What do you think?
Rate this book
Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance
Even time travel can’t unravel love
Time-travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse.
When romance is thrown into the mix, time-travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the time-space continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time-traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate.
With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space.
Including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages
Time-travel is a way for writers to play with history and imagine different futures – for better, or worse.
When romance is thrown into the mix, time-travel becomes a passionate tool, or heart-breaking weapon. A time agent in the 22nd century puts their whole mission at risk when they fall in love with the wrong person. No matter which part of history a man visits, he cannot not escape his ex. A woman is desperately in love with the time-space continuum, but it doesn’t love her back. As time passes and falls apart, a time-traveller must say goodbye to their soulmate.
With stories from best-selling and award-winning authors such as Seanan McGuire, Alix E. Harrow and Nina Allan, this anthology gives a taste for the rich treasure trove of stories we can imagine with love, loss and reunion across time and space.
Including stories by: Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Seanan McGuire, Sarah Gailey, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages
420 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 2022
176 people are currently reading
2393 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
May 8, 2022
An interesting anthology of short stories having two themes in common – time travel and romance.
The collection features sixteen stories, fourteen original to this book and two that are long-standing favourites of the editor. The stories are of various lengths and moods. While all the stories stay true to the spirit of time travel, only a few are more oriented towards the romance factor. This affected my enjoyment of some of the stories because they worked wonderfully as Sci-fi but not as Sci-fi romance. I relished the ones that did justice to both the themes fairly, even if not in equal amounts.
Most of the stories have quality content and quite imaginative writing. A few of the authors left me awed at their creative faculty. A couple of the stories were written in the modern style of not using quotation marks for spoken dialogues. I don't enjoy reading this kind of writing, so these stories weren’t among my favourites. Plus points for having stories that were diverse and had LGBTQ representation.
The introduction by editor Jonathan Strahan elaborates wonderfully on the use of time travel as a narrative device in stories. Make sure you begin with this intro before diving into the stories.
Of the sixteen tales in the book, these seven were my utmost favourites and they reached or crossed the four star mark. Most of the rest of the stories were clustered around the 3 star mark, and mainly because I wasn’t satisfied with the treatment of the ‘romance’ theme in them.
3.65 stars based on the average of my ratings for all the stories. I feel that if you read this book as a collection of time travel stories, you will enjoy it a lot better than if you pick it up wanting a combination of time travel and romance. Recommended to time-travel lovers.
My thanks to Rebellion and NetGalley for the DRC of “Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
The collection features sixteen stories, fourteen original to this book and two that are long-standing favourites of the editor. The stories are of various lengths and moods. While all the stories stay true to the spirit of time travel, only a few are more oriented towards the romance factor. This affected my enjoyment of some of the stories because they worked wonderfully as Sci-fi but not as Sci-fi romance. I relished the ones that did justice to both the themes fairly, even if not in equal amounts.
Most of the stories have quality content and quite imaginative writing. A few of the authors left me awed at their creative faculty. A couple of the stories were written in the modern style of not using quotation marks for spoken dialogues. I don't enjoy reading this kind of writing, so these stories weren’t among my favourites. Plus points for having stories that were diverse and had LGBTQ representation.
The introduction by editor Jonathan Strahan elaborates wonderfully on the use of time travel as a narrative device in stories. Make sure you begin with this intro before diving into the stories.
Of the sixteen tales in the book, these seven were my utmost favourites and they reached or crossed the four star mark. Most of the rest of the stories were clustered around the 3 star mark, and mainly because I wasn’t satisfied with the treatment of the ‘romance’ theme in them.
Roadside Attraction - Alix E. Harrow - 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫
What becomes of the broken-hearted when they find a time-travel stone? Do they go back to rectify matters with their ex or do they search for a new direction in life? Enjoyed this sweet tale.
First Aid - Seanan McGuire - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
This is the story that made me look at time travel in a very realistic and practical manner. I didn’t like the romance element in this tale, otherwise it would have been a straight 5 star.
I Remember Satellites - Sarah Gailey - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
What happens when you are the chosen one for an assignment that forces you to bid adieu to all you know and love in order to do your duty? Loved the feelings in this one.
The Golden Hour – Jeffrey Ford - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
A very unusual tale of love across time. Had a few loopholes in logic, but I still liked it for balancing both the main themes of the anthology well.
Unbashed - Sam Miller - 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Such a poignant tale! The writing style made it a bit tricky to read but I loved the overall story.
Romance: Historical - Rowan Coleman - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Think of the best romances and the best time travel tales. Bring the best features of these in a story. This is the result. Loved every single bit about it. (Would have gladly give it ten stars if I could.)
Time Gypsy - Ellen Klages - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was written in 1999 but feels as fresh as the rest of the collection. An innovative and intriguing plotline that will keep you hooked from start to end.
3.65 stars based on the average of my ratings for all the stories. I feel that if you read this book as a collection of time travel stories, you will enjoy it a lot better than if you pick it up wanting a combination of time travel and romance. Recommended to time-travel lovers.
My thanks to Rebellion and NetGalley for the DRC of “Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
May 12, 2023
I‘m sorry but no. Just no. This is not the worst book I‘ve ever read, admittedly, but it‘s just such a disappointment!
17 stories by 17 different authors, some of which are regular go-tos or even favorites I trust blindly. And 2 of them actually delivered the „strongest“ stories here. Still … 2 out of 17 is NOT a good track record.
The main theme here is time travel and love. It‘s also almost exclusively gay love. While I don‘t mind gay romances (see my other books with those tropes) and indeed love quite a lot of them, why can we not have a healthy mix? I disliked this when it was straight-only and I dislike this „counter-movement“.
However, the worst was the writing style in almost every story I dragged my way through. I ended up scratching my head and wondering what the point of most of the stories really was supposed to be. I still don‘t know. It‘s like they had to write something for a commission and either just threw together some older notes or wrote this without much enthusiasm. I‘m sure that is not what it was like for the authors but it‘s what it was like for me reading this.
I wasn‘t swept off my feet, I wasn‘t charmed, I wasn‘t impressed. In the end, I skipped about half of the stories (maybe more?). :/
17 stories by 17 different authors, some of which are regular go-tos or even favorites I trust blindly. And 2 of them actually delivered the „strongest“ stories here. Still … 2 out of 17 is NOT a good track record.
The main theme here is time travel and love. It‘s also almost exclusively gay love. While I don‘t mind gay romances (see my other books with those tropes) and indeed love quite a lot of them, why can we not have a healthy mix? I disliked this when it was straight-only and I dislike this „counter-movement“.
However, the worst was the writing style in almost every story I dragged my way through. I ended up scratching my head and wondering what the point of most of the stories really was supposed to be. I still don‘t know. It‘s like they had to write something for a commission and either just threw together some older notes or wrote this without much enthusiasm. I‘m sure that is not what it was like for the authors but it‘s what it was like for me reading this.
I wasn‘t swept off my feet, I wasn‘t charmed, I wasn‘t impressed. In the end, I skipped about half of the stories (maybe more?). :/
March 16, 2023
Really enjoyed a lot of these. Full review to come!
April 23, 2022
Self confessed romantiphobe here. So why did I put my hand up to read a romance anthology? In my defence, there’s time travel, one of my very favourite things to read about and do. Shh! You’re not supposed to mention that bit.
Also, there are contributions by two of my favourite authors, Alix E. Harrow and Seanan McGuire, so it was kind of inevitable that this book would find its way to me in every timeline.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow
When Floyd approaches the pillar of sandstone covered in graffiti, he’s certain he knows what he’s searching for.
Rui is using the Past Life Reconstruction Service because he’s seeking inspiration.
Taylor has been preparing for her one way trip to Elizabethan England for years.
When you work for the Agency, a short straw trip means you’re not coming back.
Mr Russell is trying to write his novel when he meets the time traveller.
There’s something important in the past that’s not accessible in Josephine’s time. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here fantasising about the idea of books being able to be transported to the past.
So many fleeting moments, finding one another over the course of lifetimes.
To save the past, this time traveller is willing to destroy their future.
Loving the space/time continuum can be complicated.
It all comes back to this moment.
Communicating through books is probably the most romantic thing ever.
In that realm, they’re perfect. In this one, they’re happily married … but not to one another.
Two time travellers meet throughout time.
Guinevere loves Arthur in every lifetime.
The love of poems and poets.
Sara Baxter Clarke has been Dr. McCullough’s hero since she was a child.
Rowan Coleman’s story made me tear up. It was also the only story that made me interrupt the reader sitting beside me (who was partway through a chapter of the book they were reading), declaring that they need to read this right now. In case you’re wondering, I was forgiven; they loved it as much as I did. It’s just such a beautiful story.
Ellen Klages’ story, where heroes can live up to your expectations, had me railing against injustice even as I was feeling all mushy about the growing love between the protagonists.
The bottom line? If a romantiphobe can find so much to love about this anthology, then the rest of you are in for a treat.
Content warnings include mention of
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Solaris, an imprint of Rebellion Publishing, for the opportunity to read this anthology. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Also, there are contributions by two of my favourite authors, Alix E. Harrow and Seanan McGuire, so it was kind of inevitable that this book would find its way to me in every timeline.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow
When Floyd approaches the pillar of sandstone covered in graffiti, he’s certain he knows what he’s searching for.
“Did you find your destiny?”The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho
Rui is using the Past Life Reconstruction Service because he’s seeking inspiration.
“Your dream won’t affect anyone or anything else. The most it can do is change the world inside you.”First Aid by Seanan McGuire
Taylor has been preparing for her one way trip to Elizabethan England for years.
There was no going back. There never had been.I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey
When you work for the Agency, a short straw trip means you’re not coming back.
Everybody draws the short straw in the end.The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford
Mr Russell is trying to write his novel when he meets the time traveller.
“Past or future?” I asked.The Lichens by Nina Allan
“Where the clues lead, young man. Where else?”
There’s something important in the past that’s not accessible in Josephine’s time. Meanwhile, I’m sitting here fantasising about the idea of books being able to be transported to the past.
So you know about lichens?Kronia by Elizabeth Hand
So many fleeting moments, finding one another over the course of lifetimes.
Unrecognized: I never knew you.Bergamot and Vetiver by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
To save the past, this time traveller is willing to destroy their future.
“To thirst is to be alive, but to devour is to be monstrous.”The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente
Loving the space/time continuum can be complicated.
Be my wife forever, limited puddle-being.Unbashed, Or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller
It all comes back to this moment.
“Walk me home?”Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman
Communicating through books is probably the most romantic thing ever.
Beth steadied herself; after all she had spent her whole life in training for this moment, preparing unreservedly to believe in the impossible.The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan
In that realm, they’re perfect. In this one, they’re happily married … but not to one another.
Whatever came of the discovery, there was at least a moment’s peace to be enjoyed, now that she knew.Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui
Two time travellers meet throughout time.
“Was discovering random historical factoids what drew you into this line of work?”A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss
Guinevere loves Arthur in every lifetime.
“You’re going to be dead in twenty-four hours. Would you like to save the world?”Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn
The love of poems and poets.
The study of literature is the process of continually falling in love with dead people.Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages
Sara Baxter Clarke has been Dr. McCullough’s hero since she was a child.
“I’m offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”I have four favourite reads in this anthology: the two I was here for in the first place (no big surprise there) and two by authors who were new to me.
Rowan Coleman’s story made me tear up. It was also the only story that made me interrupt the reader sitting beside me (who was partway through a chapter of the book they were reading), declaring that they need to read this right now. In case you’re wondering, I was forgiven; they loved it as much as I did. It’s just such a beautiful story.
Ellen Klages’ story, where heroes can live up to your expectations, had me railing against injustice even as I was feeling all mushy about the growing love between the protagonists.
The bottom line? If a romantiphobe can find so much to love about this anthology, then the rest of you are in for a treat.
Content warnings include mention of
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Solaris, an imprint of Rebellion Publishing, for the opportunity to read this anthology. I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
August 8, 2022
The thing that drew me to this anthology is the concept of finding your soulmate and intertwining it with the idea of time travel, and I have to say that this was quite a lot of fun. The authors explore themes like love, loss, second chances and more and it made me laugh, cry and just feel so much. There were quite a few stories which I enjoyed but I definitely enjoyed Alix E. Harrow and Zen Cho’s stories the most with Alix’s stunning prose and Cho’s concept of that one true love. They left quite an impression on me. I’m glad I got to read this even if I was a bit late and I’ll definitely recommend to anyone who likes stories about love.
August 10, 2023
Anthology + time travel + some of my favourite authors!!! Sign me up!! I mean sure, it looks like there might be a lot of lovey dovely piffle in there, but I can overlook that small minor aspect.
At least that was what I thought when I laid my grubby little hands on this tome. Thankfully my trusty reliable author-squad did not let me down. Sure some of the stories in there are sweet and enduring but thankfully a definite lack of overly sentimental gushing lovestruck hearts, pinwheel eyes and happily ever afters. Overall some terrific stories plus a few new authors I've now added to my TBR pile. Am definitely becoming a fan of Jonathan Strahan's collections.
Recommended for fans of Seanan McGuire, Catherynne M. Valente, Zen Cho, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, This is How You Lose the Time War, The Chronicles of St Marys, Here and Now and Then, A Thousand Pieces of You, The Immortals, You Cannot Mess This Up, Space Hopper, Tuned Out, Time After Time, Replay,
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the ARC.
At least that was what I thought when I laid my grubby little hands on this tome. Thankfully my trusty reliable author-squad did not let me down. Sure some of the stories in there are sweet and enduring but thankfully a definite lack of overly sentimental gushing lovestruck hearts, pinwheel eyes and happily ever afters. Overall some terrific stories plus a few new authors I've now added to my TBR pile. Am definitely becoming a fan of Jonathan Strahan's collections.
Recommended for fans of Seanan McGuire, Catherynne M. Valente, Zen Cho, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, This is How You Lose the Time War, The Chronicles of St Marys, Here and Now and Then, A Thousand Pieces of You, The Immortals, You Cannot Mess This Up, Space Hopper, Tuned Out, Time After Time, Replay,
Thank you to Netgalley and Rebellion Publishing for the ARC.
March 16, 2022
I LOVE time travel romance so this short story collection was instantly intriguing. Once I realized the author lineup included some of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy authors (Cathrynne M. Valente, Zen Cho, Alix E. Harrow, etc) I bumped this forward on my to-read shelf. Little did I know, this collection is also gorgeously, heartwarmingly, unabashedly queer - at least 10 of the 16 stories feature explicitly LGBTQ+ characters or romances. It makes sense for a book about romantic love to be a celebration of all its many manifestations, but that doesn't change the warmth kindled in my heart by representation featured prominently in my favorite genre.
My top three stories were:
1. The Difference Between Love and Time by Cathrynne M. Valente: A funny, heartfelt tale of woman who is courted across the span of her life by a physical manifestation of the space-time continuum. I want to print this story out and frame it over my bed so I can read it anytime I feel lost, alone, or at all wavering in my faith in the transcendent and eternal power of human connection.
2. Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages: A queer scientist travels back in time to meet her hero, a female physicist from the 1950s. This story provides a deeply painful reminder of the affront to human rights suffered by queer people in midcentury America, while also touching on issues of misogyny in academia and gentle love story between two brilliant gay women. As a bisexual scientist myself, this really hit hard.
3. A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss: A woman in climate ravaged future on the edge of death is brought into a program run by scientists from a dwindling future in which her consciousness is projected into important people from the past in an effort to change the future. Her assignment? Queen Guinevere. Probably the most compelling story conceptually and a fresh take on the time loop trope, providing a perspective on the future that is both melancholy and strangely hopeful.
My top three stories were:
1. The Difference Between Love and Time by Cathrynne M. Valente: A funny, heartfelt tale of woman who is courted across the span of her life by a physical manifestation of the space-time continuum. I want to print this story out and frame it over my bed so I can read it anytime I feel lost, alone, or at all wavering in my faith in the transcendent and eternal power of human connection.
2. Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages: A queer scientist travels back in time to meet her hero, a female physicist from the 1950s. This story provides a deeply painful reminder of the affront to human rights suffered by queer people in midcentury America, while also touching on issues of misogyny in academia and gentle love story between two brilliant gay women. As a bisexual scientist myself, this really hit hard.
3. A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss: A woman in climate ravaged future on the edge of death is brought into a program run by scientists from a dwindling future in which her consciousness is projected into important people from the past in an effort to change the future. Her assignment? Queen Guinevere. Probably the most compelling story conceptually and a fresh take on the time loop trope, providing a perspective on the future that is both melancholy and strangely hopeful.
May 5, 2022
As with all anthologies, there was a good amount of variance in quality—particularly re: enjoyability— in this book. With some being knockouts and others veering on dull. But, there are a few statements that can be broadly applied to the anthology as a whole.
1. While there was a solid amount of diversity in gender identity and sexual orientation within the stories; the contributing authors were overwhelmingly white. Because we are dealing with time travel, and in many of the stories dealing with history directly, the ones that allowed us to step outside of a western/white viewpoint were some of the most unique and interesting; but they were few and far between.
2. While all of them deal with love in some form, very few of the stories deal in romance. By this I don’t mean that they don’t live within the constraints of the modern day romance genre—expecting some amount of lightness and a HEA. Rather, for some, the relationships or connections built between any given characters were not all that convincing. The “romance” elements here felt easily replaceable or removable in many of the stories—perhaps due to the more conceptual nature of their premises. While there are some exceptions I feel the anthology as a whole could benefit from being labelled differently, as there was a more consistent focus on one individual’s journey with love (concept) than romance between two or more characters.
*arc review
1. While there was a solid amount of diversity in gender identity and sexual orientation within the stories; the contributing authors were overwhelmingly white. Because we are dealing with time travel, and in many of the stories dealing with history directly, the ones that allowed us to step outside of a western/white viewpoint were some of the most unique and interesting; but they were few and far between.
2. While all of them deal with love in some form, very few of the stories deal in romance. By this I don’t mean that they don’t live within the constraints of the modern day romance genre—expecting some amount of lightness and a HEA. Rather, for some, the relationships or connections built between any given characters were not all that convincing. The “romance” elements here felt easily replaceable or removable in many of the stories—perhaps due to the more conceptual nature of their premises. While there are some exceptions I feel the anthology as a whole could benefit from being labelled differently, as there was a more consistent focus on one individual’s journey with love (concept) than romance between two or more characters.
*arc review
March 20, 2023
Bergamot and Vetiver by Lavanya Lakshminarayan ★★★★½
“How do you think their civilization came to an end? It was always us, all along.”
Ouch. It stings but I love this kind of story. Dear hero, didn’t you know? You’re the bad guy.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow ★★★★☆
“I think the stone takes you where you’re supposed to be. Where you make sense.”
“Doesn’t the stone keep taking you back here?”
A layered story of the extraordinary and common colliding! A time travel device is found but, as it is random and uncontrollable, it ends up as a road side attraction. Floyd Butler throws himself repeatedly into the past to find his great destiny, while the love of his life waits patiently in an RV.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman ★★★★☆
Ahhh! No, it was going so well. This was adorable and then, and then… stop it with the sad stories!
A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss ★★★★☆
At the end of the time stream, the few advanced humans remaining recruit dying souls to save our race. I love Theodora Goss!
Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages ★★★★☆
A doctoral student goes back in time and falls for the trail brazing scientist that inspired her.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey ★★★½☆
Proposes that Wallis Simpson was a purpose sent time traveler to remove the fascist future king from the throne.
The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford ★★★½☆
This was a disorienting story. Time travelers are finding their way towards each other and seem to have created worlds that cannot survive without them.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire ★★★☆☆
A government funded time traveler set arrive in Tudor times arrives at a Renaissance Fair in 1996. It’s not much of a story but the beginning was entertaining.
Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn ★★★☆☆
An ancient cup sends people through time when wine is drunk out of it. But you don’t have any control as to when you end up.
The Past Life, Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho ★★½☆☆
Paying to enter his past lives for half an hour at a time, a man discovers his ex is his soulmate. It was boring.
The Lichens by Nina Allan ★★☆☆☆
Another forbidden time travel romance story. But this made less sense as every time the time traveler saw someone it was their first time being seen. Or that was the space-time-continuum rule of the story. Even why they traveled was not clear.
Kronia by Elizabeth Hand ★★☆☆☆
That was just a long list of scenarios.
Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller ★★☆☆☆
Just a long sad list of scenarios.
The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan ★★☆☆☆
I actually swayed when I heard 26 pregnancies, 23 of them as an occupation. The rest of the story is a long conversation on regret.
Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui DNF
I lost interest halfway. I can’t even tell you what it’s about.
The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente DNF
I made it halfway. I either love her work or toss it across the room.
I finished 14/16 stories that averaged 3.14 stars.
“How do you think their civilization came to an end? It was always us, all along.”
Ouch. It stings but I love this kind of story. Dear hero, didn’t you know? You’re the bad guy.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow ★★★★☆
“I think the stone takes you where you’re supposed to be. Where you make sense.”
“Doesn’t the stone keep taking you back here?”
A layered story of the extraordinary and common colliding! A time travel device is found but, as it is random and uncontrollable, it ends up as a road side attraction. Floyd Butler throws himself repeatedly into the past to find his great destiny, while the love of his life waits patiently in an RV.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman ★★★★☆
Ahhh! No, it was going so well. This was adorable and then, and then… stop it with the sad stories!
A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss ★★★★☆
At the end of the time stream, the few advanced humans remaining recruit dying souls to save our race. I love Theodora Goss!
Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages ★★★★☆
A doctoral student goes back in time and falls for the trail brazing scientist that inspired her.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey ★★★½☆
Proposes that Wallis Simpson was a purpose sent time traveler to remove the fascist future king from the throne.
The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford ★★★½☆
This was a disorienting story. Time travelers are finding their way towards each other and seem to have created worlds that cannot survive without them.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire ★★★☆☆
A government funded time traveler set arrive in Tudor times arrives at a Renaissance Fair in 1996. It’s not much of a story but the beginning was entertaining.
Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn ★★★☆☆
An ancient cup sends people through time when wine is drunk out of it. But you don’t have any control as to when you end up.
The Past Life, Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho ★★½☆☆
Paying to enter his past lives for half an hour at a time, a man discovers his ex is his soulmate. It was boring.
The Lichens by Nina Allan ★★☆☆☆
Another forbidden time travel romance story. But this made less sense as every time the time traveler saw someone it was their first time being seen. Or that was the space-time-continuum rule of the story. Even why they traveled was not clear.
Kronia by Elizabeth Hand ★★☆☆☆
That was just a long list of scenarios.
Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller ★★☆☆☆
Just a long sad list of scenarios.
The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan ★★☆☆☆
I actually swayed when I heard 26 pregnancies, 23 of them as an occupation. The rest of the story is a long conversation on regret.
Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui DNF
I lost interest halfway. I can’t even tell you what it’s about.
The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente DNF
I made it halfway. I either love her work or toss it across the room.
I finished 14/16 stories that averaged 3.14 stars.
April 22, 2022
This is such a fantastic collection of love-through-time short stories! I normally do not enjoy sci-fi or anthologies, but I've been finding that I am rather enjoying them! Some of these stories I liked more than others, but you won't find one that was bad!
May 13, 2022
Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance is an anthology of short stories by various authors including Alix E. Harrow, Zen Cho, Jeffrey Ford, Nina Allan, Elizabeth Hand, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Catherynne M. Valente, Sam J. Miller, Rowan Coleman, Sarah Gailey, Margo Lanagan, Sameem Siddiqui, Theodora Goss, Carrie Vaughn, Ellen Klages, and Seanan McGuire.
This anthology, as you can probably tell, delves into the themes of time-travel, love, loss and reunions through a variety of narratives and diverse characters. I have chosen to review four of these stories which were my favourites and left the biggest impact on me. These are stories which celebrate love, self discovery and finding your soulmate.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E Harrow
This is the story of Floyd Butler, a young man who runs through time searching for what he had already found. On the day that Floyd is dumped by his girlfriend Candace Stillwater, he decides to take a trip to The Ticket Through Time Theme Park and use The World’s One and Only Time Machine in the hopes of having a heroic adventure. Over a period of months he travels back and forth through time, always returning not quite satisfied. Though all is not so bad, because each time he does return someone waits for him. Someone who he can share stories of his wild adventures with, someone with strikingly long eyelashes.
If you know me, you know I love Alix E Harrow. Her poetic and beautifully descriptive prose, her heartbreaking story arcs and her well crafted diverse characters always hold a special place for me. Roadside Attraction was no exception. This short story was a sweet slice of chocolate cake which filled my heart with such comfort and warmth. Harrow shows us that destiny doesn’t need to be a sweeping grand concept, sometimes it can simply be discovering and accepting who you are.
“Floyd had never had his heart
broken, not really, but he wondered
if it felt like this: a hunger so sharp
it hurt, a want so vast it splintered ribs.”
The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho
“Rui closed his eyes in a temperature-controlled room in Hong Kong in winter. He opened his eyes to the glare of tropical sunshine. The air was humid, like the warm breath of a god.”
What if you could experience glimpses of your past lives? That’s exactly what The Past Life Reconstruction Services offers. A chance for those to choose a moment in time and travel back to the life they led during that exact time. Boasted as, “A leap into the unknown”. But what if each time you went back to your past life, you always met your ex? Well that’s exactly what happens to Rui.
What I enjoyed most about this story is Zen Cho’s twist on the portrayal of the ex partner. This isn’t a tale of an ex who treated Rui badly, oh no this is where Rui chose ambition over his soulmate. Whichever past life Rui enters, whether he be a male, female or in one scene even an animal, he always recognises who his ex is. Cho reflects that there are some people in life who we are fated to and not realising their worth, letting them slip through our fingers, can be the biggest mistake of all.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire
Taylor or Bridget as she is now to be called is from the 22nd Century. It should be a century of progression, of peace and prosperity but the world has gone turned to trash. A patriarchal society still reigns, the air has become toxic and fresh food has become rare, the people live on synthetically engineered food to survive. Bridget volunteers for the Deep Time Project—a project designed to explore the mysteries of history by sending volunteer time travellers to blend into the population of whichever era they visit and send notes to the future to help learn from the past. The program offers medical care and a generous amount of money, both of which Bridget sorely needs. The only catch is if you enter the program you give up your family and friends and present life. But for someone like Bridget, she has little choice. Therefore she agrees to get sent to Elizabethan England and live the remainder of her life there. But something goes very wrong.
“This was supposed to be the greatest moment of her life, the day she gave up the woman she'd been for the sake of the woman humanity needed her to be.”
What I loved about this story was that Bridget never felt at home in the 22nd century, not in her body, not in the patriarchal society and certainly not within her own family, even though she does all she can to help her sister Emily. Yet it is through an accident, a glitch in the time travel machine that sends her to a place where she finds love, where she can finally be Taylor and truly belong.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey
It all starts with a short straw. That’s the job no one wants, a job where the real you no longer exists, a job with no return, and unfortunately our protagonist Violet Anne Fitzwallace draws the short straw. To be sent back in time to cause a scandal before Prince Henry’s coronation, Anne’s future is set to marry a man she cannot stand. However upon her first meeting with Henry, she breaks the first rule: No Contact. Anne meets someone who is part of her life in the timeline she has come from, a person she was supposed to forget, had to forget, didn’t want to ever forget.
This was an utterly beautiful story where the characters escape the fate others impose on them and create their own path, doing what makes them the happiest. Even if that means leading a double life. Gailey’s prose is packed with emotion, lust, passion, tenderness and longing. In such a short narrative I was swept away in a forbidden romance that even time itself couldn’t pull apart.
“I breathed her in, the air around
her tasted so familiar, tasted just like
Dani. Like salt air, like thunderstorms, like warm flannel sheets on a cold winter night.
"Do you remember satellites?" I asked, my fingers curled tight in the fabric of her sleeve.”
ARC provided by Jess at Rebellion Publishing. Thank you for the copy!
This anthology, as you can probably tell, delves into the themes of time-travel, love, loss and reunions through a variety of narratives and diverse characters. I have chosen to review four of these stories which were my favourites and left the biggest impact on me. These are stories which celebrate love, self discovery and finding your soulmate.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E Harrow
This is the story of Floyd Butler, a young man who runs through time searching for what he had already found. On the day that Floyd is dumped by his girlfriend Candace Stillwater, he decides to take a trip to The Ticket Through Time Theme Park and use The World’s One and Only Time Machine in the hopes of having a heroic adventure. Over a period of months he travels back and forth through time, always returning not quite satisfied. Though all is not so bad, because each time he does return someone waits for him. Someone who he can share stories of his wild adventures with, someone with strikingly long eyelashes.
If you know me, you know I love Alix E Harrow. Her poetic and beautifully descriptive prose, her heartbreaking story arcs and her well crafted diverse characters always hold a special place for me. Roadside Attraction was no exception. This short story was a sweet slice of chocolate cake which filled my heart with such comfort and warmth. Harrow shows us that destiny doesn’t need to be a sweeping grand concept, sometimes it can simply be discovering and accepting who you are.
“Floyd had never had his heart
broken, not really, but he wondered
if it felt like this: a hunger so sharp
it hurt, a want so vast it splintered ribs.”
The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho
“Rui closed his eyes in a temperature-controlled room in Hong Kong in winter. He opened his eyes to the glare of tropical sunshine. The air was humid, like the warm breath of a god.”
What if you could experience glimpses of your past lives? That’s exactly what The Past Life Reconstruction Services offers. A chance for those to choose a moment in time and travel back to the life they led during that exact time. Boasted as, “A leap into the unknown”. But what if each time you went back to your past life, you always met your ex? Well that’s exactly what happens to Rui.
What I enjoyed most about this story is Zen Cho’s twist on the portrayal of the ex partner. This isn’t a tale of an ex who treated Rui badly, oh no this is where Rui chose ambition over his soulmate. Whichever past life Rui enters, whether he be a male, female or in one scene even an animal, he always recognises who his ex is. Cho reflects that there are some people in life who we are fated to and not realising their worth, letting them slip through our fingers, can be the biggest mistake of all.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire
Taylor or Bridget as she is now to be called is from the 22nd Century. It should be a century of progression, of peace and prosperity but the world has gone turned to trash. A patriarchal society still reigns, the air has become toxic and fresh food has become rare, the people live on synthetically engineered food to survive. Bridget volunteers for the Deep Time Project—a project designed to explore the mysteries of history by sending volunteer time travellers to blend into the population of whichever era they visit and send notes to the future to help learn from the past. The program offers medical care and a generous amount of money, both of which Bridget sorely needs. The only catch is if you enter the program you give up your family and friends and present life. But for someone like Bridget, she has little choice. Therefore she agrees to get sent to Elizabethan England and live the remainder of her life there. But something goes very wrong.
“This was supposed to be the greatest moment of her life, the day she gave up the woman she'd been for the sake of the woman humanity needed her to be.”
What I loved about this story was that Bridget never felt at home in the 22nd century, not in her body, not in the patriarchal society and certainly not within her own family, even though she does all she can to help her sister Emily. Yet it is through an accident, a glitch in the time travel machine that sends her to a place where she finds love, where she can finally be Taylor and truly belong.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey
It all starts with a short straw. That’s the job no one wants, a job where the real you no longer exists, a job with no return, and unfortunately our protagonist Violet Anne Fitzwallace draws the short straw. To be sent back in time to cause a scandal before Prince Henry’s coronation, Anne’s future is set to marry a man she cannot stand. However upon her first meeting with Henry, she breaks the first rule: No Contact. Anne meets someone who is part of her life in the timeline she has come from, a person she was supposed to forget, had to forget, didn’t want to ever forget.
This was an utterly beautiful story where the characters escape the fate others impose on them and create their own path, doing what makes them the happiest. Even if that means leading a double life. Gailey’s prose is packed with emotion, lust, passion, tenderness and longing. In such a short narrative I was swept away in a forbidden romance that even time itself couldn’t pull apart.
“I breathed her in, the air around
her tasted so familiar, tasted just like
Dani. Like salt air, like thunderstorms, like warm flannel sheets on a cold winter night.
"Do you remember satellites?" I asked, my fingers curled tight in the fabric of her sleeve.”
ARC provided by Jess at Rebellion Publishing. Thank you for the copy!
August 7, 2022
Roadside Attraction: 5
I ADORED this story so much! Peppered with hints of attraction, this story was oh so satisfying!
The Past Life Reconstruction Service: 4
I wavered rating this between a 3 or 4, coz the writing jumped around. And while the story itself was interesting - Rui himself rubbed me the wrong way. He was selfish, perhaps right to the final session.
First Aid: 4
This story had a fairly rushed but interesting premise: what if you had a one way ticket to the past, to investigate that time period in the name of research? It was sadly, just a bit lacking towards the end, jumping to certain conclusions before the story soon (almost abruptly) ended.
I Remember Satellites: 4
Loads of stars, because it was well-written. Minus one star, because the subject matter rubbed me the wrong way. I get the idea between genuinely falling in love, and having to do one's duty (and in this case, through time), but cheating in any manner is reprehensible to me.
The Golden Hour: 4
This was unexpectedly dark... the protagonist encountering an old man, who is actually a time traveller. The ideas behind it are interesting, but the ending was rather bleak.
The Lichens: 3
The story starts out quite interesting, but endings in a rather vague and opaque manner. (That is, to me, it isn't entirely clear whether our two protagonists ever find that opportunity to be together, though their longing is quite evident.)
Kronia: 2
Just a little too confusing for my taste...
Bergamot and Vertiver: 5
My primary criticism of this story was that the writing didn't flow smoothly, but I appreciated how the author incorporated a real-life situation, and added a time-travelling flavour to it.
The Difference Between Love and Time: 5
It took a while for me to get a handle of what was happening, but once I understood, I truly appreciated how incredibly well-written this gem of a short story was.
Unabashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse: 5
Short and sweet, and incredibly affecting.
Historical: Romance: 5
This was oh so bittersweet. A chance meeting between two souls, leading to happiness (albeit for a short while).
The Place of All the Souls: 3
This story was far too abstract for my taste and understanding. If I can, I may read this again so I can see if I can figure out the timelines.
Timed Obsolescence: 4
Written in the second person, this was an incredibly difficult story to follow, least of all because I desperately wanted to know who was recounting the story (which was something that was only revealed at the very end). Having said that, it was still a rather sad story, about the possible repercussions of time infractions.
A Letter to Merlin: 4
Written in the form of letters, while this short story was interesting and well-written, there's a pervasive sense of melancholy through it all. It really didn't sit well with me.
Dead Poets: 3
A fascinating bit of time travel. A chance for the narrator to meet her heroes; her idols. The twist was interesting, though I thought it was a bit trite.
Time Gypsy: 5
And that, my friends, is how you write a satisfying time travel story, incorporating romance while resolving injustices. What a perfect way to complete the anthology!
I ADORED this story so much! Peppered with hints of attraction, this story was oh so satisfying!
The Past Life Reconstruction Service: 4
I wavered rating this between a 3 or 4, coz the writing jumped around. And while the story itself was interesting - Rui himself rubbed me the wrong way. He was selfish, perhaps right to the final session.
First Aid: 4
This story had a fairly rushed but interesting premise: what if you had a one way ticket to the past, to investigate that time period in the name of research? It was sadly, just a bit lacking towards the end, jumping to certain conclusions before the story soon (almost abruptly) ended.
I Remember Satellites: 4
Loads of stars, because it was well-written. Minus one star, because the subject matter rubbed me the wrong way. I get the idea between genuinely falling in love, and having to do one's duty (and in this case, through time), but cheating in any manner is reprehensible to me.
The Golden Hour: 4
This was unexpectedly dark... the protagonist encountering an old man, who is actually a time traveller. The ideas behind it are interesting, but the ending was rather bleak.
The Lichens: 3
The story starts out quite interesting, but endings in a rather vague and opaque manner. (That is, to me, it isn't entirely clear whether our two protagonists ever find that opportunity to be together, though their longing is quite evident.)
Kronia: 2
Just a little too confusing for my taste...
Bergamot and Vertiver: 5
My primary criticism of this story was that the writing didn't flow smoothly, but I appreciated how the author incorporated a real-life situation, and added a time-travelling flavour to it.
The Difference Between Love and Time: 5
It took a while for me to get a handle of what was happening, but once I understood, I truly appreciated how incredibly well-written this gem of a short story was.
Unabashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse: 5
Short and sweet, and incredibly affecting.
Historical: Romance: 5
This was oh so bittersweet. A chance meeting between two souls, leading to happiness (albeit for a short while).
The Place of All the Souls: 3
This story was far too abstract for my taste and understanding. If I can, I may read this again so I can see if I can figure out the timelines.
Timed Obsolescence: 4
Written in the second person, this was an incredibly difficult story to follow, least of all because I desperately wanted to know who was recounting the story (which was something that was only revealed at the very end). Having said that, it was still a rather sad story, about the possible repercussions of time infractions.
A Letter to Merlin: 4
Written in the form of letters, while this short story was interesting and well-written, there's a pervasive sense of melancholy through it all. It really didn't sit well with me.
Dead Poets: 3
A fascinating bit of time travel. A chance for the narrator to meet her heroes; her idols. The twist was interesting, though I thought it was a bit trite.
Time Gypsy: 5
And that, my friends, is how you write a satisfying time travel story, incorporating romance while resolving injustices. What a perfect way to complete the anthology!
October 1, 2024
This was a spectacular journey. I must admit that I am not normally a fan of the romance genre but I get pretty excited about science fiction on the regular so I figured I might just give this book a try and see how things went.
I was thrilled by the queer representation in these pages. I had pretty much zero interest in wading through another heteronormative love story, and these tales offered so much brilliant diversity in addition to the creativity in each world.
I'm going to be adding quite a few books to my TBR so I can explore more stories from these awesome authors.
I was thrilled by the queer representation in these pages. I had pretty much zero interest in wading through another heteronormative love story, and these tales offered so much brilliant diversity in addition to the creativity in each world.
I'm going to be adding quite a few books to my TBR so I can explore more stories from these awesome authors.
May 11, 2022
I was so obsessed with the idea of this when I first heard of it, and now after finishing, I’m even more obsessed with the execution of it. AHHHH how I loved it! There are definitely stories in particular that stand out, but I’m so in love with all of this as a whole that I feel as if it’s the collection in its entirety that matters. The imagination, intelligence, humour, sadness, creativity, romance, warnings, wisdom, resilience on display here…absolute magic.
November 14, 2022
Love a random library grab that ends up being 5⭐!
Someone in Time is a collection of short stories that all share two elements: time travel and a dash of romance. I'm not always drawn to short story collections, but I really loved how the overlapping themes worked. It was really fun seeing how many imaginings of time travel there were, and even the stories that weren't my favorite got a boost.
A few of my favorites:
"Roadside Attraction" - A time travel portal had been discovered but has lost its shine for all except a few lonely souls in search of their destiny.
"The Distance Between Love and Time" - What is it like to fall in love with the space-time continuum?
"Romance: Historical" - A window to the past connects two booksellers in different times!
"A Letter to Merlin" - What if people in the future go back to take the consciousnesses of people in the past to try to save humanity?
So many other good ones too! So much imagination in these stories and no weak links in the bunch.
Someone in Time is a collection of short stories that all share two elements: time travel and a dash of romance. I'm not always drawn to short story collections, but I really loved how the overlapping themes worked. It was really fun seeing how many imaginings of time travel there were, and even the stories that weren't my favorite got a boost.
A few of my favorites:
"Roadside Attraction" - A time travel portal had been discovered but has lost its shine for all except a few lonely souls in search of their destiny.
"The Distance Between Love and Time" - What is it like to fall in love with the space-time continuum?
"Romance: Historical" - A window to the past connects two booksellers in different times!
"A Letter to Merlin" - What if people in the future go back to take the consciousnesses of people in the past to try to save humanity?
So many other good ones too! So much imagination in these stories and no weak links in the bunch.
May 7, 2022
A glorious set of SF&F tales with love as a core theme. Brilliantly delivered stories from a host of our best authors await you - will warm the heart
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...
January 10, 2023
THIS is how you do an anthology, loved it!
May 26, 2025
Someone in Time: Tales of Time-Crossed Romance edited by Jonathan Strahan: 3*
I enjoyed this short story collection despite not loving every individual story within it. I love time travel stories in general, and so it was very interesting to see the different methods and rules around time travel each author came up with. None of these stories had bad prose, and I understand why each were chosen for the collection. No regrets reading this. It makes me want to pick up more anthologies. I'll put my rating for each story below.
"The Difference Between Space and Time" by Catherynne M. Valente: 5*. A story about a woman falling in love with the space-time continuum itself. I was surprised by how invested I got into this story to the point where I was crying by the end. Many will likely think it too weird, but I was into the disjointed style.
"The Golden Hour" by Jeffrey Ford: 4.5*. A writer begins a friendship with a man who claims to be a time traveler searching his own timeline for his wife. Another weird take that I liked. I enjoyed a single character, the time traveler, more than any romantic relationship, and the ending genuinely caught me off guard.
"A Letter to Merlin" by Theodora Goss: 4*. A woman is sent back into the body of Guinevere of Arthurian legend over and over again to try to save the future. There are a lot of stories in here where a time traveler falls in love with a historical person, real or imagined, and that's generally not my thing. This time it worked for me, however, maybe because the writing was fairy tale-like and they didn't fall in love instantly.
"Roadside Attraction" by Alix E. Harrow: 4*. A man tries to find his destiny by going back to random points in time and place, while another man is always there to greet him when he returns. This was the only story from an author I've read from before, and I found it very sweet. The main character had a clear little arc, and though the ending was predictable, it was satisfying.
"I Remember Satellites" by Sarah Gailey: 3.5*. A time traveler's mission involves the seduction of a soon-to-be king, but her fellow time-traveling ex(ish)-lover shows up and complicates things. The writing was very good for this one, and I liked the intrigue and drama of the two main women's relationship. I wish we got more of both of their personalities, though.
"Time Gypsy" by Ellen Klages: 3*. A longer story about a scientist who goes back in time to retrieve the lost manuscript of her scientific role model. Some of these short stories don't feel like proper stories, but this one definitely did. I was rooting for the main characters and enjoyed the ending, but the logistical aspects of the mission bothered me throughout. The romance in universe was very quick.
"Romance: Historical" by Rowan Coleman: A bookstore employee finds that she can communicate with a "ghost" from the past through the bookshelves. Very whimsical and sweet story, but almost too sweet, for me. Neither of the main two characters had much of a personality.
"The Past Life Reconstruction Service" by Zen Cho: 3*. A man pays for a service where he can revisit his past lives, only to keep encountering the ex he's been trying to forget over and over again. I liked this take on time travel (I'm just a sucker for stories involving fate). I just wasn't really rooting for the protagonist, and the love interest didn't have much of a personality. That is a qualm I have with many stories, apparently.
"Kronia" by Elizabeth Hand: 3*. A very short story that feels like a list of scenarios. I kind of liked it for its abstract take on time travel. It almost seemed like these were the not-time travelers, whose lives keep changing through no will of their own as they switch timelines. Not much to grasp onto, though.
"Unbashed, or: Jackson Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse" by Sam J. Miller: Similar to "Kronia," a very short story that's mostly reflective on what could have been. I don't have any issues with it, but it didn't necessarily stand out, either.
"Timed Obsolescence" by Sameem Siddiqui: 3*. A time traveler for hire encounters another time traveler on the job, falling in love despite his family at home. I just don't love cheating/cheating-adjacent stories, and this felt cheating-adjacent. The writing and worldbuilding were definitely interesting, but the ending just baffled me. I had no idea what was going on.
"The Lichens" by Nina Allan: 2.5*. A woman in historical Ireland encounters another strange woman who she kind of recognizes and wants her help. Once again, not a huge fan of the falling in love with a historical person thing. I think it's just difficult to establish instant chemistry. I remember being confused about why the story was focusing on what it was focusing on, and the writing style wasn't my favorite.
"Dead Poets" by Carrie Vaughn: 2.5*. A professor steals and drinks from a Greek cup for some reason and ends up traveling back in time. This one felt a bit too self-indulgent for me. It involves another romantic encounter with a historical figure (a real one), and I just didn't understand why the historical figure was into her.
"Bergamot and Vetiver" by Lavanya Lakshminarayan: 2.5*. A woman goes back in time to study a city in the Indus Valley Civilization that had mastered water usage and irrigation. This didn't feel like a story as much as a concept. Yet another time traveler and historical person romance, but this one was really forced. I don't know why they were attracted to each other at all. I didn't love the structure, flashing between different times with no indication when the jump is happening, and the ending wasn't really and ending.
"First Aid" by Seanan McGuire: 2*. A woman gets sent back in time to record historical happenings in medieval England, but something goes wrong. I really liked the logistical aspects of the time travel here, but there wasn't really a story. The romance element felt just tacked on at the end.
"The Place of all the Souls" by Margo Lanagan: 2*. A woman and a man are soulmates, but they're married to other people. Yeah, I don't like romances focused on cheating. It's simply not romantic to me. I was intrigued at first, but by the end, I was just annoyed. They act like staying married to their respective partners is doing what's best, while blatantly telling their spouses that the other person is their soulmate and they're staying out of obligation. The past storyline had no meaning.
I enjoyed this short story collection despite not loving every individual story within it. I love time travel stories in general, and so it was very interesting to see the different methods and rules around time travel each author came up with. None of these stories had bad prose, and I understand why each were chosen for the collection. No regrets reading this. It makes me want to pick up more anthologies. I'll put my rating for each story below.
"The Difference Between Space and Time" by Catherynne M. Valente: 5*. A story about a woman falling in love with the space-time continuum itself. I was surprised by how invested I got into this story to the point where I was crying by the end. Many will likely think it too weird, but I was into the disjointed style.
"The Golden Hour" by Jeffrey Ford: 4.5*. A writer begins a friendship with a man who claims to be a time traveler searching his own timeline for his wife. Another weird take that I liked. I enjoyed a single character, the time traveler, more than any romantic relationship, and the ending genuinely caught me off guard.
"A Letter to Merlin" by Theodora Goss: 4*. A woman is sent back into the body of Guinevere of Arthurian legend over and over again to try to save the future. There are a lot of stories in here where a time traveler falls in love with a historical person, real or imagined, and that's generally not my thing. This time it worked for me, however, maybe because the writing was fairy tale-like and they didn't fall in love instantly.
"Roadside Attraction" by Alix E. Harrow: 4*. A man tries to find his destiny by going back to random points in time and place, while another man is always there to greet him when he returns. This was the only story from an author I've read from before, and I found it very sweet. The main character had a clear little arc, and though the ending was predictable, it was satisfying.
"I Remember Satellites" by Sarah Gailey: 3.5*. A time traveler's mission involves the seduction of a soon-to-be king, but her fellow time-traveling ex(ish)-lover shows up and complicates things. The writing was very good for this one, and I liked the intrigue and drama of the two main women's relationship. I wish we got more of both of their personalities, though.
"Time Gypsy" by Ellen Klages: 3*. A longer story about a scientist who goes back in time to retrieve the lost manuscript of her scientific role model. Some of these short stories don't feel like proper stories, but this one definitely did. I was rooting for the main characters and enjoyed the ending, but the logistical aspects of the mission bothered me throughout. The romance in universe was very quick.
"Romance: Historical" by Rowan Coleman: A bookstore employee finds that she can communicate with a "ghost" from the past through the bookshelves. Very whimsical and sweet story, but almost too sweet, for me. Neither of the main two characters had much of a personality.
"The Past Life Reconstruction Service" by Zen Cho: 3*. A man pays for a service where he can revisit his past lives, only to keep encountering the ex he's been trying to forget over and over again. I liked this take on time travel (I'm just a sucker for stories involving fate). I just wasn't really rooting for the protagonist, and the love interest didn't have much of a personality. That is a qualm I have with many stories, apparently.
"Kronia" by Elizabeth Hand: 3*. A very short story that feels like a list of scenarios. I kind of liked it for its abstract take on time travel. It almost seemed like these were the not-time travelers, whose lives keep changing through no will of their own as they switch timelines. Not much to grasp onto, though.
"Unbashed, or: Jackson Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse" by Sam J. Miller: Similar to "Kronia," a very short story that's mostly reflective on what could have been. I don't have any issues with it, but it didn't necessarily stand out, either.
"Timed Obsolescence" by Sameem Siddiqui: 3*. A time traveler for hire encounters another time traveler on the job, falling in love despite his family at home. I just don't love cheating/cheating-adjacent stories, and this felt cheating-adjacent. The writing and worldbuilding were definitely interesting, but the ending just baffled me. I had no idea what was going on.
"The Lichens" by Nina Allan: 2.5*. A woman in historical Ireland encounters another strange woman who she kind of recognizes and wants her help. Once again, not a huge fan of the falling in love with a historical person thing. I think it's just difficult to establish instant chemistry. I remember being confused about why the story was focusing on what it was focusing on, and the writing style wasn't my favorite.
"Dead Poets" by Carrie Vaughn: 2.5*. A professor steals and drinks from a Greek cup for some reason and ends up traveling back in time. This one felt a bit too self-indulgent for me. It involves another romantic encounter with a historical figure (a real one), and I just didn't understand why the historical figure was into her.
"Bergamot and Vetiver" by Lavanya Lakshminarayan: 2.5*. A woman goes back in time to study a city in the Indus Valley Civilization that had mastered water usage and irrigation. This didn't feel like a story as much as a concept. Yet another time traveler and historical person romance, but this one was really forced. I don't know why they were attracted to each other at all. I didn't love the structure, flashing between different times with no indication when the jump is happening, and the ending wasn't really and ending.
"First Aid" by Seanan McGuire: 2*. A woman gets sent back in time to record historical happenings in medieval England, but something goes wrong. I really liked the logistical aspects of the time travel here, but there wasn't really a story. The romance element felt just tacked on at the end.
"The Place of all the Souls" by Margo Lanagan: 2*. A woman and a man are soulmates, but they're married to other people. Yeah, I don't like romances focused on cheating. It's simply not romantic to me. I was intrigued at first, but by the end, I was just annoyed. They act like staying married to their respective partners is doing what's best, while blatantly telling their spouses that the other person is their soulmate and they're staying out of obligation. The past storyline had no meaning.
June 28, 2022
Time travel is my jam, I loved some of the stories and skipped a few.
May 13, 2022
Virtually any science fiction author will respond when Jonathan Strahan asks them to submit a story to an original anthology, and this one shows that: Many of the top authors and new authors working today have contributed to this book. The idea of time-crossed love was too tempting to resist: Apparently everybody wants to write a story about that.
Some are funny, most are poignant, and all are engaging. While it is not emphasized in the marketing material, Strahan confesses he was inspired by two stories about queer love, and many of these stories have queer protagonists. I mention that because successful stories of romance between queer people can be hard to find, and people who feel centered by such stories should know about them.
On the other hand, the blurb describes stories about people “of all genders”, and that includes a story involving the space-time continuum itself, who if described as a breakfast cereal would be “Cap'n Crunch Oops All Genders” (thanks, Cat Valente, for that image).
Anyhow, most of the stories are delightful and affirming. Reading this book made me feel the sentiment of one time-traveler who sends a postcard sent back to the future: “Having a wonderful time. Thanks for the ride.”
Some are funny, most are poignant, and all are engaging. While it is not emphasized in the marketing material, Strahan confesses he was inspired by two stories about queer love, and many of these stories have queer protagonists. I mention that because successful stories of romance between queer people can be hard to find, and people who feel centered by such stories should know about them.
On the other hand, the blurb describes stories about people “of all genders”, and that includes a story involving the space-time continuum itself, who if described as a breakfast cereal would be “Cap'n Crunch Oops All Genders” (thanks, Cat Valente, for that image).
Anyhow, most of the stories are delightful and affirming. Reading this book made me feel the sentiment of one time-traveler who sends a postcard sent back to the future: “Having a wonderful time. Thanks for the ride.”
July 30, 2024
This review contains no spoilers.
I am a big fan of the short story format, so it's not unusual for me to scoop up a collection of them from time to time. When it's a clever and fun collection of stories in a sub-genre that I really enjoy, it's even less unusual. This set of stories focuses on relationships complicated by time travel. The editor played off the title of a wonderful movie from the 80's ("Somewhere in Time") and asked writers to compose stories that offered similar romantic road bumps caused by time travel. The results were outstanding.
I was delighted by the myriad different different ways the authors defined the mechanics of time travel in their stories. Some of them were well-worn and comfortable tropes (like time machines) that were nevertheless unique and fascinating in context. Others (like the space-time continuum itself serving as a character) were quite new - and wonderfully thought-provoking - to me. Couple the creativity of the act of time travel with the unique love relationships represented in the stories, and you have a compilation that I found very pleasing. These were not all conventional heterosexual relationships. There were all manner of love stories on display here in every combination of characters (including the aforementioned space-time continuum).
Favorites from this collection include "I Remember Satellites," "The Golden Hour," "The Lichens," "Romance:Historical," "A Letter to Merlin," "Time Gypsy," and my favorite of the entire set, "The Difference Between Love and Time." I highlighted some of my favorite passages in my Kindle as I read these stories, and I was surprised (and also not surprised) that the last story I mentioned had nine separate quotes! It was funny and thoughtful, and it brought something entirely new that, as a sort of aficionado of the time-travel story, I really appreciated.
I don't actually recall when I downloaded this book to my Kindle, but I was happy that it caught my attention after I finished my prior read. Thumbs up for a novel concept for these stories, and another thumb for the brilliant execution. Lots of fun to be found here. Highly recommended.
I am a big fan of the short story format, so it's not unusual for me to scoop up a collection of them from time to time. When it's a clever and fun collection of stories in a sub-genre that I really enjoy, it's even less unusual. This set of stories focuses on relationships complicated by time travel. The editor played off the title of a wonderful movie from the 80's ("Somewhere in Time") and asked writers to compose stories that offered similar romantic road bumps caused by time travel. The results were outstanding.
I was delighted by the myriad different different ways the authors defined the mechanics of time travel in their stories. Some of them were well-worn and comfortable tropes (like time machines) that were nevertheless unique and fascinating in context. Others (like the space-time continuum itself serving as a character) were quite new - and wonderfully thought-provoking - to me. Couple the creativity of the act of time travel with the unique love relationships represented in the stories, and you have a compilation that I found very pleasing. These were not all conventional heterosexual relationships. There were all manner of love stories on display here in every combination of characters (including the aforementioned space-time continuum).
Favorites from this collection include "I Remember Satellites," "The Golden Hour," "The Lichens," "Romance:Historical," "A Letter to Merlin," "Time Gypsy," and my favorite of the entire set, "The Difference Between Love and Time." I highlighted some of my favorite passages in my Kindle as I read these stories, and I was surprised (and also not surprised) that the last story I mentioned had nine separate quotes! It was funny and thoughtful, and it brought something entirely new that, as a sort of aficionado of the time-travel story, I really appreciated.
I don't actually recall when I downloaded this book to my Kindle, but I was happy that it caught my attention after I finished my prior read. Thumbs up for a novel concept for these stories, and another thumb for the brilliant execution. Lots of fun to be found here. Highly recommended.
May 17, 2022
Someone in Time is a collection of time-travel romance short stories. As with any collection, I found my feelings were mixed. There were some I liked. Some that were okay. Some that did not work for me. If nothing else, it introduced me to new authors I will be looking to read more of.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow was a three-star rating. I’ll be honest and say I rounded this one down, simply because I wanted a little more from it. As it was, this was a nice start to the collection, a story that pulled me in easily and had me powering through it in no time. It was a sweet story, and I adored the way it came together.
The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho was a two-star rating. While I liked the concept of this one, I never quite fell for it in the way I had hoped. I think this is because the soul mate element of this one felt a bit brushed to the side. It was vital to the story, yet I would have liked to see more of the interactions between them instead of just being told how things were.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire was a three-star rating. This was another concept I liked but was again disappointed by the romance side of it. I felt the romance element of this one was an afterthought, as though it had been tacked on at the end when it was remembered that the collection was supposed to have a romantic element.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey was a four-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I rounded this one up. Like the first story in the collection, this was a great mix of time-travel and romance, one that sucked me in with ease. The more I read, the more invested in the story I became, and I adored the way the pieces fell into place.
The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford was a three-star rating. My thoughts flickered on this one for a while, my views changing, but I cannot deny the fact that this one kept me gripped. It was a story that kept me turning the pages, one where it added subtle twists to transform what I worked out into something that was unique.
The Lichens by Nina Allan was a two-star rating. This was another one where I felt the romance element was an afterthought. It was another time-travel story that was interesting, albeit one where I didn’t quite connect with the writing style, but it would have been better had the romance not felt forced.
Kronia by Elizabeth Hand was a two-star rating. I think this was just one of those stories that I didn’t jive with. It was a little too out there for me. That is not a bad thing, it just means I quickly forgot about this one.
Bergamot and Vetiver by Lavanya Lakshminarayan was a two-star rating. I appreciated the historical elements of this one, the civilisation packed into this story, but it was another one where I found the romantic element felt forced. I was curious about the way things out play out, but the forced feel of the romance toward the end lessened my enjoyment.
The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente was a four-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that this one was my favourite. It was a wild ride, and I could not get enough of. It was just on the right side of strange for me and it had me grinning throughout.
Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller was a two-star rating. While I really liked the emotional side of this one, it was a story that was easily forgotten. It was powerful in the moment, yet it was so quick it was lost in the other stories that left lingering lengthy effects.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman was a three-star rating. This was a great combination of time-travel and romance, although I did find the story to be a little easy to predict. That was not enough to ruin my enjoyment, but it did mean it was not a favourite in the collection.
The Place of all the Souls by Margo Lanagan was a two-star rating. This was another where I was not impressed by the romance side of things. The time-travel elements were interesting, although I would have liked more, but I felt no investment in understanding the romance – which was disappointing, considering the romance was important in this one.
Time Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui was a two-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I think I missed something with this one. It never really held my attention, and when things came together at the end I was left with questions that I felt I should have understood. Unfortunately, as I did not enjoy it in the way I had hoped, I had no desire to go back and find what I had missed.
A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss was a four-star rating. While we do not actively see the romance in this one, it was done much better than in some of the other stories. It mixed the story of Merlin (that I love) with time-travel, providing an approach that gave it a unique spin. In fact, I’d love to read this set as a full-length story.
Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn was a two-star rating. Again, this was one where I never really felt the romantic elements. I know it looked at a different type of love, yet I felt it went against what the aim of the collection was. Thus, I was left wanting more. That said, it was an interesting approach to time-travel and something different.
Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages was a three-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I rounded this one down. It was another interesting story, yet I found this one a little too easy to predict. The big detail at the end was a little too obvious, and it lessened the impact of the story. It was an enjoyable end to the book, though.
All in all, while there were some in this I did enjoy, I feel it wasn’t quite the right mix of time-travel and romance in most of the stories. Had I gone in expecting less romance, I probably would have enjoyed these more. As it was, I felt like I was promised something that I was not fully provided.
Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow was a three-star rating. I’ll be honest and say I rounded this one down, simply because I wanted a little more from it. As it was, this was a nice start to the collection, a story that pulled me in easily and had me powering through it in no time. It was a sweet story, and I adored the way it came together.
The Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho was a two-star rating. While I liked the concept of this one, I never quite fell for it in the way I had hoped. I think this is because the soul mate element of this one felt a bit brushed to the side. It was vital to the story, yet I would have liked to see more of the interactions between them instead of just being told how things were.
First Aid by Seanan McGuire was a three-star rating. This was another concept I liked but was again disappointed by the romance side of it. I felt the romance element of this one was an afterthought, as though it had been tacked on at the end when it was remembered that the collection was supposed to have a romantic element.
I Remember Satellites by Sarah Gailey was a four-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I rounded this one up. Like the first story in the collection, this was a great mix of time-travel and romance, one that sucked me in with ease. The more I read, the more invested in the story I became, and I adored the way the pieces fell into place.
The Golden Hour by Jeffrey Ford was a three-star rating. My thoughts flickered on this one for a while, my views changing, but I cannot deny the fact that this one kept me gripped. It was a story that kept me turning the pages, one where it added subtle twists to transform what I worked out into something that was unique.
The Lichens by Nina Allan was a two-star rating. This was another one where I felt the romance element was an afterthought. It was another time-travel story that was interesting, albeit one where I didn’t quite connect with the writing style, but it would have been better had the romance not felt forced.
Kronia by Elizabeth Hand was a two-star rating. I think this was just one of those stories that I didn’t jive with. It was a little too out there for me. That is not a bad thing, it just means I quickly forgot about this one.
Bergamot and Vetiver by Lavanya Lakshminarayan was a two-star rating. I appreciated the historical elements of this one, the civilisation packed into this story, but it was another one where I found the romantic element felt forced. I was curious about the way things out play out, but the forced feel of the romance toward the end lessened my enjoyment.
The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valente was a four-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that this one was my favourite. It was a wild ride, and I could not get enough of. It was just on the right side of strange for me and it had me grinning throughout.
Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller was a two-star rating. While I really liked the emotional side of this one, it was a story that was easily forgotten. It was powerful in the moment, yet it was so quick it was lost in the other stories that left lingering lengthy effects.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman was a three-star rating. This was a great combination of time-travel and romance, although I did find the story to be a little easy to predict. That was not enough to ruin my enjoyment, but it did mean it was not a favourite in the collection.
The Place of all the Souls by Margo Lanagan was a two-star rating. This was another where I was not impressed by the romance side of things. The time-travel elements were interesting, although I would have liked more, but I felt no investment in understanding the romance – which was disappointing, considering the romance was important in this one.
Time Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui was a two-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I think I missed something with this one. It never really held my attention, and when things came together at the end I was left with questions that I felt I should have understood. Unfortunately, as I did not enjoy it in the way I had hoped, I had no desire to go back and find what I had missed.
A Letter to Merlin by Theodora Goss was a four-star rating. While we do not actively see the romance in this one, it was done much better than in some of the other stories. It mixed the story of Merlin (that I love) with time-travel, providing an approach that gave it a unique spin. In fact, I’d love to read this set as a full-length story.
Dead Poets by Carrie Vaughn was a two-star rating. Again, this was one where I never really felt the romantic elements. I know it looked at a different type of love, yet I felt it went against what the aim of the collection was. Thus, I was left wanting more. That said, it was an interesting approach to time-travel and something different.
Time Gypsy by Ellen Klages was a three-star rating. I’ll be honest and say that I rounded this one down. It was another interesting story, yet I found this one a little too easy to predict. The big detail at the end was a little too obvious, and it lessened the impact of the story. It was an enjoyable end to the book, though.
All in all, while there were some in this I did enjoy, I feel it wasn’t quite the right mix of time-travel and romance in most of the stories. Had I gone in expecting less romance, I probably would have enjoyed these more. As it was, I felt like I was promised something that I was not fully provided.
December 10, 2022
foi um conjunto de contos bem mornos em sua totalidade, alguns excepcionais e a a maioria só ok
destaques para os contos da alix e harrow, catherynne m valente, sam j miller e lavanya lakshminarayan
“It’s a bad idea to seek closure from the past, you know,” said the technician gently. “There’s nothing you can do to affect what happened then. You can only change the life you’re living right now.”
destaques para os contos da alix e harrow, catherynne m valente, sam j miller e lavanya lakshminarayan
“It’s a bad idea to seek closure from the past, you know,” said the technician gently. “There’s nothing you can do to affect what happened then. You can only change the life you’re living right now.”
April 9, 2025
Strong stories here, although not necessarily my kinds of time travel stories (no butterflies were harmed in this book). I still liked most of them know (a few, not so much; I won’t name those). Favorites were “Roadside Attraction” by Alix E. Harrow (it took place in an almost believable western Kansas, apparently near mt home town although it was never named); “The Lichens” by Nina Allen (I wanted this one to keep going); “Unbashed” by Sam Miller (a wow sort of story).
May 3, 2022
I generally enjoy both short stories and time travel stories, so I was primed to enjoy this book. And I certainly did! As is the case with story collections, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others, but none of these were duds.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC copy for my review.
September 10, 2022
This rating feels unfair, because there were some stories in here that I LOVED, but 2 stars feels like the right amount for the book as a whole.
December 15, 2022
nice collection. wasn't super into any story tho.
January 12, 2025
My favourites were:
-Roadside Attraction
-I Remember Satellites
-Romance:Historical
-Dead Poets
-Time Gypsy
-Roadside Attraction
-I Remember Satellites
-Romance:Historical
-Dead Poets
-Time Gypsy
September 21, 2022
Well that took me a while! Turns out reading a time travel anthology requires quite a bit of focus and effort to successfully re-orient into a new world and time travel system for every single story, which is probably why I dragged my feet finishing this. But it was a really good anthology, all in all! I love how many stories were queer, too.
My favourites were probably Roadside Attraction by Alix. E. Harrow, Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho, The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valante, Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore A Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller, Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman, and Time G*psy by Ellen Klages (save for the slur in the title).
My biggest takeaway, however, is a strong urge to read This Is How You Lose the Time War again, lmao.
My favourites were probably Roadside Attraction by Alix. E. Harrow, Past Life Reconstruction Service by Zen Cho, The Difference Between Love and Time by Catherynne M. Valante, Unbashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore A Hole in the Chronoverse by Sam J. Miller, Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman, and Time G*psy by Ellen Klages (save for the slur in the title).
My biggest takeaway, however, is a strong urge to read This Is How You Lose the Time War again, lmao.
May 19, 2022
I'm grateful to the publisher for an advance e-copy of Someone in Time to consider for review.
This is a collection of stories of time-crossed lovers, by some major names in contemporary SFF - there are stories here by Alix E. Harrow, Carrie Vaughn, Catherynne M. Valente, Elizabeth Hand, Ellen Klages, Jeffrey Ford, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Margo Lanagan, Nina Allan, Rowan Coleman, Sam J. Miller, Sameem Siddiqui, Sarah Gailey, Seanan McGuire, Theodora Goss and Zen Cho.
As with any such collection, part of the fun was reading pieces by authors I hadn't encountered before, as well as recognising the styles and approach of some I was more familiar with, and seeing how those addressed the overall theme of the anthology. Blending time travel and romance sounds straightforward, but it's not just a matter of two time travellers (or a time traveller and a citizen of the past or future) falling for one another, is it? With the possibilities of forbidden knowledge from another timeline, or of losing a lover in the multiverse, or, with whole futures at stake, having to do the Right Thing, there is much to explore.
Among my favourites were Allan's story The Lichens, in which future time-adventurer Joe (Josephine) falls for Helen, a woman living at the time of Culloden. It has a sense familiar in her writings of taking part in a wider universe with various mysteries alluded to but left unresolved. I enjoyed Joe's and Helen's delicate dance around each other, expressed by each separately in the idioms of their own times which combine to create a narrative with emotional depth.
Or there's Sam J Miller's Unabashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse, which is a story of a lost love, a young man who's lost his just-met boyfriend and sees through a whole life all the ways that things could have gone differently. More, he inhabits a myriad of possible worlds of regret and self-blame - a vivid way to bring to life those times when the multiverse tips and it's impossible inability to fix it. This reminded me of themes in Miller's forthcoming collection Boys, Beasts and Men.
And in Ellen Klages' Time Gypsy, there's a glimpse of California in the bad old days as time travel enables a moment heroine to travel back to the 50s to unravel an issue of scientific attribution. It's so vividly imagined - both the casual sexism and homophobia, and the human connections that route around it. I simply love Klages' writing.
But really, all of the stories here are excellent. In Alix E Harrow's Roadside Attraction, I loved the idea that a working time "machine" - actually, a sandstone obelisk in a remote rural community in the US - could become one of those local attractions that brings in a trickle of tourists and has an extensively stocked gift shop. Such is the fate of the object here, which attracts Floyd Butler - heart not really broken by Candace Stillwater - to seek out adventure. The presence of time travel is almost incidental, simply providing a means of escape as Butler runs into increasing levels of danger rather than face what his heart is telling him. A beatifully imagined story, all the more so for the balance between the personal and the cosmic.
In a slightly different conception of time travel, Zen Cho's The Past Life Reconstruction Service imagines a service that can immerse the subject in their own previous incarnations. It's time travel, but then again, it's not. Setting the scene, perhaps, for self-discovery rather than messing with the timeline (an issue many of the stories here have to navigate) we see Rui, a brilliant film director who is stymied creatively after the poor reception of his most recent film, distract himself by exploring past iterations of himself, taking in different genders, different periods of history, and even different species - in one iteration, he has the life of a cow. Each time, a perplexing presence appears - can that be telling him something?
Seanan McGuire's First Aid takes Taylor back in time for research purposes. It's a strictly one-way trip, intended to immerse the subject in her era so that she can bury notes for the future, and the prep is extreme - including surgery to help her blend in with the folk of Elizabethan England. You can't prepare for every eventuality, though, and surgery can't anticipate matters of the heart. This was a sweet story juxtaposing the grim near-future financial necessity which drives Taylor to do what she does and the possibility of fining something - someone - that can redeem her from it.
Moving from time exploration to the "Time Police" idea which had to feature here, Sarah Gailey's I Remember Satellites features a young woman being sent back for a "short straw" operation. You'll recognise the setting, though the names have been changed. It's a sacrificial assignment to change the the past - or, perhaps, prevent it being changed, but the reality of what's going on is less important than the dilemma here: the pull of love against duty as two young women, far away from home, weigh their passion against world-changing consequences.
The Golden Hour, by Jeffrey Ford, introduces its time traveller in the first sentence. Our narrator's encounter with him is slightly beguiling, allusive, taking place in a quiet town that seems to be nowhere in particular or perhaps, everywhere at once. It's a story of quite observation and the working out of a puzzle, whose nature isn't actually revealed until almost the end.
Also among my favourites here, Elizabeth Hand's Kronia takes this sense of wonder, of having no firm ground, even further. It's a story that, read closely, seems to contradict itself, presenting alternatives and crossings over, enhanced by being written in the second person and therefore posing the question, is this being told to the Other or is it somehow hypothetical? Sometimes I thought it was one, sometimes the other, but the sense of possibility seems very apt for the story of a romance, or a potential one.
If I had to name an absolute favourite in this book it might well be Bergamot and Vetiver by Latanya Lakshminarayan. This none has it all. There is a hopeless quest for a lost love, a burning injustice to be resolved and a massive, irredeemable tragedy. We see a traveller from the - a - future visit a past, a past which, unknowing, she is bound to affect. Positing the advanced technology and knowledge advantage of the future as a potential source of exploitation, Bergamot and Vetiver is I think the story here that seems to question the whole ethical basis of time travel, not just point up its potential unintended consequences.
Catherynne M Valente's The Difference Between Love and Time is very difficult to sum up. Of all the stories here, it's perhaps the most distinct, introducing us to "THE SPACE/ TIME CONTINUUM" as a character ('It is, as you have probably always expected, non-linear, non-anthropic, non-Euclidean, and wholly non-sensical'). It is also dangerous to fall in love with, or dangerous not to fall in love with, depending - in this surreal, Cubist painting of a narrative, all truths are true and all untruths as well, the beginning is the middle and the end, the beginning.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman was always going to delight me, because it's a story about a bookshop. Beth, a young assistant who wants nothing more than to disappear into the bookshelves, finds that something else got there first. You'll find no time machines or paradoxes here (well, not exactly any paradoxes) but instead rather a sweet romance, the more so for being clearly, hopelessly, doomed. Really enjoyable.
The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan takes us both to a near future bless with longevity but perhaps cursed by infertility, and a Victorian past, linked by time travel, and is one of the few stories here that examines infidelity and jealousy as a daughter learns some truths about her mother. It rather splendidly illustrates the theme of love finding its way, as does Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui which imagines a future where one can employ a time-traveller to go back and record a Significant Moment featuring an ancestor. But where there are employees there will be office romances, whether the employees are desk bound or ferreting back through the timelines.
In A Letter to Merlin, Theadora Goss gives us the real background to The Matter of Britain as a dying woman form the future endlessly revisits one corner of history - or mythology - seeking to change the timeline. But that aspect is actually almost incidental, what really impressed me here was what is only hinted at, an interior view of the whole fantastical tale of Arthur, Guinevere and Merlin which would make a cracking novel, I think.
Carrie Vaughan's Dead Poets features one of the most inventive methods of time travel I can recall, although in a sense it's of a piece with several stories in this book that portray it as a mental exercise, rather than the creation of elaborate physics. That's in keeping with the theme of the story: 'The study of literature is the process of continually falling in love with dead people'. And how. The protagonist here follows her heart and in return, receives a wholly unexpected insight into one of the darkest love stories of history. Creepy, beautiful and entrancing, this one is simply glorious.
So - time travel as accident, as profession, as mental exercise; alternate timelines precious and to be preserved (until forbidden love says otherwise) or the subjects of manipulation and exploitation, love both attained and deferred, its object gloriously present or lost in a myriad of dimensions, realities and alternatives - they're all here, and much more. A collection that will get the pulse racing in place, or evoke a sigh in others. But always fun, readable and heartfelt.
This is a collection of stories of time-crossed lovers, by some major names in contemporary SFF - there are stories here by Alix E. Harrow, Carrie Vaughn, Catherynne M. Valente, Elizabeth Hand, Ellen Klages, Jeffrey Ford, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Margo Lanagan, Nina Allan, Rowan Coleman, Sam J. Miller, Sameem Siddiqui, Sarah Gailey, Seanan McGuire, Theodora Goss and Zen Cho.
As with any such collection, part of the fun was reading pieces by authors I hadn't encountered before, as well as recognising the styles and approach of some I was more familiar with, and seeing how those addressed the overall theme of the anthology. Blending time travel and romance sounds straightforward, but it's not just a matter of two time travellers (or a time traveller and a citizen of the past or future) falling for one another, is it? With the possibilities of forbidden knowledge from another timeline, or of losing a lover in the multiverse, or, with whole futures at stake, having to do the Right Thing, there is much to explore.
Among my favourites were Allan's story The Lichens, in which future time-adventurer Joe (Josephine) falls for Helen, a woman living at the time of Culloden. It has a sense familiar in her writings of taking part in a wider universe with various mysteries alluded to but left unresolved. I enjoyed Joe's and Helen's delicate dance around each other, expressed by each separately in the idioms of their own times which combine to create a narrative with emotional depth.
Or there's Sam J Miller's Unabashed, or: Jackson, Whose Cowardice Tore a Hole in the Chronoverse, which is a story of a lost love, a young man who's lost his just-met boyfriend and sees through a whole life all the ways that things could have gone differently. More, he inhabits a myriad of possible worlds of regret and self-blame - a vivid way to bring to life those times when the multiverse tips and it's impossible inability to fix it. This reminded me of themes in Miller's forthcoming collection Boys, Beasts and Men.
And in Ellen Klages' Time Gypsy, there's a glimpse of California in the bad old days as time travel enables a moment heroine to travel back to the 50s to unravel an issue of scientific attribution. It's so vividly imagined - both the casual sexism and homophobia, and the human connections that route around it. I simply love Klages' writing.
But really, all of the stories here are excellent. In Alix E Harrow's Roadside Attraction, I loved the idea that a working time "machine" - actually, a sandstone obelisk in a remote rural community in the US - could become one of those local attractions that brings in a trickle of tourists and has an extensively stocked gift shop. Such is the fate of the object here, which attracts Floyd Butler - heart not really broken by Candace Stillwater - to seek out adventure. The presence of time travel is almost incidental, simply providing a means of escape as Butler runs into increasing levels of danger rather than face what his heart is telling him. A beatifully imagined story, all the more so for the balance between the personal and the cosmic.
In a slightly different conception of time travel, Zen Cho's The Past Life Reconstruction Service imagines a service that can immerse the subject in their own previous incarnations. It's time travel, but then again, it's not. Setting the scene, perhaps, for self-discovery rather than messing with the timeline (an issue many of the stories here have to navigate) we see Rui, a brilliant film director who is stymied creatively after the poor reception of his most recent film, distract himself by exploring past iterations of himself, taking in different genders, different periods of history, and even different species - in one iteration, he has the life of a cow. Each time, a perplexing presence appears - can that be telling him something?
Seanan McGuire's First Aid takes Taylor back in time for research purposes. It's a strictly one-way trip, intended to immerse the subject in her era so that she can bury notes for the future, and the prep is extreme - including surgery to help her blend in with the folk of Elizabethan England. You can't prepare for every eventuality, though, and surgery can't anticipate matters of the heart. This was a sweet story juxtaposing the grim near-future financial necessity which drives Taylor to do what she does and the possibility of fining something - someone - that can redeem her from it.
Moving from time exploration to the "Time Police" idea which had to feature here, Sarah Gailey's I Remember Satellites features a young woman being sent back for a "short straw" operation. You'll recognise the setting, though the names have been changed. It's a sacrificial assignment to change the the past - or, perhaps, prevent it being changed, but the reality of what's going on is less important than the dilemma here: the pull of love against duty as two young women, far away from home, weigh their passion against world-changing consequences.
The Golden Hour, by Jeffrey Ford, introduces its time traveller in the first sentence. Our narrator's encounter with him is slightly beguiling, allusive, taking place in a quiet town that seems to be nowhere in particular or perhaps, everywhere at once. It's a story of quite observation and the working out of a puzzle, whose nature isn't actually revealed until almost the end.
Also among my favourites here, Elizabeth Hand's Kronia takes this sense of wonder, of having no firm ground, even further. It's a story that, read closely, seems to contradict itself, presenting alternatives and crossings over, enhanced by being written in the second person and therefore posing the question, is this being told to the Other or is it somehow hypothetical? Sometimes I thought it was one, sometimes the other, but the sense of possibility seems very apt for the story of a romance, or a potential one.
If I had to name an absolute favourite in this book it might well be Bergamot and Vetiver by Latanya Lakshminarayan. This none has it all. There is a hopeless quest for a lost love, a burning injustice to be resolved and a massive, irredeemable tragedy. We see a traveller from the - a - future visit a past, a past which, unknowing, she is bound to affect. Positing the advanced technology and knowledge advantage of the future as a potential source of exploitation, Bergamot and Vetiver is I think the story here that seems to question the whole ethical basis of time travel, not just point up its potential unintended consequences.
Catherynne M Valente's The Difference Between Love and Time is very difficult to sum up. Of all the stories here, it's perhaps the most distinct, introducing us to "THE SPACE/ TIME CONTINUUM" as a character ('It is, as you have probably always expected, non-linear, non-anthropic, non-Euclidean, and wholly non-sensical'). It is also dangerous to fall in love with, or dangerous not to fall in love with, depending - in this surreal, Cubist painting of a narrative, all truths are true and all untruths as well, the beginning is the middle and the end, the beginning.
Romance: Historical by Rowan Coleman was always going to delight me, because it's a story about a bookshop. Beth, a young assistant who wants nothing more than to disappear into the bookshelves, finds that something else got there first. You'll find no time machines or paradoxes here (well, not exactly any paradoxes) but instead rather a sweet romance, the more so for being clearly, hopelessly, doomed. Really enjoyable.
The Place of All the Souls by Margo Lanagan takes us both to a near future bless with longevity but perhaps cursed by infertility, and a Victorian past, linked by time travel, and is one of the few stories here that examines infidelity and jealousy as a daughter learns some truths about her mother. It rather splendidly illustrates the theme of love finding its way, as does Timed Obsolescence by Sameem Siddiqui which imagines a future where one can employ a time-traveller to go back and record a Significant Moment featuring an ancestor. But where there are employees there will be office romances, whether the employees are desk bound or ferreting back through the timelines.
In A Letter to Merlin, Theadora Goss gives us the real background to The Matter of Britain as a dying woman form the future endlessly revisits one corner of history - or mythology - seeking to change the timeline. But that aspect is actually almost incidental, what really impressed me here was what is only hinted at, an interior view of the whole fantastical tale of Arthur, Guinevere and Merlin which would make a cracking novel, I think.
Carrie Vaughan's Dead Poets features one of the most inventive methods of time travel I can recall, although in a sense it's of a piece with several stories in this book that portray it as a mental exercise, rather than the creation of elaborate physics. That's in keeping with the theme of the story: 'The study of literature is the process of continually falling in love with dead people'. And how. The protagonist here follows her heart and in return, receives a wholly unexpected insight into one of the darkest love stories of history. Creepy, beautiful and entrancing, this one is simply glorious.
So - time travel as accident, as profession, as mental exercise; alternate timelines precious and to be preserved (until forbidden love says otherwise) or the subjects of manipulation and exploitation, love both attained and deferred, its object gloriously present or lost in a myriad of dimensions, realities and alternatives - they're all here, and much more. A collection that will get the pulse racing in place, or evoke a sigh in others. But always fun, readable and heartfelt.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews