George Falls Through Time, Ryan Collett (Review by Abigail Blake)
Rating: 4.0/5 Stars
Playing with the myth of St George and the Dragon, George Falls Though Time provides a truly unique retelling set in England circa 1300 (but begins in 2026).
The title sums up the premise of the novel: our protagonist George unwittingly falls through time at a moment of extreme stress and lands exactly where he currently stands, only some 700-plus years earlier. Baffled by still-untamed nature, a language he can barely recognize, and unfiltered brutality, George continues stumbling along through imprisonment, escape, and love until his ultimate showdown with an actual dragon. Fighting through his own mental health struggles adds an extra layer to his adventure.
George is guided through his newfound medieval life by Simon, a servant who helps him escape his early confinement and brings him to his homestead in “dragon territory”. Their blossoming relationship forces George to confront his own (not exclusively) modern anxieties and insecurities before truly embracing the love he’s unexpectedly and undeservedly found. Their love story is at the heart of this novel.
George faces down his own imperfections, both personal and romantically, in the literal form of the dragon: a more perfect time traveler who only mildly terrorizes the countryside out of necessity. Interludes on the reflections of King Edward the First contrast with the perspective of futuristic George while further exploring how every person is their own worst enemy. Being from future does not grant George any superiority over his 1300-era peers; but being at the top of society as King does not exempt you from the everyday frustrations of being human.
I either love or hate time travel novels, no in between. Luckily, the time travel component does not bog down this story with extra complexity and actually provides a satisfying ending for all its characters (possibly excepting King Edward the Second). George Falls Through Time firmly falls into the “love” score for me.