Time and Again

In the first chapter, Rube claims that Si is a good fit for the project without explaining why. What qualities does Si possess that make him uniquely able to succeed in the experiment where others, like Rube, have failed?

Do you agree with Si’s assessment that he and Julia are not to blame for the fire that burns down the World Building? Why or why not? Using evidence from the novel, explain why Si’s reasoning might be correct, or faulty, and how it fits with the possible consequences of changing the past.

Consider Danziger’s assertion that science should not do something merely because it can. What incidents in history might you use as examples that prove this statement? What moral obligations do scientists have regarding the value of discovery versus the safety of others?

What justifications might Esterhazy have for his insistence that the project continue? Is he right in his estimation of “calculated risks” and the value of the benefits over the potential losses?

Stephen King called Time and Again “the great time-travel story,” and Blake Crouch credits it with putting him on the path to being a best-selling science fiction author. Why do you think this novel is so highly regarded in the time travel genre?

Si is dissatisfied with the present and seems unimpressed by even the biggest technological advances of his time such as television and the moon landing. How might this attitude be reflected in our time and technological advances? In what ways might contemporary attitudes take for granted the kinds of progress that someone from the 1970s would find amazing?

Finney includes real illustrations and photographs from 1880s New York. How does this enhance your experience of the novel? Why do you suppose Finney chose to include the images? Is there a strategy to the images he chose?

What do you make of Si’s choice at the end of the novel? Was it the right choice to make, ethically? Why or why not?