Reviews

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

booksandaudities's review against another edition

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3.0

Written in 1895 The Time Machine is full of mystery, adventure, suspense, and questions. I gave it 3 stars initially while reading, but the ending deserved another 1/2 star.

3.5 stars. I recommend adding it to your list of classics. It's an easy and short read.

shiva122's review against another edition

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3.0

Definitly a nice read. I really like how the story was told but it didn´t blow me away. I think this needs to be read with someone else so that one can discuss the book and the ideas it suggests and presents.

johncm's review against another edition

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3.0

I first read this in 6th grade, and now at 43, decided to check it out again. As science fiction it is thought-provoking. As fiction, it's entertaining (much more so than Jules Verne).
What are the physical forces beyond our control that are continually shaping us? Is humanity's search for the easy life destined to make us weak? Does work make brutes of us?
When change in the world is inevitable, why do we insist on the privilege of remaining the same?

hunterjwspears's review against another edition

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4.0

Enjoyed the divergent paths of humanity. Instead of just how do humans live differently, I appreciated the speculative fiction among human evolution, and how the species branched as a result of class conditions, I thought that was a clever way to explain the divergence

saramoadi's review against another edition

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4.0

Interesting read and very thought provoking.
One of the most interesting ideas that the book explored is "What if humans only experienced positive emotions? No fear, no hunger, no sadness..." In the book the 'humans of the future' were portrayed as simple minded and carefree, while the world around them crumbled and no form of progress occurred. They simply had no drive to do anything.
Are negative emotions what give humanity the drive to progress and advance? It's hard to say yes, but also hard to say no.

Interesting read, would recommend to someone who is looking for a thought provoking book.

elainabship's review against another edition

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3.0

It was interesting for sure, if I hadn’t read it for class I probably wouldn’t have picked it out for myself though.

meganjonezzzz's review against another edition

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2.0

herbert george continues to plague me

bethanysimm110's review against another edition

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3.0

Here we have the book that defined Sci-fi. whether you enjoy his work or not, all fans of sci-fi have to appreciate what H.G. Wells has done to create the genre and mold it into what it is today.


A time traveler is tragically thrust 800,000 years into the future to find a world far unlike our own. What he finds there just may be drawn from his deepest fears. With his time machine stolen, how will he ever escape?

I'm not one to write reviews longer than the book itself, so I'll keep this rather short. The story was great. H.G. Wells' writing is incredibly engaging, considering the penmanship that was popular in his time. I thought the story was fun, but very simple. I almost want to give the book a higher rating simply because of its progressive nature, but I find that some small problems prohibit me from doing so.

Our main character develops a theory for the world he is thrust into rather early. I would expect this, as he is a scientist. My problem lies in how adamantly he pushes this theory on the reader. It often gave the novel a flavor of propaganda. Propaganda pushed so forcefully down my throat at times, that I simply had trouble stomaching the story. I'm not sure this was the intent of the author, or if it was simply a look into the minds of the people of the time. In such a short story, I just want to experience the story. This wish was not quite delivered.


That mini-rant aside, this was a fun story anyway. I recommend it for the entertainment factor if you're looking for a short book to break up some deeper novels, or simply for the cultural currency.

nmorse80's review against another edition

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2.0

I wanted to like this book. I'm a sucker for time travel books. However, this is less about time travel and more a commentary on Wells political ideas.

andrewmull2's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Cool little book that is a good example of social realism, and is able to be read in just a few hours.