This review contains affiliate links, which earn me a small commission when you click and purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business and allowing me to continue providing you a reliable resource for clean book ratings.
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is an unusual science fiction book that follows the adventures of Melisande Stokes (Mel), a linguist who is recruited by Tristan Lyons to work for a “shadowy government entity.” D.O.D.O. stands for Department of Diachronic Operations, namely, time travel to change key events in the past to influence the future. We never know the details of what those in charge of the organization truly wish to accomplish, but it’s hinted at that they are working to reduce Russia’s expansion of power throughout history.
The book combines science, fantasy, history, adventure, and military operations in a captivating story that spans the years of the D.O.D.O. project. In the 1800s, the invention of photography caused the end of magic, which had up until that point in time been performed by witches. The team at D.O.D.O. engineered a device to create a space for witches to use magic despite it being impossible in the world as a whole. This allows them to send people backward and forward in time and also perform other feats of magic, such as mind control. Exactly how this is possible is explained in a fair amount of detail that is quite complex, involving quantum mechanics. It is a fascinating idea and does have a basis in reality, even if it would not actually be possible in the real world.
Throughout Mel and Tristan’s adventures, we meet diverse characters in history and those recruited to work at D.O.D.O. I can’t say I was rooting for the characters’ mission, but I was interested in following their story and captivated by the blend of magic and technology that could be explained, at least on a surface level, in a way that could satisfy both the scientist and mystic. There were certainly paradoxes that could arise due to these operations, and I felt that some of this was glossed over, but as this is a novel and not a manual for time travel, it was not a real issue.
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. is a long book, and the format is peculiar: the story is told through diary entries, log entries, official communications, and posts on the organization’s internal server. At times, I found this interesting, but at other times it was a slog, especially the scenes that had back-and-forth dialogue posted on channels that included the date, time, and other technical details for every post. Since I listened to this on audio, it was all read aloud, but had I read the physical book, it might have been less time consuming, as I would have just read the dialogue rather than the technical details. I did find that it lent a sense of realism to the story, though, and for that, it ended up being a good choice for this book.
The character development is, to be honest, lacking, but the story’s intriguing concepts make up for it. The historical details are vivid and bring the story to life when the characters travel to different time periods.
Lastly, a glossary with the definitions of the acronyms used would have been helpful, as there are a lot of them! This may have been present in the physical book, but was not possible with the audio, of course.
Overall, I can’t recommend The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. due to the foul language and high-rated content (see below), but at the same time, I’m glad I read it. It’s unique in its style of execution and the novel way in which time travel and magic are explored.
Rated: High. There is significant use of profanity, with over 60 uses of strong language and a number of vulgar terms, as well as other uses of moderate and mild profanity. Sexual activities are described in some detail in a few scenes and insinuated throughout the story.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. on Amazon.
