The Time Machine
H. G. Wells’s science fiction masterpiece of one man’s astonishing journey beyond the conventional limits of the imagination
When the Time Traveller courageously stepped out of his machine for the first time, he found himself in the year 802,700—and everything had changed. In this unfamiliar, utopian age creatures seemed to dwell together in perfect harmony. The Time Traveller thought he could study these marvelous beings—unearth their secret and then return to his own time—until he discovered that his invention, his only avenue of escape, had been stolen.
Written in 1895, The Time Machine won Wells immediate recognition and has been regarded ever since as one of the greatest works in the literature of science fiction.
When the Time Traveller courageously stepped out of his machine for the first time, he found himself in the year 802,700—and everything had changed. In this unfamiliar, utopian age creatures seemed to dwell together in perfect harmony. The Time Traveller thought he could study these marvelous beings—unearth their secret and then return to his own time—until he discovered that his invention, his only avenue of escape, had been stolen.
Written in 1895, The Time Machine won Wells immediate recognition and has been regarded ever since as one of the greatest works in the literature of science fiction.
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Readers say *The Time Machine* is a foundational sci-fi classic praised for its imaginative vision, farsightedness, and lasting influence on time trav...
The late 19th century literary style is rough to read. Luckily for me, I had a recently read, The Adventures of Barron Trump from the same era. I recognized the style and this book was a comparative masterpiece. The rest of the club was less forgiving.
As far as the text. The whole time I was thinking he would have a realization about the Morlocks comparable to the one he had about the Eloi. Some sort of plot twist that would show he had misread the situation. It never came and I felt disappointed. It would have been more significant if he brought preconceptions about society with him across time and they were all wrong.
The book club discussion led into how AI was going to become Morlock and humanity would be Eloi in 100 years. That is in many ways the best case scenario. AI does all the work for humanity and people become feeble minded pets incapable of doing anything for ourselves.
I was expecting a different plot, but it did reassured me of all those fears I think everybody has concerning time traveling and darkness. That fear for the unknown and the unexpected. It got me at that.
I ended up enjoying this book a little more than I initially thought I would. When I first started it, I felt that it was a bit hard to read and slow, mainly due to the way Wells wrote. But as I progressed through the book, it became a little easier, and I think I just got used to the writing style. I will say that the farther you get into the book, the more interesting it becomes. I did enjoy reading about the Time Traveller’s journey in 802,701, and was a little heartbroken about Weena. It was extremely interesting to see a spin on what the future of Earth could look like.
I would recommend this to any serious sci-fi reader with an interest in how the genre came to be. This book set a lot of standards for future writers and though dated and flawed in a number of significant ways, there are few time travel stories that match it for its farsightedness and audacity.
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