Title: The Time Machine: An Invention
Author: H. G. Wells
Pages: 125
Finished: November 7, 2018
First Sentence: The Time Traveller (for so it will be convenient to speak of him) was expounding a recondite matter to us.
Summary: The Time Traveler tells a story to his dinner guests about his journey to the far future. We learn of the decent of Man into the Eloi and the Morlocks and how the Time Traveler learned of them.
Thoughts: Warning: Spoilers abound. The only thing I knew of this story was a Wishbone episode and the 2002 movie. Though I'd seen the 2002 movie more recently, the Wishbone episode is what sticks in my mind the most. I distinctly remember Weena, a torch, and the well.
Anyway, I had no idea just how in depth this book was. I had this image of the Morlocks being very clear "bad guys" and the Eloi being very clear "good guys." In fact, it's a deep look into how life adapts to its environment. We often think of evolution as becoming the best of a species, but that's not it. Life adapts to live in its environment. I just repeated myself.
Anyway, I felt sorry for the Morlocks. From what I was reading, they weren't actually harming him. In fact, they seemed merely curious. But he immediately decides they are bad and must be fought. Of course, it turns out they're the "intelligent" species left on Earth and they basically breed and care for the Eloi as though they are cattle. But they didn't act "evil" until the Time Traveler started attacking them. I don't know. Reading it with a 21st century eye, it just seemed really obnoxious that 18th century white man comes to a world and decides he needs to save people and explain everything and... yeah.
I don't read a ton of Science Fiction, but I was impressed at how different this was from what Science Fiction seems to be now. For a 125 page book, it moved at a fairly gentle pace. We meet the Morlocks about half way through. And the climax with them isn't nearly as hear-poundingly action filled as many current scifi books I've read are.
I'm glad I read it. I don't know how much I want to read more Wells after this, but I appreciated reading this one. Read for Back to the Classics: A Book about Travel. Also part of my Classics Club list.
Anyway, I had no idea just how in depth this book was. I had this image of the Morlocks being very clear "bad guys" and the Eloi being very clear "good guys." In fact, it's a deep look into how life adapts to its environment. We often think of evolution as becoming the best of a species, but that's not it. Life adapts to live in its environment. I just repeated myself.
Anyway, I felt sorry for the Morlocks. From what I was reading, they weren't actually harming him. In fact, they seemed merely curious. But he immediately decides they are bad and must be fought. Of course, it turns out they're the "intelligent" species left on Earth and they basically breed and care for the Eloi as though they are cattle. But they didn't act "evil" until the Time Traveler started attacking them. I don't know. Reading it with a 21st century eye, it just seemed really obnoxious that 18th century white man comes to a world and decides he needs to save people and explain everything and... yeah.
I don't read a ton of Science Fiction, but I was impressed at how different this was from what Science Fiction seems to be now. For a 125 page book, it moved at a fairly gentle pace. We meet the Morlocks about half way through. And the climax with them isn't nearly as hear-poundingly action filled as many current scifi books I've read are.
I'm glad I read it. I don't know how much I want to read more Wells after this, but I appreciated reading this one. Read for Back to the Classics: A Book about Travel. Also part of my Classics Club list.
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