About Time: 12 Short Stories

This an enjoyable confection of a read, with some of these stories, written in the 1950s/60s time period, being very good. Still, they don't rise to the level of Finney's masterwork, "Time and Again" or its sequel, "From Time to Time".As a fan of Finney's books (even the non-time travel works), this was a very worthwhile purchase.

The twelve stories in this collection by the author of Invasion of the Body Snatchers were originally published in 1957 and 1962. The stories are similar to Finney's classic novel Time and Again--in which the book's protagonist travels back to late 19th-century New York--both because nearly all of them have to do with time travel ("Lunch-Hour Magic" and "Home Alone" are exceptions) and because many of the characters express their dissatisfaction with the modern world and wish to escape from it. Usually this flight from modernity is to be achieved by time travel, but it can also take the form of interplanetary migration ("Of Missing Persons") or balloon flight ("Home Alone").Time travel in these stories is achieved almost effortlessly, when the "thousand invisible chains" that keep us in the present--modern coins and manufactured items, apartment buildings--are, for a moment, loosed. If there's nothing on you that wouldn't belong in the world fifty or sixty or seventy years ago, and if you're in a place that hasn't been altered much in all that time, and if you're in the right frame of mind, you can slip into the past, easy as can be. Just so, the car-obsessed college student of Finney's "Second Chance," while driving along an old highway in his restored Jordan Playboy, finds himself sharing the road with Model T's. His brief presence in the past has the effect of altering history in a way that will influence his own future.Al and his wife Nell of Finney's "Such Intersting Neighbors" find the Hellenbeks, who have just moved into their California neighborhood, strange but pleasant. Ted Hellenbek is an inventor, an intelligent guy who was born and raised in the U.S., and yet he fumbles with his money, unable to count it out himself, when he has to pay the driver of his cab upon his arrival in town. Alfred Pullen buys a paper with a 1958 Wilson dime in "The Coin Collector" and finds himself at once in an alternative universe where such coins exist--and where he has married a different woman. In "Where the Cluetts Are" an architect helps a couple build a house following blueprints that belonged to his grandfather. The house, with its peaked roof and many gables, is an anachronism, and it has a curious effect on its inhabitants. In "Lunch-Hour Magic" an advertising agency employee buys a pair of glasses that allow him to see through women's clothes:"I kept the glasses on nearly all afternoon, wandering around the office with a sheaf of papers in my hand, and strangely it was Mrs. Humphrey, our middle-aged overweight bookkeeper, that I stared at longest. Last year, I knew, she'd celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of her marriage to her husband, Harvey. But there, unmistakably, tattooed on her left hip, was a four-inch high red heart inside which, in a slanted blue script, was inscribed Ralph, and I wondered if she'd had the fearsome job of hiding it from Harvey for a quarter of a century."Finney writes well--that "fearsome job" is quite good--and his stories are clever. If they are not quite as well done as his novels, this collection nevertheless makes a pleasant and easy read.Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece

Jack Finney is a remarkably talented writer. He manages to balance whimsy and passion in a narrative voice that is authentically Everyman, and his descriptions are vivid and lush, whether he's depicting a character's apartment or a milieu in the past. You won't find many more talented writers in any genre, and the fact that he's writing time paradoxes only increases your pleasure.These 12 stories are a lot of fun. While I think Finney, writing circa 1950s, excelled in the novel(la) format because he could fully indulge his gift for description, these shorts are enjoyable because they make great reads when you have less time -- in more ways than one.These stories were originally collected in two anthologies: The Third Level (1957/1976) and I Love Galesburg in the Springtime (1962), though those collections may be difficult to find. All are great, but my favorites are: "Such Interesting Neighbors", about the rather strange Hellenbek family who lives next door; "Lunch-Hour Magic", about the lengths one will go to find love (or lust); "The Face in the Photo", about a novel escape for criminals; and "Of Missing Persons", about getting a second chance at Paradise. "The Third Level" is a classic that you may well have read in other anthologies, and "The Coin Collector" was later expanded into novella-length "The Woodrow Wilson Dime" -- a treatment most of these wonderful stories could sustain. The latter features a wonderful passage about books written by authors, including Mark Twain, who lived longer in the alternate reality in which the narrator finds himself. Each story ends with a twist that would roll off Rod Serling's tongue.If you enjoy time travel stories (though not hard sf), great storytelling or endings with a wink, this is a collection you must have. Finney is a marvel! Give yourself a treat!

I hadn't recognized the author's name and, essentially, dove into this collection not knowing anything about the contents other than that they were all centered around the premise of time Travel (TT). I'm a huge TT fan, so this was a no-brainer choice.I was rather surprised at the tone of the stories. They were all, how can I say, rather light and gentle. Whimsical and slightly humorous at times. If you excuse the irony, they were quite dated, and I thought, "I haven't read anything like this since I was a kid..." I checked to see when the stories were first published and the dates of 1957 etc. put everything into perspective.As a previous reviewer remarked, I could also easily see how many of these stories were exactly on par with many vintage Twilight Zone episodes; same vibe, same pace. Which is certainly not a bad thing.The current price is $12.99 and, if I'd paid that much for it, I'd have been very disappointed. However, I bought my kindle e-book for a few dollars on a special offer which seems reasonable to me.

I am a fan of Jack Finney's work and this soft cover of shorts was a joy to consume. Delivery was fast and the book arrived in perfect condition.

Jack Finney was perhaps not a great writer but some of his work was touched by greatness. "Home Alone" for example could have been written by Ray Bradbury. Those of us who have driven a very old car or motorcycle will understand what he is getting at in "Second Chance"- because you are sharing the experience of the long-ago original drivers, such vehicles are to some extent Time Machines. These stories will entertain you- and may give you something to think about!

I have, so far, read six of the twelve stories and enjoyed them all. I feel Jack Finney has a distinctive style that allows the reader to connect to the conversations described in his stories. It is easy to imagine / visualise the conversations taking place. Very enjoyable.

Do not adjust your set...sit back and enjoy 12 of the best. For all fans of scifi/time travel/twilight zone etc..Jack Finney does it so well and with a sense of homour!While reading these (back to back),not able to put it down it reminded me of the better stories from TZ. They could have been longer and I didin't want them to finish. Very much like his Time & Again..I wanted it to go on forever!

The short stories were fun and interesting though I found the themes somewhat repetitive. By the time I got to the last couple of stories, I found it hard going. I suggest it might be best to dip into the book from time to time rather than read it in one go.

Very charming. Of course a bit old-fashioned, but that is not surprising for stories written in the early sixties.