The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Book Synopsis

(From Amazon.com's product description)

In the heart of Victorian England, an inquisitve gentleman known only as the Time Traveler constructs an elaborate invention that hurtles him hundreds of thousands of years into the future. There he finds himself in the violent center of the ultimate conflict between beings of light and creatures of darkness.

Mark's Rating

Kindle Edition

Mark's Review

I absolutely love time travel stories. Because I had already seen the two movies that were based upon this book, I had a pretty good idea about the plot and so forth. Though the story was a little simpler than either of the big screen renditions, this book did not disappoint. Since it was written before the start of the 20th century, the reasons for the Time Traveler wanting to go into the future were slightly different than in later versions.

The character's take on the social structures of his time and the ideas of how these would be transformed in the distant future is a major theme of the book. Those interested in history will enjoy this because the reader gets to peer into the mind of someone who had no knowledge of the major changes that would befall mankind during the 20th century. A lot has changed in the last one hundred years; thus, the hypothetical view of mankind's future has changed—not necessarily for the better.

Depending on their age, I often find classics hard to understand because of the author's use of archaic language. Though there were a few instances of this in The Time Machine, there weren't enough of them to bog me down. Sometimes it is even refreshing to read something that doesn't use modern slang. The Time Machine is one such occasion. It allows you to take a step back in time without having to run to the dictionary for every other word.

Disclaimer: Not recommended for young children due to minor violence.