From Time to Time

by Jack Finney

Release: February 1995
Format: Novel
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adults
Content: Definite Time Travel
Original Language: English

Finney’s sequel to Time and Again initially finds Si Morley living a happy life in the 19th century with his 19th century family, while The Project in the future never even got started because he prevented the inventor’s parents from ever meeting. But vague memories linger in some of the Project member’s minds, and Morley can’t stay put.

— Michael Main

They’re back there in the past, trampling around, changing things, aren’t they? They don’t know it. They’re just living their happy lives, but changing small events. Mostly trivial, with no important effects. But every once in a while the effect of some small changed event moves on down to the—

DEBUT

From Time to Time (Simon and Shuster, February 1995).

VARIANTS

1 English variant

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

Time Periods

Circa AD 1800 to 1899: the 1880s
Circa AD 1900 to 1929: 1912
Circa AD 1970 to 1999: home decade of the Project

Timeline Models

Multiple Naive Timelines
Remembering Different Timelines: Major Prien has vague memories of the timeline with the project.
Travelers Are Immune to Timeline Changes

Time Travel Methods

Hypnosis, Potions, and Drug-Induced Travel

Themes

Anachronistic Music, Dance, and Other Creations: 🎵 Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head . . . 🎵
Changewars: Danziger and the Jotta Girl v. Morley and any other timeline changers.
Fix History!: Stop WW I
Future Is “Down”: “Back in the banks behind us is the past.”
Messing with Someone’s Ancestors: Somehow, Si’s previous messing with Danziger’s parents has been undone, and the Project is back in business.
Never Change the Past!: Once again, Danziger comes down on the side of never change the past.
Public Notice from a Time Traveler in the Past: At least one stuck time traveler placed a classified ad in a newspaper: “Allice, Alice, I’m here . . ..”
Stuck in Time: Si recalls several time travelers who were stuck in a time not their own.
True Histories: True story of why the Titanic sunk.

Real-World Tags

Archibald Butt
HMS Titanic
Teddy Roosevelt
World War I: With the Project back again, Morley accepts another mission to try to end World War I.

Groupings

Si Morley (story series): 2

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY: We haven’t yet mapped out the time travel itinerary.