Fantastic - Rated 
What an exquisite short story.
The novel is fast moving and dark: at times short sentences drive the story forward, add pace and fuel the unease, fear and terror that the Morlocks bring.
There are many influences here, Wells was clearly influenced by the theories of Darwin; the development of species, and natural selection leading to the evolution of the Morlocks and the Eloi as separate races. Wells looks forward to man controlling the natural environment, with biological and pest control and perhaps genetic engineering and cloning; all members of the Eloi race being identical.
There are strong linkages here with Brave New World, with one class or race, providing for another. There are links also to War of the Worlds; the Artilleryman's wish to live underground to escape the Martians; perhaps Well's developed one from another, the link does seem inescapable.
The Morlock - Eloi symbiotic relationship drives the novel, when this ends chapter 11 feels out of place and does not perhaps add anything to the story; I finished this chapter thinking was this required? That apart, The Time Machine is a wonderful short novel
Short and sweet - Rated
The Time Machine is a deceptively small book; although only 90 pages long, it contains material for discussion that could help fill volumes. The further evolutionary development of our species, the ultimate fate of present attempts at social development, the possibility of breaching the space-time continuum, the appearance of the surface of the earth in countless millennia from now - these are all subjects explicitly tackled in the short space of this book.
One of the qualities I most like about Wells is his educated pessimism about the future. Whereas many authors think of the present as the necessary precondition for building a better future - and so unquestioningly accept the way things are now as a priori the way they need to be for a later better society - Wells criticises the established and the traditional, and sees in them the seeds of potential calamity. This is amply and unambiguously demonstrated in the degenerate races of The Time Machine: the Eloi and Morlocks function as logical evolutionary descendants of the upper- and working classes of Wells's time. Somewhat paradoxically therefore, the book also has the effect of investing human beings as we now are with great value: compared with the practically useless Eloi and the morally and culturally bankrupt Morlocks, we fare quite well.
Wells also has a tendency to go against plausible common-sense notions, and does it in such a way that he makes his alternatives equally plausible. It seems obvious that if we are more progressed now (at least technologically) than we were in the past, that we will be even more so in the distant future; but the Time Traveller has nothing to learn from the future - humans are far less intelligent than they were and their society is on the brink of total collapse. Wells's take on things is refreshing and cautionary.
My only beef with the book is that it ends a little abruptly and the later sections seems rushed. Other than that, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides an unusual but respectable perspective on some 'big' issues.
A Warning? - Rated
In 1895, when Wells wrote the Time Machine, Britain was the greatest super power the world had ever seen. However, despite this, the poorer working classes were some of the most poverty stricken and desperate in all of Europe. The Time Traveller believes he has stumbled upon a world where the consequences of the growing gap between the rich and the poor can be seen. The poor people have evolved into the Morlocks and the rich people have evolved into the Eloi.
The brilliance of the narrative comes from how it blends a social commentary with Darwinism. It must be noted however, that the Time Traveller only ever says this is his theory about the origins of the Eloi and the Morlocks, he can never actually say it with any positivity.
The book ends beautifully with a touching moment in the Epilogue about what it truly means to be a human being and I allowed myself a soft smile when I read it. It is one of Wells early works but it does have a claim to be his most imaginative.
Wells was really the first British writer of scientific romances and this tale leaves a lot more questions than answers, which doubtlessly Wells intended.
The Archetypal Scientific Romance - Rated
Wells was typically credited with several sf "firsts" & this archetypal novel is no exception. He originally wrote it as The Chronic Argonauts, whilst still a struggling biology student in London. Fate intervened when a publisher friend read it & sagely suggested he revise & re-write it up into its present form. The novels concept was original in that previous authors had limited their heroes to just travel randomly in time, subject to the arbitrary whims of fate. Whereas Wells hero could choose to travel at will into the past or future in a machine which he had invented. Wells also earned the sobriquet of the "Dickens" of his day. As he deliberately blended cutting satire with classic Darwinism to highlight social injustice. Which he does to compelling effect here: as the hero driven by scientific curiosity travels almost a million years into the future. Upon arrival at the foot of a massive bronze sphinx, he's shocked to discover that Disraeli's symbolic Two Nations (ie: societies Rich & Poor) have literally evolved into two distinct species: the poor into the "bestial" morlocks, & the rich into the "elfin" eloi. Wells then takes evolution to its shocking limits, as we discover the relative biological roles of the two species (ironically reversing the principles of capitalism). The hero initially meets the inquisitive eloi girl Weena, who guides him through this debased new world order. Eventually he discovers The Palace Of Green Porcelain, a vast ruined museum near the banks of the Thames. Used to wryly symbolise the rise & fall of our decadent civilisation. The hero becomes ever more disillusioned as the cunning morlocks steal his vital machine. Making him despairingly consider being stranded in this perilious future. However, after a fierce struggle with the morlocks, he soon recovers the machine & impulsively travels another 30 million years into the future. Stopping periodically on a perennial beach to witness the terminal devolution of mankind. Ultimately he dicovers that entropy has triumphed: the earth is now a barren desert, virtually devoid of life under the pitiless glare of a giant red sun. Finally, he returns to his own present to relate the tall tale to his incredulous friends. With scientific hindsight, its easy to condemn Wells predicted stellar lifespan as implausible. Yet despite being limited by scientific ignorance & lacking expert knowlege of nuclear physics, Wells basic principles of stellar entropy were correct (as that will probably be our suns ultimate fate sev. billion yrs hence...). As I first read the novel as a teenager many yrs ago, I must confess to being the willing victim of nostalgia here. Its stately influence has ensured it stubbornly remains amongst my all time favourite novels, & I hope it continues to inspire both past & future generations...
My Favourite Book - Rated
Is it all a hoax? A man, whose name we never learn, apparently builds a small time machine that vanishes in front of a group of dinner guests. Later, he claims to have just returned from a voyage into the distant future, where he experienced wonders and terrors. His evidence? A dishevelled appearance and two withered flowers that a medical man (i.e. not a botanist) can't immediately identify. The self-styled Time Traveller then vanishes for good.
Admittedly, when I first read this wonderful book it never occurred to me for a moment that we were supposed to doubt the truth of the Time Traveller's Tale. It is so immediate, so detailed, so compelling. But Wells was a very clever chap, and there are hints here and there that perhaps all is not quite as it seems. Indeed, the Time Traveller himself tells his listeners to treat it all as a story. He even seems to doubt his story himself. This doesn't undermine the visionary nature of the tale - if anything, it adds another layer to a subtle book.
G.K. Chesterton called it a 'little masterpiece'. He was right. Wells wrote a lot of good stories, but he never improved on his first book. The central question - what is the point of all our human striving? - is just as relevant today as it was in the 1890s. If you never read anything else by Wells, read this. It will take only a few hours of your time, yet it will carry you effortlessly across hundreds of millennia.
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