Gostaria de saber se esta é a novela Wanderers of Time de John Wyndham (escrevendo como John Beynon). Eu li na antologia também chamada de Wanderers of Time de John Wyndham.
É uma correspondência parcial à sua descrição. O protagonista Roy Sabre acaba em um futuro distante quando sua máquina do tempo é danificada por um tiro. Ele chega em uma espécie de (vagamente descrito) fim-de-tempo inoperante onde máquinas do tempo com defeito tendem a acabar.
‘… therefore, this must be a kind of “dead” spot in time. It is as though our machines had been thrown into the flow of time and swept along until, for some unguessable reason, they met an obstruction at this point. Every one of us has arrived here because his machine was faulty in some way or other. To take an illustration—a bad one, I admit, but enough for our purpose—one may consider time as a river. You may turn boats adrift on it at many points, and they will all collect together at the same serious obstacle, whether they have travelled a hundred miles or two miles. We are now at some period where the straight flow of time has been checked—perhaps it is even turning back upon itself. We know no details at present, but it is certain that the same curious phenomenon has thrown us all together.’
O mundo é dominado por criaturas parecidas com formigas que operam máquinas gigantes. Por exemplo, esta cena quando uma das máquinas é cortada em dois por um raio de calor.
An inarticulate cry, something between a moan and a scream, brought them facing to the centre of the room. One of the Numen was clawing wildly at his body and emitting animal-like howls. Behind him lay the remains of the machine, split by Hale’s ray-stroke into two parts. From it a glistening, black tide of life was flowing in their direction. The unfortunate Numan had stood nearest, and already the black flow covered him thickly. Even as they watched in unmoving amazement, he fell writhing to the ground and his body became a mere mound in the blackness.
‘Ants! ’ cried Roy, as the black horde advanced. ‘Millions of ants! ’
Existem muitas máquinas do tempo destruídas, incluindo uma cujos ocupantes morreram de fome durante a viagem:
Then he became interested in the other machines. Among those unclaimed by anyone present stood two dented metal cubes. Del came over to join him as he pulled on the door of one. It came grudgingly ajar, hanging askew on the twisted frame, and a breath of corruption sent the two men staggering back a pace. Holding his breath, Roy reapproached and peered inside. The shrivelled body of a man, in a far state of decomposition, lay huddled into one of the farther corners. ‘Poor devil,’ he muttered. ‘At least, we’ve been luckier than he was.’