John Titor A Time Traveler's Tale [Paperback]

The John Titor Foundation Inc (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2003

Perhaps one of the most amazing tales ever told, there is still debate online over this compilation of Internet posts made by a man claiming to be a real time traveler from our future. Is John Titor science fiction or science fact?

After a world war in our future, John Titor claimed to have used a military time machine to travel from the year 2036. His story spans from 1975 where his mission was to obtain a computer system needed in his future. For mysterious reasons, instead of going home, he came forward to visit with his family and young self in 1998.

From November of 2000 to March 2001, John spoke directly to numerous people on many Internet forums and chat rooms. In the posts, he discusses the future, the technology of time travel and his feelings about our society. Did he accurately predict the development of future physics, the reasons behind the Gulf War and the coming of mad cow disease to the U.S.?

John Titor A Time Traveler’s Tale, was compiled by John’s mother in our time and bound in a 5.5 x 8.5 paperback protected by a laminated front and back cover. With 164 pages of text, the book also contains 9 pages of black and white photos John posted of his time machine and the operations manual that came with it!

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

CHAPTER 1 NOVEMBER 2000

John’s mother in our time:

"John began posting online with my husband’s computer and email address. After about a week, he started using alternate names and Internet routes for his activity. We expressed concern about our security but he assured us we were safe. He said that not only would no one believe him but also the technology to locate him would not be used or could be defeated for a short period. He also had an unusual amount of trust with the people he spoke with online."

John, Page 6:

"You do not rewrite history. I can only affect what happens here just as easily as you can. Why do people in this time period worry so much about time travelers destroying their world line when they have no problem doing it themselves every day?"

John, Page 8:

"Imagine you live in the year 1900 and a "time traveler" attempts to explain how a jet engine works. Even though the invention of the airplane is only a decade in the future, he would have to find some frame of reference to explain the basics of flight. Then, he would have to outline the mechanics of how the engine works. As amazing as it would sound, the jet would be invented about thirty years later. "

John, Page 20:

"As far as war goes, I have faith you are quite capable of starting one all by yourself. I am hard pressed to accept any criticism on my outlook on that subject. Growing up might have been a vastly different experience for me than it was for most of you. Personal responsibility, determination, honor, friendship and self-reliance are not just words we try to live up to or fantasize about. "

John, Page: 21

"Perhaps I should let you all in on a little secret. No one likes you in the future. This time period is looked at as being full of lazy, self-centered, civically ignorant sheep. Perhaps you should be less concerned about me and more concerned about that."

John, Page 25:

"I like the incredible freedom you have on this world line but I see it as a trap and I fear the cost is the loss of your sense of connection with family and community. Yes, you can self actualize your ambitions but at what cost to the people around you, or yet to be born? The incredible availability of art, literature and limitless resources is hardly taken advantage of as I imagine the number of people sitting in front of their TVs. "

Product Details

• Paperback: 174 pages
• Publisher: Instantpublisher.com (December 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591964369
• ISBN-13: 978-1591964360
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining March 2, 2005

By AK

I enjoyed this book. If anything, the book was a thought provoking look into what is on the physics drawing board. I found it interesting that John Titor repeatedly stated that we was a historian and not a physicist but when asked very technical physics questions such as Singularities, Hawkins radiation, etc, he was very well versed and could debate the issue in depth?? I am starting to think he is a Physics PhD having a little fun. He should consider another career as a fiction writer. Was the book worth $13? Yes it was, I was entertained. YMMV

40 of 49 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Its food for thought June 5, 2004

By A Customer

It's an interesting read and handy to have in printed form. Obviously, you could read this entire story over at johntitor.com, so from the point of view of buying the book maybe you should read the online content first before deciding if you want it in printed form.

In terms of the content itself, I find it intriguing. Am I a "true believer"? I'm undecided. But the course that he said the U.S. would take is generally unfolding in a strikingly similar fashion to what he predicted. And this was BEFORE 9/11. Here are some rather interesting points to bring up in its favor.

- At the time John Titor was online, there was no book and no commercial efforts. That was back in 2000. Just because the printed version comes out in 2004 does not show this to be a money scam. To all the skeptics who repeatedly bring this up, please... Its hardly going to make anyone a millionaire, and certainly a bit late in being capitalized on even if it were true.

- Most of his predictions about the emerging police state, and the possible upcoming civil war were made long before 9/11. As preposterous as it might have sounded back in 2000, well look at where we are today with the Patriot Act, and all of its implications. Frankly, with our current Republican agenda both internally to our country and internationally, I'd be amazed if his predictions didn't come true. Time will tell soon enough since John said that by 2008 there would be no doubt to our country being in a civil war.

- People keep saying that since he could not exactly describe every little detail about his time machine or time travel in general, then he must be a fake. Please... get serious people. If I pull a even a high ranking army veteran to explain the physics behind why his machine gun works right down to exact engineering calculations, most of the won't be able to. And why should they? We don't require the infantry to be PhD's in mechanical engineering. The fact that John could explain as much as he did in a logical manner does him credit, not debunk him. How many average people could even describe why most of our technology today works? A small percentage. How many of you can describe down to engineering calucations how a combustion engine works? Very few, and yet we all drive cars to work everyday. The likelihood that a 'time traveler' would have to be as intelligent as Albert Einstein is ridiculous.

I could go on and on, but I don't feel like typing that much. The overall story whether true or not has many implications to where we are today and where we're going as a nation and a species. I think its good food for thought in terms of our social priorities and what we want this great nation to become. You don't have to get caught up in all the 'time traveling' aspects of his story to appreciate how things are changing around us and how similar these events are to what John Titor predicted. You can see that if we continue on this course, we could be assuring our children of a worse world than we have enjoyed. Maybe we ought to think about that for a moment.

So should you buy the book? Only if you like the online content well enough to have an organized hard copy of it. It's a good read even if treated as science fiction. And I think it will stimulate thought to our future in terms of the current events around us today. I probably would consider myself a skeptic believer, but I have to admit that I am surprised by some of the predictions coming to pass. Check it out for yourself. You don't have to treat this as a gospel to appreciate the many points it brings up.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Why so negative February 12, 2004

By Janice C. labelle

I purchased the book about 2 weeks ago. I was impressed with the story and the details. I was really shook up about the happenings connected with the predictions. We have a chance to change the future, one person at a time. Why all the negative comments about the book. Is it fear on the part of the negative reviewers. Are they so afraid that thjey would rather criticize than work to make the future better? I would encourage those of you who are thinking about reading this book to make your own decision, and not be negatively influenced by those in our society who are afraid of tomorrow. I have heard that a radio version of John's story is around, I look forward to finding it.