The Time Machine

great

recommend the following...

listening to book

then listening to the BBC "in our time" podcast about the book.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0009bmf

then listen again to the book

that will help you get a good understanding of the social and political background to the book and HG Wells himself which I was never aware of and greatly enhanced my enjoyment

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Fantastic Story Read Brilliantly by John Banks

The Time Machine was the first ever audio book I listened to back when I was a kid, many moons ago (not this particular rendition of course). I can’t remember who narrated it but it was on audio cassette. I have always loved this story by HG Wells.

John Banks reads this book superbly. His voice is pleasant to listen too, and he makes the story come alive. I will certainly be listening to John Banks read some more HG Wells novels.

1 person found this helpful

Leaves you wanting more.

I’ve always loved the book and films it has so much imagination. This audio book is very good but it can’t add any more detail to the story that was never there. I would love to time travel and glimpse the future and past. It is described very well. You get a good sense of what is happening and it’s a very chronological story. Enjoyed.

This is a true classic..John banks I applaud you

John Banks brings this classic alive....listen and lose yourself in his voice which transports you into the wonderful world of HG Wells.

fascinating

so well written, the suspense building slowly, the ending... what a fine piece of literature

Amazing book

This book is exactly how I imagined our future. The future of all men kind. I really enjoyed it. It makes you wonder if we will ever have the chance to travel trough time and space... I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about our own perception of life and future. This is a good example. Enjoy

Classic amongst classics

Classic amongst classics
Very interesting, entertaining and well presented
I'll be revisiting this one, no doubt.

Modern classic of science fiction

The Time Machine is a story I realised I knew mainly from the 1960 film version starring Rod Taylor. I was interested, therefore, to see how much of the original book made it through the adaptation process. The answer is a surprising amount.

Although in the book the lead character is never named but instead referred to throughout as ‘the Time Traveller’, in both versions he gives an account of his experiences to a group of (mostly disbelieving) friends gathered for a weekly dinner. He describes how, far from the utopia hoped for, in the time period to which he travelled humankind has evolved into two distinct races: the degenerate, underground-dwelling Morlocks; and the indolent, rather childlike, surface-dwelling Eloi.

In the film there is no discussion about how the change in society might have come about but in the book the Time Traveller gives a lot of thought to the cause of such a marked stratification of society. His initial theory positions the Eloi as the superior, aristocratic race given they live a life of leisure, engaging in no work to feed or clothe themselves. The Morlocks on the other hand are the workers toiling beneath the surface. This probably reflects Wells’s own socialist views and life experiences. It was common at the end of the 19th century for workers to live ‘below stairs’ or work in basements and the idea of the ‘haves’ exploiting the ‘have nots’ easily transfer to the book.

However, the Time Traveller becomes perplexed and a little frustrated by the passivity and lack of curiosity of the Eloi. In his view, humanity cannot make progress or innovate without struggle. In addition, the Eloi seem to have little care for one another or any fear of danger – until nightfall, that is. The reason for the latter gradually becomes apparent and eventually the awful truth of the relationship between the two races is revealed.

In the book, the Eloi are described as short, pale, and elfin-like whereas in the film they are blonde and beautiful. The Weena of the book, the only member of the Eloi who engages with the Time Traveller, is definitely not the glamorous character played by Yvette Mimieux in the film. In fact, the Time Traveller’s relationship with the childlike Weena in the book felt a little uncomfortable. The Morlocks in the book are albino and spider-like and I found the scenes in which they appear much scarier than I remember from watching the film.

Events towards the end of The Time Machine mean it is left to the reader to imagine what direction – past or future – the Time Traveller’s adventures will take him and when, or if, he might return to his own time. In the film, it seems fairly obvious.

There are aspects of The Time Machine that now seem distinctly prophetic. For example, the Time Traveller notes the temperature in the future is much higher than in his own century. When he ventures even further ahead in time, what he sees is a vision of a dying Sun and apocalyptic climate change. (The film version sees the Time Traveller witnessing events in the much more immediate future.)

It’s amazing to think how many of the concepts associated with time travel in modern fiction and film are owed to The Time Machine, a book written in 1895. It’s a testament to the fertile imagination of H.G. Wells.

The audiobook version I listened to was narrated by John Banks who did a good job throughout but especially in communicating the Time Traveller’s sense of fear in some of the more dramatic scenes.

A Forgotten Classic

Forgot the much overrated Bard...HGW is a master of the artful story. A short book full of intriguing and intricate sub-layers.

The time machine

really enjoyed this book good story hard to put down will read more of H G Wells storys