Lori Keeton's Reviews > The Machine Stops

It’s been a few days since I finished reading EM Forster’s science-fiction short story called The Machine Stops. It is one that I just can’t get out of my head. I tried to strike up a conversation about with my adult son and husband. I told them they’ve got to read this so we can talk about the prescient nature of this extremely well-written story. But here I am writing my thoughts in this review as my excitement sadly hasn’t persuaded my family to pick up the story. Well, it will be their loss, unfortunately.

This story really has an impact now because Forster describes a world that modern readers will recognize even though he wrote this dystopian tale in 1909. In the future, people live under the Earth’s surface in identical pods and communicate with one another via screens. Life in this world is bleak and everyone is dependent upon the Machine for all of their needs. Everyone possesses ‘the Book’ which is like an instruction manual about the Machine. Face-to-face interaction is obsolete and people live in such an isolated manner only speaking to another person in a virtual way. In fact, personal contact is seen as frightening and suspicious. Existence is based on an over-reliance on this technology that basically has all control. Original thoughts and ideas are discouraged. I could go on and tell you all that Forster speculated about, but I highly encourage you to find a copy and spend the hour it takes to read this yourself.

This story is so important to read and talk about especially after the year we have all lived through. Forster’s speculations about the future have scarily become a reality. After lockdowns, Zoom meetings and working from home, I certainly hope that Forster didn’t foreshadow what our post-pandemic normal will be.