The Time Machine by H. G. Wells – A Free Edition with Reading and Listening Tools

Name: The Time Machine
Author: H. G. Wells

By H. G. Wells · 1895

A Victorian inventor journeys into Earth’s distant future and finds that human civilization has divided into two unsettling forms.

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Published in 1895, The Time Machine is one of H. G. Wells's most enduring works of science fiction. A Victorian inventor builds a machine that carries him far into Earth's future, where he discovers that humanity has split into two deeply unsettling forms. The novel opens with the Time Traveller presenting his ideas to a small gathering of skeptical guests — a quiet, domestic scene that quickly gives way to something far stranger. This free edition in the Vocalini Open Library lets you read and listen at your own pace, with no account or checkout required. If you enjoy speculative fiction rooted in social observation, this is a strong place to start.

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Source: Project Gutenberg illustrated HTML edition. Not restricted by U.S. copyright law; readers outside the United States should check their local laws.

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This edition is designed to make reading more comfortable for a wide range of readers. Text-to-speech reads the visible text aloud while sentence and word highlighting stays in sync with playback, which can help readers who benefit from following along visually. Built-in AI tools let you select any passage to get key points, simplify the wording, or ask a question about what you just read. These features may be especially useful for readers with dyslexia, ADHD, learning disabilities, or visual-tracking needs, as well as people reading in English as an additional language. No special setup is required to use them.

From the opening pages