book review: As We Fall Through Time by Claire North

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Orbit Books for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

This highly imaginative and fresh take on time travel easily skyrocketed this book into my top five reads of 2026. Cal, Fadimatu, Bede, and their fellow travelers "fall through time" by tethering themselves to objects that exist across eras—an ancient wall, a still-standing building, or a heavy boulder. However, emergence requires precision and mindfulness; a traveler must carefully calculate the risk of emerging into an exploding bomb, a collapsing structure, or a crowded street of passersby! Because the narrative spans from ancient history to the frozen end of the world, there is an immense amount of ground to cover. Yet, while the scale can be dizzying, North masterfully pieces it all together.

This back-and-forth traversal of eons is perfected by North’s distinct narrative voice and style, which brings unique sensory details to every century and layer to every character. While the time travel alone would have provided a stable foundation for the plot, there are also consequential discussions on love, humanity, greed, the preservation of history, the simultaneous insignificance and vital importance of living, and whether fate is pre-written.

As a reader, I always love walking away from a book with new recipes to try—something I certainly didn't expect to find in a sci-fi epic like this. Yet, I am now incredibly intrigued to try injera and shiro wot (inspired by Cal’s visit to a flooded 2130s NYC, taking a sampan to Bede’s high-rise apartment), currywurst in a fluffy bun with cheese chips from Berlin, and the pilav and vizier’s fingers that Fadimatu serves to her guests.

I highly recommend this book for so many reasons. It is fantastic. At the absolute bare minimum, it will beautifully expand your vocabulary; I have rarely encountered an author who wields language in such a brilliant and mesmerizing way.