Sometimes we get so caught up in a good plot or compelling characters that we have to take a moment to remind ourselves that we’re reading time travel stories. In case you’ve forgotten, I’ll mention three of my favorites. One forward, one backward, and one, both!
“Rip Van Winkle” – Washington Irving’s short story about a hen-pecked man who wonders off to the hills for a respite from his wife, taking only his rifle and faithful dog, “Wolf.”
He meets up with some mysterious men, drinks their liquor and sleeps for 20 years. Upon waking up, he discovers that his entire world has changed. In one night, he has time traveled into the future.
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain’s quintessential time travel piece as protagonist Hank Morgan suffers a blow to the head at work and wakes up in the 6th century in a rural area of Camelot. Imagine having all the knowledge of modern times and bringing it with you to the past. What would you do? I’ll bet Hank Morgan can beat that!
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens’ heartwarming story that continues to grace our holiday season, not to mention, morph into other story lines and venues with misunderstood and yes, despicable Ebenezer Scrooge. In this tale, our character is able to move forward and backward in time. Some hard line time travel critics may contend that since Scrooge was unable to speak, move, or otherwise interact as he moved through time, it was more of a “dream state” than an actual travel. However, I believe that if a character can observe the world the way it was and the way it will be, he or she is time traveling.
So…if you have time on your hands, check out these great reads!
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