Harry Turtledove has done a great job so far with his “Best … of the 20th Century” anthologies so far, so I knew going in that this reprint collection of time travel stories was bound to be of interest. Here we have eighteen of the very best stories told about time travel, some which are quite well-known, and some which are a bit more obscure. Naturally, Ray Bradbury’s classic “A Sound of Thunder,” is present. That’s one of those stories I always think of as soon as anyone brings up the perils of traveling through time, and in many ways, it’s one of the sub-genre’s flagships.
Also present are stories like R.A. Lafferty’s “Rainbird,” Arthur C.Clarke’s “Time’s Arrow,” Connie Willis’ “Fire Watch,” Theodore Sturgeon’s “Yesterday was Monday,” Joe Haldeman’s “Anniversary Project,” and “A Gun For Dinosaur” by L. Sprague de Camp. Many of these I’d heard of, but hadn’t actually read before, so it was a genuine treat getting to see them for the first time. If you like time travel, this collection is definitely worth looking for. As far as reprint anthologies go, this one succeeds admirably in delivering a good, solid mix and giving the reader plenty of story for his money. Turtledove is on a roll with this series; I hope he’ll find some more themes to mine for future volumes.