The Time Machine

By: H. G. Wells

Narrated by: Alan Munro

Length: 4 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The science fiction classic that coined the term "time machine" and is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel. A must listen for any fan of science fiction!

Public Domain (P)2012 Trout Lake Media

One of the worst performances

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator would pause, frequently in the middle of a sentence, as if he needed more energy to continue. It was distracting and ultimately, greatly diminished my enjoyment of the book itself.

Random Pauses in Speech. (Captain Kirk narrates)

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

A different narrator. I love this book, but couldn't listen for more than a few minutes before I had a headache.

I'm not picky, I love listening to amateurs and friends read aloud. But this guy just makes it unbearable.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Time Machine?

The final fleeing from the Morlocks, and the subtle implication of the girl who fell behind's fate.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Alan Munro?

The last audiobook I bought, which I quite enjoyed, was The Stand. The narrator was wonderful. He did a very good jo of being interesting without being jarring. Alan Munro, on the other hand, has random pauses in his speech. I forgot the beginning of the sentence before I hear the end.

Great story. Terrible reader.

The story stands up to my childhood memory of reading it - hardly any visits from the racism and sexism fairies who have ruined so many childhood favorites, and an entertaining tale well told.

The narrator sounds like Captain Kirk on a very bad day. His... pauses and weird... stresses... make this story... harder to... follow, though it... is easy to fall... asleep... while listening.

Unless you are using it to fall asleep, in which case I recommend it 100%, having used it extensively for that purpose, you should find a different narrator for this classic and excellent tale.

A . . Disjointed . . Performance

The story itself is a great story, classic science fiction from a master of the genre. A story worth knowing by anyone interested in science fiction. However, the performance made it difficult to enjoy the story. Munro's style pauses frequently as he reads, but his pauses are often more lengthy than they should be, and occur at someone odd places, breaking the flow of the story greatly.

For the price, it's worth listening, but if you're really wanting to enjoy the story, look for a different narration.

Very robotic voice

I have read this book several times and love it. However, the reader is very robotic and monotone. Makes me go to sleep

Great story utterly ruined by horrible narration

What disappointed you about The Time Machine?

There isn't enough bad to say about this narration. The only way to get through it was at 3x speed, and even then.... Didn't anyone audition this guy before hiring to read anything but a phone book?

What did you like best about this story?

HG Wells is always interesting. He writes stories that work even for a modern audience. I was surprised at how relevant some of his social commentary was.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Alan Munro?

Anyone who proves they can really act rather than just read. Listening to this great story narrated in this drone turned out to be a chore.

What character would you cut from The Time Machine?

It's a classic novel. Why would anyone even consider cutting a character that an author-- who is still being read more than 100 years--later decided belonged in his story?

update the firmware on the robot who narrated this

The narration is horrible and full of weird pauses that make no sense at all.

Way to kill a great story, Alan.

Great Story, Terrible Reader

How can a classic go wrong? Have this reader read it for you.
Great story of course but it's almost too hard to follow with the stilted jarring reading.

A classic? Yes and should continue to collect dust

I only rated this book so high because of its historical factor and its significance to the genre. Otherwise, this book is a waste of time. Seriously, hard to follow (and not just because of the narrator as others have critiqued), and just not that interesting. The story, in its time, was probably magical, but there are so many other options for the genre that I suggest only reading this if you want to read everything in this field; but only if you've read everything else.

As to the other commentators' critique of the narrator, they are accurate in regard to the pause, but listening at 3X speed, it is barely noticeable.

Not like the movie version I remember, it's good.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Time Machine to be better than the print version?

No, but it's definitely better than the movie version with Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux. It's much more a view of elitism and workers and the evolution of two separate species of man because of that.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Time Machine?

When the Time Traveler figures out that his initial views are wrong about the Eloi and the Underground apes. Mr. Wells was quite a socialist in his views of right and wrong. I enjoyed his take on what the future could hold for us all.

What does Alan Munro bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I can do my housework while I listen. I love all audible books because of that fact.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Time enough, or time will tell.

Any additional comments?

This book was an excellent bargain at $.49 on audible. It's a quick listen and a classic story. What else could you ask for?

OK story for its time, terrible narration

I knew the story of The Time Machine from the film adaptation, and too be honest, I did not care hugely for the story, but as a product of its time and as a precursor to modern science fiction, it certainly has its place. However, my main issue with this book was the narration, which was truly awful. Every…sentence…was…so…stilted…it…drove…me…mad!!! Really very poor, I would have given up if the book was not so short, it really did not aide my enjoyment.

Great story - pity about the way it is read

Whilst I had already seen the film of The Time Machine, I was curious to hear the original story. It was good, but the way that Alan Munro reads it, I found frustrating. It was very much like it was just being read flatly from the pages of a book. His phrasing was odd and he'd pause between words. Unfortunately, that totally spoiled my enjoyment of the story.