320 pages, Science Fiction
In the Garden of Iden is set almost entirely in 16th century Spain and England. The story opens with the Spanish Inquisition - expected for something set in this time period. 5 year old Mendoza is arrested and questioned on suspicion of being a Jew. Terrified, she is held in a dungeon thinking that she is going to die, when an unlikely savior comes along. A representative of The Company - a 24th century bureaucracy more secretive than the CIA - asks Mendoza if she would like to join their ranks.
The Company, as it turns out, has discovered how to travel back in time, but not forward. They select certain people to join their ranks - turning them into immortal cyborgs so they can live through the many centuries to see the fruition of their efforts on behalf of their benefactor. These employees are charged with collecting samples of flora and fauna from a certain era that have become extinct in the future, securing what will become 'lost' artifacts and works of literature and never, ever having their cover blown - blending in with the 'mortals' as best as possible.
I thought that this was an extremely inventive idea for a science fiction novel. It was like historical science fiction, if anything like that exists. Mendoza was a compelling character, and the fast pace of the novel made it a quick read. Although the events in this first novel seem inevitable to some degree, I really enjoyed how Baker let them unfold. I am also glad that there are a few other 'Company' novels to tempt me at the end of this project. I would definitely recommend this book, and will certainly read more of Baker's work. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.
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