The Time Machine and The Invisible Man

The Time Machine is the classic novella that birthed one the world’s most famous science fiction authors, H.G. Wells. It tells the story of “The Time Traveler” and the adventures he has using the time machine he invented. The novella begins with the Time Traveler briefly explaining space and time and how traveling between the two is possible to a small group of friends during an apparent weekly gathering. The following week, the group gathers again and The Time Traveler explains his adventures while using the Time Machine. He describes watching the time pass quickly before his eyes as he sits in his machine and what he sees when he stops in the year 802,701. He describes what he believes to be a Utopian society of human-like creatures called Eloi. The Eloi are peaceful people, living their lives harmoniously together with all their needs somehow mysteriously met. They are complete vegetarians and The Time Traveler notes that there appears to be no animals whatsoever. They have no known leadership and seem to have no worries and no fear. However, he is deceived by his initial impression. The Eloi do fear one thing; darkness. The Time Traveler discovers why when he spots a creature completely unlike the Eloi; a white human-like creature called a Morlock. The Time Traveler chases one of these Morlocks into what he believes to be a well of some kind. He soon discovers that the Morlocks are subterranean creatures and that they have taken his time machine. A brief battle ensues when The Time Traveler attempts to retrieve his machine and he is saved by using the machine. He goes several hundreds of thousands more years into the future and sees what can only be the eventual destruction of the earth by the sun.

In my opinion, the key parts of this book are The Time Travelers commiserations on the Eloi and the Morlocks. He thinks that at some point the human species split, some living above ground know as the Eloi and others living below ground, the Morlocks. He hypothesizes that over the generations, the well-to-do committed the poorer classes to the subterranean depths as laborers. I found this part particularly poignant given the current trend in America of the gradual diminishment of the middle class. Could it be that the book tells what the future truly holds for the human race? Anything is possible. However, I hope that we do not diminish in our humanity to the level of the things the Morlock’s did in order to survive.

The Time Machine is a great short read and definitely deserves it’s place in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list.

The Invisible Man is another classic H.G. Wells novella. It tells the story of Griffin, a scientist who doses himself with a serum he created that causes invisibility. Griffin discovers that being invisible has its benefits, but it also has downfalls. Griffin eventually goes mad and believes that with his new power of invisibility he can rule the town of Port Burdock. It is unclear whether Griffin was the typical “mad scientist” before taking the serum or whether it is a result of the serum. My wager would be the former.

I did not find The Invisible Man as good as The Time Traveler but it still deserves it’s place on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list. ( )

Are we making too much about these very simple stories? Wells uses humor and is clearly a very fine writter, But these stories may appeal more to the young adult or teen. But thought provoking? A Classic? I wonder. ( )

Two short(ish) stories make for a nicely sized novel, with similar themes in both stories. A quick and easy, but thought-provoking, read. ( )

I can see why both of these are classics. I preferred the Time Machine to the Invisible Man, for its deeper meaning, but both were exciting stories. I objected to some of the (seeming) hyperbole about Wells in the Introduction and Afterword, but the stories themselves stand the test of time. ( )

I've been on a tiny Invisible Man streak, "Memoirs of an Invisible Man" and then Wells' version. I enjoyed the former much more than the latter - just find it difficult to get into Wells era's mindset. Nevertheless, it was interesting to look at the perils and contrasts between the two stories. In Memoirs, the protagonist has invisibility thrust upon him, whereas Wells' main character achieves invisibility through his own efforts. Both protagonists have big problems with their new-found "power", much of which follows from trying to remain undetected. Interesting to contemplate the practical difficulties (food, shelter, etc.) that come along with invisibility. It still feels like there are many more possible takes on this mini-genre. ( )