Monday 12 August 2013

Book Impressions - The Time Machine by H G Wells

I was still in school the last time I read this. I remember enjoying it back then as one of my first forays into science fiction. It was with some trepidation that I started reading it again as part of the KUF book club. There have been many things I enjoyed as a youngster that haven't lived up to their memories. Thankfully this wasn't the case with The Time Machine.

As with all great science fiction stories it's based around a big idea, in this case what does the future offer us a species. H G Well's thoughts on this are a bold vision, all too often glimpses into the future take us to better technology, or of a race that conquers the stars. This isn't the case in this book. It poses the question, what left for mankind if we make our lives so comfortable that further progress isn't required?

This book fully deserves it's classic status, it's an imaginitive story and is well written. It might seem a little anachronistic for modern readers, but I love it. It's in keeping with the time and has an elegance that keeps me reading. That being said it does have a few issues. The main one for me was that it was too short. It would have been nice to learn more about the Morlocks in particular.

The sequence at the end stand outs for me, the trip into the real far future is stunning. A classic book that any fan of science fiction should read at least once.



“I’ve had a most amazing time....”

So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him the reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes...and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth. There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well. Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.


The Time Machine is available from Amazon

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