Showing results for "E.M.Forster" in Anthologies & Short Stories

The Celestial Omnibus and Other Stories is a collection of short-stories which Forster wrote during the prewar years, most of which were symbolic fantasies or fables.

This collection of short stories from E. M. Forster contains six tales that were initially written between 1903 and 1912. Many of these stories, including the modern classic 'The Machine Stops' - which is set in a world where humanity lives underground and relies on a giant machine to provide its needs - deal with science fiction and supernatural themes.

The earth's surface is no longer habitable. All humanity is sequestered beneath the ground, couched in isolation and contentment. The Machine provides the needs of humanity. Mankind becomes subservient drones to the life-supporting Machine. But what happens when the Machine stops?

The story from which this collection takes its title describes the adventures of an imaginative boy who discovers an omnibus that enables him to travel to the past in the company of famous historical personages. When at his invitation, an incredulous adult accompanies him on a journey, the astonishing new vistas unfolding alarm the security-conscious older man, who wishes himself back in his comfortable suburban home.

In a London suburb is a dead-end alley where twice a day a horse-drawn omnibus leaves for the Promised Land. Just make sure you get a return ticket before you leave, or you won't be coming back.