Quicklet on H.G. Wells' the Time Machine

ABOUT THE BOOK

I was never a fan of the original Doctor Who series—maybe because I was too young to really appreciate it. But when the BBC revived the series in 2005, I became hooked, and fell in love with both Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. In Season 3 of the series, the TARDIS flees to the end of time, a trillion years in the future. There, the Doctor and his companions, Martha and Jack, discover the fate of the human race; they have divided into the humans and the "future kind," who feed on the humans. The humans flee the planet where they are living, in search of Utopia—which only leads to a horrible, heartbreaking end for humanity. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a tiny bell began to ring...

The episode was a tribute of sorts to H.G. Wells' The Time Machine. And in fact, Doctor Who and all other science fiction stories or series owe their origins to H.G. Well. As the author of The Time Machine, The Invisible Man, War of the Worlds, and The Island of Doctor Moreau, Wells wrote fantastical visions of future societies that he intended as warnings to what we might become. Wells is now thought of as the father of science fiction, and whether you prefer Doctor Who, The Terminator, or Aliens, all science fiction fans will enjoy reading the works of the man whose imagination started it all.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Jean Asta is the owner of Asta Communications, a freelance communications company providing writing, editing, and training services for clients around the globe. She has a BA in English Literature and a Master's in Public Administration, both from the University of Georgia.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

He learns about the Morlocks, another race of humans who prey on the Eloi, and realizes that they must have his time machine. He follows one of their tunnels into the earth, barely escaping when they try to capture him. He and Weena go to the green palace, where he gets supplies and metal that he can fashion into a weapon to use against the Morlocks. He lights a fire, and he and Weena lie down to rest. He oversleeps, waking up to find he is under attack from the Morlocks and Weena is gone. As he fights the Morlocks, he realizes his fire has spread, engulfing the forest. He escapes the Morlocks and the fire, but Weena is lost.

He is determined to get his time machine back, so he heads to the Sphinx, a giant idol that the Morlocks seem to worship. He enters the base and finds his machine, but realizes it was a trap set by the Morlocks. He barely manages to escape and, in his haste, accidentally sets the machine further into the future...

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