H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells' The Time Machine, from 1895, popularized the idea of a vehicle that allows its user to travel intentionally and selectively across time, and indeed Wells is credited with coining the very term "time machine." The Time Traveler of this novella tests his time machine with a leap forward to the year 802,701 A.D., to find that evolution has produced two very different post-human races - the peaceful and childlike fruit-eating Eloi
...The man's become inhuman ... He has cut himself off from his kind. His blood be upon his own head.' One night in the depths of winter, a bizarre and sinister stranger wrapped in bandages and eccentric clothing arrives in a remote English village. His peculiar, secretive activities in the room he rents spook the locals. Speculation about his identity becomes horror and disbelief when the villagers discover that, beneath his disguise, he is invisible.
...H. G. Wells' 1901 science fiction novel The First Men in the Moon tells the story of a voyage to the moon by Mr. Bedford, a businessman plagued by financial problems, and Dr. Cavor, a brilliant and somewhat eccentric scientist. On arrival they discover that the moon is already inhabited by an advanced underground civilization of insect-like beings who they call "Selenites". This forward-looking novel, critical of the imperialism of Wells'
...H. G. Wells' prophetic The War in the Air foretold the use of airplanes in warfare and the coming of World War I. First serialized in 1907 and published in book form in 1908, the novel tells the story of the forward-thinking tinkerer Bert Smallways. Alfred Butteridge is said to be the only English aviator to know the "secret of the flying machine." When Bert Smallways accidentally falls into Butteridge's hot air balloon, he soon finds himself
...Another visionary novel from the great science fiction writer H. G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau tackles the thorny issues thrown up when humankind plays God and explores notions of society and identity, bringing the mythical chimera - part human, part animal - into the age of science.
Widely recognized as one of the key figures in the development of the science fiction and fantasy genres, H.G. Wells was a prolific writer who produced hundreds of short and long works in these styles. The tales collected in The Door in the Wall and Other Stories span Wells' early career and offer a satisfying cross-section of his work.
H. G. Wells, in his 1906 In the Days of the Comet uses the vapors of a comet to trigger a deep and lasting change in humanity's perspective on themselves and the world. In the build-up to a great war, poor student William Leadford struggles against the harsh conditions the lower-class live under. He also falls in love with a middle-class girl named Nettie. But when he discovers that Nettie has eloped with a man of upper-class standing, William
...H. G. Wells' comic 1910 novel, The History of Mr. Polly, stars Alfred Polly, a timid man who is more successful at daydreaming than working in the local draper's shops. He marries a woman he's not really in love with, despite being in love with another, and together they attempt to create a success of their own shop while slowly making one another miserable. But on the night of a fire everything changes in Mr. Polly's life.
William Porphyry Benham, the protagonist of H. G. Wells' thought-provoking allegory The Research Magnificent, has dedicated his entire life to one sole purpose: embodying the life of an aristocrat. For him, this doesn't mean lolling about in a state of extreme leisure, but rather, cultivating a well-rounded, honorable existence. Will his all-encompassing mission pay off in the end?
Dive into the scandalous roman à clef that shocked the world. Based in part on H. G. Wells' own alleged affair with a much-younger woman, the novel The New Machiavelli follows the rise to power of brilliant politician Richard Remington, whose ascendance is stopped in its tracks when his extramarital dalliance is revealed.
Celebrated as "The Father of Science Fiction," H.G. Wells was a formidable intellect with a wide-ranging base of knowledge who developed strong and usually well-informed opinions on most of the pressing issues of the day. This volume details Wells' idiosyncratic religious beliefs and his somewhat controversial rejection of many types of Christian worship.
Though Wells is best remembered as a trailblazer in the genre of science fiction, he worked masterfully in many genres, and often combined elements of several styles within the space of a single tale. The short story collection The Plattner Story and Others is packed with an eclectic array of wildly engaging tales, demonstrating the full breadth of Wells' talent and skill.
15) A Modern Utopia
H. G. Wells' A Modern Utopia is a fusion of fiction and philosophy. In it Wells' explores his ideas for social change, the creation of a world state and of what would be needed to facilitate increases in overall human happiness. The people of this utopia have to plan for "a flexible common compromise, in which a perpetually novel succession of individualities may converge most effectually upon a comprehensive onward development." This is
...One of the primary motivations behind H. G. Wells most popular science fiction works was his exploration of the factors that could help or harm society. As a result, many of his novels and short stories explored utopian or dystopian worlds. In Mankind in the Making, he tackles the same topic from a nonfiction perspective, ruminating on the variables that serve optimal human development from conception to adulthood.
In this collection of insightful essays, science fiction master H. G. Wells sets forth his views on life, ethics, religion, and a host of other moral, ethical and metaphysical matters. First and Last Things offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind and manner of thinking of a groundbreaking creative genius.
Dig into a hearty dose of classic science fiction from the pen of one of the foremost figures in the genre, H.G. Wells. This wide-ranging collection brings together a treasure trove of Wells' trademark tales, all of which are packed with fascinating ideas and plenty of action.
Something of a departure from Wells' best-known works of science fiction, this domestic drama follows the wartime experiences of a famous writer and his family as they struggle to survive—physically and mentally—through World War I. Although the Britlings are far from the battlefront, they are still forced to make sacrifices of their own. This gratifying page-turner will please fans of historical fiction.
H. G. Wells' Ann Veronica, first published in 1909, looks at political and feminist issues of the time. It's heroine goes from being a naive young girl into becoming a picture of the New Woman. The novel caused a stir when it was released because of the main character's feminist outlook and because her name was similar to Amber Reeves, with whom Wells was thought to be having an affair.