What was the first physical time travel short story?

"Edge of Tomorrow," the new Tom Cruise flick, has the protagonist waking up over and over to get a chance to destroy the sci-fi monsters he failed to kill the previous day. Think of it as "Ground Hog's Day" for science fiction minus the Bill Murray comedy and with a lot more explosions. This well-tread idea of going back in time to right one's wrongs harkens all the way back to Charles Dickens's novella, A Christmas Carol, of 1843.

But was the first science fiction short story that involved physical time travel? Well, as usual, we have Edgar Allan Poe to throw into the mix. In 1844 he published A Tale of the Ragged Mountains that is now contained in Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Works Annotated. In the short story the protagonist, Bedloe, claims to have been transported back to the 1780s. While we can debate whether this is really a science fiction story due to the lack of "science" in it, many believe this to be the first short story involving physical time travel.

Score Book #1 of the Infernal Trilogy for $0.99

$0.99

"[A] lively and good natured work." -- Publisher's Weekly Reviewer

To celebrate the pre-sale of The Divine Dantes: Paella in Purgatory (Infernal Trilogy #2), I have dropped the price of The Divine Dantes: Squirt Guns in Hades (Infernal Trilogy #1) to only $0.99. Now is the time to get caught up in the series before book #2 launches on June 27th.

Divine Dantes at Apple iBookstore
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The Best Gothic Songs by The Cure and Videos

What are the top 10 Gothic songs by The Cure? The answer is open to much debate. The Cure have no shortage of darkly atmospheric and brooding songs, just as Edgar Allan Poe had no shortage of Goth poems. The band captures the essence of Gothic like no other and their back catalogue continues to grow with an entirely new album to be launched this year. In no particular order, here are my picks for the band's top Gothic songs and their associated Cure videos.

1. A Forest - Seventeen Seconds - "Running to What's Nothing . . .."

2. The Hanging Garden - Pornography - "Creatures kissing in the rain . . .."

3. The Figurehead - Pornography - "And sleeping less every night . . .."

4. Fear of Ghosts - Disintegration (Deluxe) - "The further I get from the things that I care about, the less I care about how much further away I get . . .."

5. Fascination Street - Disintegration - "To kick the last nail in . . .."

6. Charlotte Sometimes - Faith (Deluxe) - "All the face, all the voices blur . . .."

7. The Wailing Wall - The Top - "And I circle, like a vulture . . .."

8. Prayers for Rain - Disintegration - "I deteriorate, live in dirt . . .."

9. Edge of the Deep Green Sea - Wish - "Watched the sun come up from the edge of the deep green sea . . .."

10. The Same Deep Water as You - Disintegration - "Kiss me goodbye . . .."

The Divine Dantes: Paella in Purgatory (Infernal Trilogy #2) Can be Pre-Ordered Now

Big news for fans of The Divine Dantes trilogy! Book #2, The Divine Dantes: Paella in Purgatory, will go live on June 27, 2014 for $3.98. It is available for preorder now on:

Divine Dantes on iTunes

Divine Dantes on Barnes & Noble (Nook)


Book 2 of The Divine Dantes's Infernal Trilogy finds Eddie and Virgil in Barcelona, Spain. Eddie, the young rocker with an active mind, thinks they are there to get on a cruise. Virgil, however, has tricked Eddie and arranged for Bea to secretly meet them. Meantime, Virg and Eddie visit famous Barcelona landmarks (La Sagrada Familia, Park Guell, La Rambla Street, etc) as Eddie adds his trademark commentary. Will Eddie speak to Bea when she arrives? And if he will, does their two-person band get back together?

It's time to rock on again.

Score 15% Off My Books at Barnes & Noble This Weekend Using My Coupon Code

Score 15% off my books at Barnes & Noble through Sunday, May 4th by using coupon code: MJ64ACYYD36YS at checkout.

A best bet is the best ghost stories book, Phantasmal: The Best Ghost Stories 1800-1849, the classic ghost short story collection I edited.

Or, if you are not in the mood to be scared, try out Tolstoy's short stories book, Leo Tolstoy's 20 Greatest Short Stories Annotated. You can't miss.