H. G. Wells (1866–1946)

I enjoyed this book and its prescient critique of science and humanity's ability to manipulate nature. Griffin, "the most gifted physicist the world has ever seen" becomes obsessed with his experiments on invisibility. He will stop at nothing to obtain his goal- not even unethical and illegal acts. He sees no down side to invisibility; he held a "magnificent vision of all that invisibility might mean to a man- the mystery, the power, the freedom." After he successfully becomes invisible, he is disillusioned. He reflects that although he had dreamt of only the advantages of his experiment, he never thought of the absurdity, the disadvantages of invisibility. and resorts to extreme means to survive, including assault and murder. His "Reign of Terror" ends his career in "infinite disaster", a cautionary lesson on the consequences of scientific advances. The image of a scientist who only focuses of successfully completing a long thought unachievable scientific breakthrough without considering the consequences rings true.
Just because humans can achieve an scientific advancement, it doesn't necessarily follow that it will be completely beneficial to society or the environment. This lesson has truly played out in the 100 years since the novel was written. For instance, scientist building the atomic bomb were not sure what would happen once they tested it. Would it cause a chain reaction that would end the world? They weren't completely certain. ( For more horrifying details, I suggest reading "The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes)
Other "advancements" such as using chemicals such as pesticides, using carbon based fuels (just to name a few obvious examples) had unforeseen consequences. The list goes on and on. Recently the consequences of using AI have become a topic that is of concern. (Will AI take over the world?) I hope not!
This was an enjoyable and thought provoking book.… (more)

The version I'm holding in my hands is a 1953 edition and 1979 copy.

Apart from the little novella The Time Machine it also includes the short story "The Man who could Work Miracles".

H.G. Wells The Time Machine reminds me of Poe, Swift (Jonathan) and Darwin. The novella has the same scientific approach as Poe's detective stories. Here as well smart men gather to talk about the world in some kind of Socratic dialogue. Wells' Science Fiction is far more scientific than many later works in the genre. It is a combination of logical thinking and fiction, while later SF-works tend to be more fantastic (I'm speaking here of which I've read).

The novel also reminds me of Swift. The way one speaks about his own experiences, brought me back to a younger version of me who was listening to the story of Gulliver on tape.

Darwin is all over the book in my opinion. He is the basis of the Time Traveler's analysis of how the future civilization has evolved in the way it has. This all combined with a socialistic sauce.

I like the fact that the framework of the novel guides the reader into disbelieving the time traveler. The story is told by a dear friend, who retells the story the time traveler has told him.

"The Man who could Work Miracles"

The little story grips me more than any of Poe's works. The SF writing style with its "what if" way of implying things make it far more interesting and frightening than Poe's Gothic shorts.
Poe is a builder of dreams and Wells is the master of implication.
… (more)