The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century

The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century is a collection of science fiction short stories edited by Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg. The anthology brings together works from notable authors including Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, and Jack Finney, spanning the 1900s through the 1990s. The stories explore various approaches to time travel, from traditional mechanical devices to psychological and metaphysical methods. The collection includes tales of people visiting the past and future, along with stories of time paradoxes and alternate histories. Each story represents its era's understanding of both science and the human implications of time travel. The selections range from pure adventure narratives to character studies focused on the personal impact of moving through time. The anthology demonstrates how time travel fiction evolved to reflect changing social attitudes and scientific knowledge throughout the century. Through these stories, readers can trace shifts in how authors approached questions of causality, free will, and humanity's relationship with its own history.

Readers rate this anthology 4.05/5 on Goodreads (1,200+ ratings) and 4.3/5 on Amazon (40+ ratings). Readers highlight: - Mix of classic and lesser-known time travel stories - Strong selections from Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein - Stories that explore time travel consequences rather than just mechanics - Variety of approaches to paradoxes and causality Common criticisms: - Several stories feel dated in writing style and social attitudes - Uneven quality across the collection - Missing some notable time travel stories readers expected to see - Limited representation of authors from later decades One reader noted "About 2/3 of the stories are excellent, the rest are mediocre." Another mentioned "The anthology skews heavily toward the 1950s-60s, which isn't necessarily bad but limits perspective." Many reviewers point to "All You Zombies" by Heinlein and "A Sound of Thunder" by Bradbury as standout inclusions.

The Time Traveler's Almanac by Ann VanderMeer, Jeff VanderMeer. This anthology contains 72 time travel stories spanning multiple decades of science fiction writing.

Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction of the Century by Orson Scott Card. This collection includes pivotal time travel tales alongside other transformative science fiction stories from the 20th century.

The Big Book of Science Fiction by Ann, Jeff VanderMeer. This compilation features time travel narratives within its comprehensive collection of influential science fiction works.

The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One by Robert Silverberg. This volume presents the foundational stories of science fiction, including significant time travel works voted on by Science Fiction Writers of America members.

The Very Best of Fantasy & Science Fiction by Gordon Van Gelder. This anthology showcases time travel stories alongside other speculative works from the long-running Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

🕰️ Editor Harry Turtledove, known as "The Master of Alternate History," holds a Ph.D. in Byzantine history and has written over 60 novels exploring historical "what-ifs" 📚 The anthology includes Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder," which popularized the "butterfly effect" concept and influenced chaos theory discussions in science 🌟 Contributing author Robert A. Heinlein's "All You Zombies—" was adapted into the 2014 film "Predestination," starring Ethan Hawke 🎯 The collection features "The Men Who Murdered Mohammed" by Alfred Bester, which cleverly tackles the grandfather paradox in time travel fiction 📖 Many stories in this anthology were originally published in influential science fiction magazines like Astounding Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, which helped shape the genre during its Golden Age