Do you like time-slip books?

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debbiebee
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Do you like time-slip books?

Post by debbiebee »

By this I mean books where Our Heroine (and it almost always is a female) is mysteriously transported in some way to another time period, often medieval, and finds all kinds of parallels and connections to her current situation. I think they can work really well - such as Kate Mosse's (what a difference an E makes!!) 'Labyrinth' and 'Sepulchre' and Barbara Erskine's 'Lady of Hay' and 'Kingdom of Shadows', but I think some authors just get on the bandwagon and cash in on the success of these excellent books with some rather turgid writing.
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memory
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Post by memory »

I enjoy them a lot if they are well done. I like the ones Lynn Kurland does a lot. I think the trick is just being able to write strong characters that don't make you want to reach into the book and smack them.
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Post by bluemel4 »

I actually really like this mash up of historical fiction and fantasy. My favorite book is The Mirror by Marlys Millhiser. I also really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

The Mirror has romance in it but is secondary to the story about two women who switch places in time. They are related and it is interesting what each woman discovers she misses about her time period and what they have to learn to accept to live without. They lose so much but gain a great deal more in their new lives. They also show amazing resilence and determination to make the best of a situation that cannot be reversed.

The Time Traveler's Wife is a much more popular book. The male is the time traveler and there is a great romance but it is very complicated. His time traveling is more of a medical condition that he has no control over.

I have seen a surge in Outlander like novels but I have honestly been ignoring them. If anyone is reading them let me know if you find some good ones.
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Post by Ealasaid »

I really enjoy time slip books, particularly when folks "fall" into the past.

I read the Outlander series a few years ago and thought the series was okay. However, I haven't picked up the most recent couple of books and am not sure if I ever will.
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Post by Jesska6029 »

I definitely like them when they are done well, and the author does enough research to make the time period come to life.
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Post by erine_sturdevant »

Love them! I'm a huge fan of Outlander and loved The Time Traveler's Wife. I would also recommend Kindred by Octavia Butler. The female lead is the one who time travels, more than just once, and the author does a great job of providing accurate information about the time period. Butler also does a great job at relating the complicated relationship between the main character and her husband and the circumstances they go through.
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Post by CLRogers90 »

I find it interesting that you specify the hero as a "heroine". In my experience it seems like males are, more often than not, playing the role of "time-hopper". With your examples, however, I can see why you would draw that conclusion.

To answer your question though: It honestly depends on the book. Some authors are better than others at making a "time-slip" interesting. On its face though, I do enjoy the very concept of time-traveling, regardless of the means. Stephen King's 11/22/63 is a more current book that uses this theme, and it is certainly on my reading list.

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Post by Adamandia »

I love time travel books and I will definetely check some of the authors stated here. I have read Outlander by Diana Gambaldon and it was great but my personal favourite is the highlander series by Karen Marie Moning. If you haven't read anything from her I would definetely recommend her work. Her next series "fever series" is in fact a continuation of the time travel highlander series
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Post by DancingSouls »

I enjoy time slip books, especially when the characters are lovable and complex. I enjoy it when there are lessons the main charater(s) learn from slipping into the past. The dangers and adventures as well as the transition into a different, still developing, culture is a fascinating concept. Culture is always developing and it is interesting to see the character try to fit in despite having different believes and a different reality.
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Post by Emmerz8021 »

I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffinger. It is one of my all-time favorites. I also really enjoyed the Outlander series as well. Though those are probably more closely categorized as romance novels rather than historical fiction, they were chock-full of facts about the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland.

I love historical fiction books as well as fantasy ones, so for me, books in this "time-slip" genre are a wonderful blend of the two (when done well!).
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Well.... I have never read any books of this type but I have read many other time travelling books which I enjoyed. :)
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Post by DiverseSpirit »

The only book I can recall is called The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. They made a movie starring Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy. The book is about a girl that is transported back to the year 1941 - World War II - and she begins to learn about her Jewish family's history. I first saw the movie in class in middle school. We were learning about World War II and concentration camps. It was a very dark topic indeed. I managed to check out the book in the library in order to get a full understanding of the story line.
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Post by Becky Mb »

I enjoyed Out of Time by Pauline Baird Jones. It's got time travel, romance, adventure and history. They traveled back to WW II. I would love to see a movie of it starring Jennifer Lawrence!
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Post by Acwoolet »

I agree that if they're done well, then it's definitely fun to read them. I've read some that feel as if they're just trying to hard. I like when they're mixed with a fairy tale mash up too.
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Post by Insightsintobooks »

I almost always enjoy time-slip books. I love it when books go back and forth as it gives me another perspective.
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