The Panchronicon

"The Panchronicon" by Harold Steele MacKaye is a whimsical science fiction novel where two sisters, Rebecca and Phoebe Wise, get caught up in the outlandish plans of Copernicus Droop, a peculiar local. The story, set in Peltonville Center, New Hampshire, kicks off with the sisters' normal lives, showing Rebecca as the sensible one and Phoebe dreaming big, especially about her Shakespeare class. Everything changes when Droop shows up with his ridiculous idea about time travel using a machine called the Panchronicon; the book explores their ambitions and the idea of getting another shot in life, all mixed with humor and the unbelievable idea of traveling back in time.