TimeLiners

by Emily Blaisdell

Though it borders on cliché, time travel remains a common storyline. Yet from H.G. Wells to “Outlander,” no one has ever traveled like this.

It’s 2027. Do you know when your TimeLiner departs? If you’re among The Pioneers, that first liner leaves on June 10, taking you and other passengers a century back in time. There, like tourists in Paris, you wheel your suitcases into Manhattan in 1927 on the weekend before Lindbergh’s ticker tape parade. Some of you head for Yankee Stadium to see the Babe. Others marvel at the Model T’s, the cloche hats, the whole scene unfolding like a newsreel in full color.

. . . Mostly it was miracle and wonder, with little bags of pretzels for snacks.

TimeLiners is not science fiction. In lieu of the usual time travel tropes, debut author Emily Blaisdell asks what would happen if, instead of just lone scientists and seekers, everyone could head back in time. The answer is a witty spoof of modern travel and a gentle mocking of our obsession with time.

-- “The best — and wittiest — novel ever written about time travel.” — USA Yesterday

-- “TimeLiners sweeps you into a past both appealing and appalling. When you return to our own wackdoodle era, you’ll close the novel thinking, ‘If only. . .” — New York Timers Book Review

-- “A fun and fanciful romp through that brief and much missed era of TimeLiners.” — “Two Girls in Time Podcast”

-- “We’d like to welcome you to TimeLiners, a clever send-up of time travel, the online world, and our evolving apocalypse.” — Time Travel Advisor”

402 pages, Paperback

First published January 16, 2025

About the author

Devoured Harry P. Dreamed of being a writer. Now I am. Live in Brooklyn with my books, cats, and Time. I’ve always been fascinated by time, how it changes us. How it slips away. How it’s GONE! Or is it?

Then one day, at 37,000 feet, I wondered. What if, instead of flying me home to Brooklyn, this flight was taking me to 1981? What if I could change planes there for 1969 — go see Woodstock?! Or 1955 — watch Ginsberg read “Howl!” Or 1927? And what if some Elon Musk-ish bad boy genius digitized time to jumpstart an entire industry of TimeLiners? You get the dream. Where and when would you go?

Reviews

[Steve Kanji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a bustling tourism industry whisking you not to exotic locales, but to enticing years in the past -- in "Timeliners," Emily Blaisdell grabs this fascinating premise and sprints with it, in a romping, risk-taking, triumphantly accomplished novel that sparkles with creative verve, speculative daring, sly humor, tenderness, and brilliantly crafted writing. Always faithful to its own audacious internal logic, always eager to explore its ramifications, always surprising, "Timeliners" is terrifically smart -- beneath the playful surface lie profundities -- and has a lot of heart. Wondrous!

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time travel without worrying about science, which is fine. A little confusing at first when it seemed we were getting a series of barely related short stories but came together well. Mostly read for escapist pleasure but it did have me thinking about what people would do with the options the characters in this story had.

[Nikki Fellouris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Medium time travel tale

Although the concept was intriguing, the way that time travel played out in this story was just too preposterous and unbelievable. Thousands of extra people at myriad past events, no control over numbers, and no effect on possible futures. But not funny enough to be convincing satire. Actually more of a 3.5 star, if halves were allowed.

[Joann Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

I enjoyed reading this book, but I didn't have the luxuary of reading it in a couple of days...loved reading about the time of my childhood....very well written...