The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

📚Genre: Science Fiction | Pages: 353 | ⭐ Overall: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

“Seeing the modern world through the eyes of a man from the past was both fascinating and unexpectedly moving — a reminder that love and wonder never go out of time.”

The Ministry of Time grabbed my attention right away and never really let go. It’s a clever mix of science fiction, history, and mystery that asks not just what if time travel existed, but should it? The story follows a government experiment that brings people from the past into modern-day life, pairing them with “bridges” — liaisons who help them adjust to the 21st century.

Our narrator, one of these bridges, forms an unexpected bond with Graham Gore, a Victorian explorer rescued from an Arctic expedition gone terribly wrong in 1845. His chapters were my favorite — haunting, atmospheric, and full of quiet humanity. Seeing the modern world through the eyes of a man from the past was both fascinating and unexpectedly moving, a reminder that love and wonder never go out of time.

Kaliane Bradley’s writing is rich and immersive, detailed without ever feeling heavy, and her pacing feels just right. The book balances humor, heart, and a touch of existential wonder, with a twist that caught me completely off guard. Even though the science of time travel isn’t explained (the author literally says “don’t worry about it”), the story makes up for it with its originality, warmth, and emotional depth.

🕰️ Best read on: a rainy evening when you want something thought-provoking but still full of heart
📍 For readers who love: time travel, historical fiction, and character-driven stories that blend curiosity, connection, and meaning

⭐ Ratings

📖 Story: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
👥 Characters: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
🪶 Writing: ★★★★★ (5/5)
💭 Enjoyment: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

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Amazon Book Description

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future.

An exquisitely original and feverishly fun fusion of genres and ideas, The Ministry of Time asks: What does it mean to defy history, when history is living in your house? Kaliane Bradley’s answer is a blazing, unforgettable testament to what we owe each other in a changing world.