When a young Victorian couple inadvertently tamper with Sir William Reynolds's latest invention, a time-space machine, they find themselves flung not only into the future but also across the void of space. Now, trapped on an alien world with a landscape of weird vegetation and overseen by giant, long-legged machines operated by gruesome octopus-like creatures, they must find a way to survive. And when they learn that the monsters are plotting an invasion of Earth, can they find a way to return home and save the planet?

Written as a tribute to H. G. Wells and drawing on elements of his celebrated novels The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, Christopher Priest's The Space Machine (1976) is a thrilling adventure that ranks among his most enjoyable works.