The Time Machine

by H.G. Wells

Reviewed by Ruby

A man calls his friends over to his house to recount the tale of his journeys into the future. The most notable story of his account us about his time over 800,000 years in the future, where he discovers how the human race has split into two distinct races: the fun loving Eloi, that dwell on the surface, and the Morlocks, that live underground and use the Eloi as a food source.

It is quite an interesting story and I wish I had read it a few generations ago when it was still relevant. Unfortunately, not it isn’t as avant-garde as it had once been. Even the style of writing has changed drastically, making it difficult to follow the author.

The story itself was still good and entertaining. The main problem I had was with the narrator’s random fits. He threw a tantrum when his machine vanished, scaring the Eloi. I have seen grown men throw tantrums before and, trust me, it does nothing to garner any sympathy for me.

The only other thing that bothered me wasn’t about the book but about the synopsis of it. It was described as a love story and that is something I don’t agree with. The narrator was followed around by a female Eloi, Weena, but there was no romantic or sexual interaction between the two. And on several occasions the narrator described her as child-like. I mean, yes, he liked her and she was devoted to him, but nothing about the friendship (if you can even call it that) said love story to me.

All in all, it was an okay book. I was a little disappointed by it more than anything else.

Grade: C