Literally, I could not put it down, not until I turned that last page in the wee hours of the morning! The Time Machine accomplished what most science-fiction novels fail at: subtlety (in my opinion, too much sci-fi does too much explaining than showing) and innovation. I suppose it has the fact that it is now over a century old going for that latter of the two, but H.G. Wells here produced a futuristic world vastly different from any other. Heck, even that shoddy 2002 film version severely d... (show more)

Literally, I could not put it down, not until I turned that last page in the wee hours of the morning! The Time Machine accomplished what most science-fiction novels fail at: subtlety (in my opinion, too much sci-fi does too much explaining than showing) and innovation. I suppose it has the fact that it is now over a century old going for that latter of the two, but H.G. Wells here produced a futuristic world vastly different from any other. Heck, even that shoddy 2002 film version severely destroyed Wells' future worldview. But in his Time Machine tale, there is mysterious, well-thought-out future of a decaying humanity, not filled with flying cars and immense city-utopias, but with very inhuman creatures, all of them frightening for their warped and near humanity. While, I might not believe the same naturalistic principles which guided Wells' imagination toward this future of his, I do find it a vivid and powerful picture, more so than any future-realm sci-fi has yet to conjure up. Wells, you've made a masterpiece! (show less)