Song For A Lost Kingdom-- A Novel of Music,Time Travel and Jacobites

I received Song For A Lost Kingdom from the Canadian author , Steve Moretti, via the promotional freebie website Prolific Works, and fell in love with the premise.  So I immediately volunteered to provide Moretti with feedback without having read a single word that he'd written.   I'm glad to say that I haven't regretted that impulsive decision since then.

                               

A facile description of Song For A Lost Kingdom would be that it's Outlander with music. This is true, but in a limited way.    If you love Outlander because it's about time travel to 18th century Scotland, then Song For A Lost Kingdom may be the sort of book that you'll enjoy.  Yet if you're an Outlander fan because of  the romance between Jamie and Claire, then you may be disappointed by Moretti's novel.  There is romance in the novel, but it isn't the central focus. The time traveling 21st century protagonist, Adeena Stewart, is a musician.  Music is Adeena's primary commitment in both time periods.   That's what I loved most about this book.  It shows that music can transcend time and place.

Another significant difference between Outlander and Song For A Lost Kingdom  is that the time travel method isn't what you would normally expect.  I read another novel that utilizes the same concept, but approaches it superficially.  Moretti gets extra points for making the fantastical seem so real.

Unfortunately, this time travel technique makes it easy for 21st century characters to believe  that Adeena is hallucinating rather than time traveling.  Even Adeena isn't sure about what's happening to her for almost the entire novel. She has serious medical problems.  Couldn't she also be mentally ill? Some readers might assume that the time travel is  an elaborate fantasy that's all in Adeena's mind.

It did seem to me that Adeena was irresponsible in some of her decisions.  This is partly the result of immaturity.  She is accustomed to being rescued which means that she never needs to grow up and face the consequences of her actions.    So she  is an ambivalent character.  Her dedication to the music she loves is admirable, but the wreckage of her personal life  could make readers want to slap some sense into her.  Some of us may find her similar to people in our own lives which makes her recognizable if not always likeable.

 Song For A Lost Kingdom is composed of  comfortable elements of the familiar and intriguing elements of the mysterious.   Yet it's the music that continued to haunt me.