The Time Machine (1895) was H.G. Wells's first significant novel. The book's protagonist, known simply as The Time Traveller, is an English scientist and inventor who creates a machine that takes him to 802701 CE. There he witnesses the weakness, decay and horror that will eventually overcome mankind. Considered one of science-fiction's greatest masterpieces, The Time Machine is also a warning about the future of the earth. The Time Machine (1895) was H.G. Wells's first significant novel. The book's protagonist, known simply as The Time Traveller, is an English scientist and inventor who creates a machine that takes him to 802701 CE. There he witnesses the weakness, decay and horror that will eventually overcome mankind. Considered one of science-fiction's greatest masterpieces, The Time Machine is also a warning about the future of the earth.