  The Young Oxford Book of Timewarp Stories Editor: Dennis Pepper Publisher: Oxford University Press Year: 2001 One of best bookstores I've ever found is Afterwords, a small remainder bookstore on Ann Arbor's Main Street. While this store isn't re-stocked often (something for which I ought probably be grateful), the store carries some of the most intriguing and interesting titles, all at prices that would make most used bookstores hang their heads. The Young Oxford Book of Timewarp Stories is a find from the recently restocked Afterwords. This is an anthology of short stories that explore concepts and aspects of time travel.
There are 21 stories by the famous (Arthur C. Clarke, Penelope Lively, Ray Bradbury) and the not-so-famous. For the hardcore science fiction geek, keep walking, nothing to see here. These stories are more in the realm of fantasy and, in some instances, philosophical musing. The first story, "My Object All Sublime", by Poul Anderson has a wonderful and sickening plot twist at the end and keeps the crimes of the principal shrouded. It poses an interesting penological question: can you use time to place people where simply LIVING is the worst punishment one can suffer? Rita Lamb's "What Time is it? " reminded me of visits to my grandmother after her 1986 stroke--her lifelong physical activity and energy turned on her, giving her the physical stamina and strength to survive, a shell of the force she had been, until 1991. On one visit, her irascible roommate had traveled back in time and was a 10-year old girl, desperate to be freed from her safety restraint so she could, as she exclaimed, get home to her mother.
Another form of time travel perhaps, and well captured by Lamb. These stories, and I've yet to finish all 21, are generally brief--about 5-10 pages and Editor Dennis Pepper has done an excellent job of organizing them and choosing selections that move along briskly. Oxford University Press has a deserved reputation for careful editing and wise selection, something borne out here. Anyone intrigued by concepts of time or curious about the world about them will find something to pique interest here. This is a well-crafted and well-assembled book with a great collection of stories. 
