THE
TIME MACHINE: The mere fact that a time travel story has been written in 1895
is amazing in itself.
Time
travel is pretty much a cliché concept not just in modern science fiction, but
also in romance, fantasy, and other genres. It is not really an original theme.
However, what makes H.G. Wells’s time travel story very creative, maybe even innovative,
is the fact that it has been published in 1895, an era where such a notion is
rather absurd.
The
story begins with an intellectual argument involving space and time, which
suggest concepts that are very interesting to investigate. Even though the
story doesn’t present an early conflict, it still remains interesting because
of this intelligent conversation, which, after all, doesn’t last very long, for
the protagonist proceeds to narrate his escapade in time. In other words, the
time travel story is written not in real-time, but is narrated by the
protagonist as a past experience.
The
narration is very descriptive. It gives the reader a clear image of the future
landscape, where the protagonist has leapt quite blindly. The lush imagery
makes the story very enjoyable even though it lacks a distinct conflict. After
all, as long as the story is developing, a rising conflict isn’t really a
necessity to rouse interest. This establishment has been used to introduce the
Eloi, an elfin species -- and it is one with a very intriguing origin, for
reasons I will not mention here. The only real conflict arises when the time
machine has been held into custody by the Morlocks, a species who lurk under
the deep tunnels. As our protagonist tries to get his time machine back, he
discovers truths that have a very prophetic nature regarding humanity’s future --
and now he is not sure if the place is paradise or dystopia.
The
pacing of the story, overall, is very rhythmic. And the only part that is quite
out of place in terms of pace is how the time machine has been retrieved. I couldn’t
help but feel that this conflict has been solved prematurely, considering all the
establishing and the raising of the tension that have occurred. Aside from
this, I find the writing style to be fairly problematic, for, even though it
has its own style, it lacks a certain magic that can drive the reader forward.
The prose is just too bland and uninspired.
But
these do not make the book bad. The story in itself is intriguing enough to
make up for these flaws. And what makes the story even more intriguing is how
it ends. Despite the story’s themes of negativity regarding humankind’s future,
it wraps up with a spark of hope -- and, somehow, this has a cathartic effect
on the reader.
What
makes The Time Machine an amazing book is its ability to give us a glimpse of
humanity’s possible future. However, if this book has been published in our new
age, where time travel and dystopian futures are not farfetched, it will have
no significant impact whatsoever. The real power of this book lies in its age,
for it is truly brilliant to realize that it is a perspective from the
nineteenth century.
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