I read the first chapter of William Hatchett's The Chosen and I'm hooked. Nineteenth-century London, a beautiful woman with an inventor dad, Karl Marx, William Morris, John Ruskin and a time machine. Writing a letter to his daughter, the narrator opens his story with an alcoholic uncle from whom he cannot escape quickly enough, only to find himself on the threshold of love, of wonder, and of discovery. The woman loves poetry, art and science and our narrator rushes in – where angels fear to thread, perhaps, yes – but also where the sourdough starter of a good story is fermenting, and the promise of a feed of fresh bread has me sniffing the air. ~ Aidan Parkinson, Playwright and author

This is a very professional, erudite and well-written piece of work. Its slightly unusual theme and style will increase its desirability, as a work which is different will always stand out. The book is both entertaining and informative – a testament both to the author's skill as a writer and the obvious learning and research which have gone into it. It seems to me that this is partly a narrative about narratives and the nature of history. I enjoyed the constant references to prominent writers, historians and philosophers, with some of the most important influences on modern Western culture acknowledged and explored and, in some cases, challenged. There are many instances in the text of the local and personal reflecting the universal and political and of the narrator, Frederick, being shaped by his own reading. Vivid description and action are also nicely balanced and interspersed with flashes of humour ... I am sure that this novel would appeal to a wide audience – male and female readers of most ages could appreciate it, as well as readers of contemporary and science fiction. While it is a highly learned and intertextual novel, its strong plot and accessible style would make it attractive to a broad and varied readership. There is always a market for intelligent, innovative fiction, criteria which this piece of work easily fulfils. ~ Golgonooza website reviewer