Audio Book Group: The Machine Stops

nandalot Did anyone else do this in their GCE as part of a book of short stories that also contained ‘The Destructors’ ,’The Secret Sharer’, ‘Odour of Chrysanthemums’ and ‘The Rocking Horse Winner’?

Yes! And "The Lumber Room". I ended up many years later writing my dissertation on it.

How is the air travel working, is it the machine guiding it across continents as in the sense of an all powerful robotic entity, or are they individually powered like an automatic electric vehicle, or are there still human beings (pilots) trained to do those things that those living underground know nothing about? slaves of the machine perhaps, kept as lesser beings to work for the machine. Because of Kuno's escape we know the air is still breathable to those adapted to breath the outside air?

> I'm wondering if it was The World in the Air published in 1907 which has been interpreted as anticipating events related to World War I.

I am not familiar with that work.

I saw somewhere a suggestion that the work by H G Wells is The Time Machine.

I have read that, and the Eloi do indeed live an idyllic existence ...

like many sheep in this world ... until!

It's vague on that isn't it toscalily? Vashti is in Sumatra or Brisbane - not sure which - and Kuno is in Wessex and that takes two days, I think, so half as fast as we expect in 21C but powered by what? And there are cabin crew so there is a workforce. Forster is vague on detail and was writing with no knowledge of what advances would be made in aviation so it's very speculative but it does sound similar to our modern experience.

FannyCornforth

Have you seen Earlys thread about the new Book Club Lucca?

I shall look forthwith after dentista and doctor appointments