The Time Machine II

by George Pal

Book by Pal, George

175 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1981

Reviews

[Wayne Fenlon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sequel to the movie adaptation of The Time Machine, and if you imagine it like a movie it isn't too bad. There's no real depth here, nothing that makes you root for the characters, but it is still quite an enjoyable tale. Fans of the original movie will have a fairly good time I reckon, but don't expect to be blown away. It's just light-hearted fun really.
It's a 2.5 for me but I'll round it up to 3.

[Geoffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is an attempt to build a sequel to George Pal’s classic film adaptation of H. G. Wells’ novel. The story centers around Chris, the son of George and Weena, and his attempt to save Thor lives (in the prologue, George is taking Weena back to the past so Weena can give birth to their child in his time. Well the 1941 Blitz gets in the way, and both George b and Weena are killed by shrapnel. The baby survives. As an adult, Chris builds a time machine and races to the future to warm his parents, who don’t believe Chris’ story. Chis then zooms ahead in time (1,200,000) to find man nothing more than food for giant mutant insects. Naturally, Chris helps the humans battle the critters to victory, and miraculously George and Weena find him in the future. After a very short reunion, the book ends (after a brief encounter with a giant crab)

[Matt Kuhns · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the best of more than a dozen sequels to H.G. Wells's The Time Machine, even if it is technically a sequel to a film adaptation produced by the author. Overall it’s well plotted and well written.

The ending is mildly thought provoking and at all events an audacious curveball to throw at the reader. Pal writes almost the entire book with the deceased Time Traveler's posthumous son as protagonist, steadily developing the character—then at the end the son saves his father's life, negating his own from infancy onward, and suddenly the Time Traveler is placed back in the position of lead.

[Nick Dubberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m probably one of the handful of people who have read this book and I’m ok with that, actually I’m pretty proud of it. This was surprisingly a really good follow up to “The Time Machine”. It follows George and Weena’s son Christopher, who unfortunately never got to meet his parents, or even knew who they were. After years of wondering the answer arrives at his door. As it turns out, he shares a lot of his father’s traits. But where or when will learning more about his parents take him. A fun quick read for fans of the original classic!

[Sandra Petojevic · Rating 3 out of 5]

It starts with an intriguing prologue (read the original George Pal suggestion of it here!) and then with Christopher Jones unaware of the fact that James Filby is seeking him, because he saw Christopher's parents die. And when Chris is aware of how his parents died and where, then the real plot begins as described of the backside of the book.

The rendezvous betveen Chris and his father in year 802701, is interesting because (logically) George does not have (yet) a son, and it is almost impossible for Chris to convince him. And George is a real curmudgeon - unlike in the George Pal film - and this is somehow explained when Chris travels more than one million years into the future and he discovers that mankind is dying out in a hostile environment with giant insects and then the novel turns into a sort of an action-film with interesting weapons ...

But there are unexplained things. According to the George Pal film, there is an atomic war in 1966 - but Chris is starting from 28 April 1971! Did the catastrophe of Chris's parents also prevent the 1966 atomic war? And why is not the future altered then? George and Weena is still there in year 802701! The book talks about different, parallel worlds in the end, but do not explain the existing facts. And according to the George Pal film it is the 1966 atomic war that creates the world of the Eloi and Morlocks ...

I liked this book due to its culture shock between the son and the father, and the description how Christopher found the old Time Machine and also for the suggestive final chapter and epilogue - but remember: this book is a sequel to the George Pal film, not the H. G. Wells book!

[Gary Stocker]

Oh dear. Why do people try and imitate the great H G Wells? They are never going to succeed. A brave attempt though. Style of writing was a bit amateurish. Quite a good ending.