The Time Traveler's Passport Collection

The Time Traveler's Passport #1-6

by John Scalzi, R.F. Kuang, Peng Shepherd

Leave your preconceived notions at home as you embark on a mind-bending journey with six of today’s most visionary authors. Brimming with humor and heartache, this collection of short stories maps the roads we took to get here and the paths that lie ahead. The present may be a gift, but the future and the past both come with a price.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Audiobook, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Anthologies

7 pages, Audiobook

Published November 3, 2025

About the author

John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)

Reviews

[BiblioPeeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of speculative fiction and/or science fiction, then this story collection is for you! These six stories all feature an aspect of time travel and they feel like listening to an episode of The Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. Each story is fascinating, with glimpses into what could be, while also homing in on what matters most. My favorites are marked with stars. All the narrators are fantastic and fit their respective stories and characters perfectly. I highly recommend the audiobook!

The best part? The collection is FREE to Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited members!
www.amazon.com/TimeTravelersPassport

Without further ado, take a peek inside each story below👇🏼

•3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi - Narrator: Malcolm Hillgartner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A time travel technician must step away from the controls and take action in a twisty short story where timing is everything.

•Making Space by R. F. Kuang - Narrator: Kristie Lee Walsh
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A childless couple take in a mysterious boy in this ominous short story about parenthood, sacrifice, and our responsibility to the future.

•For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd - Narrator: Jonathan Davis
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A time-traveling salesman searches for the moments that truly matter.

•A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley - Narrator: Mirai
A woman discovers her hidden potential in this dystopian short story about memory, identity, and imagination.

•All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olive Blake - Narrator: David Monteith
A group of vampirical frenemies come face to face with their immortality.

•Chronus by P. Djèlí Clark - Narrator: A’rese Emokpae
A young Black woman challenges the indignity of a segregated dystopian future and exposes a time-bending secret.
____

Thank you to Amazon and Brilliance Publishing for my gifted audiobooks. All opinions are my own.

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Like most collections it is a mixed bag. Individual story ratings included below.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years By John Scalzi narrated by Hillgartner Malcolm - ✰✰✰✰.5
Duration: 1h 4 mins 🎧
This was a very enjoyable day in the life of a tech at a time travel tourism facility. Scalzi built an interesting world in which you could go to a point in history and spend a very specific amount of time there (reasons). I thought it was well thought out and so interesting with a bit of a surprise at the end. Scalzi was able to build a believable world / system in about an hour with his definite flare and humor mixed in. If you like time travel stories I liked this one the best of the series.

"I gassed the client with a tranquilizing spray."

Audio: I enjoyed the narrator voice. It was rich and fit the discovery channel way the information was being presented in the story.

Making Space by R. F. Kuang narrated by Kristie Lee Walsh - ✰✰✰
Duration: 54 mins 🎧

More time travel adjacent story in the bunch. A couple finds a child in the woods and decides to keep him. The child is strange and seems to know about events before they happen like they are past elements to him. While this was an intriguing story it went a bit sideways for me in the end. For me it almost ruined the story but for some it will just be something that haunts them. But let’s just call it an impactful moment and go on from there.

Props to R.F. Kuang for building a mysterious and ominous atmosphere very well.

Audio: The narrator was a good fit for the voice of the PoV. The tension and ominousness built well through her performance.

For A Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd narrated by Jonathan Davis - ✰✰✰✰
Duration: 1 h 13 mins 🎧

I’ve never read anything by Peng Shepherd but this made me want to look into some of her other works as she pretty much broke my heart in a very short time.

Russ is a traveling salesman, time traveling that is. His job is to go into the recent past and sell companies on making or buying one product over another. Board with the day to day of it he wants to move to futures where he can go forward in time instead. He has always been denied a transfer and we the reader are about to find out why.

An interesting and emotionally intense listen.

Audio: The voice of Russ as he learns why he is has been stuck in this job helped to break my heart. Very strong performance emotionally. There are a lot of time transitions that sometimes didn’t translate well however that was not specifically a narration issue but compounded by both writing and narration.

A Visit To The Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley narrated by Mirai - ✰✰✰
Duration: 1 hour 🎧

What a strange a weird story. I liked that the reader/listener had to go along for the ride to figure out what was really going on. In this dystopian world you can go to the husband archive to get an intimate partner. Ester has just checked out her Husband, much like you would check out a library book. He is older, but they have said those are better than the newer husbands. They usually don’t go crazy and need to be killed.

I will say the time travel reveal aspect was crazy! I wish there had been more time in the story to explore that. I also spent a good amount of time trying to figure out if Ester was an android or a real person but it did make more sense after the reveal. That said I would have loved to have a novella length to do more of the worldbuilding and explanation this book really needed.

Audio: Interesting accent chosen that added to the mystery of the story. Good character separation and voice pacing choices.

All Manner Of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake narrated by David Montieth - ✰✰.5
Duration: 1 hour 21 mins 🎧

I was confused…like so confused that I restarted this story thinking I missed things…I didn’t. There is a house full of people, I think they are all vampires, except maybe one of them (still unclear) and the reader follows each of the characters through a day in their life, the same day because it is looping. One of the vampires is trying to kill someone, one is trying to save something and one is just trying to get through a day in Jr. High without her “fake mother” devouring everyone at the PTA.

The confusing feeling never went away and while all of the characters were interesting there were just so many in a very short story that it all just felt like chaos.

Audio: The narrator gave a good performance and capture the different character voices well. I liked his voice and accent choices.

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark narrated by A’rese Emokpae – cannot rate dnf’d about 10 minutes in.
Duration: 1 hour 29 mins 🎧

This is a story that was not for me. It started a bit slow and the “racism” of the characters who are rich and time travel was not only over the top but seemed to radiate “rich white man bad” in a comically flat way. I don’t think I could have made it through an hour or more of that.

[Maria reads SFF · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a DRC of The Time “Traveler's Passport Collection”
Six Short Stories by six different author, all having their own version of time travel.
Below are reviews for each individual story.
“3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years” by John Scalzi
4.5 stars
This is my first work by the author and I am so impressed! A lot of times I find SF with technological advancements and theoretical explanations difficult to understand, never mind enjoy, but here I ate this Short Story up.
A company that provides time travel in the past and an unnamed technician that is our narrator. It was brilliant. It touched on human nature, on history and time in such fascinating ways.
There was a minor aspect that I don’t think it should have worked, but considering how excellent this story was, I don’t even mind.
That is all that I am going to reveal as this is so short, but so impressive, definitely worth experiencing.

“Making Space” by R.F. Kuang
4 stars
Starting strong with some SF-Horror vibes this story discussed a lot of climate and social issues. As with all works by R.F. Kuang there are multiple layers and her morally gray characters have their own biases, even if they themselves had experienced judgement multiple times. I will be thinking about it for a long time. My only complaint is that I wanted just a touch more towards the end, but even so I am so glad I got this reading experience.

“For a Limited Time Only” by Peng Shepherd
3 stars
We follow Russ, an employee to a company that does time travel both in the past and future for commercial purposes. His job is only traveling to the near past.
We also follow his family and his two colleague’s family members.
The story has some strong emotional parts that pulled at my heart strings. But from a technical point of view, for me there was a major plot hole that I could not ignore.
If you can look over a fault of logic and just focus on the emotional component, this can be a worthy read.

“A Visit to the Husband Archive” by Kaliane Bradley
2 stars
It makes me sad that my first work by this author was a miss.
Our own humanity is a form of time in this SF Dystopia and I appreciated that message, but this story did not worked for me.

“All Manner of Thing Shall Be” by Olivie Blake
2 stars
Satire and social commentary. Time travel with vampires. It sounds brilliant and maybe as an idea it was. The characers were quie original and eccentric, but I just could not get emotionaly invested in them.
Not a memorable reading experience unfortunately.

“Cronus” by P. Djèlí Clark
5 stars
Only white oligarchs being able to time travel in a segregated dystopian future and how they used that alongside AI to change the historical narrative.
While this was a SF it was incredible scary how closely it hit home as we already see white supremacist leaders trying to erase the past and rewrite history.
I don’t want to reveal to much as this is such an impactful reading experience, so I am just going to gush spoiler free about what I loved.
An amazing premise, great plot that turns quite adventurous as it is progressing , a sister-brother bond that is not by blood and a cool organization of resistance.
I loved this short story so much and I could have infinite more future adventures with this cast of characters.

[MikaReadsFantasy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Time Traveller’s Passport presents a spectrum of time-travel stories that range from inventive and emotionally resonant to confusing and disjointed. As with many anthologies, the experience varies widely from entry to entry, resulting in a collection that is intriguing but uneven.

Story Assessments

★ ★ ★ ½ – 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
This story follows the operator of a time machine used by clients for casual historical tourism. Its matter-of-fact tone initially reads like a dry description of a routine job, but the narrative eventually shifts in an unexpected and intriguing direction. The blending of mundane procedure with speculative possibility creates a quietly clever contribution to the anthology.

★ ★ – Making Space by R. F. Kuang
A childless couple takes in a mysterious boy in a story that aims for ominous tension but lands instead in confusion. Graphic destruction, unclear motivations, and a discomforting tone overshadow the thematic exploration of parenthood and responsibility. The narrative’s intent becomes difficult to parse, resulting in a disorienting reading experience.

★ ★ ★ ★ ½ – For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd
This piece explores a time-traveling salesman in search of life’s most meaningful moments. Strong characterizations, thoughtful pacing, and an effective story structure create an emotionally engaging narrative. While the ending may be predictable, its execution remains satisfying, and the time-travel system is both clear and compelling.

★ – A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley
Set in a dystopian world of memory and identity, this story presents challenging character dynamics and worldbuilding that never fully cohere. The bleak tone, the heavy emphasis on the characters’ sex lives, and a time-travel element that feels peripheral contribute to an overall sense of disconnect. The ending reinforces the story’s bleakness without offering resolution.

★ – All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake
This story of vampiric frenemies confronting immortality features dense, verbose prose and extensive backstory infodumps that significantly slow the narrative. The plot progression struggles to emerge amid the stylistic excess. The audiobook narration, however, is notably strong and brings energy to the text even as the story itself falters.

★ ★ ★ ★ – Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
A young Black woman navigating a segregated dystopian future anchors this engaging and well-constructed story. Themes of racism are woven effectively into the time-travel framework, while the alternate-history setting feels fresh and sharply imagined. The narrative introduces a compelling mystery and a world rich enough to support a longer work.

Audiobook Narration

The anthology’s narration is consistently solid, with some performances offering distinctive energy and character. Others take a more monotone approach, which diminishes emotional nuance. Production quality remains strong throughout, even when individual performances vary.

Overall Impression:
The Time Traveller’s Passport delivers a wide array of concepts and tones, resulting in an anthology that contains both standout stories and weaker entries. Its strongest pieces showcase inventive uses of time travel and memorable character work, while others struggle with clarity or cohesion. The collection remains worth exploring for its high points, bolstered by generally competent audiobook narration.

A big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Brilliance Publishing for giving me the opportunity to listen to an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Victoria Wu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scalzi: boooooo
kuang: savage and touching as always.
Shepherd: well damn.
Bradley: my head hurts.
Olivie: I was mistaken. NOW my head hurts. Lol girl wut???
Clark: y’all ever hear Christina Aguilera talk about how her mom used to put her in little small town singing competitions full of sweet little small town 10 year old girls doing their best imitations of their favorite singers? And then she shows up with her voice and suddenly no one is having fun anymore?
Four stars just for this one.

[Renato · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very pleased with this speculative collection of stories, each of which had a very Twilight Zone feel to them.

★3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years By John Scalzi★
A story of a clerk at a Time Travelling travel service.

This is the most Scalzi thing you will have every read, as it is by (yes) Scalzi. The comic tone reminded me very much of a Love Death & Robot's episode called Alternative Histories, which I discovered was written by...yes: Scalzi Again!

★Making Space By R. F. Kuang★
This one creeps in on you - but I do not think it is as creepy as the author intended it to be.
I think this one could have benefitted from a bit of workshopping.
The concept is stirling gold, but the order of events seem a bit clumsy.

★For a Limited Time Only By Peng Shepherd★
Ugh - this one broke my heart!

★A Visit to the Husband Archive By Kaliane Bradley★
The least time-travel-y of the collection. It was okay - very alien.

★All Manner of Thing Shall Be By Olivie Blake★
Imagine if the What We Do in the Shadow's characters also had access to a time travelling bus?
And the time travel is not used for mature reasons at all?

A lot of drole silliness in this one (poor Magellan) including a nice twist that you should have already seen coming again...?

★Cronus By P. Djèlí Clark★
After finishing Ring Shout, the only thing that I wanted from Clark was an in-the-same-world-of-Ring-Shout follow up. Not anymore - Cronus needs to be realized into a full novel. The story is TOO GOOD.

In a world where Time Traveller tourism is a thing, what happens if the service is in the hands of the super rich who may have their own agenda? And where people suffer from False-Memory-Psychosis, where victims are haunted visions and memories from the original timeline (our timeline) that do not exist because they were changed (are currently being changed) by rich white people in power?

[Grace -thewritebooks]

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

So much weird stuff!!! I requested this because of Olivie Blake and RF Kuang but had a blast with all six stories, and found them all unique in their own horrible and unsettling ways.
There is something particularly grim about reading a book where so much of our present seems to be presented as one of the Worst Possible Outcomes and, not personally being a much of a dystopia fan, I wondered whether this would take away from my enjoyment of the book. However, as is the case with a lot of sci-fi/horror/dystopia (or like everything I guess idk), despite the backdrop of time-travel each story had its own moral and ethical themes to play around with that really took centre stage. Was particularly enthralled by the motherhood one, so exceedingly sinister and yet at the same time I was right behind them all the way.
Overall, a very curious collection that makes some very interesting talking points!

[Dawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average of 3 stars

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years: 3 stars
Making Space: 2.5 stars
For a Limited Time Only: 4 stars
A Visit to the Husband Archive: 3 stars
All Manner of Thing Shall Be: 2 stars
Cronus: 4.5 stars

[Hana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories! I was already familiar with the authors so I had pretty high expectations going into this, and I wasn’t disappointed. While some were better than others, even my least favourite was an enjoyable read. I especially liked how unique each author’s take was on time travel — some of the stories really took me by surprise and had me wishing they were longer.

Below are individual reviews for each story:

“3 days, 9 months, 27 years” by John Scalzi
4.25 ⭐️
This was so immersive and interesting, and I loved the narrative style. It might not be for everyone, but I really liked how detached we were from the narrator until the very end. The sudden narrowing of the perspective made for really interesting storytelling.


“Making Space” by R.F. Kuang
2.75⭐️
I think R.F. Kuang’s characterization just doesn’t work for me; her characters rarely feel as fleshed out and nuanced as I’d like them to be, and this was particularly apparent in this shorter form story. That said, I still enjoyed the story overall and I liked the prose and atmosphere, I just didn’t find it as memorable as some of the other stories in this collection.


“For a Limited Time Only” by Peng Shepherd
3.75⭐️
This was beautifully structured and heartbreaking. The plot itself was somewhat predictable, but the character work is what really made this story shine — I didn’t find myself bored despite anticipating the ending pretty early on.


“A Visit to the Husband Archive” by Kaliane Bradley
4⭐️
The prose threw me off at first and I didn’t expect to rate this story so highly, but it made sense in time and ultimately really worked to set the tone. This was such a fascinating approach to time travel (more time travel adjacent) and I could easily see this being a full length novel.


“All Manner of Thing Shall Be” by Olivie Blake
2.5⭐️
I know Olivie Blake’s prose isn’t for everyone, but I really like it! That said, if you aren’t a fan of her novels, you probably won’t like this either.
Unfortunately, this was probably my least favourite in the anthology. While I enjoyed the prose and found the characters charming, the plot meandered and felt like it ultimately went nowhere. I don’t typically mind this, but I don’t think it worked with the short story format — we didn’t spend enough time with the characters to grow attached so I wish the plot had been a bit tighter.


“Cronus” by P. Djèlí Clark
4.5⭐️
I really loved how this story unfolded. It had an amazing premise, great character work, and the pacing was spot-on. P. Djèlí Clark has this incredible ability to slowly peel back the layers of a narrative and bring everything to light at the perfect moment, and I had a great time reading this.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Savitri (IG: abookishcookie) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special thanks to Amazon Publishing for the gifted audiobook collection!

I absolutely enjoyed listening to this digital and audio-only anthology featuring six mega authors! If you love speculative or sci fi with time travel as the central theme, do not pass this one up! This collection is also FREE for Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited subscribers 😵

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years By John Scalzi narrated by Hillgartner Malcolm
Duration: 1h 4 mins 🎧

Making Space by R. F. Kuang narrated by Kristie Lee Walsh
Duration: 54 mins 🎧

For A Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd narrated by Jonathan Davis
Duration: 1 h 13 mins 🎧

A Visit To The Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley narrated by Mirai
Duration: 1 hour 🎧

All Manner Of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake narrated by David Montieth
Duration: 1 hour 21 mins 🎧

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark narrated by A’rese Emokpae
Duration: 1 hour 29 mins 🎧

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
My five star favorites were the stories narrated by Hillgartner Malcolm, Kristie Lee Walsh & A’rese Emokpae 😍

[Dani Boise · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild collection of stories! I found several of these quite thought-inducing. They center on time travel as a plot driver and I found this fascinating.

Overall, the stories were intriguing, kept me guessing, and made me think about life as we know it. With character-driven plots, these stories would be great for any sci-fi fans or anyone that wants to dabble, since they are all shorts!

The standouts for me were:

Cronus -- this has a scary (in the sense of what the world could look like) storyline that resolved wonderfully [I'm always HERE FOR BA women main characters]

For a Limited Time Only -- when you realize why Russ keeps getting denied his transfer request *tears*

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years -- a little more 'technical' at times but I loved the resolution of this one for the MC

[Tetyana Lux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short stories collection very much. Only two stories of the six included were not my cup of tea. But I’ve been deeply touched by “For a Limited Time Only” by Peng Shepherd.
“3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years” by John Scalzi impressed me with a new perspective on time traveling for tourism.
“A Visit to the Husband Archive” by Kaliane Bradley made me think about the importance of memory for the society and civilization.
“Cronus” by P. Djèlí Clark horrified me by the idea of usage of time traveling to solidify wrong order and power in the world.

[Jacub · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ~

Best to Worst IMO

1. Making Space by R.F. Kuang
2. Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
3. For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepard
4. 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
5. A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kailane Bradley
6. All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olive Blake

1 & 2 were amazing!!! 3-5 I could put in any order, they were good! 6… oh how this only reminds me why I don’t like Olive Blake’s writing style

[Jolie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this collection from Netgalley.

This was a collection of short stories by several authors featuring time travel.

All but one (All Matter ofThing Shall Be) were relatively enjoyable reads. They were all bittersweet and some had a Black Mirror vibe. The Husband Archive was a pretty interesting one with fully fleshed out characters, and I wouldn't have minded if it were longer.

The last story really reminded me of season 2 of the Umbrella Academy and how awful segregation was, along with how the world would've been if it were allowed to continue.

[Alex Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for access to this book! This was a very engrossing collection of short stories. Each story was unique, had engaging characters, and a succinct but enjoyable storyline. I enjoyed all of the short stories, especially the first one. I appreciate how much character development and content was fit in such short stories. Great work from great authors. Would recommend to any sci-fi/dystopian book lovers!

[Jeff Moreau · Rating 2 out of 5]

A two. (No, I did not sneeze). This was rather disappointing... some of the stories had interesting parts, but the overarching theme felt a bit forced and a few of the stories were real low points for me. Olivie Blake's was probably the worst... but I don't think there was a "best". I would not recommend this collection, even if the narrators did a decent job with the readings of the books.

[Emily A]

mixed bag

scalzi and djeli clark had fantastic stories.

enjoyed kugan's

the others... meh

[Amber Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 days, 9 months, 27 years: 3.25 stars
Making Space: 4
For A Limited Time Only: 4
A Visit To The Husband Archive: 3.25
All Manner of Thing Shall Be: 3
Cronus: 3.5

Overall rating: 3.5

[sophie! · Rating 4 out of 5]

High quality collection of short stories focusing on time travel and its implications. I especially liked the focus on the implications of time travel, and the way that it was used to question modern systems.
3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years (4/5) - I felt like this was at least partially influenced by The Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury (which happens to be one of my favorite sci fi short stories of all time). A bit heavy on the exposition but I enjoyed the ending.

Making Space (4/5) - Good for her. I can't find it in me to review any further without spoilers. Protect Buddy at all costs.

For a Limited Time Only (4/5) - Sweet story about family and how the modern working system can get in the way. The time skips in this one weren't always entirely clear - I think this was purposeful, but it ended up leaving me confused.

A Visit to the Husband Archives (3.5/5) - Enjoyable but I struggled to understand the state that the world was in and how exactly it got there. I felt like there was symbolism in this story that I didn't pick up on. I could see some reoccurring motifs, but I didn't understand their significance in the larger story. I would love to discuss this in a group setting.

All Manner of Things Shall Be (3.5/5) - It felt like I walked into an episode of What We Do in the Shadows halfway into the episode and never entirely figured out the plot. I liked the found family elements, and the various stereotypes that the housemates seemed to take shape in, but this was probably my least favorite.

Cronus (4/5) - I liked this a lot but I was a bit sad that this is only a short story. I really wish that I could get a novel length version of this story.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories for an advance copy in exchange for an open and honest review.

[Rustic Red Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

thanks to netgalley for providing this e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I was initially going to review it separately, but decided not to and just review it under this collection and just get the average to rate this book collection. I personally never read any books for any of these authors, heard most if them, and half have their books in my tbr.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
★★★⯪☆ - 3.5 stars
This certainly is an opener and set some expectations for the short stories going forward. I really love the mundanity of this short story, it's more or less the explanation of time travel in this universe, with some stories about the people experiencing the travel. I see people loving the twist in this story, personally not a fan. I was a bit shocked when it was revealed, I felt this one doesn't need one and because the twist opens another narrative that could be interesting to explore. But I still like it overall.

Making Space by R. F. Kuang
★★★☆☆ - 3 stars
R. F. Kuang is a very divisive author, I'd say post-Poppy War but even this series as it gets more popular are receiving negative reviews - but I personally haven't read since I still wanted to read Poppy War blind. And this short is also pretty divisive with some people expecting something bigger than it is and not getting it.

I personally wasn't expecting anything reading this one, I just to see how Kuang writes, personally it was just fine, not totally mindblowing and I didn't really feel I missed anything. For me it's just a good short story, the revelation of the child in the end is interesting, and I quite like the twist to be honest, since this story centered around the mystery of the child and well... it answered it, And this is where I figured that this collection are going to be really different from each other.

For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd
★★★⯪☆ - 3.5 stars
Shepherd is one of the authors I personally haven't heard of this and her novel is probably the most typical one among the bunch. Time travel, family, that time travel rule. But I still really enjoyed reading this one and the ending is just heart-(insert spoilers here). Just read it.

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley
★★☆☆☆ - 2 stars
The first half for this one is quite hard, I felt lost and uncertain what to feel about this one and wondering "Where's the "Time Travel" in this one". The worldbuilding is certainly there from the very beginning. But the second half is definitely stronger, it gets weirder (which I like), the world becomes larger. Among all of these, I feel this is the one that would benefit from a longer story, maybe even just a novella. It feels to constricted to just be a short story, but less of the first half and more on the second half.

All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake
★☆☆☆☆ - 1 star
Vampires. When I first read that one, I'm honestly very interested, since vampires seemed really interesting and even binged watch some vampire movies like Let the Right One In, Cronus, Only Lovers Left Alive, A Girl Walks Alone At Night, Lost Boys, Thirst, both Fright Night movies, Lifeforce, then we got 2 vampires movies recently Nosferatu and Sinners. An amazing miniseries by Mike Flanagan called Midnight Mass, the cast, story, dialogue (yes, even the lengthy monologues) are amazing. I also read Firefall by Peter Watts which also have a vampire in a sci-fi setting and that's also amazing, especially Blindsight...

But this book is none of those, it was a chore to read through it. I wanted to enjoy it, but there's just a lot of characters, probably the most characters in a short story in this collection. And I honestly don't care about them or their motivations like killing or saving Magellan. The mystery was honestly interesting at the start but the writing and the characters made me skim this book. And honestly I should've just dnf'd it. Took me two weeks to "finish" it.

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
★★★☆☆ - 3 stars
I think this the one is the one I'm most excited about since Clark's Master of Djinn is in my tbr for ages. And this one is really interesting - it feels the least sci-fi among the six, despite being the one most affected by the "time travel" shenanigans. This is a story set in an alternate earth where racism and even misogyny is apparent. While it felt the one closer to reality and the message is the one we really need right now, I honestly burnt out with alternate-bad Earth, from reading too much DC comics, especially their crisis events, even the recent Peacemaker season 2 has an alternate evil-Earth. I personally felt this one needs more sci-fi elements for me to enjoy it personally.

THE TIME TRAVELLER'S PASSPORT COLLECTION
★★⯪☆☆ - 2.66, I'll round it up to 3 stars, even though it's closer to 2.5 stars, which neither goodreads nor netgalley have. And 4/6 short being good deserves at least 3 stars, rather than 2.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5

The Time Traveler's Passport collects six short stories commissioned by Amazon or their Prime readers. I recently read/reviewed a collection of horror stories written/published in this same vein. This collection centers around - you guessed it - time travel.

While I recognize a couple of author names in this collection, the only author I've read prior to this is John Scalzi. If this collection were a shopping mall, Scalzi would be the anchor store - the one that gets people interested in looking through the whole thing. It is interesting, then, that his work would lead off the stories.

"30 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years" by John Scalzi

While I do really like reading Scalzi's work, I wasn't sure, going in, how this would go. I've not read much of his short fiction and I was afraid it was going to be gimmicky. It was quite straight-forward, nearly all of it an info-dump, setting us up for the gotcha ending. But I liked it. It was a fun, quick read. Entertaining, as Scalzi usually is, but not over-the-top, which he can sometimes be. If you're a Prime subscriber, this is worth the free download, easily. -- 4 stars

"Making Space" by R. F. Kuang

This struck me as much more of a horror story, though the time travel implications are definitely there. The mood was set up nicely and the eerie feelings came through the entire read. I even liked the concept with the child-less couple taking in the lost child. And that child knowing of events before they happen can get creepy. But then the story seems to go off the rails. Is it simply intended to be didactic? It succeeds, then. Just be creepy? It succeeds. But I just didn't really get anything from it. -- 3 stars

"For a Limited Time Only" by Peng Shepherd

Russ is a company salesman who travels through time. He wants a transfer but keeps getting denied. The reasons, the reader discovers, might just make you cry. I wasn't really enamored with this story. I found it a bit dull, actually, though I note that many readers were really moved by this. I found it a little over the top trying to create an emotional reaction. -- 3 stars

"A Visit to the Husband Archive" by Kaliane Bradley

In a dystopian world, a person can go to the Husband Archives and check out an intimate partner. Esther checks out a husband - one who is older, because the common knowledge is that the older husbands are much better than the newer ones. Experience counts for something. This husband actually has memory of a time before this was conventional. I thought the time travel aspect was a bit tenuous, but I was really captivated by this world and Bradley's writing. I wanted to read more of this and this is an author who shows that they can be extremely creative. I'll be on the lookout for more by Kaliane Bradley. -- 4 stars

“All Manner of Thing Shall Be” by Olivie Blake

Vampires stuck in a time loop. Maybe? I really struggled with this story. I've not read anything by Olivie Blake prior to this and this definitely did not make me want to read anything else. I felt this was more about form and style than about substance or story. I give it credit for attempting something different, but it didn't work for me. -- 2 stars

“Cronus” by P. Djèlí Clark

A young Black woman navigates through a racist dystopia where the white, rich are attempting to change history in their favor. Possibly the best story in the collection, but it can be difficult to read (emotionally) given how hard it hits home these days (though, honestly, it unfortunately hits home in just about any era). I would definitely like to read more of Clark's work, but something tells me I will find it emotionally exhausting. -- 4.5 stars

Overall, my ratings average to just under 3.5 for the collection. it will be interesting to see if Amazon continues to offer these short stories/novelettes with a similar theme. I believe the stories are free, individually, for Prime subscribers. But will more people join Prime just to get these stories?

Looking for a good book? The Time Travelers's Passport Collection features six short stories - sometimes vaguely having to do with time travel - by six different authors. As with just about any collection or anthology, the stories vary in the quality depending on the reader's tastes.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

[zinikornis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing collection of short stories! They were all about time travel, as the collection's title suggests, and they were similar in themes but differing in genres a bit. Through mostly dystopian and sci-fi vibes, the mood was consistent over the 6 stories: baffling, jaw-dropping, mind-boggling, sometimes dark, dystopian, and always with an unexpected twist and an ending left hanging halfway in the best way possible.

———

3 DAYS, 9 MONTHS, 27 YEARS BY JOHN SCALZI
The story was a great beginning to the collection. Maybe on its own as a short story it would've been redundant to dedicate so much space for establishing the world, but in a collection it worked perfectly to ease us into the overall mood of this collection, in my opinion. It was also a bit milder emotionally than the other tales, but had a huge, mind-boggling twist at the end that I was not expecting (maybe I'm just not used to the genre/theme). I enjoyed it immensely, definitely one of my favorite stories from this collection.
5/5

MAKING SPACE BY R.F. KUANG
I was a bit freaked out at first by this story (maybe that was enhanced by me listening to it while walking at night), then I thought it was also a bit more mellow, kind—and finally, it turned freaky again. I was enjoying this story as well, but I wasn't as invested as I was in the other tales. The twist wasn't as impactful either. But still, it was a great read (or listen), a freaky, dark-ish, interesting short story.
4/5

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY BY PENG SHEPHERD
This was heart-wrenching. I think the story itself maybe would've been a bit mellow, but the emotional charge adds a whole extra star to this story's rating. Very sad, well-written, but a bit average story.
4/5

A VISIT TO THE HUSBAND ARCHIVE BY KALIANE BRADLEY
Honestly, a bit forgettable. I was very interested in the beginning to see how this story progresses, as it had a very promising base idea, but the end was disappointing to me. It wasn't a big twist or an emotional turn; felt like "just a few sentences". Still, I enjoyed the world, the idea, the characters, the pacing.
3/5

ALL MANNER OF THING SHALL BE BY OLIVIE BLAKE
Oooh, this one was so fun! This was the one—might I say: sorely needed!—truly humorous story in this collection, and I enjoyed it to bits. The end wasn't so much a twist, but a real, closed ending for once, with the twist happening more in the middle, and that also gave this tale a unique spin within the collection. I adored the writing style as well, the choice of words, and especially the characters, who are the center of this whole tale. The other one of my favorites in this collection!
5/5

CRONUS BY P. DJELI CLARK
This one fell flat for me. I understand the intention, but it didn't speak to me. I felt like I was reading an activist's letter or something. The story spent way too much time explaining the world and the "right" ways, and emphasizing the intention of the story (that should usually be the 'unsung' part, the underlying current the readers pick up on and analyze on their own), explaining it so blatantly makes the reader feel like the author doesn't trust me to be able to interpret my own way through a story. Additionally, it didn't help that the whole concept of this 'underground society' felt like a cult at the first glance and it kept feeling like that the deeper we got into it. Just because someone is convincing and tells you things aggressively, maybe it doesn't mean you should let them tinker with your mind immediately? Or maybe just this concept, or this solution to the main issue, didn't fit the short story format.
2/5

Overall, a very well done, nicely curated list of mind-boggling time travel stories. I must give the whole collection 4,5 stars (rounded up to 5).

———

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for the opportunity of reading this book.

Please note that this is my subjective opinion. I believe each and every author has a right to and deserves fair, honest feedback from their readers, which I am aiming to provide. I adore every author's creativity, bravery and commitment to writing, finishing and publishing a work of art.

#TheTimeTravelersPassport #NetGalley

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll admit time travel is a trope I usually avoid (like the plague, literally and figuratively), but the author lineup for this collection was too good to pass up!

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi: In Scalzi’s typical style, the science is accessibly explained, although his brand of humour is mostly missing. We follow a time machine technician as they explain their job: pushing the buttons to send people back in and out of time. The process in the world he’s created is interesting and believable and the ending twist is thought provoking, allowing us to contemplate responsibility and morality. The story turned out to be more serious than I thought it would be considering the author, but I appreciated its interesting world building and thought provoking themes. (4 stars)

Making Space by R. F. Kuang: In just a few pages, the author sets up a subtle tone of suspenseful unease: a runner finds a mysterious boy in the woods and it all goes wrong (or right?) when they discover who he actually is. I was compelled to read on to figure out the origins of the boy (although I assumed aliens, forgetting there’s a theme to the short stories in the collection). The twist, though set up, is quite forceful, and though the ending seems contrived I really was hooked! (3 stars)

For a Limited Time by Peng Shepherd: How do you live in the future if, in the present, it’s your job to go to the past? Sure, betting on capitalist ventures is a sure thing, but how do you deal with life when bad news hits your family? I had to suspend my disbelief and just accept some of the science and timey-wimey stuff, but overall this one just breaks your heart. I’ve never read anything by this author but would certainly read more. (4 stars)

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley: I don’t even know how to describe the plot of this. Right away the world building signalled this was going to be just a bit different, and the author kept up my interest as I read on to figure out what was going on. But, I don’t think I ever figured it out, and instead it was just depressingly strange and unsettling. That being said, this was certainly creative and left me wanting more as there were so many unanswered questions. (2 stars)

All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake: I’ve enjoyed this author’s work in the past (including the shorts stories in Januaries) so had high hopes for this - and at least in terms of characters and writing style it did not disappoint. Various subtypes of vampires live together (intentionally peacefully or not) and use a time machine in a tourist bus to literally pass the time. What happens when they realize they’re stuck in a time loop? I do appreciate the author’s writing style and found the characters interesting, but I never was really sure what was going on. I think in this case, the author’s style of wordiness was just too much, though I’d read more if this were longer. (3 stars)

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark: A history lesson with time travel and rampant racism. Our main character is a time travel agent in the near future that resembles the near past, as racial segregation upheld by false memories and white supremacy reign. But that’s all about to change. I’ve read a lot by this author and this one does not disappoint! As usual his world is interesting and so plausible I got sucked in by the injustice and kept reading to see if goodness prevailed. The story concludes effectively, but I wanted to know more and would’ve kept reading a longer work to find out what happened! (5 stars)

I’m still not a bit fan of the trope, but overall this was an interesting collection that is worth the read for any speculative fiction fan!

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Monika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of stories based on idea of time travel.

3 days, 9 months, 27 years by John Scalzi
5 stars.
I loved the concept of different timelines being created after travelling back in time, and the ideas for utilising this process. Of course, capitalism ruins everything, so time travel is reserved here for the rich people. The narrator, who oversees the process of sending people back in time, comments on the different ways the clients use the system before explaining the last client of his day. I loved the ending and the whole story, definitely my second favourite from the collection.

Making Space by R.F. Kuang
3 stars.
Rebecca Kuang is one of my favourite authors, but this story didn't speak to me.
It's about a childless couple who finds a mysterious boy in the woods. The wife – Jess – grows attached to the boy while her husband finds him disturbing. Especially when they realise that the child has knowledge about things he shouldn't know. The story is well written, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters. Maybe it's the lack of maternal instincts in me, but I couldn't understand Jess' behaviour.

For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shephard
4 stars.
Well, the lack of maternal instincts didn't stop me from crying about this story.
The main character, Russ, is a time-travelling salesman. He goes back in time, making deals with companies that will be successful. But he wants to travel to the future, but the company doesn't want him either. The timeline of this story is quite confusing, there are a lot of short moments that only make sense when we get to the heartbreaking twist at the end.
I quite liked this story, it was confusing at moments, but I still enjoyed reading it.

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley
3 stars.
Dystopian story about a world after an alien invasion, where the main character doesn't really remember her life. After having a need for something she cannot name, she's sent to the Husband Archive, where she picks up a man who's supposed to satisfy her needs. He quickly realises how much of what humanity used to be erased and tries to teach her about literature and other things.
This story was a little confusing and weird. I think the short story format didn't work here, it feels like an idea for a book.

All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake
2 stars.
Loved the idea, but the story got boring quickly.
What if beings from different times became vampires and lived in one home? And they also had a time travelling bus? Well, this story presents such an idea. They all have different personalities and clash constantly until they realise they might be stuck in a time loop.
It seemed fun at the beginning, but I had a hard time getting through it. Some parts were confusing, and others just boring. Such a shame.

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
5 stars.
I might be biased because I'm currently reading Master of Djin and loving it, but I think it's the best story in the anthology.
Cronus starts similar to John Scalzi story. We have a main character (Annabeth) who works at a time travel agency that sends rich people back in time. Through her interaction with the client, we quickly realise that she lives in a segregated future USA and this segregation might be a result of a conspiracy.
This is a great commentary about current times and how some thing.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book.

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The assembled titles in this collection of time travel short fiction get nearly the full range of ratings from me, which is often true of such anthologies. But since there are only six stories here, I guess I might as well review them individually.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi: Readable enough, but way too focused on explaining the rules of its central technology to actually develop a compelling plot or characters around it. This could have been interesting as the premise to a novel, but it's pretty dry as a self-contained lesson on the protagonist's professional duties. ★★☆☆☆

Making Space by R. F. Kuang: I love the idea of a dystopian future sending its children back in time for greater opportunities, which could be a brilliant allegory for real-life immigration concerns. But the ending takes a couple wild turns that I think cut against the effectiveness of the piece as a whole. [Content warning for infertility and miscarriage.] ★★★☆☆

For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepherd: Major shades of The Time Traveler's Wife, with the hero slipping in and out of his loved one's lives while on assignment in the past. This really captures how fleeting the various stages of parenthood can feel, and how much a person might long to go back to the days when their kids were smaller. It's even more poignant by the end, but I was caught up right from the start. ★★★★☆

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley: Confusing worldbuilding, involving alien visitors who "steal time" from humans -- making them black out and have trouble remembering things, basically -- which doesn't exactly fit the theme of the book in my opinion. I also just find it to be a mean-spirited work in general, with dubious consent and borderline domestic abuse given how the character who retains his mental faculties treats his new wife like a lowly animal. Not a fan! ★★☆☆☆

All Manner of Thing Shall Be by Olivie Blake: I hated this one even more, somehow. It's about a household of vampires who can travel in time to hunt their victims, but who are meanwhile stuck in a 24-hour time loop for some reason, and are generally just very aggressively dysfunctional with one another. The tone reads like all this is supposed to be the height of comedy, but the humor doesn't land for me. It's overstuffed chaos, not a satisfying narrative on any level. ★☆☆☆☆

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark: This final entry likely would have been better at a longer length, but I like the slow reveal to us of just how wrong the heroine's world is, which matches her own dawning realization that people have used the historical travel agency where she works to nefariously change the timeline, specifically by undoing civil rights advancements and keeping Black folks like her as a lower class of citizen (sort of like Recursion by Blake Crouch with an added social justice bend). I want more resolution than just her deciding she's going to begin fighting back, though. ★★★☆☆

Overall rating: ★★★☆☆

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[To Read Toad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is fantastic — six short time travel stories that each bring something unique and imaginative to the table. Apart from R. F. Kuang, I hadn’t read anything by these authors before, and this was such a brilliant way to dip my toe into their writing styles and the time travel side of sci-fi (a genre I’ve recently reconnected with after being an avid fan in my teens).

Each story feels distinct — some hit, some didn’t— but all share that spark of wonder that makes time travel strange, weird and so endlessly fascinating.

A perfect bite-sized collection for both sci-fi veterans and newcomers alike.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi Deeply philosophical and introspective, Scalzi’s story reads like a thought experiment packing a surprising amount of meaning into so few pages. It’s reflective, clever, and ends with a twist (4 Stars).

Making Space by R. F. Kuang A familiar voice in Kuang’s writing. Sharp, unsettling, and brilliantly layered. Everything I expect from her, distilled into a compact, provocative short story.
There’s so much here: identity, belonging, tension, a creeping discomfort that sits just with you. It feels like Kuang — just in miniature.
I can’t help thinking that if this had been longer, if I’d had time to truly fall for (or rage against) the characters, this would’ve been a five-star read. But for me, it missed a little spark — so it lands as a solid 3.

For a Limited Time Only by Peng Shepard Now this one was interesting. For a Limited Time Only is a haunting reminder of how fragile and fleeting life really is. A quiet, emotional punch that makes you rethink how you spend the time you’re given (4 stars).

A Visit to the Husbands Archive by Kaliane Bradley Wow, this was unsettling. Bradley has such a sharp, magnetic writing style — the kind that makes you desperate for more pages, more answers, more world. This really needs to be a longer story.
A book about how memory informs identity, society, relationships, language, art, music…everything. It’s creepily dystopian. Horrifically alien. I loved it. 5 stars!

All Manner of Things Shall Be by Olivie Blake Feels like ‘What We Do In the Shadows’ meets a time traveling bus… and a house that time has forgot. I’ve not quite got my head around this one. 2 stars.

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark Hell. Yes. This story absolutely delivered. Dark, sharp, and uncomfortably relevant — the kind of story that sits in your stomach like a warning. Loved it! 5 STARS!
Clark weaves time travel with razor-edged social commentary on racism, segregation, misogyny, and power. It gave me that eerie, uneasy feeling…the kind that tells you a story isn’t just good, it’s saying something important.
Cronus explores the terrifying ease with which control begins: censorship, banning media, rewriting history. And alongside that is a fierce reminder of why stories matter — literature, memory, truth and how revolutions begin with one idea shared.


Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

[Vivian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moving between humour, heartbreak, eerie mystery and social commentary, each story reveals a different facet of the time travel genre. Some pieces soar, other stumble, but together they form an inventive, engaging showcase of how time travel can illuminate identity, memory and power.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years by John Scalzi
A sharp, inventive twist on time travel that feels like a philosophical thought experiment. Crisp, tech-leaning explanations are threaded through glimpses of eccentric travellers and a dryly amused operator who shepherds them, giving the whole thing a sly, understated humour. The twist is clever and arrives swiftly - almost too swiftly - a fatalistic flash rather than a deep dive. Delightfully witty and creative.
4/5

Making Space by R.F. Kuang
Making Space leans more into parenthood than time travel, anchored by Kuang’s talent for building an ominous, creeping dread. But the thin character work and rushed plot undercut the emotional impact this kind of story needs. The idea of making - and taking up - space is intriguing, but it's presented too simply to be truly compelling. A strong premise that never quite pays off.
2/5

For A Limited Time Only by Peng Sheppard
Quietly devastating, Shepard uses time travel as a powerful vehicle to explore family, grief and the fierce importance of spending our time wisely. The character work is excellent and the non-linear timeline not only makes perfect sense but heightens the story's emotional impact. And when the reveal comes, it lands with perfect, heartbreaking clarity.
5/5

A Visit to the Husband Archive by Kaliane Bradley
More weird fic than scifi, built on a stack of ideas the short frame can’t fully explore. Bradley plays with time as something we hold and can lose, tying it beautifully to memory and identity. The atmosphere is eerie and dystopian, the mystery tight and the emotional depth hits hard - the interaction between the pair, the husband’s unsettling position, the ache of what’s missing. Ambiguous but powerful.
4/5

All Manner of Things Shall Be by Olivie Blake
Vampires, time loops, supernatural housemates, forced share housing - it’s a lot even before the time travel, which lands like an afterthought and barely matters. The plot wavers between overly dense and basically nonexistent, and the sprawling cast doesn’t get enough room to breathe. There are flashes of humour and intriguing ideas but it feels like Blake tried to cram a novel’s worth of chaos into a few dozen pages. For me, it simply didn’t work.
1/5

Cronus by P. Djèlí Clark
Sharp and staggering, Cronus explores the terrifying ease with which power can rewrite history. Themes of racism, sexism and inequality hit hard, and the dystopian fallout is chilling in how closely it echoes present social issues. Tightly written yet rich in depth, it's a compelling in an uncanny way - like staring into a mirror and glimpsing a distorted but recognisable reflection.
5/5

My thanks to Amazon Original Stories for a copy of The Time Traveler's Passport collection.

[Quill (thecriticalreader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Although filled with stories by talented, creative authors, The Time Traveler’s Passport is filled with more hits than misses.

I was pretty excited to get an ARC copy of The Time Traveler’s Passport to listen to for a long drive! This year I have made it a goal to read as many time travel stories as possible, and the collection is filled with authors whose other works I have enjoyed. Sadly, I was not a big fan of most of these stories.

“3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years” by John Scalzi: 2/5
Narration: Decent

Review: Most of this story wasn’t a story at all, but rather Scalzi explaining his concept of time travel tourism to the reader. It’s a fun but pretty basic system of time travel. At times, Scalzi repeats his explanation of how time travel works in his story so much it feels like he thinks his audience is too stupid to understand. The actual plot is weak compared to the buildup.

“Making Space” by R.F. Kuang: 1/5
Narration: Could be a me problem, but I could not stand the narrator for this one

Review: I could be biased because I hated the audiobook narration so much, but this one did not land for me. I couldn’t tell if the main character is supposed to be sympathetic or not, but I hated her. Nothing about this story felt realistic to me.

“For a Limited Time Only” by Peng Shepherd: 2.25/5
Narration: Narrator did a good job of giving each character a distinct voice and immersing the reader in the pathos of the story.

Review: Goodness, this one was a tear-jerker. But of course it is—it’s about a kid with cancer. I’m not sure the time travel element adds a whole lot to the story, however.

“A Visit to the Husband Archive” by Kaliane Bradley: 3.25/5
Narration: Decent

Review: This story is the most experimental of the six stories. It’s desolate exploration into the fundamental nature of humanity reminded me a bit of Flowers for Algernon and I Who Have Never Known Men, although the themes are not explored as powerfully here. Bradley’s prose is beautiful.

“All Manner of Things Shall Be” by Olivie Blake: 4.5/5
Narration: Fun and dynamic

Review: This story might feel a bit overly quirky/twee for some people, but I loved the wild cast of characters and the humor in this story. Blake pokes fun at modern life with an inventive premise. I laughed out loud throughout and finished wanting to read more about these characters.

“Cronus” by P. Djèlí Clark: 1.5/5
Narration: Strong
The plot and concept felt too bland and didactic for my taste (especially compared to some of his other works), although I appreciate what Clark is trying to do with the story. I could always predict where it was going; it never challenged me or surprised me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[John Deardurff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Time Traveler’s Passport Collection is an anthology of six standalone time-travel stories edited by John Joseph Adams and penned by a diverse cast of authors. Most of the stories miss the mark for me and do not belong in this series. I would only recommend reading three of the six as individual instalments outside of this “collection”.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years (John Scalzi) – 4 stars
The narrator is just your average technician that works at the local time travel office. Tourists, historians, and assassins can choose a 3-day, 9 months, or 27-year journey to the past. But those realities do not have any effect on their current reality. The chances of getting rich and famous are just as likely as getting leprosy or being eaten by a T-Rex. Nice twist at the end that suggests part of my review is not entirely accurate... at least in this reality.

Making Space (R.F. Kuang) – 2 stars
A childless couple takes in a mysterious boy. That’s the story and then it gets depressing. The focus is on parenthood and sacrifice and is only loosely connected to the “time travel” premise. This installment offers almost no actual time travel elements, making it feel somewhat out of place.

For a Limited Time Only (Peng Shepherd) – 3 stars
Russ is a time traveling salesman working for Oracle Marketing Solutions in the monotonous “near past” division, endlessly commuting through time while wishing for bigger adventures. The premise could have been fun, but turned into a depressing story of loss, mourning, and people stuck in a limited time; only.

A Visit to the Husband Archive (Kaliane Bradley) – 3 stars
Journey to a future dystopian society, where widespread memory loss affects the majority of the population. Individuals of different genders who are housed within the husband archives are resistant to this condition. The narrative follows Ester as she chooses a husband named John. John had been archived because he remembered books; not just what they were, but what they were supposed to do. Still seems to miss the time travel aspect of this collection, but third in my list of favorites.

All Manner of Thing Shall Be (Olivie Blake) – 2 stars
This struggled to integrate into the sci-fi framing. A story of immortals with centuries of clashing personalities that are stuck in a temporal loop. Basically, Groundhog Day for Ghosts. I did discover that this author is not someone I will revisit.

Cronus (P. Djèlí Clark) – 4 stars
Annabeth is introduced as a young Black woman navigating life in a segregated dystopian future. She keeps a low profile while working at CRONUS, a time-travel tourism company that caters mainly to wealthy, white clients. She doesn't support the system; instead, she endures it because standing up feels too risky and hopeless. The story's worldbuilding sets it apart, and although it didn't quite surpass my top choice, it stands out as my second favorite in the collection, delivering more of an impact than the other stories.

[Nese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here are summaries of each of the 6 stories in this collection.

3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years -- We are told at the beginning that the title refers to the return (to the current time) opportunities for the commercial time travelers who are clients of the organization for which the narrator works as a technician. Twisty ending.
Themes: egoism, consequentialism, ethnocentricity, Dunning-Kruger effect, customer segmentation, perspective as reality
Rating: 4/5

Making Space -- Jess, who is regretting not being able to have her own children, finds an emaciated boy in woods and takes him home. Her husband is a bit of a jerk, but she quickly jumps into mothering him. They name him Buddy. The layered meanings of (un)masking and making space were perfectly woven through the story.
Themes: masking, performativity, neighborhood Karens, environmental stewardship
Rating: 5/5

For a Limited Time Only -- Russ, husband to Maya, father to Opal, childhood friend of Theresa, and colleague of Vik, is a salesperson who time travels to the recent past to sell ideas that his employer knows will be commercially successful. Russ is repeatedly denied by his company a transfer to the future-traveling division. Slow-build and tragic, with a surprising link at the end to the preceding story's "making space" theme.
Themes: time as a resource and constraint, fleeting nature of moments, passivity, grief
Rating: 4/5

A Visit To The Husband Archive -- Ester, a drone contract killer on agricultural rotation, checks out John, a cantankerous former literature professor, from a husband archive location. Generally an optimistic person, Ester can remember back to only about five years prior. It's a weird reality, filled with giant oozing colonizer aliens (aka: "gods," "Strangers") and no electricity.
Themes: memory, reclaiming self, agency, assigned societal roles, oppression, transformation through education, attraction
Rating: 4.5/5

All Manner of Things Shall Be -- A bit of a meta short describing a bunch of eccentric demon-shifting vampires who live together in a house on a hill with a pink time-traveling double-decker bus parked outside. Super sassy with some nice jabs at modern times, the prose in this one genius.
Themes: monotony, shared space, interpersonal abrasion, false equivalencies, cultural mythology, reclaimed identity, existential pondering, ambition
Rating: 4/5

Chronus -- Annabeth is living in a legally racially segregated and oppressive future and works as a receptionist for Cronus, a time-traveling tourism service. The racial and gender microaggressions (and straight-up aggressions) she experiences in this reality aren't really different from our reality (in the U.S., at least). There is an outbreak of FMP (false memory psychosis) among Black folks, but Annabeth discovers that the memories are not actually false. This one is all too believable.
Themes: racism, systemic oppression, collective memory, tech oligarchs
Rating: 5/5