The Time Machine
H. G. Wells 1895
This short science fiction novel follows a Victorian inventor who travels into the distant future. In the year 802701, he meets the gentle Eloi and discovers the underground world of the Morlocks.
122 pages 2h 22m reading time
- One of the founding works of modern science fiction, and the story that made time travel a popular idea.
- Imagines that the split between rich and poor in Victorian England could, over many thousands of years, turn people into two separate species.
- Suggests that progress is not guaranteed, and that a comfortable life without struggle could make humans weak and helpless.
- Popularized the term "time machine" and the idea of a machine that carries a person through time on purpose, which later shaped countless books, films, and shows, including Doctor Who.
- Inspired several film versions, including the well-known 1960 movie directed by George Pal.
Began as a student story
It started as "The Chronic Argonauts," a story Wells wrote for his college's student science magazine.
Rewritten over seven years
Wells reworked the idea many times, turning a dark tale about a strange scientist into a journey to the far future.
Shaped by his science teacher
Wells studied biology under Thomas Henry Huxley, a famous defender of Darwin, and those lessons shaped the story.
An overnight success
It first came out in parts in a magazine, then as a book that quickly made the young Wells famous.