Unsettling Time by Bretton Loney | The Miramichi Reader

I quite enjoyed strolling through the first chapters of Halifax’s history with characters Ryan Treiber, Aubrey De Courcy, and Mrs. Athena Dunfield, and their friends in Bretton Loney’s authentic, historical fiction, Unsettling Time.

Through an unusual combination of circumstances, Ryan Treiber, a lecturer at Saint Mary’s University, is thrown back in time to the founding of Halifax in 1749, 275 years ago. Found by Aubrey De Courcy, a member of Governor Edward Cornwallis’ council, Ryan stays in a camp clearing that is to become Halifax’s Grand Parade.

“The last thing he remembered before collapsing was walking up George Street, in downtown Halifax, on the way to the Grand Parade square to meet a local historian for lunch. The noon cannon on Citadel Hill had gone off and was echoing through the concrete canyons when he folded like a paper bag and fell to the sidewalk.” (p. 3)

Through Ryan’s modern eyes, we witness his experiences and the back-breaking labour it took to colonize Halifax in those first two years. From the cutting of the large virgin trees to make the first streets, to the building of the first, oftentimes drafty, homes to shelter the colonists that first winter. All the while battling the heat, bugs, diseases, and dangers of the new world, without modern conveniences. We shiver during that first winter, sitting as close as we can to the fireplaces. We slip and slide through the snow and ice of the very hilly colony, risking broken bones and other serious injuries, to gather supplies or to work. We see the building of the first bars, coffee houses, and St. Paul’s Church, and we attend the first service there. Along with all this amazing history, we investigate a brutal murder and slowly fall in love with a colonist.

Will Ryan ever get back to our time, or will he even want to? These questions sat in the back of my mind as I read this first peek into the sometimes violent and dangerous founding of Halifax. Unsettling Time is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian history, particularly the colonization of Halifax, and for those who enjoy a good Canadian time travel book with an ending that will keep you guessing its outcome.

“Unsettling Time offers intimate insight into colonial Halifax and the people who shaped it.”

Bretton Loney is a fiction, short story, and non-fiction writer who has published two books that were nominated for Whistler Independent Book Awards: a biography, Rebel with A Cause: The Doc Nikaido Story, in 2015, and in 2018 for his first novel, The Last Hockey Player.

In 2022, he published his second novel, Joe Howe’s Ghost. His short stories have appeared in various Canadian short story anthologies, including The Group of Seven Reimagined, a collection of stories inspired by the artists’ paintings.

Bretton Loney lives in Halifax with his wife, Karen Shewbridge. For more information, please see www.brettonloney.com

Publisher: Bretton Loney (September 16, 2025)
Ebook: 233 pages
ISBN: 9781775393368

Sue Slade

Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages an independent, locally owned bookstore, Dartmouth Book Exchange, and is known for planning and executing amazing, engaging book events. Through her charismatic sharing centred around books and community, Sue has created an interactive cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. Sue is an avid reader, and her reviews cross over many genres. As the East Coast Advocate for The Miramichi Reader, Sue champions Atlantic Canadian literature by featuring the diverse works and unique communities that define her home region.