Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitations [Hardcover]

Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Author), Ron Walotsky (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The nine fantasies in this collection firmly establish Hoffman's versatility and gifts. The time travelers of the title appear in "Mint Condition," traveling back from a polluted future in search of collectible comic books--and open sky. The ghosts show up in "Haunted Humans," in which a team of them shares the consciousness of a young man drawn into a desperate struggle to save a young woman from a serial killer; it is dark fantasy of a very high order. Not much below it are "The Skeleton Key," in which the god Hermes rescues a victim of Satanists, and "Unleashed," in which two werecreatures form a partnership when a single weremother needs a baby-sitter during her change. Satires on hand include "Toobychubbies" and "Objects of Desire," nominally about alien invasions; "Night Life," about princesses spending their nights in the land of Faerie; and "Entertaining Possibilities," about a very weird family that considers a son-in-law unworthy of them. With nary a purple or ill-chosen word in sight, this is contemporary short fantasy at its best. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (ME); First Edition edition (April 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078625338X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786253388
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,211,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rod Serling visiting a not quite normal earth, June 15, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitations (Hardcover)

This fantasy anthology consists of eight delightful but strange short stories and one superb novella all written in the last decade. Each tale consists of an individual(s) whose frailties and desires (in some cases these are the frailties) lead to wrong turns in worlds that seem like our own yet feel different. The novella, "Haunted Humans", is a powerful story that will shake the souls of readers. Ghosts and humans argue, fuss, and fight often inside someone's head at the Mental Healing Center to keep Dorothy Jean safe from Chase, who may be residing inside a patient's head.

The stories feel absolutely weird as if Rod Serling visited a not quite normal earth that at first glance seems like ours, but overlaid in a fantasy environs. All nine contributions will delight the audience, but no doubt the novella is the stand out that will send readers seeking Nina Kiriki Hoffman's novels (see PAST THE SIZE OF DREAMING and FISTFUL OF SKY).

Harriet Klausner

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eclectic collection, July 18, 2003

By 

Gray373 (London, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitations (Hardcover)

An eclectic collection, that just sparkles with the unique magic and talent that makes Nina Kiriki Hoffman one of the best Sci-Fi and fantasy writers of our time.

Among an impressive collection of stories, my favourites were Skeleton Key, and Haunted. Both for their inspired storyline, amazing insight, and subtle humour.

Just one of the things I absolutely love about Nina's writing is her ability to take a completely different twist on subjects/storylines that have been done to death, and actually make the reader think and sometimes laugh at life and Sci-Fi's incredible possibilities.

A must-have. Read this collection, and also "The Thread That Binds the Bones" and "A Red Heart of Memories", and you'll be hooked - there is no turning back.

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly crafted fantasy tales, June 13, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Time Travelers, Ghosts, and Other Visitations (Hardcover)

Time Travelers, Ghosts, And Other Visitors is an imaginative anthology of nine short science fiction and fantasy by multiple Nebula and Hugo-award nominee Nina Kiriki Hoffman. These superbly crafted fantasy tales range from the exploits of a manipulated time traveler, to the award-nominated novella "Haunted Humans" where ghosts and mortals must join forces to stand against a vile killer. An unforgettable collection that spans both minds and worlds, Nina Hoffman's Time Traveler's, Ghosts, And Other Visitors clearly documents her as one of the very best in her chosen genre.