From H.G. Wells to Isaac Asimov to Ursula K. Le Guin, time travel has
long been a favorite topic and plot device in tales of science fiction
and fantasy. But as any true SF fan knows, astounding stories about
traversing alternate universes and swimming the tides of time demand
plausible science. That's just what Paul J. Nahin's guide provides.
An engineer, physicist, and published science fiction writer, Nahin is
uniquely qualified to explain the ins and outs of how to spin such
complex theories as worm holes, singularity, and relativity into
scientifically sound fiction. First published in 1997, this fast-paced
book discusses the common and not-so-common time-travel devices science
fiction writers have used over the years, assesses which would
theoretically work and which would not, and provides scientific insight
inventive authors can use to find their own way forward or backward in
time. From hyperspace and faster-than-light travel to causal loops and
the uncertainty principle and beyond, Nahin's equation-free romp across
time will help writers send their characters to the past or future in an
entertaining, logical, and scientific way.
If you ever wanted to set up the latest and greatest grandfather
paradox--or just wanted to know if the time-bending events in the latest
pulp you read could ever happen--then this book is for you.