The Time Machine
H. G. Wells
FreeAvailable formats: Ebook
4.3 (3)
Free to read
12 books to start with
Guide 01
The Collection
Science fiction: where to start
The Time Machine/books/The-Time-Machine-H-G-Wells by H. G. Wells (1895). Time travel's first and best ride.
Frankenstein/books/Frankenstein-Mary-Wollstonecraft-Shelley by Mary Shelley (1818). The founding novel of science fiction.
A Journey to the Centre of the Earth/books/A-Journey-to-the-Centre-of-the-Earth-Jules-Verne by Jules Verne (1864).
Verne's descent into a prehistoric underworld.
The Crack of Doom/books/The-Crack-of-Doom-Robert-Cromie by Robert Cromie (1895). An 1895 novel that imagined atomic destruction.
A Honeymoon in Space/books/A-Honeymoon-in-Space-George-Chetwynd-Griffith by George Griffith (1901). A Victorian elopement to the Moon, Mars and Venus.
Time Crime/books/Time-Crime-H-Beam-Piper by H. Beam Piper (1955). Police procedural meets parallel worlds.
Lone Star Planet/books/Lone-Star-Planet-H-Beam-Piper by H. Beam Piper and John J. McGuire (1957). Diplomacy on a planet settled by Texans.
Space Station 1/books/Space-Station-1-Frank-Belknap-Long by Frank Belknap Long (1957). Murder and sabotage in orbit.
Supermind/books/Supermind-Randall-Garrett by Randall Garrett and Laurence M. Janifer (1963). FBI agents and telepaths in a comic caper.
The Air Pirate/books/The-Air-Pirate-Guy-Thorne by Guy Thorne (1919). Piracy in a future of airships.
Guide 02
Questions about this shelf
What was the first science fiction novel?
Many historians point to Frankenstein (1818). Others go back further, but Shelley's novel is where modern SF begins.
Why are some 1950s stories free?
In the US, works published before 1964 had to have their copyright renewed. Many magazine stories weren't, so they entered the public domain. They may still be protected in other countries.