As a time travel enthusiast, I was really glad to get my hands on this anthology! And overall, I wasn't disappointed!
Of course, some stories resonated with me more than others. The concept has some fresh takes, some that made me gasp out loud, and mixing time travel with romance was really satisfying. The LGBT+ representation in the romances is great, and other important themes were covered - living with discrimination, exploitation, climate change, mental health, hope, love, heart-break and heart-mend... Different uses of time travel, different means, different voices.
I wish there was even more diversity in the stories. I noticed instances of romanticisation of the past or story names that I felt were a bit clueless (like the title Time Gypsy). Also, some connections/chemistry fell flat for me, and some plot holes were hard to ignore (maybe in another timeline they have disappeared?) .
A few highlights:
- The first story, Roadside Attraction by Alix E. Harrow, was spot on. "Have you found your destiny?", asks the second main lead to the first, always hopping through new time adventures. The tone was perfect and the story made me care so much I nearly cried, a metaphor about not recognising what you already have and also battling against prejudice. Beautiful story.
- The lichens, by Nina Allan, was so vivid and evocative and interesting, with a 19th century school teacher and a future scientist that needs her help to analyse past lichens. Good character building that makes it feel like a longer piece, subtle and obvious at the same time, with a feminist message and a moving love story affected by time travel related memory issues.
- Bergamot and Vetiver, by Lavanya Lakshminarayan. I enjoyed so many things in this story, set up in the old Indus Valley civilisation. The author took conscious liberties where the archaeology fails to make it feel real and at the same time, build a successful story with a dark plot twist. (I have a novel idea on my files somewhere with a very slightly linked concept, and to see it so freshly, tightly executed made me clap at the author and be envious ;))
- The difference between love and time, by Catherynne M. Valente, was a highly metaphorical, concept based story, based on the personalisation of the Space-Time continuum.
- Unbashed, or Jackson, whose cowardice tore a hole in the chronoverse, by Sam J. Miller. OK, this one was heartbreaking. It uses rhythms and words and metaphorical time travel to drill in shattering emotions.
- Timed Obsolescence, by Sameem Siddiqui. It was a well executed story, even though I wasn’t a fan of the end but that’s quite personal. I loved that the author used concepts like targeted ads and data privacy and weaved them into a time travel story, on top of lots of very creative details.

I want to thank NetGalley and Rebellion Publishing for providing me with an Advance Reader Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. ( )