Time Machine (book series)
Encyclopedia
Time Machine was a series of children's novels published by Bantam Books
from 1984 to 1989, similar to their more successful Choose Your Own Adventure
line of "interactive" novels. Each book was written in the second person
, with the reader choosing how the story should progress. They were designed by Byron Preiss Visual Publications.
The main difference between the Choose Your Own Adventure series and the Time Machine series was that Time Machine books featured only one ending, forcing the reader to try many different choices until they discovered it. Also, the series taught children basic history about many diverse subjects, from dinosaur
s to World War II
. Only the sixth book in the series, The Rings of Saturn, departed from actual history; it is set in the future, and features educational content about the solar system. Some books gave the reader their choice from a small list of equipment at the beginning, and this choice would affect events later in the book (e.g. "If you brought the pen knife, turn to page 52, if not turn to page 45."). Another main difference between the Time Machine novels and the Choose Your Own Adventure counterparts was hints offered at certain junctures, where the reader was advised to look at hints at the back of the book. An example was in Mission to World War II about the Warsaw Ghetto
uprising, where the reader was given the choice of starting the mission in the Jewish ghetto or the Aryan part of Warsaw, in which the hint read "Hitler may have had Jewish family members", suggesting the reader should begin in the Jewish section of the city, but not ordering it, or it was possible for the hint to be missed.
The line spawned a brief spin-off series for younger readers, the Time Traveler novels.
Bantam Books
Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
from 1984 to 1989, similar to their more successful Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure
Choose Your Own Adventure is a series of children's gamebooks where each story is written from a second-person point of view, with the reader assuming the role of the protagonist and making choices that determine the main character's actions and the plot's outcome. The series was based on a...
line of "interactive" novels. Each book was written in the second person
Second-person narrative
The second-person narrative is a narrative mode in which the protagonist or another main character is referred to by employment of second-person personal pronouns and other kinds of addressing forms, for example the English second-person pronoun "you"....
, with the reader choosing how the story should progress. They were designed by Byron Preiss Visual Publications.
The main difference between the Choose Your Own Adventure series and the Time Machine series was that Time Machine books featured only one ending, forcing the reader to try many different choices until they discovered it. Also, the series taught children basic history about many diverse subjects, from dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Only the sixth book in the series, The Rings of Saturn, departed from actual history; it is set in the future, and features educational content about the solar system. Some books gave the reader their choice from a small list of equipment at the beginning, and this choice would affect events later in the book (e.g. "If you brought the pen knife, turn to page 52, if not turn to page 45."). Another main difference between the Time Machine novels and the Choose Your Own Adventure counterparts was hints offered at certain junctures, where the reader was advised to look at hints at the back of the book. An example was in Mission to World War II about the Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
uprising, where the reader was given the choice of starting the mission in the Jewish ghetto or the Aryan part of Warsaw, in which the hint read "Hitler may have had Jewish family members", suggesting the reader should begin in the Jewish section of the city, but not ordering it, or it was possible for the hint to be missed.
The line spawned a brief spin-off series for younger readers, the Time Traveler novels.
1984
- 1. Secret of the Knights by Jim Gasperini, ISBN 0-553-23601-6
- 2. Search for Dinosaurs by David BischoffDavid BischoffDavid F. Bischoff is an American science fiction and television writer.-General Background:Born in Washington D.C. and now living in Eugene, Oregon, Bischoff writes science fiction books, short stories, and scripts for television...
, ISBN 0-553-23602-4 - 3. Sword of the Samurai by Michael ReavesMichael ReavesJames Michael Reaves is an American writer, known for his contributions as producer and story editor to a number of 1990s animated television series, including Disney's Gargoyles and Batman: The Animated Series. He has also written media tie-in novels, children's books, and original fiction...
and Steve PerrySteve Perry (author)Steve Perry is an American television writer and science fiction author.-Biography:Perry is a native of the Deep South. His residences have included Louisiana, California, Washington and Oregon...
, ISBN 0-553-24052-8 - 4. Sail with Pirates by Jim Gasperini, ISBN 0-553-23808-6
- 5. Civil War Secret Agent by Steve Perry, ISBN 0-553-24183-4
1985
- 6. The Rings of Saturn by Arthur Byron CoverArthur Byron CoverArthur Byron Cover is a science fiction author.Cover attended the Clarion Writer's SF Workshop in New Orleans in 1971, and made his first professional short-story sale to Harlan Ellison's The Last Dangerous Visions...
, ISBN 0-553-24424-8 - 7. Ice Age Explorer by Dougal DixonDougal Dixon-Biography:Dixon studied geology and palaeontology at the University of St. Andrews and is best known for his illustrated works of speculative fiction, which largely concern "zoologies of the future": his own visions of how human beings and animals might evolve in millions of years' time...
, ISBN 0-553-24722-0 - 8. The Mystery of Atlantis by Jim Gasperini, ISBN 0-553-25073-6
- 9. Wild West Rider by Stephen Overholser, ISBN 0-553-25180-5
- 10. American Revolutionary by Arthur Byron Cover, ISBN 0-553-25300-X
1986
- 11. Mission to World War II by Susan Nanus and Marc Kornblatt, ISBN 0-553-25431-6
- 12. Search for the Nile by Robert W. Walker, ISBN 0-553-25538-X
- 13. Secret of the Royal Treasure by Carol Gaskin, ISBN 0-553-25729-3
- 14. Blade of the Guillotine by Arthur Byron Cover, ISBN 0-553-26038-3
- 15. Flame of the Inquisition by Marc Kornblatt, ISBN 0-553-26160-6
1987
- 16. Quest for the Cities of Gold by Richard Glatzer, ISBN 0-553-26295-5
- 17. Scotland Yard Detective by Seymour V. Reit, ISBN 0-553-26421-4
- 18. Sword of Caesar by Robin Stevenson and Bruce StevensonBruce StevensonBruce Stevenson is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the VFL during the early 1970s. Bruce also played in the South Australian National Football League for a number of years....
, ISBN 0-553-26531-8 - 19. Death Mask of Pancho Villa by Carol Gaskin and George GuthridgeGeorge GuthridgeGeorge Guthridge is a U.S. author. He has published over 70 short stories and five novels, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award and twice for the Nebula Award, for science fiction and fantasy...
, ISBN 0-553-26674-8 - 20. Bound for Australia by Nancy Bailey, ISBN 0-553-26793-0
- 21. Caravan to China by Carol Gaskin, ISBN 0-553-26906-2
1988
- 22. Last of the Dinosaurs by Peter LerangisPeter LerangisPeter Lerangis is an author of children's and young-adult fiction.-Career:Lerangis's work includes The Viper's Nest and The Sword Thief, two titles in the New York Times–bestselling children's-book series The 39 Clues, the historical novel Smiler's Bones, the YA dark comedy-adventure novel wtf,...
, ISBN 0-553-27007-9 - 23. Quest for King Arthur by Ruth Ashby, ISBN 0-553-27126-1
- 24. World War I Flying Ace by Richard Mueller, ISBN 0-553-27231-4
1989
- 25. Special Edition: World War II Code Breaker by Peter Lerangis, ISBN 0-553-28157-7
External links
- Time Machine book list and reviews (gamebooks.org)