Any novel combining wormhole theory, noir, World War II and lots of jazz hardly sounds like typical science fiction. But science fiction Century Rain is - and one of the most charming offerings available.

In the story, Earth is nearly destroyed by a violent war involving nanotechnology, which leaves most of the planet frozen and inhospitable. Verity Auger is an archaeologist who specialises in the frozen remains of Paris, and is fighting against time to extract as many cultural artefacts as she can before the planet is 'reformed'.

During a routine expedition, one of her interns is killed, and Auger is brought to trial for it. She is offered a chance of escape: Auger must retrieve the possessions of a dead field agent from a foreign planet. It is soon revealed that the planet is a living replica of Earth in the 1930s. As war breaks out between the humans and meta-humans, Verity is thrown into Paris of the '30s with a private eye named Floyd. With his help, Verity finds the dead agent's remains, which reveal parts of a sinister plan involving the chemical weapon 'Silver Rain' (the weapon that caused Earth's current state).

Much of Century Rain's charm lies in Reynolds' evocation of prewar Paris. Reynolds beautifully captures the atmosphere and pace of the city, which becomes an influential living presence on how the story develops. Equal attention is also given to the futuristic setting. While the background story of the impending war is lacking, Reynolds creates a sense of chaos and uncertainty, communicating clearly that the future is not a good place to be. It seems that we can never get over our need to destroy ourselves.

Century Rain is not the first novel to mix science with alternate history, but it finely balances both time settings and genres, producing an interesting hybrid.

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