The Time Machine - H. G. Wells

Another classic, easy-read fantasy novel by Wells. This book basically coined the phrase 'time machine'. Kudos.

An English scientist goes back in time, meets two races of 'people'. One, a small races of humanoids that lives above ground and have no fear of anything, save for the night time, when the other race of subterranean humanoids surfaces to feed.

When the time traveler finds his machine missing, he must leave the comfort of the surface dwellers to retrieve it.

I read the Gutenberg edition of the text, which has the time traveler travelling forward in time after he retrieves his machine, to see the further decay of humankind and of the Earth. Apparently he goes so far forward that the sun is huge in the sky, yet this would be billions of years in the future, and I presume it would be a little too hot for the time traveler. It was a strange ending. It felt like it was 'tacked on' to lengthen the book a little (it's only a short novella). After I looked up Wikipedia on the subject I wasn't surprised to learn that the part after retrieving the time machine (before the traveler returns home) was inserted at the request of Well's editor, who wanted more length. More 'story'. Since Wells had final say, it was removed from the original text, so I guess that was a nice thing at the time. Still, I was glad to have read that extra part.

7/10.

The Island of Dr Moreau - H. G. Wells

First published in 1896, and it still rocked on my tiny Android phone running Kobo e-reader software.

Edward Prendick is shipwrecked, saved by a passing boat, and ends up stranded on an island with  Dr. Moreau and his assistant, Montgomery. These guys are into animal vivisection. I.e. Live animal surgery. Of the kind that makes the animals human.

But the 'animal' part never really leaves them, and as they roam the island unchecked, they regress...

Classic suspense/morality tale/old fashioned story telling. 8/10.

Breath - Tim Winton

This was some of Winton's best material in my opinion (I'm comparing to Cloudstreet and The Riders).  Some deft story telling.

The entire novel is basically a flashback to the narrator's childhood in a West Australian surfing town. It follows Bruce 'Pikelet' Pike's relationship (and subsequent disintegration of that friendship) with his childhood friend Loon, and his idol Sando. The three being surfers who continuously test the limits of courage and bravery. Later on, the story follow's Pikelet's relationship with Sando's wife, Eva.

Breath is a theme explored in a number of different ways in the book, from the obvious dangers of asphyxiation underwater, to the undercurrent of danger in the games of asphyxiation played by Pike and Eva, to Pike's eventual career as a paramedic. It also explores the need for balance, and the brokenness of age being traced back to it's youthful roots (a common Winton literary theme it seems).

Great read. 8/10.

A Darkness at Sethanon - Raymond E. Feist

The final book in the Riftwar Saga delivered much of the same as the first. An interesting good vs. evil plot, lots of fantasy elements, simplistic writing.

It was a satisfying enough conclusion to the series, and I think I've read enough to know that Feist is not my kind of author.

He runs into trouble with creating overly powerful 'good' characters, and then explaining away why they cannot be there to save the day. And when they do save the day, they do so without the kind of loss that makes their struggles seem more believable - even for a fantasy novel. Contrast with Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie or Rothfuss' writing. Glad that I finished this series.

Now I can put Feist's spartan style of writing behind me!