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Sean Barrs 's Reviews > The Time Machine
The Time Machine
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I like science fiction that makes me imagine. Ray Bradbury’s writing is a fantastic example. His fiction is imaginative; yet, it remains speculative. Nothing feels forced or impossible. The Time Machine, on the other hand, feels synthetic and false.
I just could not buy into the story here. It is so very underwhelming. It’s one of those pieces of writing in which the idea behind it causes the work to be celebrated but the actual thing itself, the language, the plot and the characters, are as dull as dishwater. It is mechanical, clunky and overly descriptive. There are long drawn out sections on scientific theory and mathematical formula. All in all, it’s just not very engaging.
As such I found it near impossible to invest in the story. I did not care about the characters and, for me, this is one of the most important things I look for in fiction. I need to be able to sympathise and relate to what the characters are going through otherwise the work feels cold and passionless. I may as well read a plot summary in such cases because the work creates nothing for me: it feels cold. In the case of the The Time Machine I simply did not care how it ended or even how it began: I just wanted it to be finished.
For me, this is a classic case of a great idea done badly.
I just could not buy into the story here. It is so very underwhelming. It’s one of those pieces of writing in which the idea behind it causes the work to be celebrated but the actual thing itself, the language, the plot and the characters, are as dull as dishwater. It is mechanical, clunky and overly descriptive. There are long drawn out sections on scientific theory and mathematical formula. All in all, it’s just not very engaging.
As such I found it near impossible to invest in the story. I did not care about the characters and, for me, this is one of the most important things I look for in fiction. I need to be able to sympathise and relate to what the characters are going through otherwise the work feels cold and passionless. I may as well read a plot summary in such cases because the work creates nothing for me: it feels cold. In the case of the The Time Machine I simply did not care how it ended or even how it began: I just wanted it to be finished.
For me, this is a classic case of a great idea done badly.
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Reading Progress
March 15, 2018
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Started Reading
March 15, 2018
– Shelved
March 15, 2018
– Shelved as:
1-star-reads
March 15, 2018
– Shelved as:
sci-fi
March 15, 2018
–
Finished Reading
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Anna
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rated it 3 stars
Mar 15, 2018 09:47AM
I felt much the same way, Sean. Gave it another chance with The Invisible Man, and it was even worse.
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I did really enjoy War of the Worlds, though!
I liked this book a lot, but I kind of agree with you too.
I admit, the weirdest thing about my thoughts on the time machine is that I never quite understood why the Time Traveler bonded with the unintelligent surface dwellers and showed no interest in the intelligent underdwellers.
That is exactly how I felt about The Invisible Man. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try reading anymore from Wells, but this pretty much settles it!
Whitney wrote: "That is exactly how I felt about The Invisible Man. I wasn't sure if I wanted to try reading anymore from Wells, but this pretty much settles it!"I don't think I'll be trying anymore of his work!
C.T. wrote: "I admit, the weirdest thing about my thoughts on the time machine is that I never quite understood why the Time Traveler bonded with the unintelligent surface dwellers and showed no interest in the..."I found the whole concept poorly done and very awkwardly explained.
Bookdragon Sean wrote: "C.T. wrote: "I admit, the weirdest thing about my thoughts on the time machine is that I never quite understood why the Time Traveler bonded with the unintelligent surface dwellers and showed no in..."I get what Wells was going for because he was one of the anti-Imperialists of his time and very much a kind of hippie (at least as much as you could be in the period) with the idea of the exploitation of others destroying both the laborer as well as the exploiter--but it was weird even by his standards.
I'm an outright heretic as I tend to simply avoid the classics. Nice review.
Silvana wrote: "Verne >>> Wells"Agrred!
Terence wrote: "I'm an outright heretic as I tend to simply avoid the classics. Nice review."Thank you- Ray Bradbury is always a good one to try!
I very much agree Sean, although unsure how much of it is due to the time it was written
I wondered about all the raving 4 and 5 star ratings, but now having read it (audiobook), I feel the same way - blah, blah, blah boring!!
I suspect that what "causes the work to be celebrated" is a combination of "the idea behind it" and the fact that it was written in 1895, so long before and so far ahead of much of any other speculative fiction.Of course, that same time-gap has other effects, such as the ways in which English conversational styles common in 1895 might fall upon an ear 120+ years later, which won't be for everyone.
I can only imagine what readers in the year 802701 might think. 😉
(See my review) I agree somewhat with you, however I couldn’t say I didn’t like it or liked it. It was just “meh”.And yeah! Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451... just awesome
I tried listening to the audiobook yesterday after seeing the 1960 fantastic film recently and was so disappointed to say it was boring prose and full of BIG words and not exciting to read at all!!! No passion at all. I also just want to finish it to know I finished it!!
For me, it’s a near perfect science fiction story. Pretty much started the whole genre of time travel, and did it all in under 100 pages.But I accept that nothing works for everyone.
I feel Wells captured the despair, helplessness, and fear of being in, and from, a different time accurately enough.I do agree there is this over-hype for it similar to how I feel about Solaris.
This book is good though, and credit should be given for its being agreed of its time 😏and helping to spur on other works influenced by this.
I haven't finished reading it yet. I should have my final opinion on it soon.
Ahead* not agreed
My thoughts exactly. Very well said.
as far as I can tell, this was Wells' first writings. Period. I wonder if Wells ever wanted to rewrite this tale.
I completely disagree with your review. The Time Machine isn’t meant to be a character-driven story, so if that’s what you’re looking for, this book is clearly not for you. What makes it exceptional is its groundbreaking vision, especially considering the time it was written, when sci-fi was still a relatively unexplored genre. This book is perfect for readers who want to dive into H.G. Wells’s imaginative exploration of humanity’s future and the thought-provoking ideas he presents about society and evolution.
This seems a little like saying you thought a Chinese restaurant sucked because they wouldn’t serve you lasagna.
