The Time Machine

Rating:
Summary: Childhood Views Shattered
Review: I read this book, for the first time, when I was about 13. Now, almost 25 years later, I've read it to my two sons who found it dead boring and absolutely too wordy. Sadly, I must agree with them. As I was reading it, I was wondering when it would end. I have fond memories of H.G. Wells' books from my childhood. But "The Time Machine" is not a book that can be read twice!

Rating:
Summary: Juvenile Fiction
Review: I was expecting a lot more from this book, as it was part of the Masterpieces of Science Fiction Collection from Easton Press. However, I wanted to make sure I wasn't throwing away $40 - $50 on a book just because somebody labels it a "Masterpiece". It's a good thing a read it first, because it was rather boring. This said, it was written some time ago, but still does not excuse the lack of depth in this title. I recommend "Ender's Game", by Orson Scott Card, or "Dune", by Frank Herbert, instead.

Rating:
Summary: futurity
Review: What is so remarkable about this marvelous novella is H.G.Wells' ability to offer a compelling and intriguing science fiction adventure story, whilst at the same time addressing some pressing issues about society and humanity in general. Faced with over eight hundred thousand years of evolution the time traveller is greatly surprised when he encounters mankind in a state of intellectual and physical decay. Despite this fact the 'Eloi' seem to live a utopian like existence, but as the time traveller eventually discovers a dark and unsettling presence exists which casts an evil shadow on proceedings. The story which unfolds is at once horrofic and deeply prophetic - all that remains to be seen is whether or not H.G. Wells' predictions actually come to fruition (and whether we as humanbeings can effect any meaningful change! )

Rating:
Summary: A Classic In The Genre
Review: This is widely considered to be the first "real" science fiction book ever published, it is also one of the best. Although it focuses more on pure imagination rather than science (unlike some later Wells SF books) it is nevertheless an interesting read. It touches on several important subjects along the way, our own evolution and where we may be headed, and the question of whether or not we should really view the future before it is time. It is not boring, but extremely suspenseful, and it can be read in one setting. A very good book, complete with a cliffhanger ending.

Rating:
Summary: Nicely done for a modern audience
Review: The Time Machine is a wonderful story, written by a master who long before our time could see that society would create a great divide between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots', and by extrapolating the outcome, gave us the pretty but incapable Eloi and the ugly but capable Morlocks of the far future. The Time Traveller is Wells, disillusioned with the world he lives in, but his fictional counterpart has the means to escape, to travel through time, only to discover to his horror, that human progress is ultimately all for nought. Alien Voices give us a faithful adaption of this classic tale which, for the most part, is realised by the wonderful Leonard Nimoy. With his marvellously gravelly deep voice, one could listen to him tell a story for hours. Familiar Star Trek luminaries and friends round out the cast. I was very pleased to hear the entire story adapted, as opposed to the 1960 film which omits the Time Traveller's final and terrifying adventure in the novel. It's a medium well-suited for the headphones, but hey, listen to it anywhere, anytime - it's still great. A marvellous retelling for a modern audience.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Setting of Wells's Classic Story!
Review: The Commuter Library produces a wonderful set of stories that are true to the original books, and H. G. Wells's "The Time Machine" is no exception. As it is unabridged, it makes an ideal first exposure to this tale. The highlight of the edition is Ralph Cosham's crisp delivery. His accent and changes of inflection are well-suited to the events and emotions of the story. His rendering seems appropriate especially when reading the portions of the novel where Wells expounds his theories of social evolution regarding the Morlocks and Eloi. Expository passages like that by any author can be dangerous for any reciter, but not so with Mr. Cosham's delivery and Mr. Wells's prose. Often at the top of many people's lists of great science fiction novels, "The Time Machine" strikes an excellent balance between the science and the narrative. Critiques of science fiction by such persons as author Brian Aldiss frequently bring up the fact that good science fiction is not merely about gadgets, but are best when they reflect or portray some aspect of the human condition. This novel provides ample proof of that. Throughout the reader is gripped not only by the anonymous Time Traveller's trials in the future, but by his intellectual approach to discovering the fate of mankind. Well's depiction of the very distant future in the final chapters is one of the most terrifying and breathtaking literary landscapes in any literature. For the person on the go, this audiobook rendition can amply substitute for the novel itself.

Rating:
Summary: nie vin roulge asik die lin;
Review: vinx nin doich est me nine romskin den mie youn raulgh; denc ve noife rendin si;rolkin vis maoucken; quinc di roulg native olkin yin ski wousk ran di vin re fue die roulgh si vin

Rating:
Summary: Easy to follow along
Review: 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. Everyone thought he (can't remember the main character's name because it's been so long) crazy when they saw his time machine model. He turned out to be anything but crazy. He went off into a strange future where literary masterpieces are long forgotten. And there are creatures that fear fire. This is a book that you'll read over and over!

Rating:
Summary: A Science Fiction Masterpiece!
Review: H.G. Wells' magnificent tale delivers a powerful prophecy of the future of man, as seen through the author's own eyes. This eerie tale follows the journeys of a time traveller as he hurdles into the future, searching the unknown, only to find an unsettling future for man. But when his time machine is stolen, one must wonder what will come of this man lost in time. Read the novel that started it all, a must for any science fiction guru!

Rating:
Summary: An interesting vision of the future!
Review: If one asks someone how the world will look like in the year800, 000 C.E., then most people will state that we will probably havecyborgs and intelligent. Accoring to Wells we have divided into two races: one called the eloi, whom live in harmony with nature. The other race lives underground and is called Morlocks. Wells also makes the argument that time travel is a double edged sword. One might come into a future that one did not have in mind.