The Time Machine

By H. G. Wells

English novelist, historian and science writer Herbert George Wells (1866–1946) abandoned teaching and launched his literary career with a series of highly successful science-fiction novels. The Time Machine was the first of a number of these imaginative literary inventions. First published in 1895, the novel follows the adventures of a hypothetical Time Traveller who journeys into the future to find that humanity has evolved into two races: the peaceful Eloi — vegetarians who tire easily — and the carnivorous, predatory Morlocks.
After narrowly escaping from the Morlocks, the Time Traveller undertakes another journey even further into the future where he finds the earth growing bitterly cold as the heat and energy of the sun wane. Horrified, he returns to the present, but soon departs again on his final journey.
While the novel is underpinned with both Darwinian and Marxist theory and offers fascinating food for thought about the world of the future, it also succeeds as an exciting blend of adventure and pseudo-scientific romance. Sure to delight lovers of the fantastic and bizarre, The Time Machine is a book that belongs on the shelf of every science-fiction fan.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: May 23, 2012
• ISBN: 9780486110578

H. G. Wells

H.G. Wells (1866–1946) was an English novelist who helped to define modern science fiction. Wells came from humble beginnings with a working-class family. As a teen, he was a draper’s assistant before earning a scholarship to the Normal School of Science. It was there that he expanded his horizons learning different subjects like physics and biology. Wells spent his free time writing stories, which eventually led to his groundbreaking debut, The Time Machine. It was quickly followed by other successful works like The Island of Doctor Moreau and The War of the Worlds.

Book preview

§ I

THE TIME TRAVELLER (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us. His grey eyes shone and twinkled, and his usually pale face was flushed and animated. The fire burned brightly, and the soft radiance of the incandescent lights in the lilies of silver caught the bubbles that flashed and passed in our glasses. Our chairs, being his patents, embraced and caressed us rather than submitted to be sat upon, and there was that luxurious after-dinner atmosphere, when thought runs gracefully free of the trammels of precision. And he put it to us in this way—marking the points with a lean forefinger —as we sat and lazily admired his earnestness over this new paradox (as we thought it) and his fecundity.

You must follow me carefully. I shall have to controvert one or two ideas that are almost universally accepted. The geometry, for instance, they taught you at school is founded on a misconception.

Is not that rather a large thing to expect us to begin upon? said Filby, an argumentative person with red hair.

I do not mean to ask you to accept anything without reasonable ground for it. You will soon admit as much as I need from you. You know of course that a mathematical line, a line of thickness nil, has no real existence. They taught you that? Neither has a mathematical plane. These things are mere abstractions.

That is all right, said the Psychologist.

Nor, having only length, breadth, and thickness, can a cube have a real existence.

There I object, said Filby. Of course a solid body may exist. All real things——

So most people think. But wait a moment. Can an instantaneous cube exist?

Don’t follow you, said Filby.

Can a cube that does not last for any time at all, have a real existence?

Filby became pensive. Clearly, the Time Traveller proceeded, " any real body must have extension in four directions : it must have Length, Breadth, Thickness, and—Duration. But through a natural infirmity of the flesh, which I will explain to you in a moment, we incline to overlook this fact. There are really four dimensions, three which we call the three planes of Space, and a fourth, Time. There is, however, a tendency to draw an unreal distinction between the former three dimensions and the latter, because it happens that our consciousness moves intermittently in one direction along the latter from the beginning to the end of our lives."

That, said a very young man, making spasmodic efforts to relight his cigar over the lamp; that... very clear indeed.

Now, it is very remarkable that this is so extensively overlooked, continued the Time Traveller, with a slight accession of cheerfulness. " Really this is what is meant by the Fourth Dimension, though some people who talk about the Fourth Dimension do not know they mean it. It is only another way of looking at Time. There is no difference between Time and any of the three dimensions of Space except that our consciousness moves along it. But some foolish people have got hold of the wrong side of that idea. You have all heard what they have to say about this Fourth Dimension? "

" I have not," said the Provincial Mayor.

" It is simply this. That Space, as our mathematicians have it, is spoken of as having three dimensions, which one may call Length, Breadth, and Thickness, and is always definable by reference to three planes, each at right angles to the others. But some philosophical people have been asking why three dimensions particularly—why not another direction at right angles to the other three ?—and have even tried to construct a Four-Dimensional geometry. Professor Simon Newcomb was expounding this to the New York Mathematical Society only a month or so ago. You know how on a flat surface, which has only two dimensions, we can represent a figure of a three-dimensional solid, and similarly they think that by models of three dimensions they could represent one of four—if they could master the perspective of the thing. See?"

I think so, murmured the Provincial Mayor; and, knitting his brows, he lapsed into an introspective state, his lips moving as one who repeats mystic words. Yes, I think I see it now, he said after some time, brightening in a quite transitory manner.

Well, I do not mind telling you I have been at work upon this geometry of Four Dimensions for some time. Some of my results are curious. For instance, here is a portrait of a man at eight years old, another at fifteen, another at seventeen, another at twenty-three, and so on. All these are evidently sections, as it were, Three-Dimensional representations of his Four-Dimensioned being, which is a fixed and unalterable thing.

Scientific people, proceeded the Time Traveller, after the pause required for the proper assimilation of this, know very well that Time is only a kind of Space. Here is a popular scientific diagram, a weather record. This line I trace with my finger shows the movement of the barometer. Yesterday it was so high, yesterday night it fell, then this morning it rose again, and so gently upward to here. Surely the mercury did not trace this line in any of the dimensions of Space generally recognised ? But certainly it traced such a line, and that line, therefore, we must conclude was along the Time-Dimension.

But, said the Medical Man, staring hard at a coal in the fire, if Time is really only a fourth dimension of Space, why is it, and why has it always been, regarded as something different? And why cannot we move in Time as we move about in the other dimensions of Space? "

The Time Traveller smiled. Are you so sure we can move freely in Space? Right and left we can go, backward and forward freely enough, and men always have done so. I admit we move freely in two dimensions. But how about up and down? Gravitation limits us there.

Not exactly, said the Medical Man. There are balloons.

But before the balloons, save for spasmodic jumping and the inequalities of the surface, man had no freedom of vertical movement.

Still, they could move a little up and down, said the Medical Man.

Easier, far easier down than up.

And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment.

" My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong. We are always getting away from the present moment. Our mental existences, which are immaterial and have no dimensions, are passing along the Time-Dimension with a uniform velocity from the cradle to the grave. Just as we should travel down if we began our existence fifty miles above the earth’s surface."

But the great difficulty is this, interrupted the Psychologist. You can move about in all directions of Space, but you cannot move about in Time."

That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if I am recalling an incident very vividly I go back to the instant of its occurrence: I become absent-minded, as you say. I jump back for a moment. Of course we have no means of staying back for any length of Time, any more than a savage or an animal has of staying six feet above the ground. But a civilised man is better off than the savage in this respect. He can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way?

"Oh, this, began Filby, is all——"

Why not? said the Time Traveller.

It’s against reason, said Filby.

What reason? said the Time Traveller.

You can show black is white by argument, said Filby, but you will never convince me.

Possibly not, said the Time Traveller. But now you begin to see the object of my investigations into the geometry of Four Dimensions. Long ago I had a vague inkling of a machine——

To travel through Time! exclaimed the Very Young Man.

That shall travel indifferently in any direction of Space and Time, as the driver determines.

Filby contented himself with laughter.

But I have experimental verification, said the Time Traveller.

It would be remarkably convenient for the historian, the Psychologist suggested. One might travel back and verify the accepted account of the Battle of Hastings, for instance!

Don’t you think you would attract attention? said the Medical Man. Our ancestors had no great tolerance for anachronisms.

One might get one’s Greek from the very lips of Homer and Plato, the Very Young Man thought.

In which case they would certainly plough you for the Little-go. The German scholars have improved Greek so much.

Then there is the future, said the Very Young Man. Just think! One might invest all one’s money, leave it to accumulate at interest, and hurry on ahead!

To discover a society, said I, erected on a strictly communistic basis.

Of all the wild extravagant theories! began the Psychologist.

Yes, so it seemed to me, and so I never talked of it until——

Experimental verification ! cried I. " You are going to verify that ? "

The experiment ! cried Filby, who was getting brain-weary.

Let’s see your experiment anyhow, said the Psychologist, though it’s all humbug, you know.

The Time Traveller smiled round at us. Then, still smiling faintly, and with his hands deep in

Reviews for The Time Machine

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a novella about a time-traveller who firstly embarks to about 8270 AD (?) to the world of flesh eating Morlocks and peace-loving Eloi. I liked this book much better than The War of the Worlds as I think it has withstood the test of time a little better. I loved the vocabulary of Wells, much larger than today's writers and I even had to look up a few words to add to my word journal. Sci-fi is really not my genre at all (I usually despise it), but due to the writing and the short length of this book, it kept by rapt attention and I read it in one sitting. 88 pages

[jonfaith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Regina Spektor was on NPR today speaking with Terry Gross. The NPR interviewer accomplished no favors. She asked woefully stupid questions about the Soviet Union and its relationship to WWII. this originated when Spektor noted that growing up in the USSR she always felt that the Great Patriotic War had happened recently, given its absorption into the collective consciousness. Emigrating to the Bronx, she was struck that such wasn't a universal condition. Such made me think of The Time Machine.

As with most archetypes of speculative fiction, the premise had been closeted in my brainpan before opening the book, yet, this one succeeded, especially as a treatise on species within or over time. I'm curious what Spengler thought of this?

[coach_of_alva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I think this must have been one of the first novels to warn that the future might not be a Utopia. I found convincing because the unhappy future wasn’t caused by the establishment of an evil dictatorship or the destruction from a catastrophe. No, it came about as the logical climax of certain social trends, trends that are continuing in our time.What I have learned listening to audio versions of Wells’ classic science fiction novels, which I read when I was young, is that he not only an idea man but also a good novelist, with much skill at scene setting, world building, sharp characterizations, and sheer story telling.Scott Brick portrays the Time Traveler as an upper-class adventurer with a sneer in his voice that his terrible experiences do nothing to remove.

[branimal · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A brilliant inventor creates the world’s first time machine. After explaining its inner-workings to guests of his weekly dinner parties, he arranges for a follow up meeting about a week later. When the group convenes, they find the scientist exhausted and weathered. After cleaning up and consuming a well deserved meal, he sits down to tell of his journey over 800,000 years into the future.

Damn, this book is old. In fact, I’m certain it is the oldest novel I've yet to read clocking in at one hundred and twenty one years since initial publication. Wells seemingly went to great lengths to explain to the reader how a theoretical time machine would operate and I often wondered if Wells had built one himself based on how detailed his explanations and theories were. It would certainly explain the theory that the author himself is the main character.

That isn't to say it’s too philosophical and technical, there is quite a bit of action and danger. The events in the future carried with it a constant sense of urgency. Whether the traveler is trying to understand his surroundings, avoid capture or trying to find his missing time machine, the action moved at a brisk pace. In fact, a memorable moment had the traveler racing forward in time, worrying that a pillar or some kind of concrete structure may now be erected in the spot he occupied when he initially began his journey. Would he become a part of the object when he slammed on the brakes or would his machine and body simply explode? The story would be a hell of a lot shorter if he ended up like Han Solo encased in carbonite.

While I enjoyed the world building and the spectacle of time travel, I found myself re-reading passages over and over again as I struggled with Wells’ writing. I’m sure prose like this was probably commonplace back in the late 1800s but it was a major hurdle for me in 2013. However, you probably don’t need my endorsement or recommendation, this book is certainly a classic that inspired generations of sci-fi writers - it’s just not something I think I’ll find myself picking up again.

Cross Posted @ Every Read Thing

[themythbookshelf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Time Machine proved to be a lovely, albeit short, read, even for someone who isn't that much of a science fiction enthusiast, but that's probably because I haven't read much of the genre. First published first in 1895, this powerful little book shattered literary ground with a single man, the anonymous Time Traveller, and his "squat, ugly, and askew" machine of "brass, ebony, ivory and translucent glimmering quartz" (110). The tale is told from the perspective of one of the man's acquaintances, who is invited to dinner to hear of his adventure upon his return. Naturally, the Time Traveller's account dominates most of the book, though I found that these two contrasting perspectives complemented each other nicely.The adventure of the Time Traveller consists more of him running around to recover his stolen time machine than anything else. The descriptions of the "post-human humans" he meets are, for this reason, limited, and so is the depth to which the landscape is explored. This read reminded me of two other works, both classics in their own right--Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and A Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies. The former vaguely resembles this work in prose and descriptive style, while the latter, in its representation of the Eloi race. The Time Traveller describes the Eloi people, who we are the ancestors of, as innocent, pure, and child-like race, having degenerated into ignorance as a result of privilege and laziness. As the traveller reflects, "there is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change" and they serve as a wonderful representation of this (97). A dangerously similar description is found in Bartolomé de las Casas' anthropological account of the natives, which is recounted from the perspective of a European missionary. (The difference, however, is that de las Casas enthusiastically viewed them as perfect receptors of the Christian religion, while here such qualities ignite the total opposite reaction).Furthermore, as this is the first of Wells' works that I read, I'm not sure if this is his natural prose — it was elegant but a little too verbose for my taste. Nevertheless, it was acceptable because it suits the character of the Time Traveller rather perfectly. All in all, you do not have to be a sci-fi fan to appreciate this book, though I'm sure it would help.

[tysonadams · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wonder if vegans object to the Morlocks' diet?

In what is now a classic of the Science Fiction genre, an un-named narrator has local dignitaries over to his place once a week to tell tall tales and show off his latest inventions to. On one of these evenings he limps in the worse for wear, in desperate need of a steak, and discusses his pocket flower collection.

When I was a kid I read a lot of the classic science fiction stories from the likes of HG Wells and Jules Verne. It has been so long since I've read them that I thought it was time to revisit these classics. While I can still fondly remember the 1960 movie - let us not speak of the 2002 adaptation ever - the book felt unfamiliar and akin to virgin reading material.

Whilst The Time Machine does deserve its place in history for influencing/creating Science Fiction as we know it (fantastical ideas explored, social issues analogised), as a novel it is lacking. One example of this is the lack of tension in scenes that are literally life or death struggles. Instead of fearing for the narrator's life and wondering how he'll survive, we are treated to a recounting of the events that could have instead been describing someone having a cup of tea while watching the rain out of the dining room window. A wondrous adventure told as though it was just another day at the office.

[robert.zimmermann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Second time reading it, and I think I enjoyed it even more this time around. I'm a big Wells fan and thoroughly enjoyed this story. It's short, but there's a great adventure within its pages with some commentary on man, as well. I wouldn't be opposed to reading it some time in the future, again.

[p_s_patrick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Though over a 120 years old now, this has aged very well for science fiction (which I don't usually like), particularly the central idea of time travel. Aside from this, the other main scientific concept explored - human evolution and speciation, is handled less convincingly in some of its details (speaking as a biologist), though the general idea works quite well. Further aspects of the plot revolve around the basis of society, class, and being human, and these work together with the scientific ideas to provide more for both the protagonist and reader to contemplate. Together this short novel is really very rich in its use of concepts, and these emerge naturally out of the events so that it can be appreciated on more than one level by either educated adults or younger readers.As a story it is told with a particular humour that I appreciated, and with an atmosphere that draws you right into the moment. There could have been slightly more action and edge-of-the-seat events, and a bit less predictability, but there was sufficient pace to maintain interest most of the time. As this is a relatively short novel at 102 pages, it would be difficult not to recommend this to most readers. It may alter how you see society and the world and the human condition, as well the historical and cosmic context of our time on earth.

[adilinaria · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't a huge fan of this, not because of the story but the narrative style. It was very stiff for me, with all description. Probably my least favorite of all my classical reads so far. I am glad however that I read it, and I really like my edition so I'll definitely keep this one

[writertomg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Obviously, The Time Machine is a well-known classic. And from the 4 (of 5) star review, it's clear that I enjoyed it. So I'll skip that and go to some random thoughts...

I could not believe how short of a story it was. Calling it a novella is, in my opinion, a stretch. Having seen two movie versions, I thought myself familiar with the ins and outs of the story and couldn't believe how much of both movies is made up for the screenplays. I understand that an 80-page short story would need to be fleshed-out to be made into full-length movie, but WOW so much of the movies was changed and molded by the filmmakers. For starters, none of the Eloi or Morlocks speak. To be honest, I still have no idea how the time traveling main character learned their names. And the relationship between the female Eloi (Weena, the only named character) is more of a parent/child or babysitter/child than a love affair and seen in several adaptions, like the Guy Pearce movie.

Overall, it is definitely a fantastic novel. And one can easily see how it shaped and changed science fiction forever. I think everyone should forget the story of The Time Machine that they know from TV and movies and read this novella. A game changer.

[joshuamichail · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

'The Time Machine' is a classic science fiction from well over 100 years ago, in which a man is stuck travelling into the future after having invented a time travelling machine. In H.G. Wells's story we get a peek at what the could look like at several stages, including into the far future. In this story Wells helps establish the classic science-based speculative fiction nature of sci-fi. 'The Time Machine' is a must read classic for anyone interested in science fiction. Numerous works since have paid homage and hark back to 'The Time Machine'. The story is entertaining and captivating, and I recommend reading it.

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

Leuk om lezen, maar stilistisch duidelijk nog onvolkomen. Goede spanning opbouw.Onthutsend inzicht: het verhaal van de mens is eindig!

[ghr4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

H.G. Wells's groundbreaking 1895 novel The Time Machine remains a highly captivating story of time travel to the distant year 802,701 and the de-evolution of mankind. The narrative style in which the Time Traveller recounts his adventure to his astonished friends works well, particularly as the pieces together the elements he encounters in that strange world of the future; with the gathering of new clues his thoughts and theories evolve until he ultimately realizes he horrifying truth of the Eloi and the Morlocks (although early on Wells does casually drop in a sly morsel of wry foreshadowing). One of the first and still one of the best of the science fiction genre. Wollheim's introduction in the Airmont Classics paperback edition provides fascinating insights into the Wells's earlier iterations of the story.

[nielspeterqm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As much time travel as futurist dystopia – 800 000 years from now! – this is one of the first "real" sf novels & it reads as fluidly & thoughtfully as ever.

[rsplenda477 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wells is truly the master of science fiction. He takes us to a strange and mystifying world that alludes to the baseness of human nature.

[thefallingalice · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Der ZeitreisendeDie Erzählung beginnt zum Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts, wo es dem Protagonisten des Buches gelingt eine Maschine zu bauen, die ihn durch die vierte Dimension tragen soll: Die Zeit.Und das soll sein einziger Name werden: Der Zeitreisende. Von Euphorie erfüllt berichtet einer Versammlung ungläubiger Freunde und Bekannter von seiner Erfindung. Doch niemand nimmt sein Gerede wirklich ernst. Zeitreisen?Ihre Meinung soll sich jedoch ändern, als er eines Tages völlig zerkratzt und verschmutzt auftaucht. Noch aufgeregt berichtet er von seinem Abenteuer:Die Zeitmaschine brachte ihn ins Jahr 802.701. Kaum hatte er sich vom Schreck und von den Unannehmlichkeiten der Reise erholt, kam es auch schon zum Erstkontakt mit den Bewohnern. Was ihm berichtet wird, fasziniert ihn vollkommen. Die Erde wird von lediglich zwei Schichten bevölkert wird: Den Eloi und den Mordocks.Die Eloi bevölkern die Erdoberfläche. Sie scheinen glückliche und zufriedene Wesen zu sein, die ihrem Alltag fröhlich und naiv entgegensehen. Ihnen scheint es an nichts zu mangeln, sie müssen sich keine Sorgen machen. Nur die Angst vor der Dunkelheit lässt sie des Nachts nicht ruhig schlafen.Denn unterirdisch leben die Morlocks. Sie kommen nur in der Dunkelheit an die Oberfläche. Sie verbreiten Angst und Schrecken. Dort, wo sie herkommen gibt es keine Nahrung und oft verschleppen sie die unschuldigen Elois. Sie sind bösartig und grausam. So glaubt der Zeitreisende.Science Fiction als GesellschaftskritikWells´ Roman gilt als Pionierroman der Science Fiction insbesondere im Gebiet des Zeitreisens. Diesen Roman ordnet er selbst zu seinen „scientific romances“, die die ersten drei Romane seines Schaffens umfassen und heute in das Genre der Science Fiction eingeordnet werden können.In seinem Roman versucht Wells eine zukünftige Welt zu beschreiben, die zunächst als eine Art Utopie erscheint. Doch so oberflächlich der Zeitreisende im Roman zunächst das Jahr 802.701 betrachtet, muss auch er später feststellen, dass seine Vermutungen und die Schilderungen der Eloi nur wenig Wahrheit beinhalten.Denn geht man tiefer und nähert sich der eigentlichen Wahrheit, muss man feststellen, dass die Welt, die der Zeitreisende dort betreten hat, einem Schlachthaus ähnelt. Was früher Menschen waren, sind heute nur noch verschrumpelte Wesen. Die zu Zeiten des Zeitreisenden noch viel gelobte Technik und die ausgefeilte Sprache als Mittel zur Kommunikation sind verkümmert. All das entstand aus der immer größer werdenden Schere zwischen Arm und Reich. Die einen schwingen sich Herrschern über die anderen auf. Damit kritisiert der Autor auch zu seine Lebzeiten gesellschaftlichen britischen Verhältnisse.Jedoch hat seine Mahnung auch heute nicht viel an seiner Aktualität verloren.Ein zeitloser RomanDie Zeitmaschine ist ein durchaus zeitloser Roman.Wells wählte für seine Erzählung ein weit entferntes Jahr. Er verzichtet auf Beschreibungen von möglicher technischer Geräte in der Zukunft, die einen Roman oft unglaubwürdig machen – spätestens wenn seine Jahreszahl für die Menschen zur Wirklichkeit geworden ist.So schafft er es – nicht letztendlich auch durch eine großartige Sprache – die Glaubwürdigkeit des Romans auch über Jahrzehnte und Jahrhunderte aufrecht zu erhalten. Die Geschichte passt in jede Zeit, kann von jeder neuen Generation mit dem größten Vergnügen verschlungen werden und verliert nichts von seinem Charme und seiner Aktualität.So kann der Autor sich auf das konzentrieren, was wirklich im Vordergrund stehen soll: Der gesellschaftliche Wandel und die Probleme die damit einhergehen können. Und dadurch, dass der Autor nicht mit seiner Kritik spart und immer wieder Menschen zum Nachdenken anregen kann, gibt es vielleicht ein kleines Fünkchen Hoffnung auf eine bessere und verantwortungsvollere Zukunft. Aber nur vielleicht.

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

A strong three stars. Man travels in time to the year 802,701 and comes back with a thinly veiled warning to a rich and indolent society. A society that has perhaps succeeded in "ameliorating the conditions of life to a climax."

"There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change. Only those animals partake of intelligence that have to meet a huge variety of needs and dangers."

A short but enjoyable tale. My main criticism was the lack of vividness when describing the physical world of 802,701. The imagination could have done with a few more pointers to properly picture it. The chapter near the end where he goes even further into the future and finds himself on a desolate beach in front of the dying, red sun was brilliant.

[nx74defiant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Classic. An unnamed time traveler tells his tale. His listeners don't believe him of course. He skips from his time to the distant future. No stops in-between like the movie.

[matthew254 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Time Machine was, at one point, one of the prototypes used to full-on construct a budding literary genre: science-fiction. It still holds up pretty well and only suffers from a few noticeable pacing errors and human-centric. However, for an over 100 year old science fiction piece, it still has a charming kind of pseudo-futuristic allure to it. The proto-steampunk setting almost inadvertently dodges any assumed technological outdatedness. The book has been adapted into several different forms, most notably two feature films, one made in 1960 and a lesser-known adaptation from 2002. Sadly, they both aren't as true to the story as one might hope. One a slightly comical note I'd like to mention that for someone like myself who has a mild case of kabourophobia, the brief scene towards the end involving giant crabs nearly made me mess myself.

[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.

[pmtracy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story is the account of an unidentified narrator relaying what was told to him by The Time Traveller. After having created a machine to travel forward in time, the Traveller returns to tell his friends of the society he encountered.Man has evolved into two species. The Eloi, described as beautiful, playful, small people, live above ground in what appears to be a utopian society. The Morlocks are an albino, half-man, half-ape species that lives underground. Over his time with the Eloi, the Traveller develops the theory that the Eloi are the noble, ruling class. All goods are made by the Morlocks and the Eloi simply fill their days with play and eating. The Traveller later learns the ugly truth that the Eloi are actually the bred food source for the Morlocks.This was a super-quick read. However, Wells managed to pack in a lot of detail into a small space. He was very descriptive with an economy of words. The relationship of the two races makes an interesting social commentary about the working class and elites. I'm not familiar with politics of the late 1800s, but it's definitely something for consideration today.

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had a blast reading this book. The writing style may seem a bit dated, from the perspective of today's young reader ( I doubt that I can get my son to read HG Wells ), but I quite loved the book. Apart from a feeling of nostalgia about writing styles long gone by, I think that HGW was a pioneer of early science fiction. I quite like the way that he used the, then new, postulate that time was the fourth dimension, to draw out a whole story about time travel. this is a subject that fascinated all of us since we were kids.He brought out a whole new world of imagery, and a whole new world. His description of this world, and the people of that world was fascinating. A sad love story, and the hero who does not feel at home in his own world anymore... This is the stuff of great story telling...

[ursula_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells was my latest read. It's part of the 1001 Books list, of course. It's a short little thing - I started and finished it before getting through the other book I'm working on. Like my last read, I was surprised by how little I actually knew about this book. I knew essentially nothing beyond what the title gives you.There's not much to it, really - the Time Traveler shows his assembled dinner guests a model of his time machine, and demonstrates it traveling through time (or at least disappearing). He shows them the real thing in his laboratory, and his guests are skeptical. At their next dinner party, the Time Traveler appears late and disheveled. When he gathers himself enough to join them for dinner, he tells them of his adventures in the future. The majority of the book is the Time Traveler telling his tale of visiting the year 802,701. Partway through the story, I realized that I'd heard of the Eloi and the Morlocks before - these are the two directions that man seems to have evolved by this time. I was surprised by what a grim view of the future Wells put forth here. Taken in context, of course, it's a reaction to evolution as a continual engine for improvement. He extrapolates the contemporary class structure out to its eventual extremes. The Eloi are gentle, but weak, half-witted and fearful, while the Morlocks are threatening, ugly and also imbecilic (Wells was pretty sure time would evolve the intelligence right out of all of us, apparently). Recommended for anyone interested in early science fiction, quick and easy-to-read classics, or dystopian fiction. A quote: "Still, however helpless the little people in the presence of their mysterious Fear, I was differently constituted. I cam out of this age of ours, this ripe prime of the human race, when Fear does not paralyse and mystery has lost its terrors."

[justabookreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After settling in with The Time Machine, I soon realized I didn’t really remember much about this book. Or, at least my memories were fuzzy. I decided about half way through that I had a very big dislike of the Time Traveller. He was arrogant, uncaring, and prejudice. I get the arrogance, he wouldn’t have invented time travel without it, but the rest I could have done without.We begin with a lecture of sorts where the Time Traveller shows his guests a small device that he claims can travel in time. He also claims to have built a larger functioning device that he plans to use to travel in time. Which he apparently does, meeting with two vastly different groups of humans --- the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are a group of people so simple that he can’t believe this is what has become of the human race. In this same time, he also comes in contact with the Morlocks; a species that lives underground in dark tunnels. He does his best to categorize the humans he’s met but is disgusted when he figures out the relationship between the Eloi and Morlocks. When he’s able to escape and travels to his own place in time, he regales his contemporaries with stories of his travels.There are so many fascinating aspects to this story. Time travel! But, Wells drove me crazy with his ideas of the human race. The pervasive idea that the Time Traveller was so much smarter, better shall we say, than the people he encountered was repulsive. It ruined this book for me. I can dislike a character and still enjoy a book but not in this case. I tried to become fascinated by the time travel but I was too far gone to get any enjoyment out of it.

[baswood · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although H G Well was not the first novelist to explore the paradox of time travel (Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court had been published nine years earlier) it was the among the first to be centred on the mechanics of time travel and the invention of a time machine. It was certainly the most popular of the time travel books and has been seen as launching a new sub genre of Science fiction, not bad for an author, who had published War of the Worlds in the same year. The Time Machine does not have the same emotional impact as War of the Worlds, its canvas is smaller in both form and subject matter. It is more of a short story or novella and the only person in mortal danger is the Time Traveller himself. Well’s Time traveller goes into the future and so there is an immediate suspense and expectation as to what he will find. This is a deep vein of fiction writing that is still being mined today and Wells does not let his readers down with the world that he creates. 802,701.is the year the time machine first lands and an initially idyllic land is soon shown to be a world that is rapidly plunging into decay:The Time traveller meets the Eloi a small race of people who seem not to have a care in the world as the land supplies all their needs, but they soon prove to be vacuous in the extreme and when the Time travellers Time machined is captured by the Morlocks who live underground a battle for survival begins. Wells’s adventure story is colourful and fast paced as he lays a template for many such stories that will follow his into publication, however there is more to this novel than a straight forward adventure story. Wells ruminates on how the two races had come into being and what pointers there were in Victorian England as why this should be so:“Again, the exclusive tendency of richer people - due no doubt to the increasing refinement of their education and the widening gulf between them and the rude violence of the poor - …So in the end above ground you must have the Haves and below ground the Have-nots, the workers getting continually adapted to the conditions of their labour…“So, as I see it, the Upper-world man had drifted towards his feeble prettiness and the Underworld to mere mechanical industry”As in War of the Worlds, Wells’s depiction of Victorian England is beautifully done. At the start of the story we are introduced to the Time Traveller: a gentleman scientist and his dinner guests: professional gentlemen and journalists who will need to be convinced of the efficacy of the Time Machine. Wells brings these scenes to life and the experiment holds our attention, until the real story kicks off.There is much to enjoy here and although the bare bones of this story have served to fuel so many novels since it was published in1898, this one still holds up. Wells’s writing is very good, the novella is nicely balanced and so I would rate it as a 4 star read.

[ohernaes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The time traveler builds a time machine that takes him to year 802 701. There he meets the two forms humans have evolved into - the meek, cattle-like, vegatarians Eloi and the nocturnal, apelike, carnivorous Morlock. The two are opposed, and the time traveler takes the side of the Eloi, who " had kept too much of the human form not to claim my sympathy," but his intervention creates havoc.

[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!

[atimco-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells is a fascinating story of one man's excursion into the distant future. Called only "the Time Traveller" by our unnamed narrator, this man witnesses the seeming paradise which our Earth has become. Rich, lush, and without the natural evils we grapple with, nevertheless this Edenic world has a dark side. The human race has evolved into two distinct groups, the Eloi and the Morlocks. The Eloi are surface-dwellers, diminutive, beautiful, and weak — victims of their own ingenuity, which removed all need for invention and intelligence. The Morlocks, dwelling underground, are much more sinister, and eventually the Time Traveller discovers the truth. They are cannibals, preying upon the Eloi when darkness falls. It is fascinating to see how Wells explores the problems of capitalism and labor, the upper classes and the worker toiling for the ease of others. The divide is brought into the physical realm, with the Eloi on top and the Morlocks being banished to the subterranean regions, where society tends to put its less ornamental, more utilitarian functions. Indeed, the Time Traveller even calls the Eloi and Morlocks the Haves and the Have-nots. The warning is clear: if they continue to live in indolence and ease, the upper classes will become weak and helpless, a prey for the lower classes who are strengthened (though also made brutish) by the work imposed upon them. I didn't know quite what to think of this book. Wells refers to Darwin with respect, but he takes a grimmer view of man's evolutionary "progress," seeing the seeds of self-destruction in our very struggle to tame the natural world. If we have nothing left to strive and work for, will not our natural abilities atrophy and eventually abandon us completely? In Wells' vision of the future, our old problems of societal inequities have not been solved, though we have solved the physical ills of our world. We have become either helpless of brutish. It seems that despite his evolutionary leanings, Wells held an accurate view of human nature. So this is The Time Machine, the pioneering work in the genre of time-travel fiction. An interesting read, but not a comfortable one, and thankfully rather short. At least I finally understand why jokes about time travel often reference crystals.

[rebeccagraf · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Many years ago, I had read The Time Machine by H. G. Wells. I had totally forgotten what was written on those pages. As I began reading it again for a book club, I found myself lost in a classic that too many people never read.A man creates a time machine in which he travels very far into the future. The discoveries he encounters bring about a mixture of amazement, sadness, and horror. Mankind has become two distinct races with one living above earth in finery and sunshine and the other living below ground in a mutated form afraid of all light. The problem lies in the fact that the creatures living underground steal his time machine. In order to get back, he will have to venture into the dark unknown.Reading this story can be rather slow at times as the style of writing is vastly different than what we get today from contemporary writers. At times, the dialogue rambles along. In fact, most of the book is dialogue as the Time Traveler describes his experience to his dinner guests. This might be a turn off to younger readers who expect more modern writing.I had never looked at this story as a thriller or horror book but reading it again I could see it as such. There were times when I felt my skin crawl as the narrator described his encounter with the underground race.The ebook I read was a public domain copy and was free. With it came many editing issues but for just reading the classical piece it was not too bad.If you need to read this book for school, check out this free version though there are some out there that include study guides and other commentary. If you just have never read it, give it a try. It is not an extremely long book but it will take concentration as the style is so different than most are used to.Note: This book was free and obtained by myself. No one gave me the book with any expectation of a positive review.

[crazymamie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was originally published in 1895, and, pardon the pun, it stands the test of time. Although the writing style is one you will recognize if you have read anything by say, Henry Rider Haggard or Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first person narration of the story still is adequate enough to pull you in and gives it the feel of an adventure being told to you orally. The first two chapters set up the story that is to be told by the Time Traveler, a scientist who has built a time machine capable of traveling into the future and back again. By chapter three, the Time Traveler is relating his tale of traveling a great distance into the future and finding that humanity has become two distinct species - one, the Eloi dwell above ground and are happy if not overly intelligent beings. The other species, the Morlocks, dwells below ground and represent a sinister working class. Excited by his success in time travel, the Traveler leaves behind his time machine to explore the new world before him only to find upon his return that his machine is nowhere in sight. Suspecting foul play, the Traveler realizes that it is very likely that he will have to venture into the underground world in order to retrieve his invention and travel back home.This story is cleverly told, but fell just a bit flat for me. I loved the vision that Wells shared in his futuristic tale, but wanted the Time Traveler to be smarter. Still, often people who are gifted in one area are lacking in another. I wanted a man who was intelligent enough to build a machine capable of traveling into the future to also be capable of forward thinking. He should realize that if he intends to travel into the future, he should pack provisions and think through some contingency plans before actually taking off. However, I could also see the mad scientist type who got caught up in the linear thought progression of time travel without stopping to think about practical matters. I think this book was perhaps supposed to be more of a study in societal development than a sci-fi tale, but it provides both and is worth the time it takes to explore it. I loved the museums that the Time Traveler encounters and was impressed by Wells ability to tell a story that can still stand up today, more than a century after he wrote it. "And you cannot move at all in Time, you cannot get away from the present moment.""My dear sir, that is just where you are wrong. That is just where the whole world has gone wrong. We are always getting away from the present moment. Our mental existences, which are immaterial and have no dimensions, are passing along the Time-Dimension with a uniform velocity from the cradle to the grave. Just as we should travel down if we began our existence fifty miles above the earth's surface."