Classic
The Time Machine
by H. G. Wells
Summary
A Victorian inventor known only as the Time Traveller journeys to the year 802,701 and finds humanity split into two species: the delicate, idle Eloi above ground and the pale, predatory Morlocks below. Wells extends the class divisions of his own era into a chilling evolutionary destiny, then pushes further still to a dying beach at the end of the world. The short novel invented the time machine as a concept and set the template for scientific romance.
”
Historical Context & Significance
Wells published the novel in 1895 as his first book, drawing on evolutionary theory and his own socialist politics. It effectively founded modern science fiction and made his reputation overnight.