Time Travel discussion

Hopefully some of you have found a new (or new-to-you) Time Travel story and will be able to recommend it to us! But mention of any speculative fiction or a superlative read in any genre is welcome here, too.

You know how too many people call A Wrinkle in Time a TT novel, but they're wrong? Well, All Flesh Is Grass has a similar idea about using Time to be able to travel. So maybe those of you who haven't yet read a classic by Clifford D. Simak will put this on your list. It's not his best, but I gave it four stars both times I read it.

There's lots of good imagery etc. Ie:

"I shuddered at the gargoyle moon and took two steps forward and walked out of that hungry world straight into my garden."

I like the exploration of small town life, and the citizens who try to make a go of things in it. And the idea that Nancy, though she grew up there, was rich in a poor town, and therefore it was not really her home. I like that it's Time Travel adjacent, in a way similar to A Wrinkle in Time is sometimes labeled Time Travel but isn't really. I love the writing.

"I felt panic stalking me - not a big and burly panic that would send one fleeing, howling as he fled, but a little, sneaky panic that circled all about me, like a pesky yapping dog, bouncing on its pipestem legs, waiting for a chance to sink its needle teeth in me. Nothing one could fight, nothing one could stand against - a little yapping panic that set the nerves on edge."

I will save it and read it again some day.

There's a time travel hook in One Last Stop, which is otherwise a 'queer' romance set in NYC. I'm adding it, but I'm not sure when/if I'll get around to reading it.

Not SF, but I've been enjoying the enlightening series for kids, History Smashers. I'm old, and there's an awful lot I thought I knew because I learned it half a century ago. So satisfying to learn more accurate history from such works as History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics and History Smashers: Christopher Columbus and the Taino People.

Not currently reading but one of my favorite reads this year was The Unmaking of June Farrow. Just wondered if anyone else has read it as it is a mix of TT, historical fiction, and magical realism.

Another new favorite for me in the TT genre was The Day Tripper by James Goodhand. I have gone on an absolute binge of time travel books this year! They haven’t all been great but I just thought I would mention a couple of stand outs.

I appreciate these, Kansas! Added both to my list! I’ve only read one TT this year and I couldn’t even finish it because I disliked it so much. I’ve only not finished maybe 3 books ever 😖 I did read Children of Time earlier this year and it was fantastic!

Beth, I would love to know which book you didn’t finish. Does that make me weird? 😆

I saw that someone else mentioned The Ministry of Time. I wouldn’t agree that it isn’t a time travel book, but it definitely combines a lot of genres and it’s not for the faint of heart. I ended up really liking it in the end, but it wasn’t as engaging from beginning to end as I would have liked.

Has anyone else read The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown? Another recently published TT book that I adored!

meant to say *recently published

I am going to read The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman. It sounds interesting and was on sale today.

I have not read The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. It is on my Want to Read list.

Hi Liz! I had to check my Goodreads history to be sure because I genuinely have zero recollection of the plot, but I did read The Accidental Time Machine back in 2020. Based on my 2 star rating, I didn’t love it. 🥴 I hope you have a much better reading experience with that one!

lol! Kansas it was ministry of time. I dreaded picking it up every time. Sounds like I should try to finish it?!

Beth, I have to admit that the only way I was able to finish The Ministry of Time was to switch to the audiobook. Because it really was a tough book to get in to. However, I have only this year fully embraced the power of the DNF. So, I also support your decision to just move on to something more appealing. Life’s too short to suffer through a book that you don’t enjoy!

Reading Axiom's End. Not TT, but yes SF. I, personally, had trouble getting into it, but part two is looking up.

Well you weren't wrong regarding The Accidental Time Machine. The plot was okay but the characters were really flat. It did seem to be an homage to The Time Machine.

POINT OPTION: A Time-Travel Military Thriller by Ian A. O'Connor is free today on Kindle for Prime readers. It looks interesting. I might squeeze it in by the end of the month.

United States Air Force Major Dave Fleming has a job most men would die for. As one of three exchange fighter pilots chosen to fly with the premier US Navy strike squadron aboard America's newest aircraft carrier,the Lyndon Baines Johnson, little does he know that his life is about to change forever!

Point Option is a thriller that unfolds over a tense, six-day period aboard thecarrier on patrol with its Strike Group in the Mediterranean Sea. Suddenly, and without warning, Fleming's hyper-dangerous world of flying off a pitching deck turns into his worst nightmare.

Point Option is jam-packed with more twists and turns than an out-of-control fighter jet; a world where Major Fleming finds himself an unwitting passenger on a supersonic ride into the unknown - a place where even angels fear to tread. The odds for his survival are bleak, and any hope for a return will challenge all of the finely honed skills he can muster. It's now become a matter of time, and time is the one commodity he is fast running out of!

Cheryl wrote: "Reading Axiom's End. Not TT, but yes SF. I, personally, had trouble getting into it, but part two is looking up.

Finished and wound up giving it four stars. Does require thoughtful reading, but maybe ppl who read thrillers will have an advantage keeping track of the twists and the sequencing of the adventures, though I don't have the words to explain exactly why.

I liked The Ministry of Time and The Book of Doors

Oh, I hadn't heard of The Book of Doors; it sounds very interesting! And, I'd suggest, Time Travel adjacent, as apparently there's a choice of paths to take in one's life....

I did read Point Option by Ian A. O'Connor https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... and really enjoyed it. It was a quick read. I finished it in a day.

It does look intriguing, if one likes military stuff.

It just happened to be military personnel caught up in something mysterious. The epilog left things open to a sequel. I did enjoy it.

Ah, good to know, thanks!