A title? I don't have time. (The Time Machine - H. G. Wells)

Member Name: thegoldencat

Product:	The Time Machine - H. G. Wells
Date:	24/11/08 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A concise classic you can read in an afternoon.

Disadvantages: Perhaps should have been longer, more time periods etc.

Overview
Victorian scientist invents time machine, goes 200,000 years into the future, has some adventures, comes back tells friends about it. Simple as that. Considering how complicated some modern tales of time travel get, the original does it with simplicity and suprising brevity coming in at just over 100 pages.

Review
I am now well aquainted with H.G Wells's writing style having read his main five science fiction novels in quick-succession. And 'quick' is right for none are much over a hundred pages long. More 'novellas' really or novellettes, I lack fim details on the distinctions. And what I have found is this. Wells is not a natural writer. That is, his stories, for me, lack character. He comes up with these huge culture impacting ideas that resonate so strongly and and are still adapted to this day. Reading his stories through though is another matter. Theoretical physics and sociological philosophy come to the fore at the expense of characterisation and plot. In the end; more essays than stories. So while I respect him I can't say I overly enjoyed his books. Many I suspect will differ with me on this, but such are my experiences.

That out of the way what can we say about The Time Machine?

For the most part we follow our intrepid time traveller on his dejected way round the future of 200,000 years hence. Hes dejected because of grand visions of a utopian tomorrow that he had long entertained stand in ruin before his very eyes.

Instead of the outright perfection, the ne plus ultra of every aspect of humanity: sociologically, technologically and physiologically, he finds humanity: a bunch of brain dead cabbage patch kids frollocking about like idiots. In short hes not having a very good day.

Following this initial set-back he spends a great deal of time theorising on the manner in which humanity fell thusly far into weakness and ignorance. Through this conceit Wells has a jolly good time propounding some of his social theory which, like Jonathan Swift's Gullivers Travels, is a central theme.

Rather foolhardily after his first day in the future the time traveller goes to sleep on a hill and in the morning finds that, dun dun dun! His time machine has gone. Its a rather unbelievable premise that he would just wander off and leave his only means of escape from this dissapointment of a future, sitting uncovered next to a bush. But who am I to question a science fiction master? (Although I did earlier in the review.)

As things gradually pan out and the mystery deepens this becomes as much a detective novel as anything else as our unnamed time traveller scours the land pondering as to what was the history of man that produced the outcome before his eyes as well as the more pressing matter of; "Dude wheres my time machine?" (Couldn't resist.)

We eventually discover that humanity has diverged into two seperate species. One, the pathetic child-like entity the company of which hes forced into keeping. Second the mysterious, underground dwelling, brutish apelike creature, that the former group are so utterly terrified of.

The terms for these groups have entered the general English lexicon. The Eloi and the Morelocks. Put as simply as possible the Eloi evolved from the wealthy elite, the Morelocks from the toiling underclass. As with a lot of Wells' imaginings this one carries some weight to it and there is a line of thinking in evolutionary biology (according to Google news anyway) that suggests such a division will eventually occur. Some say the existence of Wayne Rooney suggests we're already half way there. (Cheap maybe, but again couldn't resist)

I'm repeating myself but the characterisation is not good. Essentially the only character is the time traveller and he still isn't developed in any great detail. We don't even find out his name. Plus theres little about him to suggest some singular scientific mastermind as you would expect from the inventor of the time machine. If you're expecting some sort of eccentric Willy Wonka figure you're to be sorely dissapointed. Instead we get H.G Wells' stock main character known as 'mild-mannered Victorian gentleman, astonished by everything.'

This is then a well-written and cerebral, if dry, novel with few flaws. And these rendered inconsequential by the books relative thin-ness. If any aspect of this book disagrees with you, then, it shan't for too long and there is therefore no reason not to read this fine intriguing piece of sci-fi heritage without which we would be without the Terminator, Back to the future and so on.*

*-Things other than films from the 80s I'm sure.

Summary: A lovely book about time travel .