Time Travel discussion

Well I joined this group mid 2011 but this year has been a wonderful year for me thanks to all of you and this group, my life had since been en-richened with an abundance of friendly, fun and intelligent discussions with all of you fellow time travel friends. Your recommendations and crazy news findings in books, movies, television, and internet were informative and fun. It was also always a delight to post/vent my thoughts on here. I hope the same has been for you, because whenever I see a new post each day in this group, I do get somewhat excited for some reason, just to read what you got to say whether you like something, hate something, rant, rave, piece of info, complementing someone else's post, anything. It has been a great pleasure too to be the little helper and co-moderator for our group founder, Amy and co-host John, a big thanks to both of you for giving us and shaping up this awesome group.

Although I have always loved time travel since falling in love with Back to the Future in 1985, I have never read and watched so much time travel in my life in just this one year! In fact I think I have watched and read more this year than I had done my whole life thanks to this group and as you will see from the following screen grab of my movie logs, its fair to say I enjoyed almost every one with my ratings never going lower than 5/10.

So let me move straight on to my highlights of the year.

According to my movie logs, I have seen 33 time travel movies this year, both old and new. We've had 4 excellent new time travel films hit our cinemas. Three I have seen, Sound of My Voice (9/10), Men in Black 3 (8/10), and Looper (8/10). The fourth one, Safety Not Guaranteed I have not seen yet because it does not hit UK cinemas until Boxing Day but as this was released earlier this year in US, many of you have seen it and enjoyed it. So I really look forward to see it on Boxing Day. The year began with a quiet Indie release, The Sound of My Voice. Its a slow but very powerful and intense psychological thriller, posing the question of whether the protagonist time traveller is real or fake. Great performances and very thought provoking, do give it a watch on Netflix or rental. Men In Black 3 was a great surprise, fun and...look, I never thought I would ever say this about a Men in Black movie...but it turned out quite emotional! The success of Looper has paved the way for more bigger time travel features coming our way, so much to look forward to in the future. The film did disappoint me initially, purely because of the intense hype over it but having seen it again with those expectations eliminated, Looper deserves it status of spearheading the time travel movie resurgence.



Aliens appears top of my list. I revisited my Blu ray when the release of Prometheus was imminent. What do you mean its not a time travel movie? Yes it is! See, Ellen Ripley wakes from a 60-70 year cryogenic sleep and finds herself in a future where her daughter had grown old and died of old age, so she now feels alone and worse, the authorities consider her mentally ill which is not helped by her outlandish warnings of a dangerous Alien conquering species. The film is a rip roaring and thrilling adventure but through this adrenaline pumping roller coaster ride, we see Ellen finding her place in this new time, exerting leadership quality on her comrades, kicking ass, and instinctively taking on the role of mothering an orphaned child, Newt, which gives the film its emotional resonance in the time travel theme. Hope that explains why this is in my list...and right at the top.

Many of the films on the list, I have watched because of YOUR recommendations and none had disappointed. Idiocracy was my least favoured which I rated 5/10 but even that film offered many laughs, its just not quite my cuppa tea.

We also have a thread linking to short movies and there are some great gems in there, some funny, some disturbing, some plain silly. I cant quite decide what is my favourite so I'll just link to the thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...

For television series, there is the awesome Fringe series, currently in its fifth and final season. Definitely my favourite sci fi show of 2012. However, again thanks to this group, I got to explore some old tv series. The Lost Room was an enjoyable 3 part mini series that had a mix of supernatural and time travel. The 4400 Excellent first two seasons but I gave up after that because of silly story development, I'll try continue watching the rest of it next year. Crime Traveller was an enjoyable short lived British time travel series that loved its "loops" and if you love your loops, give it a go. Being Erica is quirky and charming Canadian series that is reminicent of Peggy Sue Got Married, except here, Erica jumps to different times of her life in each episode where she had regrets and has an opportunity to change them, learning what life is really all about in the process. If you enjoy Journeyman, Quantum Leap, seek this one out too.

I also revisited classic time travel episodes of the twilight Zone and all the incarnations of Star Trek. I think Star Trek has every type of time travel that you can think of. What a flexible universe!

And now for the books. I have to admit, I am more a movie buff than a book reader but nevertheless having joined this group, I got to read a number of great novels...and not so good ones. But here is the revelation. The novels I have enjoyed more were written by our very own group author readers. In fact more enjoyable than some of the old classic novels chosen for our Book of the Month discussions. So here is a list of the 14 time travel books I read in 2012 along with my ratings:

City of Shadows - 9.5/10 (6th book of the Time Riders series by our group member Alex)
The Shoemaker's Son (Novella by our group member Gayle) - 9.5/10
Cigs, Bolan & Strange Men With Guns - 9/10 (Novella by our group member Gayle)
The End of Eternity - 9/10
Dark Tidings - 9/10 (by our group member Ken)
The Kronos Interference - 9/10 (by our group member JB)
Gates of Rome - 9/10 (5th book of the Timeriders series by our group member Alex)
The Time Hunters and the Box of Eternity - 8.5/10 (2nd book of 5, an excellent children's time travel series by our group member Carl)
Greener Grass - 8/10 (Novella by our group member Michael)
Piercing the Elastic Limit - 7/10 (by our regular group member Howard)
Isabelle's Locket - 7/10 (by our group member, Colleen)
An Amazing Adventure Through Time - 7/10 (Children's novel) by our group member author, Glauco Adams.
The Door Into Summer - 7/10
The Impenetrable Spy - 4/10 (by our 13 year old group member Spencer when he was 10. Although I have only given the book 4/10 there is clearly much talent and imagination in this young lad to keep an eye out on in his future books)
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe - 3/10 (Ughh dreadful)

So my favourite is City of Shadows, the 6th book of a 9 book series called Time Riders by Alex Scarrow. Its the most ingeniously plotted time travel series I ever read. Its YA fiction but its highly tense and doesnt hold back on grit. With thrilling adventures, high concept plotting, jaw dropping revelations, developed characters to care for (three time travelling teenagers and 2 androids) and great story telling, I cant recommend these books highly enough. I have also included novellas of which my favourite is our group member, Gayle Ramage's The Shoemaker's Son, second novella prequel to an upcoming series of novels called the Time Travelling Assassins which I am very much looking forward to their release next year. Both novellas are highly witty and very sassy, again highly recommend.

So guys, what were your time travel highlights of the year, doesnt have to be books or films or TV, could be a time travel news item that made your day...or a time travel trip you made yourself?...

Tej, my fellow Traveler, again I’m impressed first by the energy you harness & then how you use it in pursuit of your own personal journey, thanks for this.

I’ve told you before, in other venues, how I admire your seemingly ubiquitous outlook & your ever-eager openness to new input & it once again shows here in undeniable fashion.

You have drive, that’s for sure & focus.

The ordering of one’s life is accomplished in the long run no matter one’s choice, it will happen, Time will out, but how it’s ordered is up to each of us & you are choosing well, my friend.

So carry on & say something else, as I sure I’m not the only one who holds this idea of you.

Thank you for those kind words, Howard, you are far more eloquent than I can ever try to be with my long ramblings.

So come on now, what were your favourite time trips this year, hmm? :)

After reading Tej's wonderfully ordered lists and recollections of his time travel entertainment for 2012, I have decided I live a life of utter chaos, seriously lacking in time travel fun. :-( What on earth did I do all year? Seriously Tej, that is amazing. I promise to do better in 2013.

Tej wrote, 'So come on now...'

Well Tej, as you asked, this year's journey has been quite a ride for me, also;

In January my 2nd Epic Fable was published, as well as a Revised Edition of my first.

Much encouragement followed from many corners, not insignificantly from members of this group of Time Traveling enthusiasts.

While there have been no reviews of the Revised Edition, the new book was the Goodreads October giveaway & your review of it helped the views of the Introduction on Youtube, which today is near 900 hits.

Perhaps not many in the greater scheme of things, but before your review I think there were only a handful.

Meanwhile, the audiobook I’m reading, while not yet finished, is progressing as Time allows & next Feb. I’ve been asked to speak to the elements of Myth used in my Epic Fables, by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a continuing education organization at Clemson University, in upstate SC.

As a self-published author who writes under a pen name, fame was never my object, but last year my books were unknown so it’s nice to see that word of them is now slowly spreading.

So, not a bad year, all in all & who knows what the Future holds?

Thanks for asking.

One of the highlights for me was reading Stephen King's new time travel novel 11/22/63. I wasn't sure what to expected, and it turned out to be really good. I also enjoyed discovering the "Time Traveling Assassins" series by Gayle Ramage. I am excited about what is to come from this up and coming author.

I already know what one of my highlights will be for 2013. The release of book three in the "Time Hunters" series by Carl Ashmore. The expected release date for this book is March of 2013, and I can't wait.

Tej, I'm remiss in that I forgot to mention the 'short TT movie thread' & it has been a true joy this last year.

It's a perfect venue, all produced to be quickly viewed & given that premise many are very imaginative & often very funny.

So thanks for that, too.

Frances wrote: "After reading Tej's wonderfully ordered lists and recollections of his time travel entertainment for 2012, I have decided I live a life of utter chaos, seriously lacking in time travel fun. :-( Wh..."

Aw but Chaos sounds like a lot of fun too, Frances :) I should think a highlight for you would have been publishing your Drake's Progress series which I do have on my to-read list and will read at some point within the next few months and I did enjoy your sample first chapter.

Howard wrote: "In January my 2nd Epic Fable was published, as well as a Revised Edition of my first."

Yep, like Francis, having your work published is such an admirable accomplishment and if it were me, that alone would be my highlight but I am also very glad to hear that this group has given your book added support and attention.

John wrote: "One of the highlights for me was reading Stephen King's new time travel novel 11/22/63."

If that's a highlight for you, then I have got to read that book very soon! I regret missing its group reading when it was our featured book of the month discussion. Stupid me.

I'm with John on this one. That was a fantastic book. I also have to point out though, that I listened to Craig Wasson reading the audiobook, and it was absolutely delightful. It felt like an old room in your grandma's house that brings back warm sunny memories of your childhood. So if you've not yet read it, may I please suggest listening to it? The novelty and and feel of it is perfectly fantastic.

I'm also happy to have joined this group this year; I've been introduced to so many TT books I'd not have found otherwise. I've read so many of them this year, and been exposed to so much more because of this group. Thanks guys.

Ive seen 3 more TT films since i posted the first post.  Flight of the navigator, Men in Black 3 again, and just now arrived back from watching Safety Not Guaranteed at the cinemas which made for a wonderful cap of time travel fun in 2012.  Ill talk more about those awesome movies on their relevant threads, actually, i have already posted about MIB3, so just the other 2 id like to share my thoughts on.

Unfortunately, I havent quite finished reading Brenda's Revise the World so no more books to add amd review for this year.

But the biggest fun was you guys whom i could share the fun.  So have a Happy New Year everyone.

Before that clock strikes the first midnight of 2013, see if you can squeeze in  one more tv/film/short stort ;)

Are you ever coming back all mighty moderator Tej? on Hiatus?