Somewhere in Time
*Somewhere in Time* is the powerful story of a love that transcends time and space, written by one of the Grand Masters of modern fantasy. Matheson's classic novel tells the moving, romantic story of a modern man whose love for a woman he has never met draws him back in time to a luxury hotel in San Diego in 1896, where he finds his soul mate in the form of a celebrated actress of the previous century. *Somewhere in Time* won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the 1980 movie version, starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, remains a cult classic whose fans continue to hold yearly conventions to this day.
Themes & atmosphere
What you might want to know about Somewhere in Time
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Dying screenwriter Richard Collier sees a 1912 photograph of stage actress Elise McKenna at a Coronado hotel and falls in love with her. He uses self-hypnosis to send himself back to 1896 to find her.
The most commonly searched is Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson (1975), republished as Somewhere in Time after the 1980 film adaptation. Matheson also wrote I Am Legend, Hell House, and What Dreams May Come.
Yes. The 1980 film starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour is widely loved by romance fans, despite a tepid initial box office. The film's score by John Barry has become iconic.
Somewhere in Time is 278 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Somewhere in Time takes most readers 4 to 6 hours to finish.
Somewhere in Time is a standalone novel by an unknown author, not part of a series.
Somewhere in Time is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.