| Notes |
If you saw the movie, you won't recognize the book. I doubt Wells meant this book to be about love or freedom or technology. The Time Machine is essentially a sociopolitical commentary on the dangers of classist society and promotes, through the protagonist's narrative, a socialist approach to progress. In this thought experiment, Wells takes the reader on a journey into the far future, where the upper class has devolved into a species of doe-eyed munchkins (called Eloi) with the intelligence of cattle, and the labor class has become a race of nocturnal, troglodite, industrialist ape creatures who feast on Eloi flesh. Whoops, I just gave the whole plot away. Anyway, it's an entertaining quick read, and Wells can't be beat for his effusive, florid descriptions of... everything. Oh yeah, and the gigantic sand crab sludge monsters that eventually take over the world are great, too. |
