The Time Machine
Published in 1895, The Time Machine is a gaslamp fantasy and time-travel fiction novella by H. G. Wells. The story is set in England, in the Victorian Era. Characters include Eloi, Morlocks and Weena. It deals with scientists, space warfare, self-experimentation in medicine and Open_syllabus_project.
Open Library readers give it an average of 4.0 out of 5 from 131 ratings, and 1,556 more have it on their want-to-read list. It has been published in 1,146 editions across 12 languages. On Project Gutenberg it was downloaded 27,738 times in the last 30 days.
It runs to roughly 120 pages — 2–3 hours of reading at an average pace. It is in the public domain, so you can read it free on Project Gutenberg or listen to the 4 h 09 min LibriVox audiobook.
About The Time Machine
The Time Traveller, a dreamer obsessed with traveling through time, builds himself a time machine and, much to his surprise, travels over 800,000 years into the future. He lands in the year 802701: the world has been transformed by a society living in apparent harmony and bliss, but as the Traveler stays in the future he discovers a hidden barbaric and depraved subterranean class. Wells's transparent commentary on the capitalist society was an instant bestseller and launched the time-travel genre.
Free audiobook
The Time Machine — LibriVox recording, 4 h 09 min in 13 sections.
Public-domain recording by volunteer readers. Listen online, download MP3s or stream from the Internet Archive.
Opening line
“H. G. Wells was an astonishingly versatile and prolific writer.”
Quick answers
Who wrote The Time Machine?
The Time Machine was written by H. G. Wells and first published in 1895.
What genre is The Time Machine?
It is usually shelved as Gaslamp & Victorian Fantasy, Time Travel, Victorian-Era Fiction and Historical Fiction.
How long is The Time Machine?
The median edition has 120 pages, about 2–3 hours of reading at 250 words per minute.
Is The Time Machine free to read?
Yes. It is in the public domain in the United States and can be read free on Project Gutenberg in EPUB, Kindle and HTML formats.
Is there a free audiobook of The Time Machine?
Yes — LibriVox volunteers recorded it; the recording runs 4 h 09 min.
What books are similar to The Time Machine?
Readers who like it often enjoy The Picture of Dorian Gray, A Christmas Carol and Morlock Night.
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