# Seeking Sci Fi book suggestions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 29, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616 "2001-06-29T13:53:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/1 "2001-06-29T13:53:26Z")
Does anyone have any good suggestions for sci-fi books specifically about time travel or invisibility? Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/2 "2001-06-29T14:36:18Z")
“The Time Patrol” and “Annals of the Time Patrol” by Poul Anderson were both good. “Time enough for love” by Heinlein. “The River of Time” by David Brin That’s all I can think of off the top of my head ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/3 "2001-06-29T14:36:23Z")
I’d suggest “The Lincoln Hunters” by Wilson Tucker and two by Connie Willis “The Doomsday Book” and “To Say Nothing of the Dog” in the time travel category. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/4 "2001-06-29T15:20:55Z")
The only thing that comes to mind covering invisibility is Lord Of The Rings and the Hobbit, but I guess you probably don’t consider that scifi. For time travel, try The Door Into Summer, by Heinlein. ---
**Author:** ![Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Myron\_Van\_Horowitzski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myron_Van_Horowitzski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/5 "2001-06-29T15:24:40Z")
Heinlein’s _The Door into Summer_ is a good time travel one. I liked _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_ (H F Saint). The movie sucked, though. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/6 "2001-06-29T15:44:52Z")
Time Travel suggestions: The Ends of Eternity–Isaac Asimove Hawksbill Station–Robert Silverberg Up the Line–Silverberg again The Man Who Folded Himself–Dave Gerrold Bring the Jubilee–Ward Moore and you should read the short stories “By His Bootstraps” and “…All You Zombies” by Robert Heinlein. The idea of time paradoxes are old now, but he was the first to write about them. Invisible Men– I hear “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/7 "2001-06-29T15:45:23Z")
This probably belongs in **IMHO** and you’d probably also get more responses there but… I liked **Eon** by Greg Bear (for time travel). ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/8 "2001-06-29T15:45:39Z")
It’s hard to categorize, more fantasy than sf ( though there are elements of both - the general genre is called ‘Steampunk’ ), but I very higly recommend The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers. One of the best time-travel books out there. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![deepbluesea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@deepbluesea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deepbluesea)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/9 "2001-06-29T15:56:43Z")
Time travel books: The Annubis Gates, by Tim Powers Timelike Infinity, by Stephen Baxter (sort of) Marooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge (a different kind of time travel) Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, by Douglas Adams (some time travel) If you’re willing to do kids’ books, let me know - it’s a very common plot device in juvenile fiction, and there’s lots of really good ones there. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/10 "2001-06-29T16:05:48Z")
“The Time Patrol” and “Annals of the Time Patrol” by Poul Anderson were both good. “Time enough for love” by Heinlein. “The River of Time” by David Brin That’s all I can think of off the top of my head ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/11 "2001-06-29T16:12:27Z")
Thought of some more time travel books. Behold the Man–Michael Moorcock Time and Again–Jack Finney Roadmaps–Roger Zelazney Rainbow Mars–Larry Niven Timescape–Gregory Benford ---
**Author:** ![sdimbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdimbert/32/20204_2.png) [@sdimbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sdimbert)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/12 "2001-06-29T16:13:34Z")
No one has mentioned that time-travel story by Bradbury… where they can’t step off the path while hunting dinosaurs. I can’t remember the name. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/13 "2001-06-29T16:19:14Z")
It’s called “A Sound of Thunder.” If we include short stories in this list, it’ll be about 20MB of information… ---
**Author:** ![Venkman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ec9cab/32.png) [@Venkman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Venkman)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/14 "2001-06-29T16:20:22Z")
“Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus” by Orson Scott Card. If you like anything else he’s written you’ll probably like this. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/15 "2001-06-29T18:02:06Z")
Don’t forget about the obvious choices: _The Time Machine_ and _The Invisible Man_ by H.G. Wells ---
**Author:** ![ElDestructo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@ElDestructo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElDestructo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/16 "2001-06-29T19:22:13Z")
Millenium by John Varley. One of my favorite novels of all times, sci fi or not. Unfortunately, it was made into a movie starring Kris Kristophersen which was absolutely horrible and which did no justice whatsoever to the book. ---
**Author:** ![eunoia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eunoia/32/97_2.png) [@eunoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eunoia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2001, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/17 "2001-06-29T20:06:31Z")
The short story **Mimsy Were The Borogoves** by Lewis Padgett has both time travel and invisibility. The advantage of sci-fi short stories is not having to read through so much Rashungar-the-Splendiferous or Menelaus-son-of Atreus-of-the-Copper-Breastplate-and-Fiery-Red-Beard kinda padding. There is also a huge sci-fi thread [here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=74792) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/18 "2001-06-30T01:29:35Z")
Michael Crichton’s _Timeline_ is an interesting spin on time travel, using quantum mechanics for its catalyst. > [@](#): > > Quondam phone > Makes me roam ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/19 "2001-06-30T02:38:08Z")
I’ll throw out another vote for H. F. Saint’s _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_. It was published in the early 90s and may be out of print, but it was a good read. (As noted, the movie was stupid and should not be used to pre-judge the book.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2001, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616/20 "2001-06-30T02:40:13Z")
Additional note on Saint’s _Memoirs of an Invisible Man_: it was published as mainstream fiction, so it is possible you will find it in “Fiction and Literature” rather than in “Science Fiction and Fantasy.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-sci-fi-book-suggestions/70616.md?page=2)