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A review by nhspencer
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
4.0
HG Wells along with Jules Verne have arguably been the primary influence on the majority of the pop culture iconography and franchises we’ve come to love.
With The Time Machine, Wells crafted a story that both created a science fiction sub-genre and established key motifs that practically every time traveling story would subsequently use. The world of the Eloi and Morlocks is a fascinating commentary on capitalist society and the potential horrors that could stem from the abuse of the poor by the elite.
Wells brilliantly inverted the Elite vs. Impoverished trope before it even became a trope. By being set so far into the future, he extends the elites abuse of power so far that eventually their abuse of the poor becomes that of necessity rather than choice. This results in Mother Nature intervening and over millennia, humans evolving to reflect this extreme society. The poor become the dominant species and the elite become the prey.
In just 86 pages, Wells’ story is a lightning rod of energy that simply never lets up. His traditional first person narration works well here and serves the frantic urgency of the story perfectly. My only complaint is that the books length doesn’t allow for the deep history and intricacies of this world to be explored in much detail, which I would have loved.
Regardless, this is (obviously) a landmark moment in literature, sci-fi specifically. Chad is the goat for convincing me to finally enter into the weird wonderful world of Wells’ work.
With The Time Machine, Wells crafted a story that both created a science fiction sub-genre and established key motifs that practically every time traveling story would subsequently use. The world of the Eloi and Morlocks is a fascinating commentary on capitalist society and the potential horrors that could stem from the abuse of the poor by the elite.
Wells brilliantly inverted the Elite vs. Impoverished trope before it even became a trope. By being set so far into the future, he extends the elites abuse of power so far that eventually their abuse of the poor becomes that of necessity rather than choice. This results in Mother Nature intervening and over millennia, humans evolving to reflect this extreme society. The poor become the dominant species and the elite become the prey.
In just 86 pages, Wells’ story is a lightning rod of energy that simply never lets up. His traditional first person narration works well here and serves the frantic urgency of the story perfectly. My only complaint is that the books length doesn’t allow for the deep history and intricacies of this world to be explored in much detail, which I would have loved.
Regardless, this is (obviously) a landmark moment in literature, sci-fi specifically. Chad is the goat for convincing me to finally enter into the weird wonderful world of Wells’ work.