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Jack Finney
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Time and Again Paperback – 1 Feb. 1995

by Jack Finney (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 3,600 ratings
Simon Morley is selected by a secret government agency to test Einstein's theory of the past co-existing with the present and is transported back to 1880s New York.
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  1. Book 1 of 2
    Time series
  2. Print length
    399 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Simon & Schuster
  5. Publication date
    1 Feb. 1995
  6. Dimensions
    13.34 x 2.79 x 20.32 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    9780684801056
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0684801056
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Product description

About the Author

Let Jack Finney make a believer of you as he takes you on an incredible tour in words and pictures of a time long gone

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0684801051
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Simon & Schuster
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Feb. 1995
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ Reprint
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 399 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780684801056
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684801056
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 408 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.34 x 2.79 x 20.32 cm
  • Book 1 of 2 ‏ : ‎ Time series
  • Customer reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 3,600 ratings

About the author

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Jack Finney

Jack Finney

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Jack Finney (October 2, 1911 – November 14, 1995) was an American author. His best-known works are science fiction and thrillers, including The Body Snatchers and Time and Again. The former was the basis for the 1956 movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers and its remakes.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
3,600 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this time travel novel engaging, with one describing it as a thrilling kaleidoscopic tumble through time, and many noting how it had them enthralled from the start. Moreover, the book receives positive feedback for its historical detail, with one customer highlighting the wonderful descriptions of late 19th century NYC, and its well-developed characters. However, the writing style receives mixed reactions, with some finding it fantastically written while others note it's extremely heavy on details. Additionally, the book's pacing is criticized as slow, though customers consider it an absolute first-class read.

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Time travel storyEnjoymentReadabilityHistorical detailCharacter developmentStart dateWriting stylePacing
41 customers mention ‘Time travel story’32 positive9 negative

Customers enjoy this time travel novel, describing it as a gripping and engaging story with a fascinating concept.

"...It's believable despite the time travel impossibility and the people come alive. I wanted to be there, to see it all too. Flying somewhere long haul?..." Read more

"...Once the rather laborious set-up is done with, it gets very interesting, and the descriptions make the period come to life...." Read more

"...The storyline is heavily larded with photographs and descriptions of New York in 1880 and the book takes rather a rosy view, concentrating on how..." Read more

"...Storywise it is gripping and deserves its reputation as one of the best time travelling stories in the genre...." Read more

24 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’24 positive0 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and fascinating, with several noting it had them enthralled from the start, making it an ideal holiday read.

"I really enjoyed this book, an ideal holiday read...." Read more

"...alarmingly by-passed for much of the time, but this was still a most enjoyable read." Read more

"...much cleaner the air was (doubtful); how much simpler, tougher, more enthusiastic and naïve the people were, enjoying the very fact of being alive..." Read more

"...I did enjoy the story, and couldn't figure out what was going to happen, or how it was going to end, but I found the last two thirds of the book..." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Readability’14 positive3 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as an absolute first-class and thoroughly enjoyable read, with one customer noting it's a wonderful piece of work by Jack Finney.

"I really enjoyed this book, an ideal holiday read...." Read more

"...It combines some fine historic details and social comment with an excellent, gripping story that I just couldn't put down...." Read more

"A wonderful piece of work by Jack Finney. There are some reviews that suggest that the level of detail employed by the author is too much...." Read more

"...history, sci fi and romance into a believable and unforgettable reading experience. Highly recommended." Read more

13 customers mention ‘Historical detail’13 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the historical detail in the book, with one customer highlighting the wonderful descriptions of late 19th century New York City, while another notes how the period comes to life through vivid imagery.

"...They are a little overdone, but the photos help, and it becomes clear this is a labour of love on the part of the author...." Read more

"...photographs and descriptions of New York in 1880 and the book takes rather a rosy view, concentrating on how much spiritually better life was, back..." Read more

"...There are no time machines in use here, just total dedication to a particular time and place, saturation in the style of talk and dress of the period..." Read more

"I was so pleased I'd found this great story. It combines some fine historic details and social comment with an excellent, gripping story that I just..." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Character development’5 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the well-developed characters in the book, with one review noting the sympathetic protagonist and another highlighting the perfectly horrid antagonist.

"...The story is fun, the people likeable, the bad guy perfectly horrid and I really really did not see the ending coming. It is a SAFE read...." Read more

"...There is some humour and wit to the character of the protagonist, particularly displayed before the first time travelling trip, when he's recruited..." Read more

"...Where it scores masssively is in a well written and sympathetic protagonist and in making an exciting story around events that, to a large extent, ca..." Read more

"...I liked the vivid depictions of 1890s New York. A cast of interesting characters, a ripping plot line and a time travel technique which is more..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Start date’4 positive0 negative

Customers say the book starts off well.

"I am left a bit confused at the end of this book. I thought it started off really well, I loved the idea of Si Morley willing himself to travel..." Read more

"Not much happens in book. Might be worth reading if from New York. Good start but disappoints. Very descriptive...." Read more

"...It’s ok, intriguing story just hamstrung by lack of humor and the technical marvels we came to associate with time travel through the likes of back..." Read more

"Time gentlemen please! Started off well, good premise but waned towards the middle and then I lost interest towards the end as the plot thinned out." Read more

21 customers mention ‘Writing style’11 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style of the book, with some finding it fantastically written while others note it is extremely heavy on details.

"...comparison to Finney's The Body Snatchers this is a much more accomplished piece of writing...." Read more

"...They are a little overdone, but the photos help, and it becomes clear this is a labour of love on the part of the author...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the book and I can see why it has influcenced many other writers, however, I should mention that there are plot holes you could drive a..." Read more

"...Put simply, this book is incredibly dull. The lead character, Si Morley, goes back in time to New York in 1882...." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Pacing’0 positive5 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book slow.

"I found this very slow going at first, and took a long while to get through the first part of the book...." Read more

"...I was a bit disappointed and found it very slow. The ending seemed rushed and not unsatisfactory." Read more

"...Time drags as you attempt to plough through less than sparkling prose and poor science in search of an interesting plot...." Read more

"Maybe a little slow and very detailed (it was written in 1970 after all), but I really loved the story and the way it was told." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • MargC
    5.0 out of 5 stars fun holiday read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book, an ideal holiday read. I agree with a previous reviewer that the descriptions are sometimes a little detailed but I think it adds to the atmosphere. And it's also true that if you have been to New York and know what the streets and the park look like it will mean a lot more as you are reading. But I think we've all seen New York on tv enough to have a good idea of what it's like. The story is fun, the people likeable, the bad guy perfectly horrid and I really really did not see the ending coming. It is a SAFE read. When you feel like reading something entertaining but absorbing which will leave you feeling uplifted rather than emotionally frayed at the edges then I can recommend Time and Again. It's believable despite the time travel impossibility and the people come alive. I wanted to be there, to see it all too. Flying somewhere long haul? This is the book for you.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Archy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Cries out for a deluxe edition
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2012
    Verified Purchase
    'Psst! Wanna work on a secret project for the Government? So secret I can't tell you anything about it!' Most of us, I suspect, would shy away from such an unlikely offer, but not the hero of this time-travel classic. This is the first of many suspensions of disbelief needed to get the most out of this book. The project turns out to be a highly implausible method of slipping into 1882 New York, basically to see if it can be done.

    Once the rather laborious set-up is done with, it gets very interesting, and the descriptions make the period come to life. They are a little overdone, but the photos help, and it becomes clear this is a labour of love on the part of the author. Once the plot gets underway, the usual time-travel plot logic problems occur, notably the ending, which I won't give away.

    Even so, I really enjoyed this, and my thought throughout was that it cries out to be made into a large scale deluxe hardback, complete with street atlases and photographs of New York in 1882 and 1970, when the novel is set. The publishers are missing a real opportunity! I've read nothing else like it in the fantasy genre. Some of the 1970s perspective is a little dated now, and the poverty of the period is alarmingly by-passed for much of the time, but this was still a most enjoyable read.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Eric Faragher
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not so much Sci-fi
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2021
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Not so much a science fiction novel as a romantic fantasy. The method for time travel is not mechanical, so don't expect any time machine. How time travel is achieved is not really satisfactorily explained, although a good part of the start of the story is taken up with the "smoke and mirrors" of the time travel project. Apparently, all that one needs to do is to change your brain's modern expectations into the expectations of a past period. This involves no more than choosing and studying the period to be travelled to, then living in an exact mock-up which recreates life in that past period. This will "rewire the expectations" so to speak.

    When it comes right down to it, the author might just as well have proposed magic as the secret to travelling in time.

    The storyline is heavily larded with photographs and descriptions of New York in 1880 and the book takes rather a rosy view, concentrating on how much spiritually better life was, back in the day: how much cleaner the air was (doubtful); how much simpler, tougher, more enthusiastic and naïve the people were, enjoying the very fact of being alive in a way modern folk cannot. The bulk of the book comes across as a psychological and sociological study, an effort to bring to life the mindset of the chronological arrival point (as the author imagines it) rather than science fiction. There's the occasional nod toward poverty, but this element of past New York is not looked at much and only appears as something regrettable and best not dwelt on.

    Stripped of the fantasy elements, the plot itself involves the protagonist's choice between two women, both of whom he brings out of the time of their birth for brief visits back or forward as the case may be. It is not clear how this is achieved without the women having any of the mental preparation that was formerly necessary for the protagonist's own initial time trips. Apparently the women only have to be physically near him to make the journey with him (which is absurd as it contradicts the original premise upon which the time travel methodology was expounded).

    There is a melodramatic backdrop of heroic rescue and political corruption which sparks some interest, but this subplot cannot overcome the feeling that the novel is basically a conventional travel book given the added twist of a holiday romance, all transferred to 1880.

    There is some humour and wit to the character of the protagonist, particularly displayed before the first time travelling trip, when he's recruited to join the project and is given a tour, but this element of the character makes fewer appearances once the time travel has been achieved.

    Not really recommended for the science fiction buff.
    One person found this helpful
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  • P. Newman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Time and Again by Jack Finney
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 July 2009
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    An advertising artist, Si Morley, is recruited as a guinea pig to travel back to the New York of January 1882. There are no time machines in use here, just total dedication to a particular time and place, saturation in the style of talk and dress of the period, and a touch of self-hypnosis. The importance of belief would appear to sit well with artistic Simon Morley because from his birthdate we can deduce he is a Pisces.
    In comparison to Finney's The Body Snatchers this is a much more accomplished piece of writing. Everything in the past is described in historically accurate detail and the book contains many old photographs and drawings. Storywise it is gripping and deserves its reputation as one of the best time travelling stories in the genre. Like the main character we get drawn deeper and deeper into the environment and events of the past. The people become real, there is a woman to whom he is attracted... and inevitably Simon will break the time-honoured cosmic traveller's rule and get personally involved in the lives of others, changing history as he does so. I didn't want the story to end; and near the end it accelerates with subtle twists and surprises so that you can not be sure how it will end. But it does, and satisfactorily so.
    3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Jesus Flores
    1.0 out of 5 stars Pero que aburrido
    Reviewed in Mexico on 26 July 2018
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Si os gusta las descripciones de arquitectura del nueva york del pasado, quizá puedan encontrar algo interesante en el libro. Por que de la historia en si, la verdad es que es aparte de aburrida, el método de viaje en el tiempo es ridículamente tonto.
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  • Volker Hartung
    5.0 out of 5 stars Phantastische nostalgische Zeitreise
    Reviewed in Germany on 29 December 2013
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Jack Finney (1911 - 1995) war ein profilierter amerikanischer Autor von Krimis und Thrillern, der aber vor allem durch seine wenigen Ausflüge in die Science Fiction berühmt ist. Sein bekanntestes Werk, "Die Körperfresser kommen"/"Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1955), eine Art Horrorparodie auf die Kommunisten-Paranoia seiner Landsleute, wurde bisher viermal verfilmt, am erfolgreichsten 1978 durch Philip Kaufman (mit Donald Sutherland, Leonard Nimoy und Jeff Goldblum).

    Im 1970 erschienenen "Von Zeit zu Zeit" reist der Ich-Erzähler, Simon Morley, in der wohl sanftesten vorstellbaren Weise durch die Zeit. Im wesentlichen durch Selbsthypnose bewegt er sich zwischen "seinem" New York und einem nur unvollkommen durch frühe Fotographien und Zeichnungen dokumentierten New York des Jahres 1882. Und es ist der Kontrast dieser "nur" 90 Jahre auseinander liegenden Perioden, der den Roman mit Leben und Spannung erfüllt. Dabei ist der wesentliche Unterschied nicht die Technologie, sondern die Einstellung der Menschen zu ihrer Zeit. In den 1880ern gibt es sicher eher mehr Armut, Krankheit und Elend als in unserer "modernen" Zivilisation. Aber es gibt auch noch eine alltägliche Gelassenheit und eine stille Freude am Leben, die späteren Generationen abhanden gekommen sind. Illustriert wird dies etwa durch einen geselligen Abend der Pension, in der Simon unterkommt. Ohne Ablenkung durch Fernsehen oder andere moderne Medien vergnügen sich die Bewohner mit Charaden, Musizieren und Zaubertricks. Gesprächsthemen sind der Zeitung entnommene Ereignisse: die Gerichtsverhandlung gegen einen notorischen Mörder, Modeentwicklungen, Klatsch.

    So verstehe zumindest ich die These des Autors, die man weitere 40 Jahre nach Entstehung durchaus weiterspinnen kann. Der zugrundeliegende Kontrast hat sich seitdem ja noch deutlich verschärft. Stilistisch gesehen mag gerade die erste Hälfte des Romans dem heutigen Leser etwas zäh vorkommen. Finney beschreibt Situationen und Menschen gern bis in die kleinsten Details. Aber genau diese Detailversessenheit macht für mich den Sog der Geschehnisse aus. Der Lesegenuß entsteht daraus, sich entführen zu lassen in diese fast noch greifbare und doch so entfernte Welt des 19. Jahrhunderts, mit Schlittenfahrten und von Pferden gezogenen Straßenbahnen. Erst im letzten Drittel spitzen sich die Ereignisse zum Thriller mit anschließender spannender Verfolgungsjagd zu. Die Figuren wirken plastisch, Charakterentwicklungen stehen aber nicht im Vordergrund. Nicht erwarten sollte man besonders feministische Positionen. Die Frauen sind durchaus sympathisch, erscheinen aber recht passiv und fremdbestimmt - wohl korrekt für 1882, vielleicht auch für 1970 noch die Norm. Manchmal scheint auch eine Art idealistischer Naivität durch: in merkwürdiger Erinnerung blieb mir eine Passage über "fröhliche kannibalistische Zulus" (Position 3541).

    Während für H.G. Wells 1895 seine Zeitmaschine vor allem einen erzählerischer Kniff darstellte, mit dem er seine Allegorie auf die vorherrschenden Ideologien eine anschauliche Gestalt geben konnte, behandelten viele der späteren Zeitreisegeschichten wissenschaftlichen Aspekte und das Problem von Zeitparadoxen (Was passiert, wenn ich in die Vergangenheit reise und verhindere, daß meine Eltern sich kennenlernen?) Finneys Roman ist sich möglicher Paradoxen bewußt. Auf einer abstrakten Ebene ist er auch eine Reflexion über den verantwortungsvollen Umgang mit Technologie, Laut IMDB ist erst jetzt eine Verfilmung in Planung - es bleibt abzuwarten, ob der Grundton der Vorlage erhalten bleibt, oder ob der Stoff nur zu einem weiteren futuristischen Thriller mit Twist verarbeitet wird.

    Die Kindle-Edition ist tadellos formatiert und fehlerfrei aufbereitet. Sie enthält die aus verschiedenen historischen Quellen zusammengestellten Schwarzweiß-Fotografien und -Zeichnungen, die auf dem 6-Zoll-Bildschirm naturgemäß arg klein geraten (dafür empfiehlt es sich, parallel ein Tablet bereitzuhalten).
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  • Allan de la Plante
    5.0 out of 5 stars What a recommendation!
    Reviewed in Canada on 25 November 2021
    Verified Purchase
    With a recommendation from Steven King after reading 11/22/63 I found this amazing story. A real page turner and when it's over...book TWO!
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  • Amazon Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars Só para novaiorqunos
    Reviewed in Brazil on 26 December 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A história da viagem ao passado é interessante, embora não original, mas o livro se excede na descrição da N.York de 1882, o que só pode interessar a historiadores e apaixonados por N.York, pois não muda em nada o desenrolar da trama.
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  • Marianne Kay
    5.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative and Enjoyable read!
    Reviewed in the United States on 4 January 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Finney magically takes us to an edgy realism of New York in 1882 with vintage photographs and sketches to help us along the way. There is sometimes an overkill in his descriptive prose, but that was probably due to the author’s intent to fully capture the past for the reader. Simon Morley, aka Si, becomes our enthusiastic alter ego in discovering a city alive with theater and parades. One unforgettable scene had Morley, along with others, enjoying a sleigh ride with jingling bells over snowy roads in the Central Park of 1882 - a diversion for the wealthy at the time. Another, in sharp contrast, was the contact Morley had with a horse led bus driver working 14 hours a day, whatever the weather, and barely earning enough to feed his family.

    Sometime in the 1970’s, Simon Morley, a young sketch artist working for a NY ad agency was recruited by a covert government group. Their objective was to explore the past through time travel. Dr. Danziger, the group’s leader thought it could be done - his intent was to observe and not to meddle with the past. To prepare for the trip, Morley is immersed in the history and geography of late nineteenth century New York. Of most relevance he is also trained in self-hypnosis as the “gateway” for his entry into the past. While there, he becomes involved with post Tweed crime activities featuring a blackmailer, his wealthy target and a corrupt policeman - all leading to a catastrophic fire. As a result Simon and his newly met love interest from 1882, Julia, are forced to flee back to the safety of the 20th century.

    After Morley’s return, he found that the government group backed by the military and politicians are now interested in time travel in order to change or prevent actual events from happening. To set up the reader for what is to follow in the next volume, Morley is persuaded against his own instincts to take part in an intervention which would determine the fate of Cuba. Still loyal to Danziger, he will be morally challenged by the the group’s shift of purpose and decides to act on his own Initiative. How he handles and comes to grips with unforeseen situations in the past will all come to light in the next volume.
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