Time Travel Romance: Confessions of a romantic geek

I’m a geek. Almost by definition, this makes me interested in any story involving time travel. We just watched Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure last night with the kids, a perfect movie for the end of the school year.

But I have a confession to make: I’m also an incurable romantic. Combine the two — time travel and romance — and you have a killer combination.

On my wife Kay’s recommendation, I gobbled up Kage Baker’s “The Company” book series, which begins with In the Garden of Iden. Very unusual use of time travel, beginning in Elizabethan England. You can read the first chapter online to learn the amazing premise of this series.

In the Garden of Iden

The only movie that left me sobbing uncontrollably was Somewhere in Time. (Again, suggested by K. She knows me well!) Say what you like about the acting. I can still hum the movie theme and get the chills. Yes, I said “sobbing uncontrollably.”

Somewhere in Time

We discovered the anime Please Save My Earth by accident on TV. Here the time element is reincarnation, involving a group of people with paranormal powers. The only disappointment is that it ends abruptly in the middle of the story, so I bought the original Japanese manga (comics) so I could see how it plays out. The anime has beautiful music, but the more haunting tunes introduced me to the amazing Yoko Kanno.

Please Save My Earth

Now we recently saw the new Star Trek movie. To my surprise, our teenage daughter S started watching the original Star Trek TV series. Like, every episode. In order. Today, she watched City on the Edge of Forever. I got to catch the last act with her. I am a proud father.

City on the Edge of Forever

Which are your favorite time travel stories? What about time travel romance?
Have any of your children or nieces/nephews discovered stories you treasured?

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19 Responses to “Time Travel Romance: Confessions of a romantic geek”

  1. Carrie June 2, 2009 at 5:35 am #

    One of my favorite time travel movies is Time Cop. Yes, it’s Van Damm, but I seriously love it! And you are so right about Somewhere in Time! One of the best. I should rent that…haven’t watched in a really long time.
    Of course, my current favorite time travel adventure is LOST.

  2. Jon Reid June 2, 2009 at 9:26 am #

    Carrie,
    Since we stopped watching TV, I’m clearly out of the loop: I had no idea Lost incorporated time travel.

  3. Carrie June 2, 2009 at 9:33 am #

    OH YES! That was the big new thing in the last two seasons…this season especially. If you ever want to borrow the seasons, let me know…I have them all. It is most yay!!!!

  4. Samia June 2, 2009 at 10:34 am #

    Oh, oh, me too!! I love time travel stories. I have not seen Somewhere in Time. I’ll have to rent that.
    I was crying after seeing City on the Edge of Forever. That is what makes the original Star Trek so great, there are some really edgy stories there. What a great episode. And I officially claim my geek status since I know the episode from memory, LOL.
    Have you read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger? That is perfect, as it involves time travel and romance. I LOVED that book!

  5. Samia June 2, 2009 at 10:43 am #

    Oh and have you seen the Next Generation Episode where Picard is kidnapped by a probe and lives a whole lifetime in the past? I found it, it’s called “The Inner Light”, Season 5.

  6. Jon Reid June 2, 2009 at 12:17 pm #

    Samia,
    Ahhh, definitely rent Somewhere in Time.
    I am adding The Time Traveler’s Wife to my “books to read” list. Thanks!
    And thank you for reminding me of “The Inner Light,” perhaps my favorite Next Generation episode!

  7. Samia June 2, 2009 at 12:32 pm #

    I’ll be interested to hear how you like it. I’m going to reserve Garden of Iden at the library.

  8. Jon Reid June 2, 2009 at 12:34 pm #

    Garden of Iden gets a little racy, just so you know. It’s well worth it.

  9. Samia June 2, 2009 at 12:45 pm #

    so does Time Traveler’s Wife, LOL. Couldn’t find it at the library, I ordered it from Amazon.

  10. Chris June 2, 2009 at 6:57 pm #

    Star Trek IV – the whales :) Gotta love the culture shock.

  11. Daniel Butler June 2, 2009 at 10:26 pm #

    definitely Time Travelers Wife.

  12. Jon Reid June 3, 2009 at 8:55 am #

    Chris,
    A little too much LDS?
    When our youngest was having computer trouble, I startled her by picking up the mouse and saying, “Computer.”

  13. Jon Reid June 3, 2009 at 9:00 am #

    Daniel seconds the motion. The motion is carried!

  14. Paul June 7, 2009 at 7:43 am #

    There’s Timeline by michael crichton (the book’s much better than the movie – the movie has some poor casting, and poor acting). And then there’s Night Watch by Terry Pratchett (the romance and characters are really built by the previous novels but it should stand on it’s own fairly well, if you haven’t read any Terry Pratchett, he’s worth the read… IMHO.)

  15. paul June 7, 2009 at 8:23 pm #

    Oh, and your daughter might like the Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer (fantasy with time travel, *little* bit of romance thrown in).

  16. Jon Reid June 9, 2009 at 9:48 pm #

    Paul,
    Thanks for the recommendations. I have added Timeline to my list. I like Pratchett a lot, but Night Watch is certainly one of my favorites because of the slip through time. I think I would enjoy reading it again!
    My daughter consumes books, so I’m guessing she’s already read all the Artemis Fowl books — but I’ll ask. :-)

  17. claudia September 15, 2009 at 12:25 pm #

    The Outlander serie (books, there are no movies as far as I know) by Diana Gabaldon is pretty good :-)

  18. Jon Reid September 23, 2009 at 9:13 pm #

    That looks interesting, Claudia — thanks!

  19. claudia September 24, 2009 at 12:03 am #

    you are welcome :-)

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