Time Travel discussion

We are currently nominating books for our book club to read based on our themed read poll. If one of your themes has already been chosen, you're welcome to vote again for future themes or add to the list for us to vote.

GUIDELINES FOR NOMINATIONS:
1. Theme: Time Travel That Creates an Alternate History
2. The book must be a full length time travel novel, not a novella or anthology of short stories.
3. The books being nominated must currently be in print or available as an eBook.
4. You can nominate any book within the theme, but please only vote for a book that you would read.
5. You can nominate your own book, but you cannot recruit people to vote for your book.
6. No more than two nominations per group member.
7. Please use "add book/author" at the top of the comment box to create a link to the cover and/or the book that you nominate along with information about the book or about why you want to nominate the book.
8. Sequels cannot be nominated unless they can stand alone without the previous book/s.

Nominations: January 6th - February 9th
Poll: February 10th-15th
New Book Discussion: February 15th-March 15th

SCHEDULE OF THEMED READS
*December 15, 2012 - January 15, 2013: A New Time Travel Book (published within the last year)
The Kronos Interference - DISCUSSING NOW
*January/February 2013: Time Travel Adventure - NOMINATE NOW
*February/March 2013: Time Travel That Creates an Alternate History - NOMINATE NOW
*March/April 2013: Time Travel to Our Future - NOMINATE NOW

Books that have previously been read by the group and are not eligible for nomination include:
December 2012/January 2013: The Kronos Interference by Edward Miller and J.B. Manas
November/December 2012: The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier
October/November 2012: The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlen
August/Sept 2012: The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
June/July 2012: 11/22/63 by Stephen King
May 2012: Towards Yesterday by Paul Jones
Apr 2012: The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
Mar 2012: How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu
Jan-Feb 2012: Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
Dec-Jan 2011/12: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Nov-Dec 2011: The Chronoliths by Robert Charles Wilson
Oct-Nov 2011: The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser
Sept-Oct 2011: TimeRiders by Alex Scarrow
Aug-Sept 2011: Up the Line by Robert Silverberg
July-Aug 2011: The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold

I shall nominate:
The Time Ships

Amazon.com blurb: What if the time machine from H.G. Wells' classic novel of the same name had fallen into government hands? That's the question that led Stephen Baxter to create this modern-day sequel, which combines a basic Wellsian premise with a Baxteresque universe-spanning epic. The Time Traveller, driven by his failure to save Weena from the Morlocks, sets off again for the future. But this time the future has changed, altered by the very tale of the Traveller's previous journey.

I'm assuming that this one, while a sequel to the classic novella, The Time Machine, would stand on its own since it's written by a different author. If anyone's opposed, let me know.

Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove

For my second nomination, I will suggest:

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card.

Ooo. I'd forgotten that that one creates an alternate history. Great nomination, John. Great book.

I actually saw you mention this book in another thread, which you said was really good, so I looked to see if it would fit in another category. Some of the reviews mentioned alternate history, so I figured we should get it on the list for Feb/March.

A. K., I love Fry but I can't find this on my kindle.

Earth to me, am I missing something?

I am not sure if this fit in the requested theme:
West of Eden

Thieves

I nominate Thieves, it's inline with the upcoming Easter holiday (end of March).

A second chance for a priest going through a midlife crisis requires risking everything to witness the most significant event in history.

James Foster is a middle-aged Catholic Priest who's going through a midlife crisis. With unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct shadowing him, James reluctantly takes the advice of his Bishop. Take a temporary teaching assignment at the local university before things turn against him with his congregation.

This is the best course of action the Bishop recommends, as the Archdiocese continues to receive news about sexual misconduct charges.

Upon James arrival in his new position, he befriends Professor Frank Javan. Through a lifetime of scientific study and successful experimentations, Frank has finally perfected a machine that allows him to jump back in time. However the machine only works one-way.

Faced with the reality that his new friend will take the next step and conduct a final test that sends him on a one way trip back in time, James has to consider staying behind and trying to explain Frank?s disappearance or go with him.

The question they face is what is the one event that is worth risking everything for?

I would like to nominateLest Darkness Fall & Related Stories I put a link to the ebook which also contains 3 short stories but the book itself is a full length novel. Hope it meets the criteria.

Here is a bit from Amazon: "Similar, thematically, to Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the book tells the tale of Martin Padway who, as he is walking around in modern Rome, is suddenly transported though time to 6th Century Rome. Once in ancient Rome, Padway (now Martinus Paduei Quastor) embarks on an ambitious project of single-handedly changing history. ** L. Sprague de Camp was a student of history (and the author of a number of popular works on the subject). In Lest Darkness Fall he combines his extensive knowledge of the workings of ancient Rome with his extraordinary imagination to create one of the best books of time travel ever written."

Time's Twisted Arrow


From Kirkus Reviews ~ "A young girl aims to change her fate and the lives of everyone around her in Walker’s time-bending debut novel.

Like most teenage girls, Kate Pierce-Keller is struggling with a lot of changes in her life. Her parents are divorced, she’s trying to fit into a new school, and her grandmother has suddenly popped back into her life. As if things aren’t confusing enough, Kate finds herself strangely attracted to the glowing medallion her grandmother flashes in front of her. That blue light turns out to be the start of a grand adventure that takes Kate across multiple lives and eras as she tries to piece together how an ancient wrong changed her fate. Kate’s estranged grandmother, it’s revealed, is a time traveler, and Kate possesses the same power. A wrong jump put her grandmother in the path of a killer, creating a timeline in which Kate and her whole family never existed. Readers are swept along with Kate as she struggles to understand the past, future and present. Conversations effortlessly flow, even though a few characters can be long-winded, and descriptions strike a satisfying balance: rich with evocative imagery but not overburdened by details. Well-depicted young Kate is full of questions, assumptions and emotions. Her family may be flawed, yet she’s committed to setting the past right to ensure their future. The plot moves along rapidly, taking Kate into situations that are both fantastic and believable. Walker indicates that this is only the first book in a series; teens interested in fantasy, sci-fi or good old-fashioned romance will be eager to find out what happens next to Kate as she travels through her first love, adolescence and time.

Sharp writing, a flair for dialogue and a big, twisting imagination."
Kindle
Nook
Print

I'll offer Scott Card's Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus. I really thought it was his best work. Some good twists that will really make you think. Here are some comments from Amazon.

"In a not-too-distant future that is not quite ours, there has been a major scientific breakthrough, a way to open windows into the past, permitting historical researchers to view but not participate in the events of the past.

In one of the most powerful and thought-provoking novels of his remarkable career, Orson Scott Card interweaves a compelling portrait of Christopher Columbus with the story of a future scientist who believes she can alter human history from a tragedy of bloodshed and brutality to a world filled with hope and healing."

Don't let the view but not participate fool you. As I say there are lots of plot twists

Davewickerham wrote: 'permitting historical researchers to view but not participate'

I use this contrivance, a common one, in my Epic Fables & technically call it the 'Time Fistula' but, unaware of its true purpose, others refer to it as a portal, or the passageway, or the arch, etc. but things, of course, don’t always go as planned.

Yet the true test of such an artistic choice resides in a different presentation of this standard plot devise & from your glowing recommendation, I’d deduce your selection did so & well.

Bravo

One more nomination:

In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker

GoodReads Blurb:This is the first novel in what has become one of the most popular series in contemporary SF, now back in print from Tor. In the 24th century, the Company preserves works of art and extinct forms of life (for profit of course). It recruits orphans from the past, renders them all but immortal, and trains them to serve the Company, Dr. Zeus. One of these is Mendoza the botanist. She is sent to Elizabethan England to collect samples from the garden of Sir Walter Iden. But while there, she meets Nicholas Harpole, with whom she falls in love. And that love sounds great bells of change that will echo down the centuries, and through the succeeding novels of The Company.

I have in plan to readA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

Che, I would love to include this book in our poll, but it does not appear to fit our theme of "Time Travel that Creates an Alternate History." Hopefully there will be another chance to nominate this book. I would love to read it myself.

The poll for our next book club selection has been posted. You can vote trough Friday for the book you would most like to read as a group. The winner will be announced on Saturday. Here is a link to the poll:

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/78...

Did anyone find "Making History" to be available? No Kindle edition that I can see, and Amazon says only from 3rd party sellers. Used, perhaps?

I posted a link in the comments for the poll where you can purchase the book in paperback (both new and used). There are several sites that have new copies available. However, only our British group members will be able to get it for kindle. I am strongly considering registering my old kindle with the UK site just so I can read ebooks that are only available in the UK.

Here is that link, so you don't have to go to the poll:

http://www.goodreads.com/work/compare...

Thanks, John. I thought I'd seen something like that, but then I went to Amazon and it didn't look good. You think Tej would mind if we use his UK account?

John, just how do you register in the UK site?

You're referring to a different, older machine?

And Paul, is sharing an account possible?

Sorry, but as an ancient being from another Time Frame, current technology mystifies me.

I trust this is understood & is a given.

If you register your kindle with the US Amazon site, you are unable to purchase books from the UK site, because you can't register your kindle with both sites. Since I own two kindles, I am hoping that I can deregister my old kindle from the US site and register it with the UK site. Then I would have a dedicated UK kindle and a dedicated US kindle. I'm not sure if this will work as I'm not sure if a UK kindle is different from a US kindle. I will try it this weekend and let you know what happens.

Yes, sharing an account is possible -- I do with my wife -- but I can't imagine Tej would like to give out his passwords. Sorry 'bout that, didn't mean to mislead with a joke. (Although if Tej doesn't mind . . . .) I'm guessing here on the UK registration for Yanks, but you may have to find a way around a USA billing address and credit card provider. Barring those solutions, it could be a rush on paperbacks.

Ha, I've been preaching to people to not even give out their email addresses on here ;) I manage IT systems networks (in one of my many jobs) and so security is one of my high priorities. So given that little background about me, you might guess what my answer will be to giving out my Amazon password ;)

However, I wish I could share my UK account because I do want us all to have the same access to books. Its frustrating that some of my favourite novels in UK are not available to you guys in the US. Alex's later books in the Timeriders series for example.

I have been reading through the kindle forums and it looks like I can register my old kindle under the UK site if they let me set up an account with a US address and credit card. Wish me luck.

Good luck with that! I can't imagine it's any sort of technical issue, or even financial. Maybe a matter of licensing or copyright in sending eBooks from certain sites to distant locations. It's fairly recent that Amazon is selling right next door in Canada, but now there is Amazon.ca and it seems to be working fine if you can register there. Thanks, John.
PAUL

I hope it's not too late, but how about Pax Romana?

The Vatican, marginalized by rising secularism and Muslim immigration, sends an army back in time to Constantine's era. . . .

Sorry, but it is too late. Voting is already underway. But feel free to nominate it in the future.

Thanks.

John wrote: "Che, I would love to include this book in our poll, but it does not appear to fit our theme of "Time Travel that Creates an Alternate History." Hopefully there will be another chance to nominate t..."

Couriously in Wiki the book is marked as American alternate history. From the info I have it is about a medieval England having schools, electricity and ... bycicles. Now if this it is not enough to be "alternate history" I wonder what is your definition.

My apologies. All of the synopsis I read didn't go into that much detail, and I have never read the book so I had no idea what it was about. I will go ahead and add it to the poll, in case anyone would like to change their vote before tomorrow's deadline. Thank you for pointing out my mistake.

Che wrote: "John wrote: "From the info I have it is about a medieval England having schools, electricity and ... bycicles."

You made my day, cavaliers running on bicycles, only Mark Twin could write something like this. A great time travel book written before The Time Machine, and much better.

John wrote: "If you register your kindle with the US Amazon site, you are unable to purchase books from the UK site, because you can't register your kindle with both sites..."

Well, the kindle experiment is a failure. First of all, Amazon.UK would not let me create an account using the same e-mail address I used for my US account. Not a problem as I used my secondary e-mail address to create the account.

Next, I deregistered my old kindle from the US site and reregistered it under my new Amazon.UK account. In doing so, all but 12 of my books disappeared. I assume these are the only kindle books that are also authorized for sale in the UK.

Next I searched for the kindle books that I have been unable to get in the US, and the list of search results showed that they were available. It even showed the price in pounds. However, when I go to the page to order the book, it says the same thing it did on the US site: "Pricing information unavailable."

So it appears that I am unable to purchase UK ebooks even after reregistering my kindle. Somehow, Amazon knows I am in the US (probably from my IP address), and will not allow me to buy ebooks that are only available in the UK.

Bummer.

John, I alluded to this on another thread:

Someone in the UK needs to contact Fry, his people, the press or whatever, & apprise him, them to the fact that OUR INTERNATIONAL GROUP OF DEDECATED READERS OF THE GENRE is currently doing aboveboard gyrations to even get his book, which, solely on his fame derived from other circles, we in the US would love to read but can't.

Talk about a paradox.

I think, if we could get to him, he'd enjoy the attention & as he is in charge and also a huge computer geek, perhaps he'd then make the necessary adjustments to permit US download.

If this did happen then our Time Travel Group would get good press also.

As I said on the other thread, this whole escapade reminds me of a Buster Keaton movie.

Keaton had a Time Traveling Helmet, by the by, on the Zone back in the day.

Any way, just an idea.

The Legion Of Time by Jack Williamson is fun. It's very pulp-ey science fiction (my favourite genre) from the 1930s, and involves a number of alternate histories playing out against each other in the far future. So I reckon it counts.

Right I'll buzz him ;) I didnt vote for his book but I will say this, he is Britain greatest master of the English language than anyone and he is not even English born, puts the Royal family to shame! Listening to him speak and narrate stories is music to the ears and he is frankly one of the few readers I'd listen to on audio book which I am otherwise not a great listener of. His role as Jeeves in Jeeves and Woosner TV series is probably the best butler I've ever seen.

This problem with the US and UK divide on Amazon is a real pain. What furthers the frustration if that the Kindle books are bound in contract and cannot be published on other formats such as in Smashwords which I think is a more flexible medium for everyone and accessible worldwide, no restrictions...apparantly from what I've gathered from a couple of frustrated authors.

Anyway, Stephen Fry is famous for his twittering, so perhaps I'll drop him a tweet and see what the response is.

Having said all that, I am championing Time's Twisted Arrow for this month BOM ;)

John, we asked someone to check from US the Making history and yes you can buy it in US only when outside US. Weird

I tweeted Mr Fry: our US timetravel bookclub voted ur book for month groupread but notice not avail :( help?tx http://alturl.com/fuzge

blasted 128 letter limit is just so not my area of communication! How did Twitter get so damn popular!?

I just realised I used the wrong link, should have been the poll, doh!

Tej wrote: 'I tweeted Mr Fry'

Tej:

Well done Grasshopper.

You pass go.

We finally have a winner. The new discussion thread for this month's selection can be found here:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...