The Time Machine

This inspired adaptation of H.G. Wells's science fiction classic introduces us to Wells, the person, who watches for fires from BBC's headquarters during the Blitz. While on watch, he retells a story that was once told to him of a time traveler who jumps ahead many millennia to discover two split descendants of the human species: the pacifist, pleasure-loving Eloi and the brutal, underground-dwelling Morlocks. All of the splendor you expect from a BBC radio drama is here--lush soundscapes, a fantastic score, and a talented cast. The bones of Wells's classic remain intact, and the story remains sure-footed more than 100 years after its publication. Wells enthusiasts and new listeners alike will be well served by this elegant and adventurous production. F.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

The framework of H.G. Wells's classic story will be familiar to moviegoers, despite the embellishments in the two screen versions. An idealistic time-traveler discovers a future in which the peaceful Eloi are farmed like cattle to feed the underground-dwelling Morlocks. He returns to tell his tale--one more tragic than the film versions--to a disbelieving dinner party. Ralph Cosham captures the time-traveler's initial enthusiasm at discovering a seeming utopia, even while foreshadowing the horrors he will encounter later. He brings as much reflection as suspense to the hero's frantic battles with the Morlocks and his search for his stolen time machine. This production is a great chance to catch up on a classic tale. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

The time machine has been an icon of popular imagination for decades, but H.G. Wells's original novella inspired them all. This version is worth a listen for two good reasons: Scott Brick's impassioned performance and the clarity of Wells's writing. The author's nightmarish vision of a devolved future 80,000 years hence, delivered over cigars and brandy in a proper British drawing room, charms and fascinates. Naturally, his guests, like proper Brits of the age, hemmed and hawed, and doubted. Although hoary and pretentious, The Time Machine addresses our insatiable need to know what lies in store and our terrible fear that it may be worse than we'd even imagined. D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine

H.G. Wells's class novella has never been better read. The book's scenario is an extended narration by the protagonist, "the time traveler," an educated and urbane Englishman. Cosham's voice is English and sounds educated and urbane. The traveler goes into the future, and what he finds there allows Wells to interlard his text with gloomy socialist speculation. But the story, not the philosophy, dominates and is good, unadorned audio, formative science fiction besides. A fine production. D. W. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Enter the world of H.G. Wells with a willing suspension of disbelief. This is the tale of a Victorian time traveler who creates a machine which takes him 800,000 years into the future, to a divided world of innocence and knowledge. Tom Teti's accents and intonations are believable; his narrative pacing is appropriate. Most of the story is told by the time traveler and his mysterious guest, and each character has his own voice. No matter how many times you've read this work, the audiobook puts the entire tale into a different perspective. All the suspense and mystery are captured in this version. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

H.G. Wells's 1894 novel (his first) describes the adventures of his hero, the time-traveler, mostly in the year A.D. 802,701, when he encounters a class-ridden battle between the decadent Eloi and the primitive Morlocks. This multi-voiced presentation works well, especially in the opening and closing scenes when the hero displays his time apparatus to his skeptical friends. Michael York, as the time-traveler, nicely evokes the wonder of encountering the future. Sci-fi enthusiasts should, however, take note: Although the novel is one of its author's briefest (running to 76 pages in a Wells anthology), these tapes, while entertaining, are considerably abridged and rewritten from the original, a status not indicated on the packaging. G.H. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine

Two tales of time-travel are dramatized by the Atlanta Radio Theatre: Wells's story of the visit of the traveler to the land of the Eloi and Brad Strickland's "A Glitch in Time," in which a research experiment goes awry. The latter selection is the stronger of the two; in a two-character drama, the actors give performances that are fresh, alive and emotionally true. In the Wells story, the performance of the traveler is overshadowed by the annoying, high-pitched voices fashioned for the Eloi. M.A.M. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

When H.G. Wells wrote THE TIME MACHINE, could he have foreseen an audiobook on DVD, with full text and illustrations unfolding like those in a book as narrator Dick Hill reads? Hill does a reasonable job conveying the melodrama, emotions, and philosophical points as he retells the Time Traveler's dinner party anecdote about a distant future in which humans have evolved into the frail Eloi and the carnivorous Morlocks. Hill's reading is brisk and lively, giving the story a spirit of adventure. But putting Hill's reading on DVD might disappoint listeners. The type on the screen is readable, but there are too many screens full of words--illustrations are scarce. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

A time traveler tells his invited guests about his journey to a future world composed of the Eloi and the underground Morlocks, who prey on the Eloi by night. Roger May's reading has a formal quality that matches the language and tone of Wells's allegorical adventure. At the same time, May's dramatic descriptions of the future world and the time traveler's horror as he faces the Morlocks are both exciting and playful. Listeners may find themselves debating the credibility of the story, as the time traveler's visitors do. May's narration is an excellent presentation of this science fiction classic and will help keep Wells's imagined future alive for a new generation. J.A.S. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

Step into THE TIME MACHINE and be transported to the future with Sir Derek Jacobi guiding the way. This revered British actor (listeners may recognize his voice from the BBC's "Cadfael" or "I, Claudius") is a most delightful narrator. Throughout the story his cheerful tone invites the listener into the smoking room of the time traveler as he recounts his journey. Jacobi's attention to the nuances of the text makes his narration especially engaging. He is consistent in measure and clear in elocution. Wells wrote the novel as an account of the time traveler's adventures, and Jacobi's subtle style lends itself effectively to the storytelling aspect of Wells's prose. D.M.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine