Overview
H. G. Wells’s seminal short story “The Time Machine,” published in 1895, provided the springboard for modern science fiction’s time travel explosion. Responding to their own fascination with the subject, the greatest visionary writers of the twentieth century penned some of their finest stories. Here are eighteen of the most exciting tales ever told, including
“Time’s Arrow” In Arthur C. Clarke’s classic, two brilliant physicists finally crack the mystery of time travel—with appalling consequences.
“Death Ship” Richard Matheson, author of Somewhere in Time, unveils a chilling scenario concerning three astronauts who stumble upon the conundrum of past and future.
“A Sound of Thunder” Ray Bradbury’s haunting vision of modern man gone dinosaur hunting poses daunting questions about destiny and consequences.
“Yesterday Was Monday” If all the world’s a stage, Theodore Sturgeon’s compelling tale follows the odyssey of an ordinary joe who winds up backstage.
“Rainbird” R. A. Lafferty reflects on what might have been in this brainteaser about an inventor so brilliant that he invents himself right out of existence.
“Timetipping” What if everyone time-traveled except you? Jack Dann provides some surprising answers in this literary gem.
. . . as well as twelve other stories, including
“Time Locker” by Henry Kuttner • “I’m Scared” by Jack Finney • “A Gun for Dinosaur” by L. Sprague de Camp • “The Man Who Came Early” by Poul Anderson • “Leviathan!” by Larry Niven • “Anniversary Project” by Joe Halderman • “Fire Watch” by Connie Willis • “Sailing to Byzantium” by Robert Silverberg • “The Pure Product” by John Kessel • “Trapalanda” by Charles Sheffield • “The Price of Oranges” by Nancy Kress • “Another Story, or A Fisherman of the Inland Sea” by Ursula K. Le Guin
By turns frightening, puzzling, and fantastic, these stories engage us in situations that may one day break free of the bonds of fantasy . . . to enter the realm of the future: our future.
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