Who was it that originated the phrase "cracking good read"? Google can't seem to tell me, but it can tell me that I'm not the first one to describe The Time Machine this way. It helps that I'm used to nineteenth-century use of language -- quite enjoy it, in fact -- and that the "now" of this story is a time period that feels familiar to me. In some ways, The Time Machine feels like Heinlein's science fiction -- visions of a new society, women as accessories to Men of Science (this is worse in The Time Machine than in, say, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress). One difference in style: Heinlein goes to a good deal of trouble to make his characters sound different and speak a futuristic language, whereas Wells's characters seem to belong very much to his own time.
I've got Anna Karenina on my to-be-read pile, and I've heard that it's a gripping, quick read like this. Supporting evidence to come!
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