# Has there ever been a story or novel wherein: **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2008, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558 "2008-12-17T14:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/21 "2008-12-17T22:23:19Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > There is no time travel in Zelazny’s _Amber_ novels. What Corwin did was travel to a Shadow where those diamonds were as common as sand grains on Shadow Earth and grab a bagful. I could be wrong about him being in, or rather off the coast of, Africa but it was a preshitoric setting for that particular Shadow. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/22 "2008-12-17T22:29:27Z")
According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guns_of_Avalon): “Corwin…journeys through shadow to a parallel Earth, where he harvests diamonds from an African coast that has never seen human habitation.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/23 "2008-12-17T22:50:59Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guns_of_Avalon): “Corwin…journeys through shadow to a parallel Earth, where he harvests diamonds from an African coast that has never seen human habitation.” Eh. My details were wrong. It’s still not time travel. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2008, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/24 "2008-12-17T23:03:27Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Wherein there are sentient agents who move “backward” relative to each other in time? > > As in, one group of sentients moves through time the same way we do, while another group of sentients moves in a way that would appear “backward in time” to us? Like, they walk backwards, react to events before they happen, and so on? > > I know there are massive engineering problems with such a scenario.\* I’m just curious if anyone’s tried it in a story, whether science fiction, fantasy, or something else. I wonder how it could be possible, if it could be possible, for the two groups to interact or communicate.\*\* > > -FrL- > > \*But I _think_ it’s just barely strictly possible, even (barely, strictly) _physically_ possible, though totally freaky. > > \*\*This I currently think is _not_ possible. Well, the best treatment of this idea I can think of is the screenplay I started writing in my head, last night, in the shower. So I opened this thread, and said, “God _damn_ it.” ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/25 "2008-12-18T03:06:21Z")
In “The Very Slow Time Machine” by Ian Watson, a man in an enclosed vehicle pops into existence suddenly in a public location. No one can ever communicate with him, although they can see him in the vehicle, which has windows. He and the vehicle stay there for thirty-some years. He occasionally communicates with people outside by holding up signs. It gradually becomes clear that he is living in reverse time. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/26 "2008-12-18T12:36:20Z")
[Collision With Chronos](http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/barrington-j-bayley/collision-with-chronos.htm) by **Barrington Bayley** fits the bill, I think. Not read it since it came out, though. I think there are some other ‘time-war’ novels where the enemy are living in reverse, but I don’t remember for sure which ones they might be… And in _Counter-Clock World_ by **Philip Dick** , everybody lives their lives ‘backwards’ but there isn’t anybody living ‘forwards’ so it doesn’t match the requirements. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/27 "2008-12-18T16:25:59Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > It’s still not time travel. Not in regards to _our_ Shadow Earth, no. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558/28 "2008-12-18T16:34:18Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > _Fractal Mode_ was the first Mode novel. > > And I’m not admitting to Anthonistic reading at this time, either. You are very wise. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-story-or-novel-wherein/477558.md?page=1)