The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF
This anthology tries to include every implication of time travel, and does a surprisingly good job at it, moving from the exploratory to the possibilities of awful consequences of altering the flow of time. It opens with Gregory Benford’s slight, cautionary “Caveat Time Traveler” and closes with Kristine Kathryrn Rusch’s “Red Letter Day,” about the dangers of knowing the future and the complicated safeguards that might be used to prevent terrible consequences. Liz Williams provides a cruise ship lost in time, and its rather alarming journey. David J. Lake’s “The Truth about Weena” offers up an interpretation of possibilities set forth in H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine. Ellen Klages’ “Time Gypsy” remains a genuinely delightful short scientific romance. Kage Baker’s epic Company universe makes an appearance, with the Company handling a rather unfortunate situation involving one of its operatives. There are a few thematic arcs, all outlined in the brief editorial introductions to each story. Overall, the anthology is quite entertaining, and it maintains a pleasing balance between the more familiar tropes of time travel and imaginative alternatives. --Regina Schroeder