777 reviews for:

The Machine Stops

E.M. Forster

4.01 AVERAGE

hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: N/A
Diverse cast of characters: N/A

The person who wrote Howard's End and A Room With a View wrote this gem? In 1909? Excellent short story. The first chapter could be a diatribe against over-use of the Internet. And there are flavors of this story in many more recent SF shorts. (Plus, Disney stole a lot of the concepts in this future world for Wall-E!)
dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
sad tense fast-paced
challenging reflective fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
dark reflective fast-paced
challenging mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It's fascinating how many parallels can be drawn between this story and the culture of technology today. I'm amazed that this was written over 100 years ago.

The machine stops - Uncanny reading that snaps one's thoughts on technology and human relations.

The celestial omnibus - An inner world exploration and its regard on spirituality, art, and imagination