City of Masks vs The Crossroads of Time: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Space and time, Time Travel, Fiction
City of Masks
Lucien is very sick with cancer and struggles with his parents' worry every day. But each night, through a magical gift from his father, his mind is transported to an enchanting city, Bellezza, a parallel city to Venice…
vs
The Crossroads of Time
First published in 1958, Andre Norton's The Time Traders fuses Cold War espionage with archaeological romance and speculative adventure. Its protagonist, Ross Murdock, a delinquent recruited into a covert government…
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Crossroads of Time is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for City of Masks.
- City of Masks has the widest readership — 16790 ratings behind its score.
- The Crossroads of Time runs the darker storyline; City of Masks stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Crossroads of Time
≈ 3h vs 6h for City of Masks
New to the genre?
City of Masks
Light vs Moderate for The Crossroads of Time
In the mood for something dark?
The Crossroads of Time
a darker storyline than City of Masks
Want something lighter?
City of Masks
an easier tone than The Crossroads of Time
Scores by source
| City of Masks | The Crossroads of Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 3.9 (16790) | 3.8 (841) |
| Hardcover | 3.7 (35) | 4.5 (2) |
Reception
| City of Masks | The Crossroads of Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 16790 | 841 |
| Editions | 15 | 13 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 12439 | 408 |
| Reading it now | 234 | 6 |
| Written reviews | 779 | 38 |
| Wikipedia attention | 22 | 93 |
| Pages | 344 | 176 |