The Time Machine

The incredible tale of time travel that sparked the imaginations of millions of readers around the world. H. G. Wells most famous epithet is the Father of Science Fiction, and this is one of the core tales that displays why it's well earned.

A brilliant Victorian scientist develops the world's first time machine, which he promptly uses to travel 800,000 years into the far-flung future, where he finds humanity has evolved into two major species; the submissive Eloi, who exists literally as cattle animals to the subterranean dwelling Morlocks. When his time machine is stolen and carried into the domain of the Morlocks, the traveller is forced to go after it, and after arriving back in his time he narrates his tale to his dinner guests.

I'll be honest, The Time Machine isn't my favourite of Wells' tales, though it's literally the granddaddy of time travel fiction. It's a tale that has lost a lot of its impact due to the sheer volume of other tales, in print or on screen, that have been inspired by its basic concept of time travel. It leads to a feeling that it's a tale well beyond its prime.

But there's no doubt about it still being a very enjoyable tale. The nature of the relationship between the Eloi and the Morlocks as it unfolds, especially to a reader with no clue what they were getting into like myself, is some seriously dark stuff to read when you're not old enough to claim double digits in your age as yet.

All in all, despite its wear, I still believe it's a tale worth the read. It may not carry the same potency that it would have when it was first released to the public, but it will make for an interesting read, nonetheless. Wells more or less singlehandedly created science fiction, and the fact that this tale in particular is considered his most amazing should say it all.