FICTION

The Time Traveler's Almanac

Tor. Mar. 2014. 960p. ed. by Ann & . ISBN 9780765374219. $25.99; ebk. ISBN 9780765374240. SF
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OrangeReviewStarIn this amazing tome, the husband-and-wife team who also edited the World Fantasy Award-winning The Weird survey the literary development of the time travel genre from the 1880s to the present. The anthology starts with Charles Yu's delightful essay "Top Ten Tips for Time Travelers," which advises readers to forget about the so-called rules of time travel. The book is then divided into four sections: Experiments; Reactionaries and Revolutionaries; Mazes and Traps; and Communiques. Each section wraps up with an educational, nonfiction gem. Authors of the more than 70 stories include Douglas Adams, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, and Connie Willis.
VERDICT Completely satisfying, this collection will appeal on some level to every sf reader. Although these stories were written over time, from the first time travel story ever published, "The Clock That Went Backward" (1881) by Edward Page Mitchell, to "Thirty Seconds from Now" (2011) by John Chu, they each prove timeless. So accept the (il)logic of time travel, and enjoy the ride.
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