Time and Again (1970)

Check out my review of ‘Time And Again’ by Jack Finney.

https://www.johncadamsreviews.com/single-post/john-c-adams-reviews-time-and-agai...

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[[Jack Finney]] is a classic science fiction writer, having his work leak into the culture with multiple film adaptations for [The Body Snatchers]. That book is a wonderful read - read the book, don't just watch the movie(s). [Time and Again] is the tale of a man recruited to a secret government project for his rich imagination, because the scientists believe he can imagine his way back in time. And he succeeds in going back to 1880s New York City, his mission to find out everything he can about a minor character in history. The mission turns into a bit of a mystery, which keeps the narrative moving nicely. Ultimately, the time traveler is forced to confront the ethics of time travel and interfering in history. The detail Finney provides about New York is startling and wildly enjoyable.

Interestingly, as I read the book, I was convinced this book was the basis for the Christopher Reeve film Somewhere in Time. But I learned later the film was actually an adaptation of [[Richard Matheson]]'s later novel, [Bid Time Return]. I was floored to learn that Matheson gets all the credit for the idea of time traveling through imagination, as Finney's novel predates his by five years.

Highly recommended.
4 1/2 bones!!!!! ( )

A work of fantasy involving time travel. In this story the main character travels between NYC in modern times to NYC in the 1800s. It was interesting to see the bustling city compared in the different centuries. The book doesn't get into time travel much, does discuss the ethical dilemmas of time travel, and the motivation one has to change history. I have to admit that I had never heard of this book. It was published in 1970 and is the first book of a series. ( )

A time travel story set in NYC in the 1970s and the 1880s, and also a mystery with some interesting twists along the way. I enjoyed the story quite a bit and only have one quibble: the love story felt superficial and only there as a way to get the main character to make certain decisions. I wasn't invested in the romance aspect at all and there was no chemistry between the two characters. I think the book would have been better without it, honestly. ( )

I was hoping for a lot more from this book, but it really dragged (drug?) in places. Like anytime the author wanted to display how much he'd researched 1882 New York City. The mechanics of time travel were about the lamest I'd ever read. I actually liked the conclusion, but I was still pretty eager for the story to just get over with already. ( )