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The story here really falls apart at around the half way point. Not the advanced societies or evolved humans I bet will be there. However. I was hooked from the first couple of pages & over the first half of the novel was cheering Haldeman along, thinking "what a great little book". I am a fan of Haldeman, I think he has written a couple of great sci-fi works. Even though I really enjoyed the first half. I feel like the futures that Hadelman gives us are filled with these same ugly mocking images of ourselves right now. In Wells' version, the protagonist travels through I dont know how many millennium only to land in a place where humans were essentially less evolved than we are today.
No way. maybe the best way to describe what is so very wrong here is to compare this story to its forefather, the Time Machine by HG Wells. When you pick up The Accidental Time Machine, what you will find right from the get go is a very seductive/readable style of prose that sucks the reader right in. I mean, common, journey 2400 years into the future and have a conversation with people you meet. Hmmm. I think that both stories suffer from the same lack of imagination. so I guess what I am trying to say is that I was underwhelmed to the point where i would not recommend this to anyone. The future was just way to limited for any self respecting sci-fi'er.
The grad-student-time-traveler isn't the type of guy you want to spend the weekend with, much less have to spend thousands of years worth of time reading about. As a concept this novel is one of the best I've read lately, and yet it was hard to slug through because of the poor narration and dull characters. The main character lacks and depth and also doesn't grow even as his adventures take him through time. And it's a shame because there is some great world building going on as we see society jump thousands and thousands of years in the future. While the book is good for time travel fans who are craving a new type of story, anyone with interest in characters will be disappointed.
But then, I found I couldn't put it down. I thought I was going to be disappointed when I first began to read. The story seemed a bit silly and there wasn't really much science to speak of. The action grabbed me and wouldn't let go. Surprisingly engaging and a very quick, fun read.
It's perhaps bad form to critique negatively something that you really like a lot. But in essence Haldeman's story isn't zany, it's amusing in places, but it's really a big tale, only told in precis, or just about. But the story's great, so I keep reading.
It's as if this one bolts out of the starting block before the other runners have even stepped onto the track, before the spectators have been set up emotionally for the race of the decade. But as I keep reading I can't help feeling, I wish it wasn't so skimpy, and that's my beef. And I really like a lot "The Accidental Time Machine." Alas, I could have liked it so much more had there been more; quite honestly, a lot more, maybe in page count 100 additional pages especially in the beginning.
Yes it closely resembles HG Wells' Time Machine but so what, I tell myself, it's a fresh take. From the get-go I didn't feel the astonishment or awe of Matthew, the protagonist, when he stumbles upon the machine. I didn't feel peril when he sets off for the first time, there's not enough of Matt's thoughts, his feelings, his angst, to share with the readers.
I know the title suggests something light, and some readers might be thinking "Hitchhikers Guide." or some such zany piece. I still give high marks because, like I said, what there is, I liked a lot.
Haldeman knows his audience and always makes the first few chapters very light and easy to get into. Great book if you want to kill an afternoon and evening. I like stories about science fiction and time travel and this was a fun read. It's a familiar plot, but who cares. If you want to kill some time (no pun intended) and be entertained then I recommend this book.
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