Time Machine (novel series)
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Time Machine is a series of children's novels published in the United States by Bantam Books from 1984 to 1989, similar to their more successful Choose Your Own Adventure line of "interactive" novels. Each book was written in the second person, with the reader choosing how the story should progress. They were designed by Byron Preiss Visual Publications.
Differences
The main difference between the Choose Your Own Adventure series and the Time Machine series was that Time Machine books featured only one ending, forcing the reader to try many different choices until they discovered it. Also, the series taught children basic history about many diverse subjects, from dinosaurs to World War II. Only the sixth book in the series, The Rings of Saturn, departed from actual history; it is set in the future, and features educational content about the Solar System. Some books gave the reader their choice from a small list of equipment at the beginning, and this choice would affect events later in the book (e.g. "If you brought the pen knife, turn to page 52, if not turn to page 45."<ref name=TM24>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp).
Another main difference between the Time Machine novels and the Choose Your Own Adventure counterparts was hints offered at certain junctures, where the reader was advised to look at hints at the back of the book contained in a "Data File" section. An example was in Mission to World War II about the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, where the reader was given the choice of starting the mission in the Jewish ghetto or the Aryan part of Warsaw; the "Data File" hint for Page 3 asks "Was Ringelblum an Aryan or a Jew?"<ref name=TM11/>Template:Rp suggesting the reader should begin in the Jewish section of the city, but not ordering it, or it was possible for the hint to be missed.
The line spawned a brief spin-off series for younger readers, the Time Traveler novels.
Books
| No. | Title | Date | Author | Illus. | ISBN | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Secret of the Knights | 1984 | Jim Gasperini | Richard Hescox | Template:ISBNT<ref name=TM01>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1340. You have traveled back to the age of knights, and must discover the secret of the Order of the Garter. |
| 2 | Search for Dinosaurs | 1984 | David Bischoff | Doug Henderson Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1 million B.C. You have traveled back to the age of dinosaurs, and must photograph an Archaeopteryx. |
| 3 | Sword of the Samurai | 1984 | Michael Reaves Steve Perry |
Steve Leialoha | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1615. You have traveled back to the age of samurai, and must recover the sword of Miyamoto Musashi. |
| 4 | Sail with Pirates | 1984 | Jim Gasperini | John Pierard Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1684. You have traveled back to the age of pirates, and must recover treasure from Template:Ill. |
| 5 | Civil War Secret Agent | 1984 | Steve Perry | Alex Niño | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1860. You have traveled back to America in the days before the Civil War, and must assist Harriet Tubman with the Underground Railroad. |
| 6 | The Rings of Saturn | 1985 | Arthur Byron Cover | Brian Humphrey Marc Hempel |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 2085. You have traveled forward to the age of interplanetary civilization, and must make first contact with an alien race. |
| 7 | Ice Age Explorer | 1985 | Dougal Dixon | Doug Henderson Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 35000 B.C. You have traveled back to the age of prehistoric man, and must find the inspiration for a cave painting. |
| 8 | The Mystery of Atlantis | 1985 | Jim Gasperini | Kenneth Smith | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 400 B.C. You have traveled back to the first Olympics, and must find the basis for the lost city of Atlantis. |
| 9 | Wild West Rider | 1985 | Stephen Overholser | Steve Leialoha | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1862. You have traveled back to the Wild West, and must learn why the Pony Express was so short-lived. |
| 10 | American Revolutionary | 1985 | Arthur Byron Cover | Walter Martishius Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1774. You have traveled back to the American Revolution, and must identify who fired the first shot. |
| 11 | Mission to World War II | 1986 | Susan Nanus Marc Kornblatt |
John Pierard | Template:ISBNT<ref name=TM11>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1940. You have traveled back to Europe during World War II, and must find historical records kept by Emanuel Ringelblum. |
| 12 | Search for the Nile | 1986 | Robert W. Walker | José Gonzalez Navaroo | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1889. You have traveled back to the unexplored jungles of Africa, and must adventure with Henry M. Stanley to discover the source of the Nile River. |
| 13 | Secret of the Royal Treasure | 1986 | Carol Gaskin | Ernie Colón | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1599. You have traveled back to England in the time of Queen Elizabeth I, and must find out what happened to her ring. |
| 14 | Blade of the Guillotine | 1986 | Arthur Byron Cover | Scott Hampton | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1794. You have traveled back to France during the Reign of Terror, and must track down a diamond necklace. |
| 15 | Flame of the Inquisition | 1986 | Marc Kornblatt | John Pierard | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1487. You have traveled back to Spain during the Inquisition, and must learn why Queen Isabella I of Castile allowed it to happen. |
| 16 | Quest for the Cities of Gold | 1987 | Richard Glatzer | José Gonzalez Navaroo | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1513. You have traveled back to America during the Age of Spanish Exploration, and must discover the truth about the Seven Cities of Gold. |
| 17 | Scotland Yard Detective | 1987 | Seymour V. Reit | Charles Vess | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1905. You have traveled back to turn-of-the-century London, and must assist Scotland Yard rescue a captive prince. |
| 18 | Sword of Caesar | 1987 | Robin Stevenson Bruce Stevenson |
Richard Hescox | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 44 B.C. You have traveled back to Rome in the time of Julius Caesar, and must learn what happened to his battle sword. |
| 19 | Death Mask of Pancho Villa | 1987 | Carol Gaskin George Guthridge |
Kenneth Huey | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1915. You have traveled back to Mexico during the revolution, and must find the death mask of Pancho Villa. |
| 20 | Bound for Australia | 1987 | Nancy Bailey | Julek Heller | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1787. You have traveled back to the time when Australia was a prison colony for English criminals, and must identify the first successful settler there. |
| 21 | Caravan to China | 1987 | Carol Gaskin | José Gonzalez Navaroo | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1272. You have traveled back to the empire of Kublai Khan, and must follow the route of Marco Polo. |
| 22 | Last of the Dinosaurs | 1988 | Peter Lerangis | Doug Henderson | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 50 million B.C. You have traveled back to a time when dinosaurs rule the earth, and must witness the Great Extinction. |
| 23 | Quest for King Arthur | 1988 | Ruth Ashby | Scott Caple | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 490. You have traveled back to Britain during the Dark Ages, and must find the truth behind the legends of King Arthur. |
| 24 | World War I Flying Ace | 1988 | Richard Mueller | George Pratt | Template:ISBNT<ref name=TM24/> | It is the year 1917. You have traveled back to Germany during World War I, and must discover who shot down Manfred von Richthofen. |
| 25 | World War II Code Breaker | 1989 | Peter Lerangis | Alex Niño | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | It is the year 1941. You have traveled back to World War II, and must investigate the use of code breaking in both the Pacific and European theatres of war. |
Time Traveler (spinoff)
| No. | Title | Date | Author | Illus. | ISBN | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Voyage with Columbus | 1986 | Seymour V. Reit | José Gonzalez Navaroo | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In 1492, you will solve the mystery of Christopher Columbus's missing ship, the Santa María. |
| 2 | The Legend of Hiawatha | 1986 | Carol Gaskin | José Ortiz | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In the 1500s, you will meet Hiawatha and witness him bringing peace to form the Iroquois Five Nations. |
| 3 | The First Settlers | 1987 | Carol Gaskin | John Pierard Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In 1620, you will meet the Pilgrims and take part in the First Thanksgiving. |
| 4 | The Amazing Ben Franklin | 1987 | Peter Lerangis | José Ortiz | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In the 1700s, you will meet Ben Franklin and witness his apocryphal key and kite lightning experiment. |
| 5 | Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party | 1987 | Marc Kornblatt | Ernie Colón | Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In 1773, you will meet Paul Revere and participate in the Boston Tea Party. |
| 6 | George Washington and the Constitution | 1987 | Ellen Frankel Robin Stevenson |
Frédéric Lère Alex Niño |
Template:ISBNT<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | In the 1780s, you will meet George Washington and witness the Constitutional Convention. |
Reception
W. Peter Miller reviewed the Time Machine series for Different Worlds magazine and stated that "All in all these book adventures do exactly what they set out to do. They entertain while teaching you a little bit of history (in a painless way) and they work your brain, I enjoy this series a great deal. The physical production and graphics are first rate. There is not a lot of replay, but it usually takes over an hour to finish a book."<ref name="dw44">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
See also
External links
- Time Machine book list and reviews (gamebooks.org)
- {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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