Title: The Time Machine
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves:  Book to Film, Classics, Science fiction, Time travel
Dates read: 11th October – 1st November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1895
5th sentence, 74th page: There were, perhaps, a couple of hundred people dining in the hall, and most of them, seated as near to me as they could come, were watching me with interest, their little eyes shining over the fruit they were eating.

“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 his 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.

This novel was nothing like what I expected. Probably because I expected it to be like the movie that I saw when I was much younger. Tip: this is NOTHING like the movie. It’s brilliant, and engaging and not the kind of story that I’m going to forget, but I may as well have had no connection between the movie and the book – because there is really nothing common between the two.

I’ve slowly been working my way through the pile of classics in my shelves. I love reading them, but sometimes they can be a bit of a hard slog just because of the difference in language style. Yet, somehow, even though this was written 1895, it is the most approachable classic I’ve ever read. Something about the language and style is more contemporary than many other classics. Which makes it a good introduction for many who haven’t really delved into the world of classics.

This is an intensely scientific novel. Some of the theories and discussions in here are ones that I’ve read about or heard from other science academics. Mind boggling theories which make time travel sound completely plausible. And terrifyingly likely. Maybe not something that we necessarily want to begin to play with.

The symbolic paths that humanity could take are beautifully represented in this story. if we went the “higher” path described, our society would be governed by prettiness. Yet, if we take the under path, our lives would be ruled by mechanical industry. As to which route we’re going to take… I just hope that global warming doesn’t destroy the world before our ancestors can find out.

Image source: Amazon