Pirates of the Timestream

This rousing nautical adventure—the third novel featuring the Temporal Regulatory Authority (after Sunset of the Gods)—sees Cmdr. Jason Thanou leading a team back to the Caribbean of the 1660s to investigate an anomaly. As always, Thanou’s mission is to seek out and thwart the continuing Transhumanist efforts to conquer the future by subverting the past. Embedded as members of the legendary privateer Capt. Henry Morgan’s crew, Thanou and his companions embark on riveting escapades, running afoul of Transhumanist saboteurs and the enigmatic female pirate Zenobia. When the mission goes horribly wrong, Thanou must team up with some unlikely allies to make sure everything happens as it’s supposed to. White expertly blends historical and futuristic elements (including historically accurate depictions of white men’s treatment of women and people of color) to create a fast-paced, detail-rich tale, seamlessly inserting his own inventions into factual events. While the frequent info dumps are occasionally distracting, this remains an exciting, engaging story, accessible to new readers and thoroughly satisfying for established fans. (Aug.)