The Time Machine: Timeless Classics

Written by H. G. Wells

Narrated by Saddleback Educational Publishing

"The white bar can propel my Time Machine into the future," he explained. "The black bar can send it into the past." As the Time Traveler continues his amazing story, his friends become increasingly suspicious. They can't quite believe his wild story about the evil Morlocks and the beautiful Eloi. Would you believe it?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saddleback Educational Publishing
• Release date: Jan 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781612475233

H. G. Wells

H. G. Wells (1866-1946) is best remembered for his science fiction novels, which are considered classics of the genre, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898). He was born in Bromley, Kent, and worked as a teacher, before studying biology under Thomas Huxley in London.

Reviews for The Time Machine

[ashishg_50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Story of time travel and imagination of future world.

[vanishext · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great time travel classic. I have read it three times.

[coffeehag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story is well told. I enjoyed the nineteenth-century atmosphere of the Time Traveler's gatherings with his friends and Well's description of how the dim light of the smoking room illuminated the people within it. Wells pays attention to detail without spilling over into tedium, and the main story, which tells of the protagonist's travels forward into the future, was gripping, so that I didn't want to put the book down.

[delphica · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

OMG, most unorganized time traveler ever! I nearly had a coronary when I got to the part where he casually mentions that he can't walk very fast because he's wearing an old pair of shoes that are falling apart, it didn't occur to him to put on a decent pair of shoes before setting off on an adventure in the future. Who DOES that?Aside from the time traveler's unfailing irresponsibility, I enjoyed this quick read and can see why it's so firmly ensconced in the foundation of science fiction.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book that works on level upon level upon level. The first is the obvious - of the horror felt by the traveller as he reaches a future in which hope has been replaced with mind-dulling comfort and ease. Culture has been forgotten; the dark side of the world is precisely that, as if there is no grey: it lives underground.On another level, this is the story of repression. The Eloi, the people who live in the light and merrily go from day to day, are really repressed, and in turn repress, those that live underground, the dreadful Morlocks. Wisely, Wells leaves much of the moralising to the reader.

[radaghast_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great, almost haunting novel. Wells does not get nearly enough credit for The Time Machine. There is much more here than meets the eye.

[aprilbrown_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A childhood favorite re-visited.

Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes

What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.

Length? – Most of a day’s read.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Real world, alternate time.

Written approximately? – The reprinted 1980 edition.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? No.

Short storyline: A male builds a time machine and travels to the future.

Notes for the reader: At the time this was originally written, males had no respect for women, and it shows. Also, interestingly, none of the original characters have a name, only an occupation. The time traveler has no name at all, only an underline in place of a name.

[emscape · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wells' prototypical tale of time travel catches the imagination more than might be expected from a book of its era. It begins slowly, with our narrator gathering a group of friends to whom to tell his story, but soon gains momentum once he arrives in the far future and encounters the childlike Eloi and the more sinister Morlocks. The narrator philosophizes about how these races may have come about, which is also a commentary on current society and the dangers of lifestyles and societal choices that foster comfort and complacency among the wealthy and push the lower income classes literally underground. Further adventures of the time traveller will not be forthcoming, and that's unfortunate, because I would like to have heard more from him.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Rather blah, really. I can imagine how, in its time, this was a remarkable book; however, it's not a very good story. I liked 'Island of Dr. Moreau' better.

[ctpress_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This visionary and imaginative story held me in suspense from page one. A gloomy and dystopian view of the future. Forget 1984 or 2000-whatever. Here we are in the future with a capital F. In the year 802,700 - and later in the novel in the words of Buzz Lightyear: To infinity and beyond. I kept thinking of the teletubbies when The Time Traveller described the upper-class Elois. I had a hard time imagining the Morlocks - but creepy creatures they were no doubt. I liked the way he slowly discovers the horrifying truth. That the happy-care-free-dreamlike existence with no work, no illness is not what it seems. I was reminded of the soma in Brave New World.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simply amazing, and very intense. I only put it down once, when it all started to overflow in my brain and I had to let it settle (plus it was two in the morning). It's the kind of book that can really impact your emotions, if that makes any sense. It made me feel lonely and awestruck and I'm finding it hard to stop thinking about it.

[pheelowesq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mr. Wells, again, writes a fabulous tale. He manages to create a robust character, who turns out to be more introspective than most when faced with cannibals, from a man traveling through Time and recounting his adventure at a dinner party. It's a lovely book, full of sound speculation, most of which could be true. The way the Time Travelers different hypotheses change as he is confronted with more facts is a great window into reason; the facts with which he is confronted are a testament to Mr. Wells imagination. This book is tight and thoughtful.

[leslie398 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I have seen the movie (with Rod Taylor), so I was familiar with the basic plot... I probably would have given a higher rating if I'd read the book first.

It was interesting to me that most of the characters didn't have names, but were referred to by their occupation (the Doctor, the Journalist, etc.).

[melissarochelle_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Read from November 18 to 22, 2011As a casual reader of science fiction, I figured it was time to read one of the first major (though only a novella) works in the genre. And I have to say, I didn't hate it...but I didn't LOVE it. While the Time Traveller's adventure was interesting and I enjoyed reading ideas that I've seen built into other books I've read, it just didn't grab me. What surprised me most though was how modern it felt. There were passages that startled me with how true they still are...ideas about nature, class, and technology.While I didn't love it, I'm glad I read it. :)

[magali_c_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book itself is obviously very well written. Because it was written so long ago (It was written in 1895 so that's well over a century ago!) there were, of course some disturbingly weird words that nobody has ever heard of anymore (even smart people)Agreed I'm not a science fiction fan, but I found the book disturbing & pointless.

[wirkman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best science fiction novel that Wells wrote, still worth reading after all these years. It does what sf is supposed to do: open up the world and show the reader something grander beyond both hope and fear.

[fyrefly98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary: His Victorian colleagues don't believe he's constructed a time machine, but the Time Traveller returns with a tale to tell, of his journey to the year 802,701. There (Then?) he found that humankind had evolved into two distinct races: the childlike Eloi, who live a life of leisure, free of worry, sickness, or care; and the Morlocks, who are more mechanically inclined but dwell exclusively underground. The Morlocks steal his time machine immediately after he arrives, and in his attempts to get it back, he discovers that the life of the Eloi is not as idyllic as it might seem.Review: As much as I love the genre of science fiction as a whole, The Time Machine is one of my first forays into its origins. I was already fairly well-versed in its plot from having read the fantastic The Map of Time earlier this summer, but I was surprised to find that the main point of the book was not the technology or its consequences, but rather a statement of Wells's beliefs about the effects of class division on the human condition. Of course, the social politics are wrapped up in a fantastical adventure story, but they're not buried particularly deep. I also didn't find the message to be particularly complex, or even particularly plausible.But, setting aside the underlying theme, Wells certainly manages to tell a good story. His vision of the Eloi's world is fascinating, and I spent a lot of time thinking about how things got from here to there. (I particularly loved the scene in the ruined museum.) Once the protagonist leaves the time of the Eloi, he goes even farther into the future, and Wells's vision of a desolate Earth under a dying sun is nightmarishly vivid. It's a very short book - barely long enough to qualify as a novella, really - and part of me wishes it were longer, with a more complex plot. The prose, while not as dense as I was expecting, did take some getting used to, but overall it was definitely worth the read. 3.5 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: It probably should be read by every sci-fi fan, particularly those interested in time travel stories, as a basis of where the genre started; it's quick enough and with an interesting enough story to win over even the more ardent avoiders of the classics.

[allwebdeals_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Quite different in many respects from the movie versions made by Yvette Mimieux or Samantha Mumba. Interesting in a lot of different ways from what one might expect from having seen either movie first, like I did.

[sweetbriarpoet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked The Time Machine. I think it is a perfect classic sci-fi read, especially for those new to the genre, or those who want to know how the genre began. The existentialist themes in the book were probably very important during the time the book was written, but it does leave a desire for more description of the new world and the technology. However, the read is short, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to fly through some sci-fi.

[nmele_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like the other H.G. Wells novels I have reread recently, this one surprised me by being darker and less romantic than I remembered. Much filmed, "The Time Machine" has no love story, in fact. Nor much action. What it has is an expansive, if dark, vision of the future.

[briandarvell_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not much to say other than this is one of the classic early science fiction stories. I read it before watching the modern Hollywood movie and was glad I did (since the movie sucked). It's quite an easy read and is fast-paced. When reading this while keeping the perspective of when this was written I found the story very clever and enjoyable.

[shelley.s · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Time Machine 4/5I really really liked this book, it was short and sweet and i loved it. It keeps you gripped and reading despite it being so short. I flew through it enjoyed every moment but didn't have that disappointment when i released id come to the end (it looks longer because of the notes at the back) as i found it was rounded off nicely (as i also found with The Isldand of Dr. Moreau) Defiantly will be reading more Wells this year!

[ariesblue · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a good fictional novel i have read many years ago......
human race has evolved into two species, the leisured classes and the working class ...

[stormrose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

2/20 (a shorter book) Surprisingly, given that I am an avid science fiction fan, I've never read Wells; and all I can say for having read him for the first time: I want to read more. Wells' technique is quite brilliant; his imagination is vivid; and you can see his ideas on humanity leaking out from the pages. I love the unnamed narrator, and the unnamed patrons of the Time Travelers dinner party; it's quite an interesting touch. The descriptions of the future - particularly as The Time Traveler heads away from the Eloi and the Morlocks to the very end of time - are evokative and haunting. It's a book that is to be experienced. Highly recommended.

[maggieflo_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I know this is supposed to be the first work of science fiction.It is a short book and quick to finish but I just couldn't get really interested in the characters. The future I this world is not very appealing as it is a life of leisure for the Upper world inhabitants and a life of survival for the Under worlders. He make some interesting comments about society as a whole, I'm glad to get caught up on the classics that have neglected.

[nebula21-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting and thought provoking classic. I must admit, I didn't find it very enjoyable. The story presented the author's vision of what the human race may become in the very distant future. I found it hard to empathise with the main character and I expected the Morlocks to be more sinister.

[sdtaylor555 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I didn't much care for this book. It was a bit too boring for me.

[sprunger19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this just after reading The War of the Worlds and I was not as impressed with this work. It seemed short. The explanation of the origins of the Morlocks and the Eloi (is Eloi plural?) was done in just a few pages in a sudden flash of insight from the time traveler. There is no other proof or insight put forth in the rest of the book however. Nevertheless I think this book is very much worth reading.

[nielch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved Wells descriptions of the future people and lands, and the discoveries the time traveler makes while in the future.

[nodosaurus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

We never learn much of the identity of the time traveller (op cit, it does have two 'L's in the book, is that a British spelling?), the beginning of the book refers to him as the time traveller. The story is told in a first-person narration. He is British, and he is male, probably in his prime. It is the classic story, a bit different from the movie versions. We meet the Morlocks, and Weena, strange creatures we encounter only briefly, and learn of man's fate. The story is well told and moves quickly. He doesn't pause to build suspense, we can feel the urgency of the time traveller's actions. H. G. Wells suggests man is his own demise, one has to wonder if he was making a political statement, but doesn't stress it as we would expect authors to do today. The book is around 260ish pages, but felt shorter as it reads pretty easily. It is in the public domain and available for free from Project Gutenberg.