Friday, December 6, 2019

The Time Machine - HG Wells

I remember reading this book when I was in school - All Saints High School had a wonderful library thanks to Dhruvraj sir and a huge collection of illustrated short classics we could read during lunch hour - and picked it off Anjali's table. It's considered the first science fiction book, written in 1895. Wells launches directly into the story of a few nameless people who gather around a man, who tells them his theory of how one can travel through time - he explains how time as the fourth dimension is accessible. He even shows the others a model of his machine.

Soon after, he takes off in his machine and returns too, in startling circumstances, to the awe of his audience. He narrates the happenings after he heads off 800, 000 years into the future and finds that earth is still ruled by two classes, the upper and lower, the Eloi and the Morlocks, finds a young Morlock lady Weena who falls in love with him, loses his time machine, finds it finally, goes up and down in time and finally lands up back at London, safe and sound.  He narrates his fantastic story to a disbelieving audience. In the end, the Time Traveller takes off again, but this time he does not return.

Rupa Publishers did such a bad job of proofing this classic that its a shame. Enjoyed reading it again.

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