel suits readers who like period settings braided with ensemble comedy and forward motion.

Listening notes

Zara Ramm’s unabridged recording runs for eight hours and fifty-five minutes. Its length makes it easy to split the novel into sessions around the separate assignments, while the familiar narrator keeps the ensemble’s voices connected to the earlier books.

The audio is a straight reading of the novel; the short-story companion has its own recording and is not folded into this runtime.