The Time Machine (Ags Illustrated Classics)

The Time Machine is more than cool, classic sci-fi. It's more than just THE original story to include a scientific rationale to time travel. It's a story that delves into the differences and injustices of class relations. It's a story that considers a burgeoning scientific revolution. And it's a story that explores evolution and the fate of mankind (at the same time as the World is still grapples with Darwin's theory).

The story is quite simple. The Time Traveller (TTT - no name is given) creates a machine that's able to travel through time. TTT demonstrates, in miniature, how the machine works and then travels himself, in full scale, 800,000 years into the future. The narration is handled by The Writer (also no name is given) who witnesses the miniature demonstration and is present when TTT returns from his trip to the future.

TTT finds himself in a future inhabitated by the child-like Eloi living a vegetarian and almost Luddite existence. The Eloi are innocent, fun-loving, sympathetic simpletons. When his time machine disappears, TTT explores this future land and ultimately discovers the Eloi's underground-dwelling symbiotic cousins - the Morlocks. Symbollically, the Eloi serve the role of aristocracy, patrician, or white collar; while the Morlocks serve the role as commonor, plebian, proletariat or blue collar. The Morlocks are carnivores (you can guess where they get their meat), and industrial, who can only see in the dark and are afraid of fire and the light.

After battle the Morlocks and losing his one Eloi friend, Weena, TTT recovers his Time Machine and launches himself further into the future.

The image of a desolate, grim far-future inhabited only by large crab-like creatures is as haunting and memorable to me as an adult as it was when I first read it 20+ years ago. The Signet edition of The Time Machine includes one additional future vignette that was edited out of the definitive edition of the story. This additional scene precedes TTT's visit to the crab-beach. He finds what he believes to be the last vestiges of humanity having taken the shape of large grey formless rabbits who are hunted by enormous caterpillars. These few additional pages evoke the same creepiness as the beach crabs and are a nice complement to the original story.

TTT relates his journey at a dinner party at his home. We view his adventure and discourse through The Writer's detailed account of TTT's return. English society is represented at the dinner party and, naturally, nobody quite believes the tale.

Modern scifi stalwart Greg Bear writes an introduction to the Signet addition and provides informative context to the story, it's place in writing history, and background on H.G. Wells as well as his place in the authorial pantheon.

If you've never read The Time Machine before, I strongly recommend you jump into this turn of the 19th Century classic. It's a little soft by modern comparison, but it's the original upon which so much contemporary scifi is based.

I love science-fiction and this is almost the best book I've read. This is the first (and only) H.G. Wells book I read. And I must say, it's great! It has an interesting look into the future.

The time machine takes an interesting look at human society in the distant future. The time traveler witnesses the unbelievable social stratification of humanity into two groups.
this book still has more depth and creativity than most 500 page books i've read and is a great read, even compared with today's science fiction standards.

I enjoyed this book not just because of the science fiction slant (and HGW does a good job of theorizing time travel), but because of the thinly veiled commentaries, covering everything from class struggles to evolution.

I think that this book was a masterpiece that everyone should read, young or old. It was a great piece of literature that stands out from all the others because it has quality and different viewpoints to what the future might hold in store for all of the world and humanity.


Around The World in Eighty Days
Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
The Blockade Runners
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth
An Antarctic Mystery

This is the first (and only) H.G. Wells book I read. And I must say, it's great! It has an interesting look into the future.

I love science-fiction and this is almost the best book I've read. The time machine takes an interesting look at human society in the distant future. The time traveler witnesses the unbelievable social stratification of humanity into two groups.

I enjoyed this book not just because of the science fiction slant (and HGW does a good job of theorizing time travel), but because of the thinly veiled commentaries, covering everything from class struggles to evolution. this book still has more depth and creativity than most 500 page books i've read and is a great read, even compared with today's science fiction standards.

Dick Sands the Boy Captain
Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
The Adventures of a Special Correspondent
The Blockade Runners
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea

This is the first (and only) H.G. Wells book I read. And I must say, it's great! It has an interesting look into the future.

The time machine takes an interesting look at human society in the distant future. The time traveler witnesses the unbelievable social stratification of humanity into two groups. I love science-fiction and this is almost the best book I've read.

this book still has more depth and creativity than most 500 page books i've read and is a great read, even compared with today's science fiction standards.

It was a great piece of literature that stands out from all the others because it has quality and different viewpoints to what the future might hold in store for all of the world and humanity.

Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
The Adventures of a Special Correspondent
The Blockade Runners
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Why was I not forced to read this in high school instead of the tired old 'classics' they push at us? great book a must for every si.fi. fan

I enjoyed this book not just because of the science fiction slant (and HGW does a good job of theorizing time travel), but because of the thinly veiled commentaries, covering everything from class struggles to evolution.

This book still has more depth and creativity than most 500 page books i've read and is a great read, even compared with today's science fiction standards.

This book is masterfully written, and fascinating to read. The political satire of this work is somewhat out of date, but does not damage the story. Overall, I did enjoy this story, and recommend it to everyone!

An Antarctic Mystery
Around The World in Eighty Days
Dick Sands the Boy Captain
Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon
The Adventures of a Special Correspondent