Them Bones

Characters in time travel novels must not have ever read a time travel novel. If they had, they would know that their efforts at fixing history were doomed to failure.

In Howard Waldrop's 1978 novel Them Bones, travelers from 2002 go back in time in an effort to prevent the world war that has left earth a radiation-poisoned wasteland. Madison Yazoo Leake is the group's scout. He quickly figures out that he is not in 1930's Louisiana. In fact he has not only overshot his time destination by around 500 years, he has also arrived in an alternate universe. A follow-up group has also missed their mark, but seems to be in our world. Then there is the archeological team working in 1929, who try to make sense of horses with bullet holes in their skulls found in 13th century burial mounds.

Walrop does a good job of juggling his various narrative threads, and his characters, whether time travelers, archeologists, or mound-building Indians are believable and even likable.