overall 23 votes: 
editor average: 
Diggory Franklin met a beautiful woman today. Twice.
The first time, she warned him of impending doom and then bestowed the most passionate kiss of his life. The second time, she had no memory of the first.
And that’s really just the start of his problems . . .
Tags: modern fiction · online novels · romance · time travel
Listed: Jun 28, 2008
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Jul 17, 2008: Warning: This story is a serialized novel currently being regularly updated. Review is subject to change based on future content.
ETA: I originally wrote this review about a year ago. A lot has changed since then.
I like to avoid spoilers in my reviews, so let me try to state this as clearly as possible:
The Surprising Life and Death of Diggory Franklin is like pie. It has layers and, for good measure and tasty goodness, there are tantalizing hints of even more layers as the novel unfolds.
Some things haven’t changed when I first wrote this review: the writing is still witty and the beginning still promises yummy happenings to satisfy this SciFi heart of mine. I was initially mildly disappointed when the story seemed to flounder in mundane lawyer business, however, that was simply the calm before the storm.
As time has passed, Gavin Williams has added depth to the story: the author has added dimensions to already interesting characters in foreshadowing that is not immediately noticed if one reads the novel as it is updated, but becomes apparent when one reads it in a more traditional, book like style. There’s action, more time traveling (complete with gizmos!), glimpses of the future, and the shadow of a villain with a plot which extends throughout the whole of time and space.
It’s a good story. Don’t miss it.
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May 13, 2010: A funny thing happened on the way to my funeral . . . .
Diggory Franklin has a complicated life, starting when – a few months ago in storytime- he meets his future girlfriend who tells him he is going to die in a year. She knows this because she has – or will – invent(ed) a time travel device.
Diggory is a together dude. Once he figures out what is going on, he doesn’t spend [more . . .]
Jul 16, 2008: Caveat: Story in progress, updating regularly, review may be subject to radical change based on future installments.
Diggory Franklin’s first chapter drew me in, immediately piqued my interest, and left me chomping at the bit for more. I was willing to be dirty and underhanded to get more of it. 😉
What follows is an offtimes amusing, tantalizing story which raises all sorts of questions.
Jan 16, 2009: At first, I detested Diggory Franklin. He was the kind of person I would walk a mile to avoid. For the most part, he was a spoilt lawyer with an equally spoilt friend who was just a smidgeon more interesting. Slowly, I changed my opinion and actually started to like Mr Franklin. Not only did I like him – I found myself rooting for him. Then the story became interesting.
Anything really worth having is worth waiting for and that [more . . .]
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Nov 24, 2014: This is a good story. I know that’s not a very useful description, but it’s something you need to know. It’s got a good, believable romance without being cloying. It’s got mystery/intrigue elements without getting bogged down. The author even manages to use time-travel regularly without turning it into a fix-everything button or rendering his characters idiots to control the story. That last one is extremely rare.
I want to give a longer, more detailed review, but I just can’t do [more . . .]
Jan 12, 2009: The first issue of "The surprising life and death of Diggory Franklin" is full of clichés about time travel. Mr Franklin meets a beautiful lady who warns him to stay away from her or he will die, only to affirm that she loves him. Mr Franklin of course only remembers the passionate kiss, so when he see the lady with shorter hair sitting at a table, he approaches her.
We instantly understand that she will eventually travel back thru time and [more . . .]
Dec 23, 2008: Gavin once again provides an excellent romp filled with well-fleshed out characters and excellent cliff-hangers that keep a reader coming back for more.
The beginning reaches out and grabs you and never really lets go. Gavin has an excellent writing style that is just as capable of portraying an action-packed fight as a romantic date.
Do yourself a favor and check out this story today. Seriously. What are you still doing here [more . . .]