The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Why read the book?

H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine tells of an inventor who builds a device to travel through time. He goes far into the future, to the year 802701 AD, where he finds humans split into two kinds: the gentle Eloi who live above ground and the brutal Morlocks who dwell below.

The traveller faces danger from the Morlocks and learns about the dark path of society. He then journeys even further ahead to see the end of the world. This short novel mixes adventure with ideas on class, evolution, and the fate of mankind. It started the genre of time travel stories.

Favourite quote

Nature never appeals to intelligence until habit and instinct are useless.

What I Loved

The Time Machine packs big ideas into few pages. Wells paints a vivid picture of the future world, with the Eloi’s ruined gardens and the Morlocks’ dark tunnels. The traveller’s shock at what humans become makes you think about today’s divides between rich and poor.

The story moves fast, from dinner talk to far-future horror, then to the dying Earth under a red sun. Wells warns about laziness and cruelty without direct preaching. The ending, with its quiet sadness, stays with you long after. For a book from 1895, it feels fresh and bold.

Key Takeaway

Society’s path depends on how we treat each other now; neglect leads to decay.