Best Time Travel Books

Written in My Own Heart's Blood

Outlander • Book 8

by Diana Gabaldon

Jamie's apparent death at Monmouth throws the Fraser family into turmoil as the Revolutionary War tears through their lives—Gabaldon's most emotionally brutal test of her time-traveling lovers.

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Jamie's apparent death at Monmouth throws the Fraser family into turmoil as the Revolutionary War tears through their lives—Gabaldon's most emotionally brutal test of her time-traveling lovers.

Night Watch

Discworld • Book 29

by Terry Pratchett

Commander Vimes gets thrown back in time to his younger days during Ankh-Morpork's revolution, where he must train his past self while hunting a serial killer—Pratchett's darkest Discworld novel about duty, history, and becoming who you need to be.

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Commander Vimes gets thrown back in time to his younger days during Ankh-Morpork's revolution, where he must train his past self while hunting a serial killer—Pratchett's darkest Discworld novel about duty, history, and becoming who you need to be.

11/22/63

by Stephen King

Jake Epping finds a diner's back room leads to 1958, launching his mission to stop Lee Harvey Oswald while navigating how the past resists alteration.

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Jake Epping finds a diner's back room leads to 1958, launching his mission to stop Lee Harvey Oswald while navigating how the past resists alteration.

Outlander

Outlander • Book 1

by Diana Gabaldon

Combat nurse Claire Randall touches a stone circle in 1945 Scotland and awakens in 1743, where she must navigate clan warfare and an impossible love triangle.

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Combat nurse Claire Randall touches a stone circle in 1945 Scotland and awakens in 1743, where she must navigate clan warfare and an impossible love triangle.

Kindred

by Octavia E. Butler

A contemporary Black woman finds herself repeatedly transported to a Maryland plantation to save her white ancestor, forcing her to navigate slavery's horrors firsthand. Butler's time-travel premise creates visceral connections between historical trauma and present-day racism.

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A contemporary Black woman finds herself repeatedly transported to a Maryland plantation to save her white ancestor, forcing her to navigate slavery's horrors firsthand. Butler's time-travel premise creates visceral connections between historical trauma and present-day racism.

Hyperion

Hyperion • Book 1

by Dan Simmons

Canterbury Tales meets cosmic horror as seven pilgrims approach the time-traveling Shrike on a dying world. Simmons weaves philosophy, hard science, and religious mythology into an ambitious space opera about humanity's violent evolution.

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Canterbury Tales meets cosmic horror as seven pilgrims approach the time-traveling Shrike on a dying world. Simmons weaves philosophy, hard science, and religious mythology into an ambitious space opera about humanity's violent evolution.

Slaughterhouse-Five

by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut blends his Dresden bombing experience with science fiction elements as Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck in time," witnessing his life's moments non-linearly.

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Vonnegut blends his Dresden bombing experience with science fiction elements as Billy Pilgrim becomes "unstuck in time," witnessing his life's moments non-linearly.

The Forever War

The Forever War • Book 1

by Joe Haldeman

Time dilation turns military service into exile from humanity itself as Mandella returns from each battle to find Earth transformed by decades he never experienced.

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Time dilation turns military service into exile from humanity itself as Mandella returns from each battle to find Earth transformed by decades he never experienced.

The Tumultuous Lives of Karl Strong

Middle Falls Time Travel • Book 18

by Shawn Inmon

Lonely Karl Strong dies of a heart attack after letting his athletic talents waste away, but in Middle Falls, death rarely ends the story—he'll get every chance to find what he needs.

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Lonely Karl Strong dies of a heart attack after letting his athletic talents waste away, but in Middle Falls, death rarely ends the story—he'll get every chance to find what he needs.

The Fire Chronicle

The Books of Beginning • Book 2

by John Stephens

Kate, Michael, and Emma's search for their parents leads them to a supposedly safe orphanage that proves anything but secure. Stephens deepens the mythology while maintaining the series' adventurous spirit.

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Kate, Michael, and Emma's search for their parents leads them to a supposedly safe orphanage that proves anything but secure. Stephens deepens the mythology while maintaining the series' adventurous spirit.

To Say Nothing of the Dog

Oxford Time Travel • Book 2

by Connie Willis

Steven Crossley's wit shines in Willis's hilarious blend of time travel, mystery, and Victorian comedy that treats chaos theory with infectious joy.

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Steven Crossley's wit shines in Willis's hilarious blend of time travel, mystery, and Victorian comedy that treats chaos theory with infectious joy.

Song of Susannah

The Dark Tower • Book 6

by Stephen King, Darrel Anderson

Demon-possessed Susannah flees to modern New York to give birth to Roland's prophesied destroyer, while Eddie and Jake must follow her into an unfamiliar world without their gunslinger.

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Demon-possessed Susannah flees to modern New York to give birth to Roland's prophesied destroyer, while Eddie and Jake must follow her into an unfamiliar world without their gunslinger.

Cult Classic

Eric Carter • Book 9

by Stephen Blackmoore, Michael John Casey, Nora Achrati, Jessica Threet, Steve Wannall, Dawn Ursula, Holly Adams, Torian Brackett, Rana Kay, Alexandra Cohler, Richard Rohan, Ryan Dalusung

Eric Carter chases the Oracle of Las Vegas—a literal talking head that manipulates time itself, now bleeding 1920s Los Angeles into the present day.

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Eric Carter chases the Oracle of Las Vegas—a literal talking head that manipulates time itself, now bleeding 1920s Los Angeles into the present day.

Einstein’s Dreams

by Alan Lightman

The Quantum Chain

Joseph Bridgeman • Book 4

by Nick Jones

Joseph Bridgeman's supposed simple auction retrieval spirals into a solo mission through time itself, blending heist thrills with temporal consequences that could reshape history.

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Joseph Bridgeman's supposed simple auction retrieval spirals into a solo mission through time itself, blending heist thrills with temporal consequences that could reshape history.

The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories

by Philip K. Dick

These essential Dick stories explore precognition, false memories, and shifting realities with the philosophical depth that made him science fiction's most influential paranoid visionary.

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These essential Dick stories explore precognition, false memories, and shifting realities with the philosophical depth that made him science fiction's most influential paranoid visionary.

Doomsday Book

Oxford Time Travel • Book 1

by Connie Willis

Willis sends a 21st-century historian back to study the Black Death, but when the time travel goes wrong, Kivrin faces the very plague she came to observe.

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Willis sends a 21st-century historian back to study the Black Death, but when the time travel goes wrong, Kivrin faces the very plague she came to observe.

All Clear

All Clear • Book 2

by Connie Willis

Oxford time-travel historians trapped in WWII London begin to suspect their presence has changed history. This conclusion to Willis's time-travel duology explores whether the future can be preserved when the past goes wrong.

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Oxford time-travel historians trapped in WWII London begin to suspect their presence has changed history. This conclusion to Willis's time-travel duology explores whether the future can be preserved when the past goes wrong.

A Prince Out of Time

RE: Monarch • Book 1

by J. McCoy, Eligos

Death gives a worthless prince a second chance to save his kingdom — he just has to overcome his own terrible reputation and convince others he's changed. This time-loop fantasy combines political intrigue with personal redemption.

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Death gives a worthless prince a second chance to save his kingdom — he just has to overcome his own terrible reputation and convince others he's changed. This time-loop fantasy combines political intrigue with personal redemption.

Middle Falls Time Travel Omnibus: Books 4-6

Middle Falls Time Travel #4-6 • Book 16

by Shawn Inmon, Tamara Marston, Charlie Thurston, Adam Verner

Three distinct time travel adventures follow characters grappling with extraordinary abilities, impossible choices, and the weight of changing history. Each story stands alone while exploring different aspects of temporal displacement.

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Three distinct time travel adventures follow characters grappling with extraordinary abilities, impossible choices, and the weight of changing history. Each story stands alone while exploring different aspects of temporal displacement.

The Time Machine

by H.G. Wells

The Time Traveler discovers that 800,000 years of human development has split society into the surface-dwelling Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks in a twisted evolutionary commentary. Wells created both time travel and dystopian futures in one story.

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The Time Traveler discovers that 800,000 years of human development has split society into the surface-dwelling Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks in a twisted evolutionary commentary. Wells created both time travel and dystopian futures in one story.

Off to Be the Wizard

Magic 2.0 • Book 1

by Scott Meyer

Computer programmer Martin discovers he can manipulate reality like software code, but when caught by authorities, he escapes to medieval times to masquerade as a wizard with predictably chaotic results.

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Computer programmer Martin discovers he can manipulate reality like software code, but when caught by authorities, he escapes to medieval times to masquerade as a wizard with predictably chaotic results.

1632

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 1

by Eric Flint

When Grantville, West Virginia mysteriously appears in 1632 Germany during the devastating Thirty Years' War, modern Americans must use 21st-century knowledge to survive in an age of famine, disease, and religious warfare.

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When Grantville, West Virginia mysteriously appears in 1632 Germany during the devastating Thirty Years' War, modern Americans must use 21st-century knowledge to survive in an age of famine, disease, and religious warfare.

Pathfinder

Pathfinder • Book 1

by Orson Scott Card

Time isn't linear when you can see every path a person has ever walked, and Rigg's strange gift threatens to unravel his world's carefully hidden secrets. Card builds a fascinating magic system around temporal perception and consequence.

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Time isn't linear when you can see every path a person has ever walked, and Rigg's strange gift threatens to unravel his world's carefully hidden secrets. Card builds a fascinating magic system around temporal perception and consequence.

I Sing the Body Electric! & Other Stories

by Ray Bradbury, Arne Herløv Petersen

Twenty-three stories showcase Bradbury at his most inventive, blending nostalgic Americana with science fiction to explore what makes us beautifully, tragically human.

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Twenty-three stories showcase Bradbury at his most inventive, blending nostalgic Americana with science fiction to explore what makes us beautifully, tragically human.

H.G. Wells Seven Novels, Complete & Unabridged The Time Machine, Island of Dr. Moreau, Invisible Man, First Men In The Moon, Food of the Gods, In the Days of the Comet and War of the Worlds

by H.G. Wells

Wells' foundational sci-fi collection includes The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and five other novels that defined speculative fiction for generations.

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Wells' foundational sci-fi collection includes The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, and five other novels that defined speculative fiction for generations.

Time Enough for Love

The World as Myth • Book 1

by Robert A. Heinlein

Immortal Lazarus Long recounts centuries of love affairs, time travel, and philosophical musings in Heinlein's most ambitious exploration of longevity's consequences.

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Immortal Lazarus Long recounts centuries of love affairs, time travel, and philosophical musings in Heinlein's most ambitious exploration of longevity's consequences.

An Unwelcome Quest

Magic 2.0 • Book 3

by Scott Meyer

Meyer's third Magic 2.0 adventure pits his hacker-wizards against a former apprentice seeking revenge, mixing programming jokes with genuine fantasy adventure.

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Meyer's third Magic 2.0 adventure pits his hacker-wizards against a former apprentice seeking revenge, mixing programming jokes with genuine fantasy adventure.

1633

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 2

by Eric Flint, David Weber

Mike Stearns' West Virginia town, hurled back to 1632, allies with Sweden's king against Cardinal Richelieu's coalition in Europe's greatest naval war.

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Mike Stearns' West Virginia town, hurled back to 1632, allies with Sweden's king against Cardinal Richelieu's coalition in Europe's greatest naval war.

Flux

Infinite • Book 3

by Jeremy Robinson

Black Creek becomes a temporal layer cake where security guard Owen McCoy witnesses creatures and people from every era colliding, suggesting humanity's genesis needs rewriting.

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Black Creek becomes a temporal layer cake where security guard Owen McCoy witnesses creatures and people from every era colliding, suggesting humanity's genesis needs rewriting.

1636: The Ottoman Onslaught (21) (Ring of Fire)

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 6

by Eric Flint

Grantville's four-year evolution culminates as the long-dreaded Ottoman assault on Austria begins. Flint weaponizes anachronistic knowledge against one of history's most formidable empires in spectacular fashion.

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Grantville's four-year evolution culminates as the long-dreaded Ottoman assault on Austria begins. Flint weaponizes anachronistic knowledge against one of history's most formidable empires in spectacular fashion.

1634: The Baltic War

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 3

by David Weber, Eric Flint

The West Virginia town transported to 1632 now faces a massive Baltic conflict involving Sweden, France, and Spain. Weber and Flint examine how modern knowledge reshapes historical warfare.

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The West Virginia town transported to 1632 now faces a massive Baltic conflict involving Sweden, France, and Spain. Weber and Flint examine how modern knowledge reshapes historical warfare.

The Last Labyrinth

by Gwendolyn Womack

Time travel through sound currents sends a modern musician into the past where she meets an earl. Womack blends scientific speculation with historical romance as two eras collide through music's power.

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Time travel through sound currents sends a modern musician into the past where she meets an earl. Womack blends scientific speculation with historical romance as two eras collide through music's power.

Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus

Pastwatch • Book 1

by Orson Scott Card

Future historians discover they can change the past and target Columbus's voyage, hoping to prevent centuries of genocide through careful temporal intervention.

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Future historians discover they can change the past and target Columbus's voyage, hoping to prevent centuries of genocide through careful temporal intervention.

The Light of Other Days

by Arthur C. Clarke, Stephen Baxter

What happens when technology makes every moment of human history visible to anyone, anywhere? Dick Hill captures the mounting dread as society grapples with the complete death of privacy and the revolutionary implications of observing the past.

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What happens when technology makes every moment of human history visible to anyone, anywhere? Dick Hill captures the mounting dread as society grapples with the complete death of privacy and the revolutionary implications of observing the past.

1636: The Saxon Uprising

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 5

by Eric Flint

Modern Americans discover that superior technology can't always overcome centuries-old European grudges and power struggles. Flint examines whether democratic principles can survive in an absolutist world.

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Modern Americans discover that superior technology can't always overcome centuries-old European grudges and power struggles. Flint examines whether democratic principles can survive in an absolutist world.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton

Every day Aiden wakes up in a different body at the same house party, watching Evelyn Hardcastle die at 11 p.m. until he identifies her killer. This murder mystery-time loop hybrid creates an entirely new puzzle structure.

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Every day Aiden wakes up in a different body at the same house party, watching Evelyn Hardcastle die at 11 p.m. until he identifies her killer. This murder mystery-time loop hybrid creates an entirely new puzzle structure.

Just One Damned Thing After Another

The Chronicles of St Mary's • Book 1

by Jodi Taylor, Marty Ross, Gemma Whelan, Ben Miles, Jonathan Bailey, Zara Ramm

St Mary's Institute sends historians into the past to witness major events firsthand, launching Taylor's irreverent time-travel series where academic research meets slapstick adventure and chronic explosions.

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St Mary's Institute sends historians into the past to witness major events firsthand, launching Taylor's irreverent time-travel series where academic research meets slapstick adventure and chronic explosions.

The Peripheral

Jackpot • Book 1

by William Gibson

What starts as easy money playing a realistic game connects small-town Flynne to a post-apocalyptic London where her actions have life-and-death consequences across timelines.

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What starts as easy money playing a realistic game connects small-town Flynne to a post-apocalyptic London where her actions have life-and-death consequences across timelines.

Architects of Infinity

Star Trek: Voyager - Relaunch • Book 13

by Kirsten Beyer

Captain Chakotay suggests new exploration routes while Admiral Janeway remains wary of the Krenim Imperium's dangerous ability to rewrite time itself.

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Captain Chakotay suggests new exploration routes while Admiral Janeway remains wary of the Krenim Imperium's dangerous ability to rewrite time itself.

1635: The Weaver's Code (Ring of Fire Book 37)

1632: Ring of Fire • Book 37

by Eric Flint, Jody Lynn Nye

When Margaret de Beauchamp helps American time-travelers imprisoned in the Tower of London, she receives payment that could save her family's failing woolen business. Alternative history where uptime knowledge meets 17th-century English commerce.

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When Margaret de Beauchamp helps American time-travelers imprisoned in the Tower of London, she receives payment that could save her family's failing woolen business. Alternative history where uptime knowledge meets 17th-century English commerce.

Multitude

Dimension Space • Book 2

by Dean M. Cole

Following humanity's mysterious vanishing, Vaughn and Angela dive into the depths of space-time itself, hunting for answers and a possible reversal.

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Following humanity's mysterious vanishing, Vaughn and Angela dive into the depths of space-time itself, hunting for answers and a possible reversal.

The Didymus Contingency

Origins • Book 1

by Jeremy Robinson

A physicist discovers time travel and chooses the most controversial destination possible: Jerusalem, 33 AD, to witness Christ's death and supposed resurrection firsthand.

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A physicist discovers time travel and chooses the most controversial destination possible: Jerusalem, 33 AD, to witness Christ's death and supposed resurrection firsthand.

Once Upon A Galactic Time

Alpha Red • Book 1

by N.D. Shar, Natalie Debrabandere

Betrayed and frozen in 2057, Storm Redfield awakens in the 23rd century to discover humanity has become spacefaring and joined a galactic community. Military training meets far-future politics in this fish-out-of-water space opera.

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Betrayed and frozen in 2057, Storm Redfield awakens in the 23rd century to discover humanity has become spacefaring and joined a galactic community. Military training meets far-future politics in this fish-out-of-water space opera.

1635: The Eastern Front

Ring of Fire Main Line Novels • Book 4

by Eric Flint

Mike Stearns and his time-displaced Americans join forces with Gustavus Adolphus to create the United States of Europe. Military strategy meets democratic idealism in this alternate 17th century.

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Mike Stearns and his time-displaced Americans join forces with Gustavus Adolphus to create the United States of Europe. Military strategy meets democratic idealism in this alternate 17th century.

Blackout

All Clear • Book 1

by Connie Willis

Oxford historians studying WWII realize they're trapped in 1940s London when their time travel portals malfunction. Willis weaves together multiple timelines as her researchers face the possibility that they've accidentally altered history.

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Oxford historians studying WWII realize they're trapped in 1940s London when their time travel portals malfunction. Willis weaves together multiple timelines as her researchers face the possibility that they've accidentally altered history.

Paradox Bound

by Peter Clines

Small-town Eli encounters a mysterious woman driving an antique car while dressed in Colonial-era clothing, launching him into a time-traveling quest across America's hidden history.

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Small-town Eli encounters a mysterious woman driving an antique car while dressed in Colonial-era clothing, launching him into a time-traveling quest across America's hidden history.

1635: Papal Stakes

Assiti Shards • Book 11

by Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon

Citizens of time-displaced Grantville confront Vatican corruption and Papal succession intrigue in war-torn 17th-century Europe. Flint and Gannon blend alternate history with political thriller as moderns face Borgia-level scheming.

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Citizens of time-displaced Grantville confront Vatican corruption and Papal succession intrigue in war-torn 17th-century Europe. Flint and Gannon blend alternate history with political thriller as moderns face Borgia-level scheming.

1636: Mission to the Mughals (Ring of Fire)

1632 Universe/Ring of Fire • Book 32

by Eric Flint, Griffin Barber

Citizens of modern Grantville venture to Mughal lands seeking ingredients for medicines that won't be invented for centuries, after establishing their republic in 17th-century Europe.

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Citizens of modern Grantville venture to Mughal lands seeking ingredients for medicines that won't be invented for centuries, after establishing their republic in 17th-century Europe.

1636: The Devil's Opera

Assiti Shards • Book 15

by Eric Flint, David Carrico

Modern Americans transported to 1636 Europe confront a deadly conspiracy while building their new society. Alternate history that balances time-travel premise with serious historical and political consequences.

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Modern Americans transported to 1636 Europe confront a deadly conspiracy while building their new society. Alternate history that balances time-travel premise with serious historical and political consequences.