Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: Time Machines: The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written by Bill Adler ISBN: 0-7867-1033-0 Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub. Date: August, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3 (4 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Bill Adler Jr - spoiler extrordinaire
Comment: An occasionally interesting collection of 22 short stories, written over a wider timescale than is normally seen in anthologies, albeit the inclusion of Edgar Allan Poe's 1850 contribution is one of several which invalidate the word 'machine' in the title! This claims the collection to be 'the best ever written', but apparently not from any poll, simply the opinion of editor Adler. It would have been nice to see genuine claimants such as Robert A Heinlein's 'All You Zombies' included, but apparently the editor considered his own rather insipid tale to have more merit. This self-indulgence comes to a head with the inclusion of an editorial spoiler at the beginning of each and every story. Unless you make a point of avoiding reading these, the whole effect of a professionally unfolded plot is destroyed. Left to their own devices, without the interference of intrusive editing, this collection of varying quality stories would deserve a 3.
Rating: 4
Summary: Time Travel Stories - a time honored sci fi tradition
Comment: A collection of time travel stories are what make this genre the fantastic journey that it is. Other fine reads I've experienced if you love a time travel novel are Michael Crichton's "Timeline" and Nicholas Stember's "Twilight"... both fantastic time travel reads.
Rating: 3
Summary: Time Travel stories!
Comment: Time Machines: The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written has some very interesting stories. I think Granddad's Time Machine should have been included! You can read it...
GRANDDAD'S TIME MACHINE!
By PAUL M. CURRAN
It is a bright, sunny day in the quiet country-side. After saying "See you tommorrow" to his friends a little boy of ten runs towards an elderly, slightly over weight man. "Granddad" he screams and hugs him. "There's something important I want to tell you! How would you like to go on an adventure with me," the Granddad asks? "Yeah" the boy replies.
Later that day the man takes this boy into his bedroom and points at a wardrobe. "There's a time machine in this room," the man says with great seriousness. The boy laughs but the man opens his brown wardrobe.
There's a huge, old battery at the bottom with wires all over the wardrobe. The man invites the boy in, closes the doors and presses a switch. Nothing seems to happen until the doors open. The bedroom is a lot more untidy now.
"How did this mess happen so quickly?" the boy asks. "I haven't cleaned it yet Shane. We're in the past." Shane looks so confused.
"What. Can we go out?" Shane asks. "We need to be careful. I don't know what time it is. But we got to check this out."
They walk into a newsagent to check the newspaper date. "We're two months in the past" gasps Shane. "I have a cottage in England where we can stay," the grandfather explains. Shane is excited to have two months off school but also worries about his mum not being around.
"The time machine only works once" the grandfather reveals. "I want you to remember what has happened to you. Print it into your memory. Don't bother trying to explain it to others. People won't believe you, not even your parents but you know the truth." Shane nods to agree.
The two months fly because they both enjoy it. Parties, cinema and days out pass the time. But when time catches up with them Shane has completely and honestly forgotten what his homework was. He can't explain why to the teacher and gets a bad comment in the Form Book.
The following year his grandfather dies and Shane in now the only person alive who knows a time machine once existed. Some boys in his class moan about how stupid time travel is after a seven year old boy shouts that he wants a time machine for his birthday. Shane smiles and poses a question. "What makes you think the past no longer exists" Shane asks them. No answer is given.
Shane decides not to tell anyone what happened to him. But one day he might confess the truth to someone because it's painfully lonely for him. Perhaps to his own grandson one day. Time will tell.
His parents never found out about his granddad's time machine. There is very little chance they would believe that one year ago Shane became a time traveller.
"Hey Shane. Do you wanna come to my house for a party? It's gonna be mad" a boy asks Shane "Yeah. I'd love to" Shane promises but still looks sad. "What's wrong?" the boy asks. "It was a year ago today that my granddad died. He was like a friend to me" Shane responds. "Do you wanna talk about it?" his friend asks. Shane nods and agrees to talk...
Copyright © 2003 PAUL M. CURRAN
This short story is dedicated to my friend Colin Cooke.
 |
Title: Past Imperfect by Martin Harry Greenberg, Larry Segriff ISBN: 0756400120 Publisher: DAW Books Pub. Date: 10 October, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: A Shortcut in Time by Charles Dickinson ISBN: 0765305798 Publisher: Forge Pub. Date: January, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: Replay by Ken Grimwood ISBN: 068816112X Publisher: William Morrow Pub. Date: 05 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Time Stand Still: A Darren Camponi Novel by John Misak ISBN: 1931402183 Publisher: Barclay Books, LLC Pub. Date: 01 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
 |
Title: The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold, Geoffrey Klempner ISBN: 1932100040 Publisher: BenBella Books Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
