The Evangeline Manuscript by Walker Chandler is a time travel novel set in the unusual time period of 27AD.

However, unlike many of the other time travel novels on this site, the people in this novel who travel back in time make it their choice to do so, in their own time machine.

The novel begins with the title character Evangeline posting a manuscript together with some artefacts to her old lover.  She is clearly in the present day, which lets the reader know from the outset that her remarkable journey has taken her full circle.
 

Written in the first person, this is Eva’s story in her own words.  She tells how she befriended and became the lover of a man she had met in a Greek class.  Suspicious that he was keeping some secret from her she confronted him with her suspicions.  But while she suspected that he may be married, nothing could have prepared her for the truth…that Mark was a time traveller.

Mark and his Uncle Ned had travelled to Eva’s time of 1979 from 1939 in a Short Flying Boat, known as The Short.

Unbelieving at first Eva is soon convinced of the truth of their story and finds herself swept along in their plans to visit Periclean Greece.

Unfortunately, when Eva takes a trip to England before they travel back in time she inadvertently ruins their plans by delving into Mark’s past and being followed back to the US by the son he did not know he had.

Julian is an Anglican Priest and a dangerous man, who takes an instant dislike to Eva, and once he discovers the truth it is his intention to travel back in time to the time of Christ.  Unable to fight him the four pioneers travel in the short and make “the jump” back to 27AD.

Once in the past the story unfolds quickly as Eva and her companions befriend the locals and are quickly accepted as foreign travellers from a land across the ocean.  Well prepared they carry modern weapons and believe they are well prepared for the journey they have embarked on.

Before long it is clear that the travellers all have different plans on how to proceed.  Julian quickly separates from the group and goes his own way on his search for Christ.  Leaving Eva and Mark to travel on to their own destination of Rome.

Through modern radio transmitters Julian keeps them informed as to where he is as he tries to persuade them to join him in his quest.

Eva and Mark go their own way as they head to Rome where the relationship they had struggled to maintain through the stresses of their journey finally crumbles away.

Making the choice to strike out on her own Eva eventually sets out for the north, leaving Mark in Rome.

Not alone in the strictest sense of the word Eva travels with her slave and friend to Germany where she finds true love, encounters betrayal, and faces death before continuing her journey alone.

Surviving a shipwreck and through her unquestionable courage Eva finds that from being welcomed as a powerful foreign traveller she is now marked for death.  Unable to contact Mark and Julian she heads towards Palestine and Julian.

Finding Julian at last she discovers that he had found the man he believes to be Christ.  Not only that, the dramatic conclusion that is his story and now hers is about to be reached.

Yeshu’a is the man that Julian believes, without a doubt, is Christ himself.  Julian has his own agenda and is determined to alter the course of history with his knowledge of the future.  For Eva however, she will discover that the course of history cannot be altered that easily and that just as there is no place for her in this ancient world, soon there will be no room for Yeshu’a either.

This is a well-written and detailed novel that covers a lot of events in a short period of time.  This is not a romance novel, although there are elements of romance in it.  If you are looking for something that is different and thought provoking, this could be just the novel you are searching for.

A word of warning though, if you are easily offended you may want to give this novel a miss.  The variety of subjects in this novel ranges from murder to drugs, gun law to religion, and slavery to homosexuality.  The characters in this novel all make their own choices in respect to these subjects and the different perspectives of the characters make for a very interesting read.

If you are not easily offended give this book a try…whatever your opinions on the topics covered, this is a book that will make you think about those topics and open your mind to other possibilities.

An excellent read with one of the most unusual twists of plot at the end that I have ever read.  It is a book that shows just how historical fact can be distorted over the years and how even when you think you know what will happen, you can never be sure.
 

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