Updated Jul 04, 2025

Best Time Travel Books

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— Leap across time or unravel history's secrets with our dynamically curated list of the best time travel books. Crafted by experts, for the minds absorbing the miraculous tales of temporal exploration. These aren't just stories – they're tickets to different eras! Time's a mystery - let's decode it together.

“I’ve had a most amazing time....”

So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth.  There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well.  Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.

Our favourite quote from The Time Machine

Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless. There is no intelligence where there is no need of change.

The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of Our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Our favourite quote from Outlander

For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary.

Life can turn on a dime—or stumble into the extraordinary, as it does for Jake Epping, a high school English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine. While grading essays by his GED students, Jake reads a gruesome, enthralling piece penned by janitor Harry Dunning: fifty years ago, Harry somehow survived his father’s sledgehammer slaughter of his entire family. Jake is blown away...but an even more bizarre secret comes to light when Jake’s friend Al, owner of the local diner, enlists Jake to take over the mission that has become his obsession—to prevent the Kennedy assassination. How? By stepping through a portal in the diner’s storeroom, and into the era of Ike and Elvis, of big American cars, sock hops, and cigarette smoke... Finding himself in warmhearted Jodie, Texas, Jake begins a new life. But all turns in the road lead to a troubled loner named Lee Harvey Oswald. The course of history is about to be rewritten...and become heart-stoppingly suspenseful.

Our favourite quote from 11/22/63

When all else fails, give up and go to the library.
Dive into the pages of "From Time to Time" by Jack Finney, a gripping sequel that continues the time-travelling adventures of Simon Morley. Unravel the mysteries of the past as Simon embarks on a mission to prevent World War I. This heart-stopping narrative is a perfect read for history buffs and sci-fi enthusiasts alike, merging fact and fiction seamlessly with plot-twisting suspense. Readers get to journey through time, gather intriguing insights into the early 1900s lifestyle, and question the reality of time travel. Don't just read about history, live it with Simon in this riveting tale of suspense and speculative fiction. Can he change the course of history? Find out in this timeless tale of time travel, only in "From Time to Time."

Our favourite quote from From Time to Time

Time is an illusion and life is the magician.

The visionary author’s masterpiece pulls us—along with her Black female hero—through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism, and white supremacy then and now.

Dana, a modern black woman, is celebrating her twenty-sixth birthday with her new husband when she is snatched abruptly from her home in California and transported to the antebellum South. Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner, is drowning, and Dana has been summoned to save him. Dana is drawn back repeatedly through time to the slave quarters, and each time the stay grows longer, more arduous, and more dangerous until it is uncertain whether or not Dana's life will end, long before it has a chance to begin.  

Our favourite quote from Kindred

Dive into an intoxicating journey with "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August" by Claire North - a gripping tale that redefines the boundaries of time-travel and reincarnation. This audacious novel explores the complex life of Harry August, perpetually born into the same time, but with the wisdom of his past lives intact. Ideal for fans of layered, mind-bending narratives and rich philosophical dialogue. Witness Harry tackle moral dilemmas, thrilling espionage, and soul-stirring self-discovery across his multitudes of life. North’s striking storytelling promises to challenge your perceptions of time, identity, and morality. Prepare yourself for an unforgettable literary journey, where every end is a new beginning!

Our favourite quote from The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August

I am not a man of God. I have read a book and understand, better than most, that there're miracles in it, things which are supernatural by any measure. But I am not a man of faith, not poor, blind, stupid, blessed faith.

It was a dark and stormy night.

Out of this wild night, a strange visitor comes to the Murry house and beckons Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and their friend Calvin O'Keefe on a most dangerous and extraordinary adventure - one that will threaten their lives and our universe.

Winner of the 1963 Newbery Medal, A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L'Engle's classic Time Quintet.

Our favourite quote from A Wrinkle in Time

We can't take any credit for our talents. It's how we use them that counts.

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time, Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world's great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous firebombing of Dresden, Billy Pilgrim's odyssey through time reflects the mythic journey of our own fractured lives as we search for meaning in what we fear most.

Our favourite quote from Slaughterhouse-Five

Dive into the depths of time travel with "The Man Who Folded Himself" by David Gerrold. This fascinating novel follows the life of Daniel Eakins, who inherits the power to twist time, exploring factors of identity, loneliness and existential reality. Perfect for sci-fi enthusiasts, philosophical thinkers, or anyone craving an introspective narrative. This classic novel, littered with paradox, offers a unique exploration of timelines and multiple versions of self. Gerrold’s imaginative storytelling delivers readers with a profound exploration of the human condition coupled with compelling dives into the riddles of time, paving the way for endless discussions and thoughts. Expect a riveting reading experience that highlights the potency of personal choice, the nature of fate and the captivating tremors of time. Be prepared to question reality and ponder upon infinite possibilities!

Our favourite quote from The Man Who Folded Himself

All of time is simultaneous. You can visit any part of it whenever you wish. It is not a river, as you perceive it, but a vast tapestry, with all moments independent and yet simultaneous.

Connie Willis' Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Doomsday Book uses time travel for a serious look at how people connect with each other. In this Hugo-winning companion to that novel, she offers a completely different kind of time travel adventure: a delightful romantic comedy that pays hilarious homage to Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.

When too many jumps back to 1940 leave 21st century Oxford history student Ned Henry exhausted, a relaxing trip to Victorian England seems the perfect solution. But complexities like recalcitrant rowboats, missing cats, and love at first sight make Ned's holiday anything but restful - to say nothing of the way hideous pieces of Victorian art can jeopardize the entire course of history.

Our favourite quote from To Say Nothing of the Dog

Cats, as you know, are quite impervious to threats.

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In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.
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