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There's a very good book which you should read (which might turn you off time travel) which takes it very seriously. It's by a Russian author but I can't remember the name (I believe she died last week, was an MP as well).
The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin.
In this book a young man (Ivan Osokin) has made a terrible mess of his life. In desparation he goes to a theatrical friend of his, a stage magician and after a short conversation informs his friend that if he could go back in time and relive his life he wouldn't make all of those mistakes again. The magician disagrees, in fact, assuring him that he has the powers to perform such a deed but is loath to do so. Eventually Ivan persuades his friend (whose name is never mentioned throughout the story, he is simply "the magician") to allow him to relive his life. So, he is at school, he has been sent back in time, now of course since he has been sent back to a time that was before the previous events, they have not happened yet and he is a child with no memories of what is to come (since that would be a contradiction in terms). As a result of this, combined with his personality, the way that he reacts to things and the situations that he is placed in, he lives exactly the same life, identical even to the point where he begs the magician to send him back. The third or fourth time he returns the magician breaks the repetive stream by explaining to him that this is not the first time that he has been sent back at exactly the same time (therefore it is but it also isn't) and sends him forth to carry on with his life.
Who goes Here. (author also unrecalled)
A young man signs up for the Space Legion (think French Foreign Legion). They have changed their policy, now they erase their soldiers memories (only requested memories) prior to signing them up. Most people who join the Space Legion do so under false names (via hypnosis) to quote the book "it's simple, you simply print you're chosen alias on a peace of paper and the machine puts you into a deep hypnotic transe, the hypnotists just round the corner". So, a deserter, ashamed of what he has done decides to reinlist as Leo Tolstoy, he meets himself (just after his second desertion via a time loop, the second self is trying to find out about his missing memories) and, being a semi smart chap decides to take one of the great mans books along with him. "Are you sure something won't go wrong? I mean, you won't look at the wrong part of the book or anything"...."I might have had my fair share of misfortunes mate but I'm hardly going to christen myself War and Peace now am I?" So about half an hour later Private Warren Peace signs up for the Space Legion and things get funnier from there.
If I can find the authors name I'll post it up here but you should love these two. (Also The Time Machine by H.G.Wells is pretty good, the film version wasn't, more happens in the novel).
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Balgin, the Dwarf
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