The Infinity Ring: A Mutiny in Time

A Mutiny in Time (Infinty Ring) by James Dashner (Scholastic Inc)
HB RRP $14.99
ISBN 978-0-545–38696-8
Reviewed by Jenny Heslop

Dak Smyth and Sera Froste are best friends, thrown into a whirlwind of adventure and time travel. When they discover the powerful Infinity Ring they lose Dak’s parents somewhere in the past and discover the Hystorians a group more mysterious than the SQ. Through the Hystorians the two children learn that the world’s fate is in their hands. They must travel through time to fix all the breaks in history.

The reader experiences a vague sense of unease in Sera and Dak’s world, as if all is not quite as it should be. This feeling increases with each mention of the SQ, with the apparent normality of the children’s intelligence, and with the frequency of natural disasters. But it is not until they go back in time to fix a break in history that the reader begins to discover just how off kilter the world has become. This book is concerned with one history break, the mutiny of Christopher Columbus’ voyage to America, but subtle hints about other breaks left me keenly anticipating the next book in the series, eager to discover where else history may have gone off course. It left me wondering about the what-ifs of historic outcomes such as elections, battles and discoveries. Events which determine who holds the power in the world.

A Mutiny in Time is packed with history, danger and time travelling fantasy. Dak, Sera and Riq are likable characters with recognisable flaws. They struggle to come to terms with (and apply their incredible intellect to) the extraordinary task they have been assigned to. But while they are out there in the world, seeing and smelling the past, they make the most of exploring and enjoying the adventure.

A Mutiny in Time is the first book in the multi-platformed adventure series, The Infinity Ring. Set out in a similar way to the popular 39 Clues series, each book - written by a different author - relates one part of the adventure undertaken by the three children in an effort to save the world. This book comes with a secret Hystorians Guide in a pocket marked Top Secret! Open only after you’ve completed A Mutiny in Time. This map reveals a code that allows access on www.infinityring.com to a new adventure which the reader may embark upon. This adventure picks up directly where the book has left off.

Although it starts off a little slowly, once the story takes off it is hard to put down until the end. This is a thrilling read for eight to fourteen year olds. Come and join the adventure.