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    Somewhere In Time
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    Somewhere In Time
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    Somewhere In Time
    Ebook329 pages8 hours

    Somewhere In Time

    By Richard Matheson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Like What Dreams May Come, which inspired the upcoming movie starring Robin Williams, Somewhere in Time is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy.

    Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. Somewhere in Time won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1979 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic whose fans continue to hold yearly conventions to this day.



    At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 1, 2008
    ISBN9781429913652
    Unavailable
    Somewhere In Time
    Author

    Richard Matheson

    Richard Matheson is the New York Times bestselling author of I Am Legend, Hell House, Somewhere in Time, The Incredible Shrinking Man, A Stir of Echoes, The Beardless Warriors, The Path, Seven Steps to Midnight, Now You See It . . ., and What Dreams May Come. A Grand Master of Horror and past winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, he has also won the Edgar, the Hugo, the Spur, and the Writer's Guild awards. He lives in Calabasas, California.

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    Reviews for Somewhere In Time

    3.5/5

    18 ratings17 reviews

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    • 2/5
      There are few times when I find a movie better than a book....but this is one of them. I have vivid memories of watching this movie with my sister and mom when I was a kid and LOVING it - but as I listened to the audio version of the book I was underwhelmed at best. I enjoyed the way it was written as far as the documentation of the journey so-to-speak but more often than not, Richard was just horribly whiny. The book, obviously, gave more depth and detail than the movie and the basis of the story is still incredibly romantic but for me, I'd rather keep the image of Christopher Reeve in my mind as Richard and not the image that the audio recording rendered!
    • 3/5
      A young man with a brain tumor in the 1970s falls in love with a photo of an actress from the 1890s and 'wills himself' back in time to be with her.Ugh. Was this *really* written by Matheson? Honestly, I still have trouble believing it, because, well, Matheson. But this one is awful with raisins. I mean, wow. I'm in awe at how terrible it is. The pace is excruciatingly slow in way too many places, the main character is so milquetoast and bland, and the actual love scenes are cringeworthy. Yoicks.
    • 3/5
      Some of the writing, the turn of phrase in this is excellent, haunting even. But if Richard really went back in time instead of having a delusion it means the author Richard really can't write women. Her rapid change into his ideal version is jarring to say the least. I get it, it's supposed to be romantic but without any clues to her thought process beyond sudden wholesale belief it seems both forced and honestly--a little creepy.
    • 5/5
      I have read a few of Richard Matheson's books about time travel but Somewhere in Time, originally Bid Time Return, is by far his best, in my opinion. In the last sixty years I have read hundreds of books, many dealing with the devoted love of one to another, but Somewhere in Time expresses Richard's love for Elise better than any I have ever read. It's almost too flowery but I am guessing for Nov. 19th 1896 it was just right.

      The 1980 movie by the same name, starring Christopher Reeve (Superman) and Jane Seymour, is truly amazing as is the music throughout the movie. All too often the book is not as good as the movie or vice versa but in this case they are both top of the line. I saw the movie long ago and I am so glad I finally got to read the book. Please take the time to read the book and see the movie; you'll be glad you did.
    • 5/5
      One of my top all time 3 favorite movies. I can't wait to read the book,differences and all. Love and all its possibilities even tho improbable!

      The book was wonderful. It did nto change my connection to the movie.In fact,a few things seem to make more sense after readign the book.
    • 2/5
      Not for me. Wanted to like it. Couldn't, with the time travel boner and general creepiness
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful story of how love knows no time. Richard finds love in the place he least expected and Elise learns to find love. I recommend this book to any romantic. On a side note, the original name of this book is "Bid Time Return," and I'm not sure if others said this or not but, the correct names of the stars in the movie are: Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour
    • 4/5
      A little reminiscent of the author's What Dreams May Come, this novel is about a young man in his 30s, Richard Collier, who is dying of some fatal disease. While staying in a hotel in California, he becomes obsessed with a photograph of a long dead stage actress, Elise McKenna, who stayed at the hotel on a certain night in 1896, to the extent that his desires enable him to travel back in time to 1896 to be with her. Stated thus, it may sound rather lightweight, but it has some interesting things to say about the nature of love and obsession. Collier himself came across to me as a rather selfish character whose whole world is shaped by his desires; given his terminal condition, this may be understandable, though that condition is cured by his having travelled back in time. Elise has been told that she will meet a man who comes out of nowhere, so after initial resistance, she accepts him. However, due to a chance trivial incident at the end of the novel, Richard is abruptly transported back to 1971, the spell is broken, and he quickly declines and passes away, having left a manuscript of his experiences to be published by his sceptical brother. The whole episode takes place over a rather unbelievably short period of just a couple of days and this was perhaps the least satisfactory aspect of the story, coupled with the abruptness of his forced return to the present day. Still, a haunting novel overall.
    • 3/5
      I don't know, it was really creepy. But engrossing. Kind of like Twilight, where the author thinks they are being romantic but actually they are just being creepy.
      Like, okay, you're this guy who is dying, and you see a picture of this actress from 75 years ago, and you decide you're in love with her, so you figure out this like, hypnosis method of time travel, right?
      And then you show up in 1896, and there she is on the beach, and she's all, "Is it you?" and you're like, yep! and pretty much like that you fall in love because there was a gypsy or somebody who told her she would meet the love of her life on a beach in November. Despite the fact that you are basically acting like a completely insane person and also refusing to explain that you came from the future because that might "alarm" her, as if the whole situation isn't alarming enough as it is.
      And then after you have sex, you get sucked back to the future and die of a broken heart or possibly the brain tumor and maybe it was all a hallucination. The End.
    • 4/5
      I have always been fascinated by the concept of time travel and I have read many novels that include time travel as part of their story. Therefore, Somewhere In Time, by Richard Matheson, has been on my reading list for many years. However, I just could never convince myself to read it. Of course, I knew something about the story, i.e., I knew it was a love story. I had heard, and read, about the movie, although I don’t believe I ever saw it. I guess the fact that Somewhere In Time is primarily a love story, was a significant factor in my neglecting to read it. However, I had read and liked other novels and short stories by Richard Matheson and this novel does involve time travel. Therefore, I finally decided that it was time for me to read it. I was not surprised that I found it to be very well written and interesting. The protagonist, Richard, is a man in his late 30s who is diagnosed in 1971 with a fatal disease and decides to drive to Denver from his home in Los Angeles as a sort of final adventure. However, he detours to an historic hotel in San Diego where he sees an old photograph of an actress who performed at the hotel in 1897. He becomes obsessed with the woman in the photograph, researches her life, and falls in love with her. He convinces himself that he can (and must) travel back in time to meet her, and he accomplishes the journey to the hotel in 1897, where he meets the love of his life. Time travel enables him to have a love affair in 1897. However, the focus of this book is certainly not time travel. It focuses on his love for Elise and her love for him. Again, Matheson created a well-developed and well-written story. He also provided much interesting information about life in 1897. I found this book to be a tolerable read, but it was certainly not one that captivated me. I don’t like to think that I’m romantically deficient, but I would have preferred a more scientifically structured time-travel methodology and more action, adventure and/or violence to accompany the romance. However, I believe the book was worth reading and I found that the ending mitigated some of my disappointment with the story. Overall, I am not sorry I read it.
    • 3/5
      I haven't seen the film, with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, but the premise - man travels back in time after falling in love with the photograph of a nineteenth century actress - somehow seeped into my brain anyway. Perhaps because the theme of 'love across time' has always intrigued me. The novel, however, is sadly disappointing, considering that Richard Matheson is usually a neat, inventive author. Another story of his, I Am Legend, impressed me by being so effective in so few words, but perhaps that is the failing of Somewhere in Time, which is basically a short story padded out with purple prose.The idea is sound, and the trick layers of the narrative, told by a man suffering from a terminal brain tumour, offer both a romantic fantasy and a rational explanation. In 1971, Richard Collier takes off in his car, aware that he is dying. Fate seems to guide him to the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, where he instantly feels a connection with the 'past' (the constant harping on 1896 makes the late Victorian era, if such a term can be applied to American history, sound like the stone age). In the hotel's 'museum', he comes across a theatre programme from 1896, featuring a portrait of an actress, Elise McKenna, and becomes obsessed - sorry, falls in love - with her. Although I can understand his drive and ingenuity as a writer to research Elise's life and the history of the hotel - I also love to dig up knowledge on obscure topics myself - Richard's emotions are less than convincing. In fact, this is the point in the story where I decided to go with the theory that this is a man suffering from hallucinations and blackouts, on the verge of death, and not a tale about time travel and romance at all. Richard is constantly stumbling around, shouting out, swooning and passing out completely, even when he supposedly returns to 1896 by way of self-hypnosis, so the harsh reality is always present. The section of the book explaining how he trains himself to believe that the date is November 19, 1896, is tedious and unnecessary, but what follows is just silly.Now, I like to think of myself as a romantic, to the point where I fell hook, line and sinker for the same gimmick in the 1984 film Terminator, but Matheson must surely have been mocking the florid writing of Victorian potboilers when he penned this. Richard 'wakes up' in 1896, and proceeds to stalk Elise around the hotel. Instead of freaking out, Elise is unaccountably drawn to this stranger who accosts her alone on the beach, calls her by her first name uninvited, and then announces 'Please don't leave me, I have to be with you'. Apparently, an old Indian woman and her gypsy maid once told her that she would meet the love of her life on the beach, so that's OK. Richard and Elise forge a wholly unlikely relationship in two days, despite the Machiavellian devices of her manager, based on little more than the psychological effects of Richard's brain tumour and the predictions of a fortune teller! Nothing really happens, apart from Elise's play, Richard's comical abduction and a lot of overblown prose, which jars with Richard's earlier blunt dictation. His narrative jumps from the staccato sentences of a man having trouble focusing, to the rambling diction of a bad poet.The dialogue is similarly disjointed, and the love scene is straight out of a 1970s soft porn film - 'You don't have to thank me, I was there in heaven with you', Richard tells her, to which Elise replies breathlessly that she has been 'rejuvenated in his arms, reincarnated as a woman'. The ending also seems rushed and awkward. Richard keeps promising to tell her of his journey through time, but never does. Elise insists that she is a modern woman - for 1896 - and will not give up her 'career' for him, but then declares that his love has awakened the woman inside her, or some such lofty nonsense. And the discrepancies between 1896 and 1971 that Richard notes are like those of a patronising anthropologist - these people use fountain pens and have electric lights, and I must remember never to use contractions in my speech! I'm sure the author did his research into the hotel, and the actress upon whom Elise is based, but his concept of the recent past is simplistic.I'm sorry, I really wanted to like this novel, and I did find it easy and quick to read, but Mr Matheson should stick to sci-fi stories and leave saccharine romance to the ladies at Harlequin or Mills and Boon. Richard and Elise leave me cold.
    • 5/5
      didn't expect to enjoy this novel or even the movie as much as I did. Timeless.
    • 5/5
      Someone recommended this as one of the most romantic stories of all time, so I had to have a look!I loved it, a book about time travel AND romance all in one great!The book starts with Richard Colliers' brother telling us that he has come across notes of his brothers and is having them printed, he doesn't think they are true (who would?) but Richard believed it and here is the story. Richard is dying from a brain tumor, he can't stand seeing the look of pity and pain in his brothers face, so decides to take off and go somewhere to die by himself. He stops along the way at an old Victorian hotel, enjoys the genteel feel of the place so stays for a day or two. Whilst there he sees a photograph of an actress, Elise McKenna, who had performed at the hotel on 20th November 1896. He falls in love with the photo of Elise and simply can't get her out of his mind. He does a lot of research on her and is intrigued by the story of her performance that night and the fact that there was a guest of the hotel who attended the performance called R C Collier! He fantasises about meeting Elise and is so convinced that if he can THINK hard enough about that night he will be able to go back to 20th November 1896! as this date happens to be a few days ahead (in his own time of 1971) he makes his plans.He does go back of course and meets his soulmate Elise McKenna. Unfortunately things do not work out for the lovers although you are willing it so much for them! and after an eventful 2 days Richard is flung back to his own time ,1971.You get so caught up in the story and are so disappointed when things go awry for them, although you know from the beginning of the story that it can not work out.A lovely little book, a lovely story and really you should give it a go! If you enjoy time travel and romance.Reminds me strongly of Jack Finney's "Time and Again" another very good read!
    • 2/5
      A difficult book to keep my interest. Although the theme was ideal I would get lost in the ongoing pages on the same thought or moment. I could not wait just to get it over with.
    • 4/5
      Part fantasy novel, part romance novel, Richard Matheson's "Bid Time Return" finds dying writer Richard Collier falling in love with a photograph of a turn of the century actress Elise McKenna, becoming obsessed with her and then finding a way to travel back in time to meet her. On the surface, the premise sounds absurd, but really no more so than your standard romance novel. It's the story of two people falling in love and overcoming obstancles to be together. In this case, it's the gulf of time standing between them. At least that's the case at first. Once you accept the premise that Collier can and does find a way to move back in time to meet McKenna (he's staying at the same hotel she is, so he doesn't move in space, only time), the rest of the story falls well into place. Matheson's narration of the Collier via first-person, starting off in short, punctuated bursts from Collier's audio diary and later becoming longer and more detailed as Collier switches to writing out his feelings and confiding more in the readers, helps draw the reader in and question if this is really happening or if Collier has descending into dementia due to a brain tumor. Thankfully, Matheson wisely decides to not confirm or deny the reality of events, allowing the reader to choose for themselves. Instead, what drives the story is Matheson's ability to put ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and realistically portray the character's reactions. The premise may be one of fantasy, but the characters are realistic. It's easy to see why Stephen King says Matheson was a big influence on his (King's) works. Time travel in a romance story is apparently nothing new. But Matheson's strengh is finding a new twist on the old story, bringing in just enough of his own distinctive storytelling style to make it his own. This is a book that will have you rooting for Collier in his quest and heartbroken at the end when it ends in tragedy (as it must, since the ending is set before the story begins.) But it's not the ending that matters so much as the journey. And in the hands of Matheson, this is a journey worth taking.
    • 5/5
      This is the book the movie [Somewhere in Time} is based on. In the book, Richard Collier has had previous brushes with thin part of the veil of time. What finally brings him to make a push through the veil is an encounter with a beautiful old woman who begs him to 'come back to me'. We follow his attempts to discover who she is and then to take himself back to her time. I thought it was a great book, the movie was also very good, just not as good as the book (are they ever?)
    • 4/5
      A superb and haunting time travel romance...if you liked the motion picture Somewhere in Time...I think you will like the book.