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The Time Machine (Dream Classics) Kindle Edition

by H. G. Wells (Author), Dream Classics (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 15,465 ratings
The book's protagonist is an amateur inventor or scientist living in London who is never named; he is identified simply as The Time Traveller. Having demonstrated to friends using a miniature model that time is a fourth dimension, and that a suitable apparatus can move back and forth in this fourth dimension, he builds a full-scale model capable of carrying himself. He sets off on a journey into the future.
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  1. Print length
    89 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Adrien Devret
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    19 Jun. 2017
  6. File size
    2.0 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B072Z2KK5V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Adrien Devret
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 19 Jun. 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.0 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 89 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8826457215
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 15,465 ratings

About the authors

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  1. General Press

    General Press

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    General Press publishes high-quality POD books in almost all popular genres including Fiction, Nonfiction, Religion, Self-Help, Romance, Classics, etc.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Nicholas Ruddick

    Nicholas Ruddick

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Nicholas Ruddick was born in 1952 in Salford, near Manchester, England and moved to Canada in 1974. From 1982-2017 he taught at the University of Regina, where he is now an Emeritus Professor of English. He's known both as a science fiction critic and as an editor of scholarly editions of novels written near the turn of the twentieth century. He's married to the Swedish-Canadian novelist Britt Holmström. (Photo courtesy of Aramenta Sobchak.)

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
15,465 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this science fiction book to be a good read and consider it a true pioneering work in the genre. The book receives positive feedback for its pacing, with one customer noting it provides an interesting take on the direction of humanity. While customers appreciate the book's value, they have mixed opinions about its length, describing it as short but sweet.

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ReadabilityScience fictionPacingValue for moneyLength
186 customers mention ‘Readability’170 positive16 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a classic with good writing, and one customer notes it makes readers think.

"...Other than that, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides an unusual but respectable perspective on some 'big' issues." Read more

"...Indeed, Wells's success is partly down to his ability to write convincingly of science in a societal setting, but also his ability to do with a..." Read more

"...The editor has given a very succinct overview on the development of Wells, the writer, from his financial hardship to his later success as a world-..." Read more

"...Admittedly, when I first read this wonderful book it never occurred to me for a moment that we were supposed to doubt the truth of the Time Traveller..." Read more

61 customers mention ‘Science fiction’55 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the science fiction elements of the book, describing it as a true pioneering work and classic insightfulness, with one customer noting how it contains many of the basic science fiction and time travel ideas.

"...a deceptively small book; although only 90 pages long, it contains material for discussion that could help fill volumes...." Read more

"...The time machine itself is beautifully described and it's a lovely idea but it is perhaps Wells's thoughts on the ultimate destination of mankind..." Read more

"...As with all great science fiction stories it's based around a big idea, in this case what does the future offer us a species...." Read more

"...between higher and lower class, it is also simply a wonderful work of imagination...." Read more

16 customers mention ‘Pacing’12 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the pacing of the book, with one customer noting its interesting take on the direction of humanity, while another describes it as a groundbreaking work of its time.

"...is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides an unusual but respectable perspective on some 'big' issues." Read more

"...Allied to this is his ability to make science human, instilling into his works the recognisable thoughts and feelings of everyday men and women...." Read more

"...It is so immediate, so detailed, so compelling...." Read more

"...An interesting and no doubt radical and groundbreaking work of its time, however modern scientists may question the credibility...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Value for money’8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great value, with several noting that the edition is free.

"...Anyone who enjoys sci-fi and reading should give this a read it is well worth it." Read more

"Great ebook - easy to read and well worth the price...." Read more

"A good edition of this classic at a bargain price!" Read more

"...A quick read. Also this edition is free. What more could you want in a book?" Read more

18 customers mention ‘Length’8 positive10 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's length, with some finding it short but sweet, while others describe it as deceptively small.

"The Time Machine is a deceptively small book; although only 90 pages long, it contains material for discussion that could help fill volumes...." Read more

"...Being a short book I Read it over the course of one night and the next morning, and I was hooked throughout...." Read more

"...This particular edition was a little disappointing having a rather brief and superficial introduction...." Read more

"...The book is not so long as to make you bored, but is long enough to tell the story without seeming rushed. A quick read. Also this edition is free...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Neil Gilmartin
    5.0 out of 5 stars Short and sweet
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 July 2007
    Verified Purchase
    The Time Machine is a deceptively small book; although only 90 pages long, it contains material for discussion that could help fill volumes. The further evolutionary development of our species, the ultimate fate of present attempts at social development, the possibility of breaching the space-time continuum, the appearance of the surface of the earth in countless millennia from now - these are all subjects explicitly tackled in the short space of this book.

    One of the qualities I most like about Wells is his educated pessimism about the future. Whereas many authors think of the present as the necessary precondition for building a better future - and so unquestioningly accept the way things are now as a priori the way they need to be for a later better society - Wells criticises the established and the traditional, and sees in them the seeds of potential calamity. This is amply and unambiguously demonstrated in the degenerate races of The Time Machine: the Eloi and Morlocks function as logical evolutionary descendants of the upper- and working classes of Wells's time. Somewhat paradoxically therefore, the book also has the effect of investing human beings as we now are with great value: compared with the practically useless Eloi and the morally and culturally bankrupt Morlocks, we fare quite well.

    Wells also has a tendency to go against plausible common-sense notions, and does it in such a way that he makes his alternatives equally plausible. It seems obvious that if we are more progressed now (at least technologically) than we were in the past, that we will be even more so in the distant future; but the Time Traveller has nothing to learn from the future - humans are far less intelligent than they were and their society is on the brink of total collapse. Wells's take on things is refreshing and cautionary.

    My only beef with the book is that it ends a little abruptly and the later sections seems rushed. Other than that, it is a thoroughly enjoyable read that provides an unusual but respectable perspective on some 'big' issues.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Nicholas Casley
    4.0 out of 5 stars Review of the Penguin Edition
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 February 2013
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    This is a review of the Penguin edition of 2005 of the novella that HG Wells wrote in 1895 when he was twenty-nine years old. This reviewer came to the work only after being imbued with the 1960 film of the same name, which he remembers watching on many an occasion as a child going up in the 1970s. It was thus interesting to see where the film stayed loyal to the text and where it profoundly differed, for whereas the narrative of the two are - by and large - the same, Wells had a different reason for telling its tale beyond the mere desire to tell a delightful story.

    The Penguin edition comes with a concise six-page biography of the author (by Patrick Parrinder); a fourteen-page introduction (as usual, best read AFTER the novella) by Marina Warner; a note on the text; and endnotes to assist the reader. Warner notes Wells's "inspired move as a storyteller was to distance himself completely from the occult and the uncanny so prevalent in the fin de siècle when he started ... He is not looking to give his readers the thrill of the paranormal or to make us shiver at the mysteries of the unknown; he rather presents marvels as knowable, introduces us to wonders of nature and the universe as revealed by reason." He substitutes magic with - in his own words - `scientific patter'.

    This edition also comes with Wells's later 1931 preface as a separate appendix. In this Wells wrote of this work as "a slender story springs from a very profound root ... my opening exposition escapes along the line of paradox to an imaginative romance stamped with many characteristics of the Stevenson and early-Kipling period in which it was written."

    Indeed, Wells's success is partly down to his ability to write convincingly of science in a societal setting, but also his ability to do with a literary flare: soon into the novella one comes across such phrases as "slipping like a vapour through the interstices of intervening substances". Allied to this is his ability to make science human, instilling into his works the recognisable thoughts and feelings of everyday men and women. Thus when in the far future his protagonist finds his time machine taken into custody, the narrator remarks how, "Then suddenly the humour of the situation came into my mind: the thought of the years I had spent in study and toil to get into the future age, and now my passion of anxiety to get out of it."

    If I was to write a story about time travel I am sure I would take advantage of the past and the near future to want to exploit events to make a point or two about contemporary issues and ways of seeing the world. Yet Wells eschews this temptation and takes us not just hundreds of years into the future, but hundreds of thousands of years, thus allowing a broader philosophical commentary on humanity and civilisation in general.

    Indeed, the introduction by Marina Warner points us to Wells incorporating into `The Time Machine' his responses to the current theories of thinkers such as Grant Allen, George Howard Darwin, Francis Galton, and TH Huxley. Wells foresaw the workers in society eventually being forced to live underground as the rich enclosed greater portions of the surface of the planet. (For all his supposed foresight, it is unfortunate that he did not see the `humour' of naming his female protagonist Weena.)

    The power of the evolved workers over the evolved rich in this future age also reflects his fears about the demise of intellectualism. He sees the beautiful, fair-skinned, young on the planet's surface of the future as decadent and thoughtless because of their prior indulgence in leisure without deliberation: "It is a law of nature we overlook, that intellectual versatility is the compensation for change, danger and trouble ... There is no intelligence where there is no change and no need of change."

    I hope this review has shown how more informed the reader becomes by purchasing an edition that also comes with the thoughts on the work by others and which also incorporates the thoughts of the author himself. It granted this reader a more rewarding experience of reading this long short-story.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Cliente Amazon
    5.0 out of 5 stars Uso didattico
    Reviewed in Italy on 16 January 2025
    Verified Purchase
    Uso scolastico
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  • Maria
    5.0 out of 5 stars El mejor libro de ciencia ficción
    Reviewed in Mexico on 28 April 2017
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    Es muy buen libro, pese a que es un clásico, los temas que aborda siguen siendo actuales. La historia te atrapa desde un inicio y en mi opinion es uno de los mejores libros jamas escritos. La edición de pasta blanda es ideal para jóvenes lectores ya que es económica y pequeña pero si buscas una version que dure mas tiempo, considera comprar otra edición.
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  • Harun Sadi Sincanlı
    5.0 out of 5 stars Gayet iyi
    Reviewed in Turkey on 23 March 2020
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    Kitabın anlatımı güzel, notlar doyurucu, baskı kararları detaylı. Fiyat biraz can acıtır ama bu güzel hikayeye değer. Gelen üründe de herhangi bir sorun çıkmadı, afiyetle okudum.
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  • David Mundis
    5.0 out of 5 stars Daniel Mundis, Book Project #2
    Reviewed in the United States on 28 March 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Daniel Mundis - Book Project # 2
    The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells, is a thrilling science fiction novel revolving around the story of a man only known as the "Time Traveler.” Throughout the story the narrator does not reveal his name, nor do any of the other characters in the book. Neither does he reveal the name of the time traveler and many other guests that appear in the background. Everyone has a certain title for which they are known for. The story starts off with the “Time Traveler” inviting a couple intelligent people to a small gathering or party. He shows them a mock of what he believes to be a time machine. No larger than a cubic foot it was described as. He explained how everything was to work. How the universe was is a four dimensional realm with time being the fourth dimension and a plane that could be traveled across. After a short demonstration of how the miniature model worked, he stunned the audience leaving them with nothing but questions. After a short dinner and questions asked by the group, he invited them all back in a couple of weeks to another dinner.
    Most of the previous group returned along with a few new people. The dinner started without the time traveler present. He was nowhere to be found at the moment. All of a sudden the door is slammed open with the time traveler walking through the door appearing to be extremely tired and somewhat injured. He says very little walks upstairs saying that he will redress and invites everyone down to the smoke room. After seating everyone and silencing any questions, he says that he has a story to tell. If anyone shall interrupt his story with a question, they should leave now for he will not tell it. Everyone is quiet and settled so he begins.
    He starts off by saying how he finished his machine and how proud he was. He boards his machine to test it and experience what the future holds. He flips his switches and everything turns into a mist or dust. His chest was under immense pressure as he saw everything speed across his vision. Faster and faster things went and moved. Soon day and night went by so fast that it looked like a still picture. His dials for hundreds and thousands of years were moving quite quickly until eventually he felt that he could endure no more and turned it off. He stopped on the near end of the year 800,000. He walked out of a couple shrubs to be greeted by what looked like a large marble statue of a phoenix. He was rather amazed that there were no tall and momentous skyscrapers to be anywhere in site. He was dumbfounded at the small and decorative buildings that scattered across the hillside thought to be made by humans. He encounters a small and soft race of creatures that he believes to be an evolved human race. The gentle race greets him and shows him their common area and food source. As night approaches he decides to sleep in the new world. He sleeps outside away from the gentle creatures and wakes to his time machine having disappeared. He sees the drag marks on the ground from the large thing and deducts that it was dragged into the bronze plates on the base of the phoenix.
    Frustrated he finds things to busy himself with. Days pass and he even saves a little creature from the current of the river. He thinks her name is weena and explores the landscape with her. They find wells dotting the landscape with air rushing in or out of them. He finds small plate like handles going down them and decides to leave weena for a moment and explore further. In the well it is pitch black with virtually no light to be seen. He lights a match to find these hideous pale white and fuzzy creatures. They have large eyes and scatter from the light leading the time traveler believe that they are nocturnal. When the light goes out the touch him and try to grab him, but the time traveler was faster and stronger. Able to fend off the creatures he hurriedly makes his way back up the well. He finds that the little creatures are also afraid of the darkness and the wells.
    He makes his way with Weena to what looks like a green porcelain palace. Through further investigation he finds out that it is an ancient museum with many relics in airtight containers. He salvages what he could including more matches for he had used all of his. He finds a club like bar for a weapon and a tool to open the phoenix. As he makes his way out night falls upon them and tries to make his way to what he thinks might be safe area. The Creatures of the night befall upon them and it is a fight for him. Throwing explosive material and setting fires, he runs with weena.
    Through the confusion he loses her but makes his way to the bronze phoenix with its doors open. As he suspected just after walking in, the doors close leaving him trapped. Fighting the creatures back he makes his way into the time machine’s harness and sets sail forward in time once again. Now the sun doesn't move and a moon is not in sight. Large cretaceous creatures are everywhere and try to kill the traveler. Forward in time more and more little changes until on his last trip forward the air is toxic making it very difficult for him to move. The only thing left in sight was the grass, the ocean, and the sun. He hurriedly makes his return lever activate and zooms back in time.
    This is the end of the Time traveler's story and so he bids his guests goodnight. The narrator is left intrigued and asks a question or two after everyone leaves about how it was, and the response was a smile. The narrator goes to visit the traveler once more but he gone. Puzzled and wondering when, if ever he will return. The narrator then mentions that as he tells us this story it has been a couple years since the travelers disappearance.
    I personally loved this book and implore anyone and everyone to read it. It was suspenseful and exciting. An extremely complex vocabulary with a couple great quotes to be mentioned, this short read was one of my favorites. I quite enjoyed how the author told this story from a unique point of view and left me wondering. This was a short story but as I have tried, it cannot be summarized into something small. This book captured my mind and made me excited about what cheery thing was going to happen next or what travesty was to befall upon weena and the traveler. I give this book and easy 4-5 star rating.
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  • sammy spiteri
    5.0 out of 5 stars classic
    Reviewed in Australia on 3 June 2025
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    classic
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