Almost everyone wishes they could travel through time at least once. There’s a historical period they’ve long been fascinated by, or they just want to know whether or not the future looks like how they’d imagined. Sometimes, however, the perils of time travel are extremely funny. Changing the fabric of the space-time continuum can inspire more than a few shenanigans. Here are eight time-travel comedies that show the pros and cons of messing with the timeline.
The Particular Charm of Miss Jane Austen
Rose Wallace is a diehard fan of Jane Austen. Her life revolves around all things related to her iconic novels, particularly the annual Austen festival in her home city of Bath which she attends without fail. But things get surreal when a mysterious woman who bears more than a passing resemblance to the great author moves in upstairs.
It turns out that Rose's strange new neighbor really is the Jane Austen! She's stuck in the 21st century and if she doesn't get back to her own time, her books may never get to exist. Rose can't live without Mr. Darcy, so she must help her icon turned friend fix the space-time continuum (and perhaps find some time to cozy up to the dishy archaeologist, Dr. Aiden Trevellyan...)
Doing Time: a hilarious new spinoff from the Chronicles of St Mary's series (The Time Police Book 1)
In the near future, time travel becomes not only possible but a service available to all. Of course, it created a hell of a lot of problems as humans jumped through the past to change history in weird and questionable ways. So, the Time Police was formed to monitor these weirdos and keep the timeline as straight as possible.
The Time Wars are now over, but that doesn't mean the issues are solved. Jane, Luke, and Matthew are a trio of hapless new recruits who are trying to figure out life as officers of time. What could possibly go wrong?
To Say Nothing of the Dog
For historians at the University of Oxford in the middle of the 21st century, time travel is a very helpful way for them to complete their studies. There are strict rules to exploring the past, of course. One must not alter the past by preventing things that are destined to happen.
It's up to history students like Ned Henry to jump back, do their work, then return in one piece. After a few too many trips to 1940, Ned needs a break. A relaxing trip to Victorian England seems ideal. How could a quiet holiday lead to the potential destruction of the entire course of history, after all?
Up the Line
Judson Daniel Elliott III loved working as a time courier. It gave him the chance to accompany groups of tourists back and forth through time. As long as he managed to do so without bumping into various versions of himself, and didn't meddle in history, everything was fun.
But when he met a seductive Greek in Byzantium who showed him how rules were made to be broken, things fell apart very quickly. Now he has to go on the historical trip of his nightmares lest he change his past, present, and future forever.
The Ministry of Time: A Novel
A nameless civil servant is offered a huge pay increase if she takes a strange new assignment. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible. Her task requires her to act as a "bridge"—a time companion—for an expat from the 1800s known as Commander Graham Gore.
As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, but now he's dealing with things like washing machines and the end of British colonialism. As time passes, the pair grow closer, and soon the bridge has fallen hard for her client. Their romance could have dangerous consequences for the entire space-time continuum. Is their love worth defying history for?
Miss Blaine's Prefect and the Golden Samovar
Fifty-something Shona is a proud former pupil of the Marcia Blaine School for Girls. Impeccably educated and an accomplished martial artist, linguist and musician, Shona is chosen by Miss Blaine herself to travel back in time for a curious mission. She must visit 19th century Russia, become friends with the orphaned heiress Lidia Ivanovna, and ensure she pairs up with the gorgeous Sasha. It seems simple enough, but the more time she spends in the past, the more Shona wonders what the purpose of her mission truly is.
What if she's the villain, not the hero?
Rainbow Mars
In this collection of short stories and a novella, Larry Niven explores the life of Hanville Svetz, who was born into a future Earth where environmental catastrophe has engulfed every corner of the planet. The vast majority of the world's animals are extinct. It falls upon Hanville's shoulders to journey back and forth through time to retrieve those species in the hopes that they can be revived for the new generation.
When he learns that Mars was inhabited, and that the Martian race was mysteriously wiped out, he wonders if time travel could open the doors to the end of Earth as they know it.
The Seven Year Slip
Clementine West's life has been something of a disaster lately. She's an overworked and underappreciated book publicist whose perfectly laid out plans for her future fell apart in the drop of a hat. Things start to pick up when she acquires a temporary new roommate. He's gorgeous, sweet, and can bake the perfect lemon meringue pie.
But there's a hitch: he lives in the past—seven years ago, to be exact. It should be impossible, yet there he is, and there goes Clementine's heart. If finding your soulmate is all about good timing, then this truly takes the cake!
Featured image: Lucian Alexe / Unsplash
