The Machine Stops [Paperback]

E. M. Forster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2009

The Machine Stops is a science fiction short story by E. M. Forster. The story is about a world in which many humans have lost the ability to live on the surface, and live underground. The story predicted a few technological and social innovations, such as the cinematophote (television) and videoconferencing.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Edward Morgan Forster (1879-1970) was educated at King's College, Cambridge, with whom he had a lifelong connection. He was elected to an Honorary Fellowship in 1946. He wrote six novels - Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908), Howards End (1910), A Passage to India (1924), which won both the Prix Femina Vie Heureuse and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Maurice , written in 1914, was published posthumously in 1971. He also published two volumes of short stories; two collections of essays; a critical work (Aspects of the Novel); The Hill of Devi; two biographies; two books about Alexandria; and the libretto for Britten's opera Billy Budd. He died in 1970. In his obituary The Times called him 'one of the most esteemed English novelists of his time'. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 66 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (October 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1449570135
• ISBN-13: 978-1449570132
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,863,455 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reading for anyone, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Machine Stops (Library Binding)

I read this book during my Junior year of high school and was in awe of it. I feel that this story is good reading for anyone who has concerns about the power computers wield in out lives and for anyone who fears the power they may someday have. I found that it touched upon many aspects of upcoming technology and the possible effects this technology may have on us. I also must say that the last line is the best I have ever read. I won't ruin it for you, read it for yourself.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Prophetic science fiction, February 7, 2007

By 

M. Nusair (Cincinnati, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Machine Stops (Paperback)

Forster wrote this book some time before 1914, which is utterly astonishing when you consider the society he portrays in this novel of the future. Flying ships, automated machinery run by computers (although he does not use that word), robotic equipment to maintain and repair society's hardware, are all in their infancy even today, almost a century later. This is science fiction that could have been written in the 1960s or 1990s. I read this book in the early sixties, and assumed at the time that it was contemporary, not realising that it was written before World War 1. I was very pleased to find that it was still available in reprinted form. Highly recommended.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't buy this edition, October 29, 2008

By 

Russell H. Dibble (Dallas, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Machine Stops (Dodo Press) (Paperback)

This story stands out in many ways as one of the most prescient pieces of fiction that I've ever read. I'd suggest it to anyone who is interested in holding up a (somewhat distorted) mirror to our society.

That being said, I wouldn't buy this edition. There are typos on almost every page, many of them so obvious that you wonder if they had anyone proof the manuscript before printing. Other typos are subtle and detract from reading the story.

The choice of cover art is also questionable. The picture is of an O'Neill cylinder. While the book does describe humans living in an artificial world, it is nothing like (in function or intent) like the habitat shown on the cover. This normally would be worth noting, except that it shows the general lack of care that went into the book.

E.M. Forester and his story deserve better.