H. G. Wells
Causing mass hysteria as listeners of its 1938 radio broadcast believed a Martian invasion of Earth really was taking place, H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds is perhaps the most famous novel of its genre. This 1898 story has spawned films, radio and television series and comic-book adaptions, and its popularity endures today.
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' 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
...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'
...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.
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.
In the dystopian vision of H. G. Wells' novel The Sleeper Awakes (1910), a man awakes to a London where all he knew has radically changed after his sleep of two hundred and three years. Due to the wonders of compound interest, he is now this later world's richest man. As a committed socialist and futurist, he now sees his dreams realized and revealed to him in all their abhorrent and frightful glory.
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.
12) The Red Room
Best known as a science fiction writer, H.G. Wells also dabbled in horror and supernatural writing. The Red Room is a taut psychological thriller that showcases Wells' mastery of these genres. Get ready to sleep with the lights on after you finish this short spine-tingling tale.
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.
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
...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.
H.G. Wells is best remembered as a central figure in the development of the science fiction genre and as the creator of such works as The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, and The War of the Worlds. However, much of his literary output was more conventional in nature, and he published a number of novels dealing with interpersonal relationships and social themes. Many critics regard The Secret Places of the Heart as
...17) 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.
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.
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.