In this inaugural episode of our subseries Worlds of the Imaginary, Troy University freshman Jason Frye and Kirk Curnutt discuss the grandfather of all sci-fi novels: H. G. Wells's The Time Machine, first published in 1895 when its author was still in his twenties. Although not the first-ever time travel adventure (Wells himself had previously published a story called "The Chronic Argonauts"), the story of an unnamed scientist who roars 800,000 years into the future established the template for humanity's desire to rocket around the clock. Our hosts discuss the political symbolism of the two races the traveler encounters, the Eloi and the Morlocks, and why the story includes a love interest, Weena, when there's no love. We also discuss the narrative frame and the killer ending, dropping references to Superman, Planet of the Apes, and other quintessential time travel tales.