The 10 Best Time Travel Book Series for Today
January 1, 2020
what if?questions. What if you knew what would happen next in your timeline? What if you could change history? What if you did change history? If you’ve already listened (and re-listened) to the Outlander series, or are in the market for some new time travel books of a different speed, then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve compiled an exciting list of the best time travel book series that are out now, all varying in tone and subgenre. We hope you’re ready to get lost in time!
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Doomsday Book
- By: Connie Willis
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 6,748
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,622
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Story4 out of 5 stars 5,642
For Oxford student Kivrin, traveling back to the 14th century is more than the culmination of her studies - it's the chance for a wonderful adventure....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Timely, beautiful, terrible and haunting
- By mudcelt on 11-02-09
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Doomsday Book
- Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin
- Series: Oxford Time Travel, Book 1
- Length: 26 hrs and 20 mins
- Release date: 03-28-08
- Language: English
- The first book in this series follows an Oxford scholar and her mentor as they travel back in time to the 14th century for a chance to perform valuable research on the time period. However, they quickly find that their research has ill prepared them for the reality of living in the time of the bubonic plague, while over in the present, things are going pretty sideways as well. The length of these audiobooks rivals Outlander, so they’re the perfect picks if you’re looking to get lost in time for a long while.
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The Girl from Everywhere
- By: Heidi Heilig
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 247
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 220
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Story4 out of 5 stars 216
Nix's life began in Honolulu in 1868. Since then she has traveled to mythic Scandinavia and many more places both real and imagined....
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3 out of 5 stars
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Great Story, Dismal Hawaiian Pronunciation
- By HawaiiGirl on 03-03-16
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The Girl from Everywhere
- Narrated by: Kim Mai Guest
- Series: The Girl from Everywhere, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Release date: 02-16-16
- Language: English
- Kim Lai Guest narrates this excellent duology about a young woman named Nix who makes her home on a ship that can slip through time, providing that they have a historical map to their destination. Nix’s father, the ship’s captain, has spent Nix’s entire life searching for a map of Honolulu from 1868, which is when her mother died in childbirth. Nix has been dreading this moment—what if his intervention has an effect on her very existence? Heilig’s books are a clever take on the vehicles of time travel and travel paradoxes.
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Alexander X
- Battle for Forever, Book 1
- By: Edward Savio
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 6,345
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,810
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Story4 out of 5 stars 5,797
Alexander Grant is a little too good at a few too many things. Two dozen martial arts. Twice that many languages. Chess, the piano, sports, forging excused absences, you name it. He graduated high school top of his class 17 times....
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5 out of 5 stars
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More for Young Readers
- By Kerr on 09-23-19
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Alexander X
- Battle for Forever, Book 1
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Series: Battle for Forever, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Release date: 06-05-19
- Language: English
- While not strictly a time-travel series, these audiobooks follow a man named Alexander who has traveled through time as an immortal being. In recent years, Alexander has focused on making his life as innocuous and small as possible, but when he and his friends are kidnapped by some very bad people, Alexander finds himself stepping out of the shadows and into a vast conspiracy across time. This Audible-exclusive series is narrated by Wil Wheaton, making it a definite must-listen.
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Timekeeper
- The Timekeeper Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Tara Sim
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,541
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,394
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,392
In an alternate Victorian world controlled by clock towers, a damaged clock can fracture time - and a destroyed one can stop it completely....
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2 out of 5 stars
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Interesting premise; dull main character
- By WILLARD FRAUMANN on 03-22-18
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Timekeeper
- The Timekeeper Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Gary Furlong
- Series: Timekeeper, Book 1
- Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins
- Release date: 02-14-17
- Language: English
- In this trilogy, narrated by Gary Furlong, an alternate 18th-century England is completely controlled by clock towers. When the clock towers break, time runs funny. When they stop altogether, so does time. Danny’s father is trapped in a stopped town, and he wants to rescue him by repairing his clock, but he’s instead sent to a town with a broken clock and an enigmatic clock spirit. This is a great trilogy with magic, time travel, and a fully realized historical setting.
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Alice Payne Arrives
- By: Kate Heartfield
- Narrated by: Jennywren Walker
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 14
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 14
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Story4 out of 5 stars 14
In 2020, the Farmers and the Guides are locked in battle; time is their battleground, and the world is their prize. Only something new can change the course of the war. Or someone new....
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3 out of 5 stars
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bad editing
- By Rebecca on 12-03-18
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Alice Payne Arrives
- Narrated by: Jennywren Walker
- Series: Alice Payne, Book 1
- Length: 3 hrs and 21 mins
- Release date: 11-06-18
- Language: English
- A time-traveling thief must step up and become a hero in this novella series written by Kate Heartfield and narrated by Jennywren Walker. Skipping across time, Alice Payne juggles some of the most interesting periods of history with two opposing ideologies—setting the scene for a major war! This is a quick and fun series that takes a look at time periods not as frequently explored in fiction, and Walker’s smooth narration will take you through the story quickly.
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Ruby Red
- Ruby Red Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Kerstin Gier, Anthea Bell - translator
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,861
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,665
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,669
Gwyneth Shepherd's sophisticated, beautiful cousin Charlotte has been prepared her entire life for traveling through time. But unexpectedly, it is Gwyneth who takes a sudden spin to a different era....
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3 out of 5 stars
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Where's the rest?
- By betsy on 11-26-11
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Ruby Red
- Ruby Red Trilogy, Book 1
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Series: Ruby Red, Book 1
- Length: 8 hrs and 50 mins
- Release date: 11-02-11
- Language: English
- This trilogy was original written in German and is translated by Anthea Bell. Marissa Carlin narrates all three books, which are about a family of time travelers living in Europe. Gwyneth doesn’t possess the gift—all her life she’s been told it’s her cousin who will eventually learn to travel. Except one day, she learns that she has the ability, and she’s woefully unprepared for her journeys through time. But she must do everything it takes to learn how to harness her power—and find out why her mother would lie about her birthdate to conceal her ability.
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Timebound
- The Chronos Files, Book 1
- By: Rysa Walker
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,128
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 4,608
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Story4 out of 5 stars 4,610
When Kate Pierce-Keller’s grandmother gives her a strange blue medallion and speaks of time travel, sixteen-year-old Kate assumes the old woman is delusional....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Completely Enjoyed It
- By Lessa on 06-27-14
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Timebound
- The Chronos Files, Book 1
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Series: The Chronos Files, Book 1
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
- Release date: 01-01-14
- Language: English
- Kate is certain her grandmother must be senile when she hands her a medallion and says she has the ability to time travel. But when a murder in 1893 at Chicago’s World Fair threatens Kate’s very existence, she learns that time travel is real—and now it’s up to her to right the past in order to have a future. The first novel was the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award winner in 2013, and all the books in the series, including their spin-off novellas, are available as audiobooks narrated by Kate Rudd.
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Beyond the Highland Mist
- Highlander, Book 1
- By: Karen Marie Moning
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 4,697
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,662
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Story4 out of 5 stars 3,665
He was known throughout the kingdom as Hawk, legendary predator of the battlefield and the boudoir....
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2 out of 5 stars
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If you loved Gabaldon's Outlander... skip this.
- By Cynthia on 07-19-09
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Beyond the Highland Mist
- Highlander, Book 1
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Series: Highlander, Book 1
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Release date: 06-06-08
- Language: English
- If you’re looking for your next romantic historical time travel series to marathon after Outlander, look no further! In the first installment, Hawk is a legendary warrior who is infamous in the Highlands. No woman can tempt his heart until he meets Adrienne, who must certainly be a fairy because she is not of this world. In fact, she’s from modern-day Seattle, and her journey back into time is a mistake. But when she’s betrothed to Hawk, she finds a love she’ll fight for across time. Each book in the series is narrated by Phil Gigante and follows a different but connected couple in a time-travel adventure.
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The Very First Damned Thing
- An Author-Read Audio Exclusive
- By: Jodi Taylor
- Narrated by: Jodi Taylor
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,349
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,879
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,865
Dr Bairstow struggles to set up St Mary’s as we know it in a world still scarred by the ravages of civil war....
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3 out of 5 stars
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Wait for it on Kindle. Not the best on audio
- By Sheryl on 11-05-15
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The Very First Damned Thing
- An Author-Read Audio Exclusive
- Narrated by: Jodi Taylor
- Series: The Chronicles of St Mary's, Book 0.5
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Release date: 10-19-15
- Language: English
- This expansive series follows the adventures and hijinks of the historians at St. Mary’s—they don’t time travel; they simply observe history by going to the settings and time periods they wish to study. But simple observation proves difficult, and they often find themselves in hot water in an attempt to not mess with timelines. This is the perfect series to dive into if you like quirky humor and dedication to favorite characters. Not only are there 10 books in the series, but also many short stories and novellas to fill out the spaces in between. And since it’s an Audible exclusive, narrated by Zara Ramm, you’ll only find it here!
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Tirzah Price is a writer and contributing editor at Book Riot. She lives in the Midwest and has a love for speculative fiction across all time periods.
