Time On My Hands investigates the myriad time travel troubles over which most science fiction readers have pondered, but it presents a fresh take on the time travel novel by adhering to the Aristotelian Unity of Time: it all takes place within a single day.
In the book, Professor Price tells the story of how he came to be in possession of a time travel device (which he may or may not have invented), and how he found his future hiding in his past. But the discovery of time travel will necessitate far more than just building a really cool machine: it'll take the efforts of many people to figure out how to talk about time travel, the requirements necessary to be an ethical time traveler, and just whose office it is when my yesterday becomes your tomorrow without the courtesy of a knock on the door.
Film critic and professor Daniel M. Kimmel has taught film and media classes at Emerson College, Boston University, and Suffolk University. His book on the history of FOX TV, The Fourth Network, received the Cable Center Book Award. His other books include a history of DreamWorks, The Dream Team, and I'll Have What She's Having: Behind the Scenes of the Great Romantic Comedies. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester (where much of Time On My Hands is set) and his law degree from Boston University.
Reviews:
"This layered contemporary science fiction tale takes its time unfolding, but eventually reveals a moving emotional core.... explores the technical, ethical, and emotional ramifications of his device and his travels in entertaining and thought-provoking ways, with satisfying results." ?Publishers Weekly
"Instead of avoiding the time paradox, this book grabs it by the time loops and breaks it open, examining the ethical implications of using time travel." ?John DeNardo, Kirkus Reviews
"Here's Daniel M. Kimmel again, and time travel will never be the same.... In Time On My Hands, his two satirical targets are time travel and academia. The result is a fun and funny tale.... Kimmel addresses just about every question about time travel that has ever emerged in science fiction.... Kimmel knows his stuff, both as an academic and as a longtime scholar of science fiction. His characters ring true, and he ties together all the many threads of the plot into a satisfying whole. The book is a breezy, enjoyable read, and... it'll definitely give you more than its share of chuckles." ?Don Sakers, Analog Science Fiction and Fact
"Kimmel offers an engaging often humorous time-travel story that manages to hit most of the expected themes of the genre while retaining a fresh feeling.... In addition to the plot, Kimmel mixes in some interesting speculations on the ethics of time travel?for example, the whole question of altering history by deliberately changing some action in the past, or the problem of meeting an earlier (or later) version of yourself during your travels. His solutions are original.... This one's a fun read, with fresh takes on classic SF material.... You may not find Time on My Hands at a local bookseller, but you can order it directly from the publisher or from most online booksellers. You won't regret it. ?Peter Heck, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine
