GEORGE FALLS THROUGH TIME

A gay man approaching his mid-30s in London discovers that his troubles follow him through time.

George’s life is unraveling. He’s lost his data entry job, his boyfriend left him, and he survives by dog walking—often bypassing app rules to walk six dogs instead of four. While simultaneously wrangling his doggy horde in Greenwich Park and trying to remove his ex’s name from an internet bill, two pups escape, triggering chaos that somehow sends George hurtling back to the year 1300. Confusing the medieval peasants with his polyester clothing and glowing phone, George is imprisoned for months in a dirt cell, eventually escaping alongside Simon, an indentured servant with whom he feels an irrefutable connection. They journey to Simon’s land up north, left by a late uncle who, Simon says, was killed by a dragon. After months together, George is summoned by King Edward, forcing him to choose between the life he left and the life he’s building. The novel critiques modernity more than it explores medieval life, though it incorporates real historical speculation, like Prince Edward’s rumored relationship with Piers Gaveston. Told through George’s stream-of-consciousness narrative, it shifts between 14th-century life and reflections on modern society, contrasting medieval brutality with 21st-century depravity (“In the modern world, you don’t have to worry about running into severed heads, you just have to make sure not to google them”). While the science-fiction and fantasy elements set up intriguing premises, the story focuses on George’s passivity and internalized homophobia; his frequent self-hatred may frustrate readers (especially in the slower first half), but allows room for growth. Despite heavy themes, the book includes genuinely funny moments, such as George and Simon attending a Round Table tournament and being shushed for not respecting the troops.

A humorous, genre-defying, meandering analysis of present-day life as seen through a medieval lens.