Product Description
In the Days of the Comet is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of H. G. (Herbert George) Wells then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Expected More
An extremely verbose book on the social and political issues between the Boer War and World War I in England with a solution to the world's problem via the green mist left by Earth passing through a comet's tail. I truly enjoyed the movie renderings of "The War of the Worlds" (the first version with Gene Barry), "The Time Machine" and "First Man on the Moon"; but I am let down by the wordiness of this novel and hope my reading of "War of the Worlds" and "Time Machine" do not do the same.

Green dawn
H.G. Wells had a strong streak in him of the social reformer. This relatively early work, from 1906, shows that more clearly (if ham-handedly) than any other work that I've read by him.

It starts with a snapshot of Dickensian dichotomy between haves and have-nots. Haves, in this case, are so rare and distant that they can safely be ignored. Instead, the narrator is one of the underclass, worrying whether his shoes will fall apart before the end of his day's walk. Malnourished, marginally educated, and economically marginalized, he seizes upon the one bright spot in his life, love of a charming woman. But in a "Young Werther" burst of emotion, that passion twists itself into its own homicidal inversion. At the same time, warships stand off within sight of the British shore, lobbing shells at each other across the night sky.

But there's a new star in that sky, and one that has incredible effect on human life. Suppose, just suppose, that one day, everyone in the world suddenly started acting reasonable, or mostly reasonable. Suppose that all the world leaders, all the soldiers in the trenches, all the capitalist barons, all the socialist firebrands, and even the lovers suddenly woke up, and said, "I've been stupid. Let's do better." This examination of humankind's entry into a better world foreshadows Wells's later "Modern Utopia." In "Comet," he imagines mankind reworked into the beings who could support that ideal world - with the striking examples of those few who need only minor adjustments. "Modern Utopia" assumes that unidealized people will populate the ideal world, so the ideal must have places in it for them. I find the combination of similarities and reversals between these two books equally interesting. By itself, "Comet" might not be Wells's best. In the context of his entire ouvre, however, it holds a fascinating and possibly transitional place.

-- wiredweird

The Awakening of Mankind- Cosmic Peace Beyond Understanding
I thought that I was familiar with most of Well's body of work, until I stumbled over this unique novel.

First of all, do not be put off by the first part of this book- it is intended to be depressing. It is meant to paint the pettiness, ugliness, and just plain bloody-mindedness of human society in 1906. It does this quite well for I almost set the book aside several times in disgust. It is all unpleasantness after unpleasantness in the life of a working class young man (obviously modeled largely after the author's youth.) Even the fact of the approach of the great comet is almost mentioned only in passing as a minor occurrence.

Then everything changes when the comet hits. Mankind is transformed. That is to say that all of mankind is suddenly mentally and spiritually enlightened and awakened. I've read nothing quite like it in literature. The first part of the book makes it jump out at you all the more. All the meanness, pettiness, guile, and evil evaporate in the human species. The story of how these enlightened men put an end to want, injustice, and war around the world is breathtaking and inspirational. Wells attributes this to a chemical change in earth's atmosphere, but there is a surprising amount of spirituality also incorporated (surprising for Wells.)

All of this reminded me of the change that is said to occur when a human soul leaves the material world and enters the astral. All of the old heaviness and stupidity drop away. Only the highest of what it means to be human remains- the old ego dies. Even in the story everyone speculated if perhaps they were not dead and transported to a different world. Some even declared that this great Change was the Second Advent.

There is one thing about this novel that leaves a lingering element of disappointment. This is the fact that the core causes of all the economic, social, and political injustices and stupidities described in the first part of the book in 1906 are still with us. After 101 years these same problems are still with us. I'm sure that this would have also disappointed Mr. Wells.

Free SF Reader
More than a few people have used this idea over the last few decades.
The people of Earth are going about their normal dodgy business, until
they realise that a comet may actually strike the planet.

A most definitely political novel, this looks at the upheaval such
a catastrophic event can cause, and what happens to the society as a
result.

It seems here that humanity will improve in the face of such calamity.

The Awakening of Mankind- Cosmic Peace Beyond Understanding
I thought that I was familiar with most of Well's body of work, until I stumbled over this unique novel.

First of all, do not be put off by the first part of this book- it is intended to be depressing. It is meant to paint the pettiness, ugliness, and just plain bloody-mindedness of human society in 1906. It does this quite well for I almost set the book aside several times in disgust. It is all unpleasantness after unpleasantness in the life of a working class young man (obviously modeled largely after the author's youth.) Even the fact of the approach of the great comet is almost mentioned only in passing as a minor occurrence.

Then everything changes when the comet hits. Mankind is transformed. That is to say that all of mankind is suddenly mentally and spiritually enlightened and awakened. I've read nothing quite like it in literature. The first part of the book makes it jump out at you all the more. All the meanness, pettiness, guile, and evil evaporate in the human species. The story of how these enlightened men put an end to want, injustice, and war around the world is breathtaking and inspirational. Wells attributes this to a chemical change in earth's atmosphere, but there is a surprising amount of spirituality also incorporated (surprising for Wells.)

All of this reminded me of the change that is said to occur when a human soul leaves the material world and enters the astral. All of the old heaviness and stupidity drop away. Only the highest of what it means to be human remains- the old ego dies. Even in the story everyone speculated if perhaps they were not dead and transported to a different world. Some even declared that this great Change was the Second Advent.

There is one thing about this novel that leaves a lingering element of disappointment. This is the fact that the core causes of all the economic, social, and political injustices and stupidities described in the first part of the book in 1906 are still with us. After 101 years these same problems are still with us. I'm sure that this would have also disappointed Mr. Wells.
... Read more

Product Description
The War in the Air is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of H. G. (Herbert George) Wells then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Better than The War of the Worlds
Easily the best book I have read in several years. It has a very compelling storyline, with as much action as any teenage boy could hope for. It also presents arguments about society, progress, morals, and government that are incredibly edifying and persuasive.

The century of total war
Written in 1908, Wells predicted warfare as we know it now. He foresaw pushbutton wars, "cold-blooded slaughters ... in which men who were neither excited nor ... in any danger, poured death and destruction on homes and crowds..." Paradoxically, Wells also predicted it to be "a universal guerilla war, a war involving civilians and homes and all the apparatus of social life." He predicted weapons "ineffectual for any large expedition or conclusive attack, [but] horribly convenient for guerilla warfare, rapidly and cheaply made, easily used, easily hidden." Specifics of the story needed to be credible to Wells's 1908 reader, but major points could have been drawn from today's headlines.

Wells's war encircled the globe, years before WWI showed how widespread a war could become. Rather than narrate global destruction, though, Wells told his story through the viewpoint of Bert Smallways, an everyman of modest means, achievement, and intellect. In fact, Bert's only real skill was a knack for being in the wrong place when world-shattering events came to pass. Starting from his bicycle shop in England, Bert's involuntary travels made him witness to the destruction of whole blocks and rows of blocks in New York City, then to the rise of Eastern armies that over-ran the Western world. Then, somehow, he made it back to his sleepy village to settle into a post-war agrarian life without technology - easy enough, since the village had slept through the technology of the time anyway.

Despite the zeppelins used as warcraft, Wells's forecasts hit the bullseye of many targets. He predicted the worldwide caches of hidden weaponry, not too far from what we saw in the Cold War. He also predicted the bafflement of the common civilian, who really just wanted to settle down with a spouse, a house, and food on the table. Headlines aside, that's still the case today.

-- wiredweird

Wonderfully forward-thinking, but somewhat bloated
Bert Smallways is a rather backward sort, trying (but not too hard) to make a living in England, and watching the advance of technology. But, technology is moving on in directions that he might never have guessed. With the advent of the airship, a secret arms race has broken out among the world's powers, and a new type of war is about to break out.

When Bert is accidentally scooped up by a German fleet, on its way to launch a surprise attack on the United states, he finds himself with a front row seat to the greatest war that has ever been - the war in the air! This new war is to be a different sort of war than all the wars that came before it, unprecedented in its ferocity and destructiveness. When everything can be smashed, what will be left? A good deal less than you might hope.

This now largely forgotten work was written by H.G. Wells (1866-1946) in 1907, and is a masterpiece of forward thinking. While Wells missed the true course of the development of military aviation, his grasp of what a major war, involving fleets of aircraft, would mean was spot on. In fact, this book is quite spooky in its prediction of the destruction of cities and modern infrastructure, and in its portrayal of fleets of warships destroyed from the air! As a prediction of the future, this book is nothing short of amazing.

Well, if the book is so good, why is it now forgotten? In fact, while Wells' portrayal of aerial warfare is right on target, the book, as a novel, is not as good as it should be. The story starts out quite slowly, wasting too much time on the development of the character of Bert Smallways. And, there are many places throughout the narrative where the book could have benefited from some pruning and tightening of the narrative.

So, if you are a fan of H.G. Wells, or are interested in how correct a man of 1907 could have been about modern warfare, then this is the book for you. However, if you are looking for a good science-fiction story, you might be disappointed. Overall, I found this to be an interesting story, one that I am glad that I read. It's almost frightening how close to reality Mr. Wells was. I just wish that he had had a better editor.

Stunning, disturbing prophecy
H.G. Wells-what a genius. He foresaw the future better than any supposed "psychic." This novel, little known but available again, is the proof.

In the early 20th century, the invention of aerial vehicles precipitates the outbreak of a worldwide war that had brewed for hundreds of years. The aircrafts' ability to wreck unlimited destruction lays waste to civilization, reducing it to pre-Industrial revolution levels. That is the basis of this incredible piece of political and scientific prophesy. Wells unleashes his full understanding of human "progress" and the fraility of political systems, and with every page hits truths about war and technology even more applicable today than during World War I, the combat that Wells envisioned here. He even saw 9/11 and the Iraq War, pegging Western European complaceny so accurately that I felt my jaw drop to the floor on a few occasions.

Honestly, this H. G. guy was one in a billion. He was utterly, incalculably brilliant. He was also a helluva writer, expressing ideas with flashes of humor, irony, and passion. Wells uses a countryside Englishman as witness to the fall of civilization, and manages to effortlessly switch between the epic canvas of war and the cameo portrait of a normal man seeing everything he ever understood about the world fray apart before his eyes.

In a terrific last stroke, Wells writes the final chapter that sums up the possibility that "progess" may be an illusion. This novel deserves to be considered amongst Wells finest, and this new edition with Duncan's insightful introduction, may be the firest step in getting it the wide audience it deserves.

H.G.Wells is a great author...
First, before anything else, he links us to a character, a man named Bert Smallways, who we will follow and this allows us to see what is happening from the view of a normal man within the book.The first few chapters in fact deal only with Bert, pushing much of the major events into the background, suggested by news headlines that nobody seems to notice.
But when wars come it comes with a bam.The Earth's weapons seem to be bomb carrying airships and gun carrying airplanes.
The airships seem to be the major weapon, becoming the terrors of the sky, huge monster craft that carry death to the cities of Earth.
Why airships?The book was published in 1907.While airplanes were just being invented and designs played with, blimps and dirigibles were already flying about in good numbers.By the time World War One cames about, German airships are bombing London.Airplanes started off during the Great War totally unarmed, used for scouting out enemy movements and checking out the landscape.So, for him to suggest that airships would become the wave of the future in combat is not a great leap of logic.
One scene has German airplanes and airships destroying an American fleet of warships, a chilling vision of things to come.
As each nation designs and builds it own aircraft things get out of hand.While the air fleets can bomb the cities, they can't TAKE them (not being able to carry any troops) and they can't DEFEND them (as they carry many bombs, but few weapons to fight other aircraft), so soon the world is nothing but burnt out buildings and thousands of airships attacking anything on the ground that even LOOKS dangerous.
Will Bert survive?Will he get back to England?Will mankind ever learn to live together? ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Science Fiction / General; ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Hmmm
I loved H.G Wells' 'The Time Machine'.
This book was ok though. Liked it, but did not love it.

Ponderously Slow, Old-fashioned Ideas and Science with Bad Plotting
H.G. Wells wrote it, and that doesn't make it good.

The Food of the Gods deals with giant humans created by a primitive idea of what an advanced 'science' growth potion might do.The giant (human) beings described in the novel would collapse under their own weight, given the limitations of scalable human bone density.The story development is slow and and badly done, with a dramatic ending that acts like an escape hatch for a plot which ran out.

The 'food of the gods' creates a subset of different humans who are then ostracized from society.Greater focus on larger issues than individual characters, which prevents the reader from forming attachments.It is divided into multiple books, each with separate numbered sections.The first section is a debate about ethics in science, and then the science happens, and we supersize.The rest of the books describe how giant humans interact with society (prejudice, etc).If you are reading the book for the story, you'll be disappointed.If you are reading for historic context in terms of science and literature, then you'll like it, and it'll be great for your thesis.

Personally, I believe this work should fade into obscurity.It's only uses are making bad Giant Chicken jokes (part one), and saying, 'wow, that HG Wells sure had some neat ideas way back then,' even if those ideas have bad science (using modern hindsight) and are handled poorly.Even literary critics consider this a 'lesser work.'If you must read HG Wells, read "The Time Machine."

Artificial Growth
As I read "The Food of the Gods", my thoughts turned to current events that mirror the problems in the novel including steroids and human growth hormones.Like in his other novels, Wells seemed to have a keen eye for things that would occur in the future.While the questions of scientific ethics in this novel are haunting, the plot is clumsy and moves ploddingly slow.

The novel can be divided into two plot lines.First, the "food of the gods" is developed.While readers get to know the very unassuming scientists that construct the formula, the means by which it is developed is never revealed.Skinner, who serves as the caretaker of their satellite facility, has difficulty with his speech articulation which is cumbersome to read.Readers may find themselves hoping he will be eliminated from the story.

The second plot line involves the "giants" and their relationships with normal sized people.Fed the "foods of the gods" as infants, the child grow to be ostracized from the community.An apparent colony of giants develops as tolerance for the giants wanes.With a unique wrinkle, the plot mirrors virtually any story of the lack of acceptance of people who are different.

"The Food of the Gods" is among the lesser known novels of Wells because it is not a true peer to his great works.The plot moves slow at times, while Wells tries to pull the story full circle.There are some very likeable aspects to the story.But in the scope of Wells' work, the lack of quality is evident.

Old-Fashioned and Intriguing
This novel is very old fashioned and at times difficult to get through unless you are a huge fan of somewhat antiquated science fiction. Wells is great though and the story has an interesting arch with some really thought provoking ideas.

Move over John A. McPhee, coming through
The master of important trivia, John A. McPhee "Oranges" ISBN: 0374226881, is about to be surpassed by James Gleick, "The Acceleration Guy." The history of chronometry will never be the same.His insights on elevators are uplifting. He discuses the type-A personality and its misconceptions. I will not go through every subject as you do not have TIME to read this review, but I was surprised to find out what "God's speed" meant.

Faster: Our Race Against Time
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Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

1918 HG's speculation on the makeup of a League of Nations
H.G Wells acknowledges that there are many other people that have ideas on what the "League of Nations" should be in makeup and purpose. This is his take on the subject.

He goes through recent history (1914) and speculates on near future (1918) of nation states. Interspersed with this are his ideas on politics and what would make a perfect world. He also spends quite some time defining Democracy. He also covers numerous other items as what make for an efficient war.

H.G. does have a unique view of things that make this book a must even for his sci-fi readers.
... Read more

Product Description

This collection was designed for optimal navigation on Kindle and other electronic devices. It is indexed alphabetically, chronologically and by category, making it easier to access individual books, stories and poems. This collection offers lower price, the convenience of a one-time download, and it reduces the clutter in your digital library. All books included in this collection feature a hyperlinked table of contents and footnotes. The collection is complimented by an author biography.

Customer Reviews (3)

Bought for the Kindle stress test
I really enjoyed several of the major Wells stories as Time Machine and war of the worlds. Most I read because I saw the movie first. Now is my opportunity to read the less popularized works.For the price and availability I cannot imaging anyone without this as a Kindle staple.

Do not tell the Kindle People, but when I find I book or story that interests me, I am compelled to buy the hard copy.

Tono Bungay
A lot of entertainment for a very small price. Tono Bungay says a lot about our present financial difficulties from over a hundred years ago.

excellent ebook
Works of Herbert George Wells. Huge collection. (80+ Works) FREE Author's biography and stories in the trial version

H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946) was an English writer most famous today for the science fiction novels: The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr Moreau, The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds. These novels are included in the collection, making it an excellent ebook.
... Read more

Product Description
HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.'Looking at these stars suddenly dwarfed my own troubles and all the gravities of terrestrial life. I thought of their unfathomable distance, and the slow inevitable drift of their movements out of the unknown past into the unknown future.'The narrator of the story, the 'Time Traveller' is an English scientist who invents a machine that he claims can carry a person through time. Upon testing his machine, the Time Traveller is transported to AD 802,701, a future world where mankind is split between the childlike, gentle Eloi and the brutish Morlocks.When he attempts to return home, he discovers that the Morlocks have stolen his machine and he is stranded. The Time Machine follows the Time Traveller as he attempts to reclaim his machine from the barbaric Morlocks, transporting himself onward to a world that is 30 million years from his own time. Here he experiences some of the last living things on the planet as earth is slowly beginning to die.Wells' grim vision of a world in decline is recognised as one of the seminal texts of the science fiction genre, exploring the themes of inequality, class and the relationship between science and society. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (443)

Traveling Into a Dismal Future
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002RKTH14/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

H. G. Wells was, among other things, a pessimist. He could not believe that anything could get better than it was, and life as it was then was savagery barely curbed. This book, which has been imitated, plagiarized, made into movies, made into TV shows, parodied, and so forth, is a paean not to human good but to human bad. Neither the Morlocks nor the Eloi were really happy; they existed for each other's benefit, because the Eloi would starve without the supply of food and clothing largely supplied by the Morlocks, and the Morlocks would starve without the Eloi to eat. Such was the prevailing thought among the Socialists of his day, and a Socialist he certainly was. The book should not be assigned for junior high or high school, because the young students lack the proportion that will allow them to see what the book is about. But for an adult, or an advanced teenager, it is a poignant future of what could happen and, in Wells's mind, probably would happen in some way, in some dim future.

This is an adult book, and should be read as such.

Excessively imaginative and thought provoking read!
My review title says it all.
This is a very beautiful piece of Science Fiction.

Glad I gave it a read.

A perfect world crumbles
"A Perfect World Crumbles"
By: Cameron Wright

H. G. Wells, in his novella, The Time Machine, weaves a tale that at first seems like a simple science fiction. However, it contains many symbolisms about the lifestyle choices of mankind today. The main character's name is never given in the story; he is referred to as "The Time Traveler". He invents a machine that can travel back and forth throughout the fourth dimension of time. He successfully travels forward approximately eight-hundred thousand years into a time when humanity has been split into two groups: the Eloi and the Morlocks.


In the author's depicted future, mankind has undergone extreme favoritism of all living things. Plants, animals, food, etc, have all been winnowed into what is considered best. We act this way even in the present day. For instance, we decide which breed of dog is superior amongst the others and preserve and flourish these select. We feel that we have the right to judge and decide what has the right to exist and what does not. After eight-hundred thousand years of this practice, The Time Traveler has stumbled onto the result of a world with only "the perfect fruit" and the "the perfect animals".The Eloi live on the surface of our planet among those that have passed our critique.


The Time Traveler notices wells along the ground spread out from each other. For a time, he does not understand what they are. It seems too primitive that a well should exist in the future. He discovers that the wells lead to the underground world where the Morlocks live. The Morlocks act like slaves for the Eloi underneath the planet. They are only allowed to come onto the surface during the night. Earlier, the Time Traveler had noticed that the Eloi sleep in clumps huddled together during the night. This is because they are afraid of the Morlocks.


After living a life of carefree perfection, the Eloi have become witless and weak. They are unable to fend for themselves and depend on the Morlocks for their sustenance. The Morlocks, on the other hand, have become intelligent and strong. They have worked their entire lives and must fight simply to survive. If they attacked, they would easily be capable of defeating the feeble and delicate Eloi. A rebellion begins, and it is clear that the Morlocks will overtake and kill the Eloi. The Time Traveler is nearly killed, but escapes in his machine before the Morlocks kill him. He goes ahead much further in time and cannot find any human life. We have destroyed ourselves.


I believe that the Eloi and the Morlocks resemble today's society. The Morlocks resemble the poor who must earn their right to live through hard work and determination. Like the Morlocks, those that have to diligently work become capable and strong. The Eloi resemble the rich who are handed everything to them. When a person does not need to put effort into anything it is like the dulling of a blade. A blade cannot penetrate anything if it is not sharpened. Work and effort is our sharpener.

Another aspect found in this book relating to our society is the devaluing of what we do not think is perfect. Ultimately, if a society is made up of only who we believe is "the best-looking" or "the richest" or "the most useful", etc., while all others are diminished, the society will crumble. When the Time Traveler travels into the future, human life does not exist. We have ceased to live because we have lessened the value of life and imperfections.


The Time Machine was and still is a thought provoking novel. It caused me to evaluate the state of modern society. I think that H. G. Wells was ahead of his time. We have begun to see some of his predictions come to pass. The most obvious example would be the cause of World War II, the holocaust. Hitler implemented selective elimination of what he considered to be the weak. Even today, we see our society place value on what we believe is the most beautiful.


Reading this book has caused me to assess how I place my values. I have certainly put more value on what is most beautiful or expensive in my life at times. I do not believe that is the way God wishes for us to live our lives or view each other. In the Bible, 1 Corinthians 1:27 states, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." This shows to me that we should not cherish only what we believe is best, but instead support the weak and less beautiful as well as the greater.

Classic of victorian science fiction
This wasn't the first time travel story in fiction -- it wasn't even H.G. Wells' first time travel story, that honor going to his short story The Chronic Argonauts -- but it's the first one to popularize the concept, and the single story generally pointed to as the archetype and progenitor of time travel in fiction. It isn't quite as riveting or fast-paced asThe War of the Worlds, but there's still a decently entertaining story here if you don't mind your sci-fi having a more Victorian pace to it.

Despite popularizing the concept of time travel as a story vehicle, it isn't really "about" time travel in the way that, say, Back to the Future is; the Time Traveler never goes into his past, and the future remains unchanged at the end of the story. As with all of Wells' fiction, he was trying to make a sociopolitical point -- here, he's critiquing socioeconomic / class divisions, and pointing out how destructive they could be in the (very long) term. (He made a similar point, with a 200-odd-year-long jump forward, in his later novel The Sleeper Awakes).

Considering that socioeconomic divisions in America are at a higher point currently that at any time since before the Great Depression, modern readers might find this book unusually, well, timely.

Different from movies
I wanted to see how this compared to the two movies.Surprisingly it is quite different.The pace certainly is much slower.The interactions with other charcters and the cause of future events makes it almost a entirely different book.The time traveler's observations and philosphy also makes it a stand alone book.I have always enjoyed the movie and its comination of adventure and peek into a possible future.This is more of a stroll where you have the time to see everything and think about what you saw.I would not say the movies were better...just different.I would say it was less Indiana Jones and more Sherlock Holmes. ... Read more

Product Description
Soul of a Bishop is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of H. G. (Herbert George) Wells then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Although H G Wells is best known for his science fiction stories he was also a serious commentator on the political scene surrounding World War I.H G Wells (1686 Ä 1846) wrote both fiction and non-fiction.He worked in many genres including novels, history, and social commentaries.Wells was a leading socialist.What is Coming? is an attempt to analyze the effects of the Great War and to determine what will happen after the war.Not only is H G Wells a man who is constantly looking toward the future, but he is also a true intellectual and keen observer.The Table of Contents includes 1. Forecasting the future, 2.Tthe end of the war, 3. Nations in liquidation, 4. Braintree, bocking, and the future of the world, 5. How far will Europe go toward socialism?, 6. Lawyer and press, 7. The new education, 8. What the war is doing for women, 9. The new map of Europe, 10. The United States, France, Britain, and Russia, 11. The "white man's burthen", and 12. The outlook for the Germans. ... Read more

Product Description
Originally published in 1898.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

Product Description
The History of Mr. Polly CHAPTER THE FIRST "beginnings, and the bazaar" "OLE!" said Mr- Polly' and thcn for a change, and with greatly increased emphasis: " Ole! " He paused, and then broke out with one of his private and peculiar idioms. " Oh! Beastly Silly Wheeze of a Hole!" He was sitting- on a stile between two threadbare looking- fields, and suffering acutely from indigestion. He suffered from indigestion now nearly every afternoon in his life, but as he lacked introspection he projected the associated discomfort upon the world. Every afternoon he discovered afresh that life as a whole and every aspect of life that presented itself was "beastly.'* And this afternoon, lured by the delusive blueness of a sky that was blue because the wind was in the east, he had come out in the hope of snatching something of the joyousness of spring. The mysterious alchemy of mind and body refused, however, to permit any joyousness whatever in the spring.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS; chatter page; I Beginnings, and the Bazaar ,, m , 3; II Dismissal of Parsons ; III Cribs , 49; IV Mr Polly an Orphan 65 V Mr Polly takes a Vacation 97; VI Miriam , 127; VII The Little Shop at Fishbourne ? 173; VIII Making an End to Things 211; IX TnE Potwell Inn 243; X Miriam Revisited

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books is a publisher of historical writings, such as: Philosophy, Classics, Science, Religion, History, Folklore and Mythology.

Forgotten Books' Classic Reprint Series utilizes the latest technology to regenerate facsimiles of historically important writings. Careful attention has been made to accurately preserve the original format of each page whilst digitally enhancing the difficult to read text. Read books online for free at www.forgottenbooks.orgAmazon.com Review
Fans of H.G. Wells's famous, genre-spawning science fiction novels may bestartled to read his less-remembered but once bestselling The History ofMr. Polly. Its comically romping narrative voice is worlds away fromthe stern, melancholy tone of The Time Machine. Wellswon fame for his apocalyptic, preachy books about the history of thefuture, but this history is strictly, as Mr. Polly would put it in hiscreatively cracked version of English, a series of "little accidentulousmisadventures."

Mr. Alfred Polly is a dyspeptic, miserably married shopkeeper in what heterms that "Beastly Silly Wheeze of a hole!"--Fishbourne, England.He is inclined to spark arguments and slapstick calamity wherever he goes.Education was lost on him: when he left school at 14, "his mind was in muchthe same state that you would be in, dear reader, if you were operated uponfor appendicitis by a well-meaning, boldly enterprising, but ratheroverworked and underpaid butcher boy, who was superseded towards the climaxof the operation by a left-handed clerk of high principles but intemperatehabits… the operators had left, so to speak, all their sponges andligatures in the mangled confusion." Still, Polly's mind burns witheccentric genius, and his thwarted romantic heart beats him senseless. Hisdespair results in the most amusing suicide attempt this side of LisaAlther's novel Kinflicks. We won't spoil the surprise by saying preciselyhow his scheme misfires--and beware: the introduction gives it away. Notethat you can't expect Polly to do anything right, and of course he'llbecome an inadvertent hero to the whole town. Then he promptly vanishes forfurther misadventure.

Many critics compare Mr. Polly's broad social satire to Dickens, butit smacks of Mark Twain and the dialect humor of Finley Peter Dunne's Mr. Dooley too. "I thinkit is one of my good books," Wells opined. What makes it so is Polly'sheroic incompetence, his subversion of Edwardian propriety, and hisbewildered unawareness that he is a revolutionary. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

And now for something completely different from HG
I've never liked Wells.This is the first of his books I've been able to force myself to finish.I didn't love it but it was FUNNY!My friends, no doubt smarter and more learned than me, told me the book contained social commentary, that Wells was a socialist with an agenda of showing the superiority of that type of system.Poor Mr. Polly seems to wander around with no aim, his past, with a dead mother and an emotionally absent father provides no support and he stumbles into his future with no clear goal in mind.He puts one foot in front of the other.He's also cantankerous, not easy in his relations with others.This causes him no end of troubles but that provides much of the the humor.Through a small inheritance he's able to set up shop and marry but he puts no effort into either shop or wife.He prefers to read all day in his lonely shop and pick fights with first one neighbor and then the next until he's alienated all of them.Is this where socialism comes in?Free trade = bad, leads to discontent and alienation?Then he finally goes too far and creates a catastrophe but for once makes it work for himself.He leaves shop and wife and finds, eventually, a place he feels he belongs, where he can relax and watch sunsets, feel content.But the best part of the book and what made it worthwhile for was the slapstick comedy.

The Great Lost English Comic Novel
This one came out of nowhere. An absolutely brilliant comic novel. Like all great comic novels, it's never patronizing. Though the narrator places himself at a distance from Mr. Polly, he's never condescends. The tone is warm and witty, genuinely moving rather than sentimental. It's an honest look at the middle class, cased in a Romantic (as in Knights and Quests) narrative. Really, really great. Definitely worth your time.

Best Book You've Never Heard Of
The climactic and hilarious confrontation between Mr. Polly and the low-life ruffian Uncle Jim is so masterful that one might forget all the other comic gems included in this novel. At the same time, the reader will feel the power of Wells' legendary intelligence on every page. The History of Mr. Polly is loaded with thought-provoking observations on the topics of marraige, love, business, education, friendship, insurance fraud and -- most of all -- happiness.

Is it Me?
A friend recommended this book to me after I explained how much fun I was having after leaving work in DC, returning to Minnesota, playing with my kids, joining a mountain biking team and genuinely enjoying my unemplyed status for 9 months.She said it was a philosophical book.

I spent the entire book trying to figure out why she thought of this book after I got through telling her how great my life was at the present.Mr. Polly clearly was not living a great life and always seemed to be on the wrong side of circumstance.It wasn't until the very end of the book that I realized the context my friend applied to my happenings.

The book, for it's strange accents and period vocabulary, was as riveting as any Grisham or Baldacci novel.I don't really know why - but it was.And the last few pages makes one think very hard about the meaning of life, which even for an unemployed child-at-heart, is important to do now and again.

tragi-comedy
I finished reading this novella a few days ago.I must first admit that for the first 25 or so pages, I wasn't particulaly tuned into what the book was about.It is, as Wells mentioned, a history, so I was rather thrown at the beginning.Once I got the gist of it, particularly the gist of Mr. Polly and his eccentricities, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The only other Wells book I had read was the Island of Dr. Moreau, which, like his other romantic science-fiction novels he is famous for, was somewhat plot-driven rather than character-driven.This book, is, as the title would lead you to suspect, character-driven.

We begin our read with the bored, frustrated Mr. Polly, what he is feeling and how he deals with his life in general.Then the actual history starts, and Wells's beautiful, if somewhat excessive vocabulary answers the reader's question of who this Mr. Polly is.I found him to a be a very refreshing hero, being rather ordinary, and dealing with the concerns of anyone's life, particularly that of a middle-aged man.He does not "save the day" by perfoming any conventional (or even moral) acts, but this only makes him more real.Mr. Polly's passion for epithet is absolutely delightful, and gave me a great sense of pleasure to watch him go about his transformation.

This was a terriffic, merry little book, with a central character worthy of some of the finest in literature, at least from the limited literature I have read.Don't be fooled by the humorous facade however; there is a deeper message, one which will become relevant at some time in all our lives. It isn't one of Wells's most well known books, but it should be.A superb little gem. ... Read more

Product Description
Young, impoverished, and ambitious science student Mr. Lewisham is locked in a struggle to further himself through academic achievement. But when his former sweetheart, Ethel Henderson, re-enters his life, his strictly regimented existence is thrown into chaos by the resurgence of old passion; while she returns his love, she also hides a dark secret. For she is involved in a plot that goes against his firmest beliefs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Wells' social fiction
Love and Mr. Lewisham is the story of a young man who seeks to better himself and achieve glory through educational achievements.His love life, however, derails this ambition in several different ways.This is Wells' exploration of the dilemmas of the young man torn between career and relationship.Wells fans will realize that the ending of the book did not mirror his actual feelings/behavior on marriage.

pretty good book that's not really well known
i just grabbed a book one day from the library and it turned out to be a good story. i was surprised that wells, a big author, wrote such an unknown book. try it out. ... Read more

Product Description
Mark Twain once famously said "there was but one solitary thing about the past worth remembering, and that was the fact that it is past and can't be restored."Ê Well, over recent years, The British Library, working with Microsoft has embarked on an ambitious programme to digitise its collection of 19th century books.

There are now 65,000Ê titles availableÊ (that's an incredible 25 million pages) of material ranging from works by famous names such asÊ Dickens, Trollope and Hardy as well as many forgotten literary gems , all of which can now be printed on demand and purchased right here on Amazon.

Further information on The British Library and its digitisation programme can be found on The British Library website. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (141)

Different than I expected
This again reinforces my experience that using movies to get an idea of what classic novels are about does not always work.There have been many Invisible Man movies, but I don't remember any that were like this book.The main character was significantly different than I expected.He was brilliant, but deeply flawed.He would not fall into my list of literatures most likable characters.

I appreciate the kindle freebies, which has given me a chance to easily read many great works and novels.This edition was very readable.As with many freebies, there is no links in the table of contents, but that is not important to me in a novel like this.You can do a search for the word `Chapter' is you want to see how long a chapter is.

I recommend this short book for anyone interested in literature from this period.As an engineer, I was impressed by the author's explanations that made the invisibility sound plausible.

A Classic and A Great Read!


In the beginning of The Invisible Man, by H. G. Wells, attention is brought to a scientist named Griffin who has discovered the means of invisibility with an invisibility serum. Griffin has apparently gone insane in the process. The book is very descriptive and with so much of a scientific background you may think that the serum that the invisible man produced is real. Very frustrated and upset with his situation, Griffin causes a major upset at an inn in rural London which makes him an infamous beast, with London at it's peak of terror already because of the Boer War. When frustrated by failure in his many attempts to restore himself back to visibility, Griffin is determined to embark on a reign of terror upon the world.

H. G. Wells was a very strong writer and it is the situation from which the novel draws most of its power. Invisibility sounds quite enticing, but what if you were to actually become invisible? How would you cope with the ordinary details of every day life? Griffin does not cope well at all, and though Wells suggests that the invisible man's madness had arisen from a number of places and past events, he also implies that it may have arisen from the cold reality of invisibility itself.
Published in 1897, The Invisible Man was one of H. G. Wells's earliest novels. It is an extremely influential novel and it has tremendous energy and style throughout it. It's a very entertaining read and is also quite witty in a sort of way. The sense of realism and scientific explanation creates a story so heart pounding that you will not want to put it down.

What is unseen
Imagine if you were invisible and could come and go as you pleased, with nobody able to see you. Cool, right? Well, not really. H.G. Wells' "The Invisible Man" has the sci-fi master exploring what would happen if a person took an invisibility elixir, and discovered too late that invisibility has some definite downsides. It's possibly Wells' funniest novel, but it also has some wonderfully chilling moments.

A strange man arrives at a hotel in Iping, wrapped up in goggles, bandages, scarves, and heavy clothes. He spends most of his time hidden away in his room, doing odd scientific experiments, and avoiding contact with other people -- while still keeping everything except his nose hidden. Meanwhile, the local vicar and his wife are robbed by a mysterious thief... who is completely invisible.

Well, you can guess what's up with the stranger -- he's an invisible man, and after a blowup with his landlady he reveals his true.... um, lack of appearance to the entire town. After a series of disastrous encounters, the Invisible Man encounters Dr. Kemp, an old friend to whom he reveals how he became invisible, and what he's done since then... as well as his malevolent plans for the future.

H.G. Wells isn't really known for being a funny writer, but the first part of "The Invisible Man" is actually mildly hilarious. He writes the first third or so of the book in a fairly light, humorous style, and there are some fun scenes speckled through the story, like a homeless man dealing with the Invisible Man ("Not a bit of you visible--except-- You 'aven't been eatin' bread and cheese?").

But things get much darker after Mr. Kemp enters the scene, and we find out that the Invisible Man is... well, kind of malevolent and crazy. Very crazy.

And as the plot grows darker and grimmer, Wells also inserts a clever (if far-fetched even by Victorian standards) explanation for how a person could become invisible, using a mix of science and fantasy. The plot hurtles through wild chase scenes and the occasional riot, and some moments of bleak tension ("When dawn came to mingle its pallor with the lamp-light and cigar smoke of the dining-room, Kemp was still pacing...")

The Invisible Man himself (aka Griffin) is a pretty mysterious character for most of the story, since all we know about him is that he's invisible.... and also kind of a jerk. I mean, the guy constantly flies off the handle and even robs a nice little old vicar. And the more we find out about him, the more malignant and insane he turns out to be.

Even if you had a way to become invisible, "The Invisible Man" would be a pretty effective way of dissuading people from using it. A deserving classic.

Invisibility as a Result of Science
H.G. Wells was a scientific man. He wrote this book in the burgeoning scientific society (The book is published in 1897), which was to transform the entire world in the 20.th century. H.G. Wells was acutely curious about the most far reaching possiblities of science. This book actually ponders upon a scientific theory about making matter invisible. According to this theory matter is visible because it is granulated. Wells gives an example with glass: When glass is whole it is transparent and you can look through it. If you break the class and crushes it into a powder, you granulate the glass and makes it into a white powder, which is not transparent. It is the uneven surfaces of the granules which makes them non-transparent. If you can smoothen these surfaces of the granules you can make matter more transparent. Wells gives an example with paper. We can't look through paper because it is made of tiny paper fragments with uneven surfaces. But if you poor oil on the paper it has the effect of smoothening the jagged surfaces of the paper fragments making up the piece of paper, thus the paper is becoming more transparent. This is fundamentals of the theory which the scientist of the novel, Griffin, uses to make himself invisible.

Okay.
Not really what I was expecting but now I can at least say I read it. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (9)

Fiction, yet Reality
HG Wells is my most beloved writer. His style is like no other. Five of his most impressive works in one set is a fantastic choice for any Science fan and lover of HG Wells. Magnificent writing that will keep you in suspense until the very end. I suggest you read The Time Machine first to break yourself in, since it is short and right to the point.

The origins of sci-fi
One of the very first science fiction authors -- and the one with the biggest impact on sci-fi -- was undoubtedly H.G. Wells. And "Five Great Science Fiction Novels" brings together a collection of his timeless novels, filled with weird occurrences, weird people, and even weirder creatures.

"The Time Machine" concerns the Time Traveller, an English scientist who has built a machine capable of taking a person through time. So he goes to the year 802,701 A.D. and finds that civilization has fallen -- the human race has become the grotesque, apish Morlocks and the innocent, vague Eloi. And as he continues traveling into the future, it becomes bleaker.

"The Invisible Man" involves... well, an invisible man. A stranger covered entirely in clothes, goggles and bandages arrives in the village of Iping, and frightens the locals with his strange behavior. When the "invisible man" stumbles across the house of Dr. Kemp, he reveals his true identity and just how he became invisible...

"The War of the Worlds" takes place when the narrator finds a bizarre metal spaceship, filled with enormous tentacled Martians -- and soon they're decimating the army with their heat rays and tripodal fighting machines. Now, the human race is threatened with annihilation or enslavement, unless something can turn the war of the worlds in their favor.

In "The Island of Dr. Moreau," Edward Prendick is brought to a strange island, where he meets the titular Dr. Moreau... who turns out to be a mad scientist who was driven out of England for his vivisection experiments. And free of society, the doctor has turned his skills to far more horrible talents, creating a race of beast/human hybrids.

And finally, "The First Men on the Moon" arrive when an eccentric scientist uncovers an odd substance that defies gravity -- so of course, rather than selling it for a fortune, he builds a spaceship with it. But not only does the moon have life, it has insectile creatures called Selenites who soon capture them...

A future "dying earth," time machines, space ships, genetic engineering, strange elixirs and even the idea of aliens invading the Earth -- H.G. Wells came up with a lot of the ideas that are now pretty common in science fiction. Some have been disproven (I'm pretty sure there are no hyper-evolved, tentacled monsters on Mars), but that doesn't make his books any less groundbreaking.

Wells wrote in a staid 19th-century style, full of vivid descriptions ("The red eastern sky, the northward blackness, the salt Dead Sea, the stony beach crawling with these foul, slow-stirring monsters") and powerful emotions (the wild chase scenes in "The Invisible Man"). He also had a knack for inserting some really alien stuff into the stories, as well as some truly bleak depictions of what might come to pass.

And he wove in plenty of science -- bacteria, albinism, genetic engineering, evolution and the life cycle of a planet, although the "cavorite" idea is rather far-fetched! I can only imagine how these books must have expanded the imaginations of the Victorians who read them.

HG Wells' most famous works are brought together in "Five Great Science Fiction Novels" -- bleak, brilliant sci-fi that needs to be read to be believed.

HG Wells Boxed Set
So nice to be able to find a collection of HG Wells.This box set is just what I wish I could find for other authors as well!

Great Books
This was a great addition to my personal library. I was told to expect my books on a certain day and they arrived a LOT sooner than expected. The books were in excellent condition and all that I was hoping they would be. I will definitely order from them again.

Great price
I read the review about the cover being pink with cartoons rather than the cover pictured.I almost didn't order this because of that.Maybe they changed because of the review, but the box cover is as pictured which is cool.Bought these for my 8 year old grandson. ... Read more

Product Description
From the back cover: Le Guin's selection of twenty-six stories showcases Well's genius and reintroduces readers to his singular talent for making the unbelievable seem utterly plausible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Sellected Stories of H. G. Wells
Wonderful edition of Wells's short prose; it should be in everyone's personal library. The short story entitled 'Under the Knife' is simply a masterpiece of world literature. If you start there you will have in Wells a companion for life.

Good selection.
This is a very good selection of H.G. Wells stories. I like the art and if youlove sci-fi this is a must have.

Back to the Future
Selected Stories of H. G. Wells (Modern Library Classics)

Widely regarded as a founder of science fiction, H.G. Wells predicted, among other things, nuclear and biological warfare ("The War of the World" and "The Island of Dr. Moreau." His longer works are well known, but his short stories deserve critical acclaim as well. In "The Land Ironclads," Wells also accurately predicted the use of tanks in battle, although they did not appear until years later.His description of the gunsights and navigational systems are incredibly accurate... his gunners use a sort of "heads-up display" and a kind of laser sighting."The sighting was ingeniously contrived. The rifleman stood at the table with a thing like an elaboration of a draughtsman's dividers in his hand, and he opened and closed those dividers, so that they were always at the apparent height --- of it was an ordinary sized man... of the man he wanted to kill."
"Changes in the clearness of the atmosphere, due to changes of moisture, were met by an ingenious use of the meteorologically sensitive substance, catgut and when the land ironclad moved forward the sights got a compensatory deflection in the direction of its motion." His prediction of technology using thermal imaging, laser sighting and gyro-controlled stabilization is amazing.
But it isn't technological innovation, but social analysis that makes his short stories worth reading.Technology is a double-edged sword: it improves man's ability to deal with the environment but diminishes his quality of life.

Master Storyteller--Prophetic Insight
This is one of the most exciting volumes of Wells' work I've ever come across, not only for the works themselves, but for Le Guin's brilliant introduction, commentary, and overall selection.She truly acts as a guide throughout the volume, and I can think of no greater heir to Wells' vision than the brilliant author of The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness, Lathe of Heaven, etc.Unlike other editors/critics, she is uninterested in matters of political correctness, and instead urges us to read the historical and the universal Wells--in other words, the Wells that revolutionized the science fiction story, and the one who continues to be relevant through his vision and insight.

The stories here are brilliantly written--science fiction could never be written like this today.Wells was a master of style (and as Le Guin points out, of description), and without his voice in the stories, even the most fantastic ideas might seem second rate.Yet all of his stories marry style with vision; Wells understood the dangers of technology and progress as well as its achievements.In a story like "The New Accelerator," we see the moral dilemma of marketing a formula that could create an entirely new class of criminals (and indeed, even the protagonists act a bit criminal and childish under the influence of their accelerator).There are many stories like this, that chart the great promise of science twisted for immediate, selfish ends, and how powerless mankind is to stop it.

Even more exciting are the stories that take us entirely to new dimensions of thought, such as "The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes," where a man exists in two worlds--his physical body in London, while his eyes and perception on a remote Pacific island.The way Wells describes the man's dilemma is both amazing and terrifying in its realism.The same is true for the surreal "Under the Knife," where a patient undergoes a near-death experience and floats through the cosmos to oblivion.Again, the style conjures up a sense of tactile experience and lived terror that is hard to shake off.

We also find stories that hint at the masterpieces to come, such as "The Crystal Egg," which has resonances of The War of the Worlds, as does the frightening "The Star," which ends with a paragraph very similar to the opening of WOTW.And a story like "The Stolen Body" dabble in familiar Stevensonian doppleganger territory, but is in no way derivative.In short, this is a fascinating volume showing Wells' true range not only as a science fiction writer, but as a true literary stylist who exerted a profound influence on an entire century of writers.If you enjoy Wells or works of true fantasy and scientific speculation, this volume should find its way to the top of your wish list.

Recently read, and very enjoyable
I recently read all the stories in this book over a period of a week.They are arranged in a nice, thematic way, so that similar stories are grouped together.I was amazed at the breadth of the subject matter of the stories, having previously restricted myself to Wells' speculative short stories such as "The Land Ironclads".But "The Valley of Spiders" is a spooky story of what apparently are cowboys on a chase, and the first story in the book, "A Slip Under the Microscope", is a realistic story of college students, that shows how little has changed in over 100 years.In fact, if one thing struck me about all the stories it is how modern they all are;there were no anachronisms that spoiled any story, though of course you have to put yourself back before airplanes and tanks were invented in "The Argonauts of the Air" and "The Land Ironclads".Rather than reviewing all the stories individually, I will just say that anyone who enjoys imaginative short stories will surely find much to like here. ... Read more

Product Description
"The writer is of opinion that the Council of Nicaeawhich forcibly crystallised the controversies of two centuries and formulated the creed upon which all the existing Christian churches are basedwas one of the most disastrous and one of the least venerable of all religious gatherings..." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Don't waste your time
I enjoy reading opinions that oppose mine.Makes me test my faith in a positive way.However, I was unable to get all the way through this book.I just couldn't stomach the ridiculousness of the author's views.Usually an opinion is based on "something".I can't say that there was much logic used here.So...don't waste your time.

I definitely agree with him...
This is an excellent book. H.G. Wells was a deeply spiritual man just not in any traditional sense. His views on religion are very unique and intriguing. I would have thought him to be an atheist, but obviously he was not. His comments on the subject bring that to light, and interestingly he dubs atheism as a religion.
He calls the Council of Nicaea the most disastrous of all religious gatherings and expresses a lot of disagreement with current Christian dogma, particularly the cruel and arrogant portions of it. I definitely agree with him on that.

I think Christians' insistence that their way is the only right one and you will be tortured in hell forever if you don't agree cannot possibly be true and is inconsistent with the actions of a loving god. Wells also talks about the popular belief that people are born into sin along with a lot of other spiritual topics, on which he has many interesting points to make.

What I liked the most about this book was Wells belief that organized religion is unnecessary to spiritual growth and, in fact, harmful. I strongly agree with him on that. I was also very interested to read his thoughts on this subject. This is the only book like this that he has ever written, and his beliefs surprised me.

Great insights!
I was surprised to see that H.G. Wells had written a spiritual work. I'd always identified him with Martians invading earth. I firmly believe that his ideas are on the right path. Intermediaries are certainly not necessary for those seeking the divine. We are all one and the issues we squabble about are so petty. It is especially sad that the greatest arguments are over spirituality. Wells clearly seeks unity in these matters, and I strongly agree with his objective. This is a valuable book with great insights.

AN EVALUATION OF TRINITY
Wells evaluated the philosophical systems and traced their confusion back to lack of agreed definitions of words - in his book The First and Last Things. The sequel being a similar analysis of religions, was titled God The Invisible King.

Here Wells defines his position as a strong believer in one God and proceeds to evaluate the dogmas of the Christian Churches. He describes the notion of Trinity as an Alexandrian contamination three centuries after Jesus from the Nile, declared into creed incouncilof Nicea, and made fundament of all Churches of Christianity since then. Well calls the bluff of mysteries of the Triune or trinity, attributing an anti-religion motive to the institution that has been instilling this dogma into children. He describes his own childhood experience and how he was driven away from the Creater by the dogma.

It should be read together with Thomas Paine for a complete perspective of scriptures, institutions and effects on which the religion in the West is based.

It is a pity that the other two boks of Wells which make a series with this one are not included among books offered here. I thought they were missing even among books out of print. These are, as said above, First and Last Things and The Open Conspiracy.

Wells is going to make a spectacular come back in one of these days, to take most established institutions by surprize, as very graphically and prophetically described inWhen the Sleeper Awakes! Also an immortal book.

Have fun. ... Read more

Product Description
Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946) was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary. Together with Jules Verne, Wells has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction".
According to Wikipedia "The War of the Worlds (1898) is a science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. It describes the experiences of an unnamed narrator who travels through the suburbs of London as the Earth is invaded by Martians. It is one of the earliest stories that details a conflict between mankind and an alien race.

The War of the Worlds is split into two parts, Book one: The Coming of the Martians, and Book two: The Earth under the Martians. The novel is narrated by a writer of philosophical articles who throughout the narrative struggles to reunite with his wife, while witnessing the Martians rampaging through the southern English counties. Part one also features the tale of his brother, who accompanies two women to the coast in the hope of escaping England as it is invaded."
Wells was an outspoken socialist and sympathetic to pacifist views, although he supported the First World War once it was under way, and his later works became increasingly political and didactic. His middle period novels (1900–1920) were less science-fictional; they covered lower-middle class life (The History of Mr Polly) and the "New Woman" and the Suffragettes (Ann Veronica).
Amazon.com Review
This is the granddaddy of all alien invasion stories, firstpublished byH.G. Wells in 1898. The novel begins ominously, as the lone voice of anarrator tells readers that "No one would have believed in the last yearsof the nineteenth century that this world was being watched keenly andclosely by intelligences greater than man's..."

Things then progress from a series of seemingly mundane reports about oddatmospheric disturbances taking place onMars to the arrival of Martians just outside of London.At first theMartians seem laughable, hardly able to move in Earth's comparatively heavygravity even enough to raise themselves out of the pit created when theirspaceship landed. But soon the Martians reveal their true nature as deathmachines 100-feet tall rise up from the pit and begin laying waste to thesurrounding land.Wells quickly moves the story from the countryside tothe evacuation of London itself and the loss of all hope as England'smilitary suffers defeat after defeat. With horror his narrator describeshow the Martians suck the blood from living humansfor sustenance, and how it's clear that man is not being conquered so mucha corralled. --Craig E. Engler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (297)

book for class
for class, not like its a jump of the couch and go get it book...

Overall still a great sci-fi story
I downloaded this for free for my Kindle.I have never read this before (I have seen a couple bad movies about it) but was eager to read the original story.Overall I liked the story.I thought parts of it were a bit drawn out and boring; but overall it was definitely worth reading...and much better than any of The War of the Worlds movies I have seen.

The nameless narrator of this book tells about green capsules that fall to Earth.Inside them are strange tripod/octupus like creatures that use a heat-rays to destroy a number of people early on.The book follows the narrator as he struggles through the English countryside trying to make it back to his wife.Then for a while he tells the story of his brother in London and of the second Martian weapon they face, that of a black cloud which instantly kills people.Then the story winds back to the original narrator as he makes his way to London to see the final destruction of the Martians.

Like most classics, this story is most outstanding for the story it told at the time it told it.There are probably better books out there now (Christopher John's Tripod series comes to mind) about alien invasion; but for the time this was a very forward thinking book.

The description in the book is very well done and, it is, for the most part very readable and enjoyable.Wells does an excellent job of creating suspense at certain times in the book.He also does an excellent job at showing humanity both at its best and its worst.It is amazing how inhumane some of the humans in this book behave when they are in a panic.The most colossal tragedies this book show that there is space for great heroics and great evil in a time of mass destruction.

I also enjoyed the irony behind how the Martians finally meet there death; it was suiting and says interesting things about evolution in general.

There were some things I did not like about this book.Some of the parts just went on too long.There is a portion where the narrator spends forever describing every minute aspect of the Martians which was slow, another portion where the narrator is making his way across the countryside that was boring, and the part where the narrator is trapped in a collapsed house seemed to drag on forever.Wells gives great attention to the narrators situation but doesn't ever go outside of the narrators sphere of influence to see what is happening world-wide or what kind of reaction the rest of the world is having.Also the characters were pretty sketchy...this was definitely more of an adventure driven novel than a character driven one.

Should you read it?Well if you like sci-fi and are interested in alien invasion then this is a must; this is pretty much the story that inspired a lot of later sci-fi stories.A lot of the story is very enjoyable, engaging and intriguing; but as with many classics there are portions that drag on a bit.I never found the language or writing difficult to understand, so that means this novel has aged well with time.If you are not a sci-fi fan, interested in post-apocalyptic stories, or alien invasion I would probably skip this in favor of something else.

If you do really like this story and haven't read the The Pool of Fire by Christopher John I recommend that you do; the story is similar in tone, more character driven, and a wonderful read.

Science Fiction At Its Best!
I just received the new Kindle as a gift and thought I would try it out by downloading "War of the Worlds."How in the world have I missed this book for so many years.I have been reading SF off and on for the better part of my 63 years but, for some reason, I've never had the urge to read the H. G. Well's classic.I've seen both of the movies and have always enjoyed them, but reading the original was a revelation.

"War of the Worlds" is a terrifying tale of alien invasion around the turn of the century.What a great read!Wells creates a world of horror and fear that is unmatched.We are slowly drawn into the story and before long are fully involved in the nightmare.Wells' writing style is elegant and a joy to read.I had no idea!

Don't miss this one.You don't have to be a lover of Science Fiction to enjoy this book.

As a side note, the Kindle is fabulous.While I've only had it a short time, I have already come to love it.I think it's going to be a constant companion.

A fun read
I picked this book to be my first read on the Kindle, and I'm glad I did."War of the Worlds" is a fun read -- H.G. Wells does a great job recounting this story from the perspective of someone caught in the fighting and strongly involved in the entire martian storyline.I especially enjoyed the historical aspect of the story -- it takes place in the late 1800s, and it's particularly interesting to hear the way that H.G. Wells describes various aspects of human life, and how he imagined the Martians to be, how they arrived, and how humans reacted to them.At the time of the story, humans hadn't invented/discovered winged-flight, automobiles were barely in existence, and many of the aspects of modern life were not present.Reading this 100 years later, it's fascinating to see how things progress in the story, and how the citizens react to various events, and utilize the technologies of their time.It's definitely a fun, interesting read.

One note about reading on the Kindle -- it's fantastic.Something I never realized I would enjoy so much is the easy-access dictionary.For an older novel such as this, there are plenty of words that I'd never heard before.Having such convenient access to a dictionary meant I could look up words like navvies and omnibus.

The War of the Worlds
We sometimes wonder what will become of our future. Some may say that the unexpected should be expected, and that we should be prepared. That tomorrow is another day, and that anything can happen. Whereas on the other hand, people who tend to think more logically, may conclude that it's possible but not probable. But if we remember that not but one person in 1988 would have predicted that within just two years every eastern European nation would win its independence from the Soviet Union (The Cold War). Situations like aliens abducting planet Earth simply give us a guffaw and we think to ourselves, "There's no such thing as Martians or UFO's!" Or are there...? Are Martians, at this moment, watching us? Are they getting ready to drive humans to extinction? We may not know the answer to all these questions right now, but I'm sure that something is mysteriously lurking around somewhere in this universe, waiting for an opportune moment to meet us. H.G. Wells's masterpiece, The War of the Worlds, prepares us for the unexpected, taking us on a journey which will keep us awe- inspired and ready for adventure! Known for playing a major role in the genre of science fiction, H.G. Wells is known for his notable work on The, Time Machine, The Invisible Man, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The first Man on the Moon, and The Shape of Things to Come.
During the last few years of the nineteenth century, this world was being watched. This world was being watched so closely and surreptitiously that no one ever suspected it. People continued to do their mundane tasks and children were living naively, with tribulations ranging from stealing cookies from the cookie jar and completing homework assignments. No one knew that a plan for ultimate destruction was just days. Even though "the plan for ultimate destruction" encompassed the entire world; the author primarily focused on a small town found in the countryside of England called Woking. The first few chapters take place here, and then slowly expand to neighboring towns and cities like London and Letherhead. These places are slowly enveloped in complete chaos and destruction. H.G. Wells chose a compatible setting to go along with his plot; because since he had lived in London he was able to provide aspects from his everyday life in the 1890's.H.G Wells's description of London made me visualize the setting and different customs compared to the lifestyle here; like morning tea, evening tea, and the way locals spoke. As H.G Wells mentions in his novel, "I came into Oxford Street by the Marble Arch, and here again were black powder and several bodies, and an evil, ominous smell from the gratings of the cellars of some of the houses."(260) I feel that since H.G. Wells gave his readers a vivid picture of what London is like, it added to the success of his novel. He was able to provide more than the common tourist or visitor; which made his book more interesting to read. A different setting would however demean the success of the novel. It would take away from H.G. Wells's splendid work and the home-sweet-home feeling (even though the book is based on complete destruction) that you feel when reading this book.

This book stars a hero, who by H.G. Well's decision- his name is never mentioned in the book, and is simple given the title "The Man." It's an odd title to give the main character, but it works in this novel. "The Man" who narrates the story is given the characteristics of a philosopher and a true day dreamer; who feels undefined bliss when looking up at the stars and constellations. Even though his head is stuck in the clouds for most of the time, he happens to be an educated man, and will become alert when his beloved home and family are in danger. (So I guess you can say that he is no more than a family oriented man.) His strongest trait, I can clearly tell, is self- control. He manages to keep his calm in some of the most problematic and hair pulling situations. He mentions when he is alone with the Curate for weeks, "Practically he had already sunk to the level of an animal. But, as the saying goes, I gripped myself with both hands."(210) The annoying, paranoid companion of the man, named the Curate, stuck with the man for a dreadful three weeks. We can feel the tensions rise when the man is at his wits end with the Curate. I think the Curate and the man ran into problems in the end because their two personalities are completely incongruous. But let's not forget the creator of all the chaos, The Martians, aliens from Mars who have developed great mental and technical abilities in order to escape from their own inhabitance- which is coming to a state of disrepair. The Martians create an atmosphere of grave destruction, painting a horror scene with burnt trees, dead plants, ransacked homes, blood, fire, and many skeletons. They make a simple place called home completely horrid and dreadful.

The book begins with the fact that Mars wants to take over planet Earth. By starting the book like this I was intrigued to continue reading. The reason to start the war was because they are envious of our own planet earth. As they spitefully look down at Earth, I can just imagine how human beings continue to still humbly frolic on their front lawns, and (of course) have time to watch Winnie the Pooh. They have absolutely no idea what is going to happen to them. Not until they receive their first clue; the first falling star. When the narrator arrives at the scene, he discovers what he saw was not a falling star but a giant cylinder. Examining it, he can see the lid turning, and that something is inside it. He's about to let out a shriek, when he decides to back away from the eeriness as the fear seeps into his core. He tries to forget about it until he comes across it again when he is walking back home- however, this time a histrionic aggregation flanks the once isolated cylinder. From the reaction of the crowd fraught with peons, he prognosticates that the unknown creature opened the cylinder. Dubious of his predictions, he pushes his way through the crowd. Reaching closer, he dreadfully thinks of his death knell, and hears dissonant phrases of "Keep back! Keep back! It's a-movin!"(29) He sees the abysmal creature. Impassive with fear, he makes a run for it, as the black beady eyes divulge their enmity. The man grabs his wife and decides to go to his cousin's home. They spend a nice time with them, until the man wants to go back to Woking.He insists that his wife come with him, but his wife decides not to.-- This sentence (don't you think?) added to the intensity of the plot. I remember reading this, feeling scared for the wife and her husband. - He walks home and sees the horrifying destruction. He ponders for quite a bit of what he should do, and what the world was coming too. As fate leads him to an artillery man they head towards the outskirts of Woking. The two men come across a new cylinder guarded with giants- blocking the man to reunite with his wife. He sadly follows the artillery man, until the artillery man finds his unit. The narrator dives into the water-during a surprise attack by the Martians, and quickly grabs an empty boat and ends up meeting Curate. The Curate sticks to the narrator like super glue, and never leaves his side. The narrator describes his feelings and irritation, as though we are experiencing them too! H.G Wells miraculously has the ability to control his reader's emotions. The Curate and the narrator end up stuck in a home for days, as they unluckily find themselves just two feet away from the menacing Martians. When the Martians finally leave(after almost a month!), the narrator runs for his life, replenishing himself with fresh gulps of air. As he walks along Oxford Street, it seems as though he is the last human being left on Earth to deal with the Martians. The conclusion to this story is a surprise which you're going to have to end up reading!

I enjoyed reading every part of this book. This book held me captivated to its little font and 285 pages. This book reminds its readers to believe in the impossible. It teaches us to be prepared for even some of the most unexpected situations. H.G Well's writing style includes both verbosity and creativity. This book was even more interesting to read to the attention to detail H.G Wells displays. I left this book with a happy face, and a new way of thinking and approaching my problems.This book is a must read for any of those who love to use their imagination. By not reading The War of the Worlds you will feel sorry that you missed out! ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Free SF Reader

A collection that has quite a bit of fantasy contained therein, but which again tails off in the latter part as far as interest goes.

Twelve Stories and A Dream : Filmer - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Magic Shop - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Valley of Spiders - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Truth about Pyecraft - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Inexperienced Ghost - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Jimmy Goggles the God - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The New Accelerator - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Ledbetter's Vacation - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : The Stolen Body - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Mr. Brisher's Treasure - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : Miss Winchelsea's Heart - H. G. Wells
Twelve Stories and A Dream : A Dream of Armageddon - H. G. Wells


Strange flyer.

3 out of 5


Genuine article here.

3.5 out of 5


Puffballs, too many legs.

3.5 out of 5


A man needs to get his physics straight when asking for supernatural dieting assistance.

4 out of 5


Under Knoll.

3 out of 5


If you ask a spook for membership, he just might say yes.

4 out of 5


Deity impersonation.

3 out of 5


Flash tonic.

3.5 out of 5


Burglar reform.

3 out of 5


Remarkable medium possession save.

3 out of 5


Loot score.

2.5 out of 5


Snooks not for me.

2.5 out of 5


Future war visions.

3 out of 5

An Excellent Collection
Every story in this collection shows why the work of H.G. Wells has lasted this long.These stories show the wide range of his imagination telling tales of baried treasury, magic, other worlds, visons of the future, ghosts, and even a tale of love lost.All thirteen tales are excellently written in Wells' classic style.

My personal favorites were "The Magic Shop" and "A Dream of Armageddon"

I highly recommend this collection to any fan of speculative fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
The Shape of Things to Come tells of an intellectual who dies and leaves behind a "dream book" inspired by visions that are remarkably prescient. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Interesting but flawed ideas from a visionary but embittered man
With each passing year, H G Wells became more and more strident in advocating Socialism and the World State. And with every passing year, he became more and more embittered and pessimistic as his dreams went unrealised. Nowhere is this clearer than in `The Shape Of Things To Come', which despite discussing the "History of the Future" and making some startlingly accurate predictions, bears no resemblance to Wells' early scientific romances. There is some frame story in the form of Dr Philip Raven and his "dream of the future", but there's very little in the way of narration or storytelling in the traditional sense. `The Shape Of Things To Come' is essentially a very long and very serious essay representing Wells' most detailed outline of how a World State might be achieved.

In the first half, Wells begins by outlining the history of the immediate past and present (Book 1), and then-near future (Book 2) in the context of the development of a World State. This part of the book is very academic and can be quite heavy going at times. Certainly there is some interesting historical information here, presented in an unconventional context. But it is also very simplistic: the formation of a World State is portrayed as inevitable, the few people who advocated it are beatified as flawless visionaries, and everyone else dismissed as ignorant clods. It goes further than Victors' History; Wells is unrelentingly snarky and vindictive in savaging those who disagree with him.

Special mention must be made of Wells' predictions of the Second World War. While a number of his predictions were spot on (the date and location of its commencement), he gets it badly wrong in two ways. Firstly, he refuses to believe that re-armament and warfare can bring huge economic benefits (as WW2 did to the US and other countries), so does not accept that the world can lift itself out of its 1930's doldrums. This was a major flaw in Wells' logic, since his World State is based on the idea that countries and nationalism will disintegrate due to the unending Great Depression. Secondly, he blames the coming war solely on Poland and Western Europe, with poor defenceless little Germany the persecuted victim. While you can argue that Versailles was vindictive, and Wells could not have foreseen in 1933 what Germany would be like in 1939, Book 2 is nevertheless a deeply disturbing read. It's the history of the 1930's as it would have been written had the wrong side won the war.

The second half of the book (Books 3-5) deals with Wells' theories as to how the World State would be established from the ruins of Depression, war, and disease, and Book 5 describes the conditions World Citizens would live under. This section is generally more interesting and easier-going than the first half, and takes on a more personal and emotional element. The World State in 2105 certainly seems like a perfect place; however, once again Wells' passion overcomes his logic.If the World State is such an inevitable utopian paradise, why does it require a century or so of repressive military dictatorship (Book 4) to "convince" people to support it? Wells never resolves this fundamental contradiction, and in fact he tries to gloss over this a bit. He seems to regard with chilling indifference the persecution and enforced suicide of those who get in the way, and also `Nineteen Eighty Four' style re-interpretation of history and literature.Anything, literally anything, is acceptable if it furthers progress, and Wells doesn't seem to appreciate that four generations of humanity might not be happy to be enslaved under the Air Dictatorship just so he can have his Perfect World a hundred years' hence.

So in summary, `The Shape Of Things To Come' is a difficult book that doesn't necessarily reward you for the effort you're required to put in. There is no doubting Wells' imagination, and he has clearly thought in great detail about many specific aspects of the world in 2105. But he undermines his own arguments with logical gaps and flaws, and his partisan writing style does grate after a while. The book is an excellent insight into the aging and embittered Wells' mindset of the time, but be aware that it is a very challenging read that will not appeal to everybody.

Pointless
A mix of past history, plus a load of wildly inaccurate predictions presented as if this so-called novel was some kind of history book published in the 21st century. Wells acknowledges J.W. Dunne's Experiment with Time. It's not clear if this book was the outcome of Wells attempting to follow Dunne's technique in that book, or whether he saw himself as some kind of modern day Mother Shipton. Anyway, the only thing he gets nearly right is the outbreak of another war, which he predicts as starting in 1940. One example of the inaccuracies is that he states Poland would declare war on Germany and that the Poles would heavily bomb Berlin so that it would be like a primitive village afterwards. Elsewhere, he speaks highly of Lenin and goes on about the modern state being in control of life. In his Experiment in Autobiography he says he "took great pains to make it as exciting and readable as anything I have ever done". It nearly sent me to sleep.

The shape of things to come - H.G.Wells
Excellent condition and very interesting reading - especially now in our troubled times. When will we learn that NO ONE wins in a war except a small handful of VERY GREEDY and IMMORAL people! Should be required reading in our schools.

H. G. Wells - Conspirator.
_The Shape of Things to Come_ is the Penguin Classics edition of the novel first published in 1933 by the famous science fiction writer and British socialist H. G. Wells which provides an account of the "history of the future" and offers predictions as to what the future (at the time of writing) will bring.H. G. Wells envisioned this book in many ways to be a sequel to the historical work _The Outline of History_ (1930) which attempted to predict future developments taking off from where "history" left off.This book is particularly prescient and offered predictions for a Second World War and the creation of a "World State" and world government.As such, it is apparent that the thinking of individuals in the milieu of Wells had a profound influence on the thinking of the elite who operated behind the scenes in the Twentieth Century to erect a world government.H. G. Wells (1866 - 1946) was a British science fiction writer of world renown best known for his novels dealing with various scientific predictions and developments.However, there is another side to Wells.Wells also had an interest in politics and was an avid socialist, seeking to redress perceived social wrongs, who joined the Fabian society of socialists seeking "revolution" through gradualism for a time.Wells ardently believed in the ideals of socialism and world government as the answer to Nineteenth and early Twentieth century discrepancies in wealth.Wells was also an historian who was influenced heavily by Darwinian thinking and science.This novel which is really more of a political outline for a utopia than a real "novel", provides a vision of the World State achieved through co-operation among nations, as well as predicting various Twentieth century events including the Second World War.The "novel" is presented as the "dream book" left behind by one Dr. Philip Raven, an intellectual working for the League of Nations, who dies in 1930.This "dream book" reveals Raven's visions for the future of mankind and the creation of the World State.These visions are particularly prescient in light of the developments of the Twentieth century and the coming emergence of a worldwide government, and it is obvious that Wells was certainly no small visionary.As such, I believe this book is highly important and can be profitably read today to understand the events that have taken place in world politics during the Twentieth century and even into our own times.

The novel begins with an Introduction to "The Dream Book of Dr. Philip Raven".This introduction explains that Dr. Philip Raven was an intellectual working for the League of Nations who died in Geneva in 1930.Further, it is explained the means by which Dr. Philip Raven maintained contact with the future and through his visions was able to predict the coming World State.The introduction is supposed to be written by H. G. Wells himself who serves as the "transcriber" of Dr. Philip Raven's manuscripts.The novel then turns to "Book I:Today and Tomorrow:The Age of Frustration Dawns".The novel explains how following the First World War and the crippling Treaty of Versailles there arose the desire to put an end to war once and for all through means of an international overseeing body (which became the League of Nations).Further, the novel explains how economic crises led to various socialist proposals for alleviating poverty and resolving such economic downturns.Following this, the novel turns to "Book II:The Days After Tomorrow:The Age of Frustration".Here, the novel shows the development of economic theory through the London Conference as well as the rise of dictatorships and fascisms.The novel also explains how the old order was "sloughed off" and subsequently replaced by a new order based on world government.The novel also predicts the Second World War and shows the role of the Russian revolution and the theories of such economic theorists as Karl Marx and Henry George.Following this, the novel turns to "Book III:The World Renascence:The Birth of the Modern State".Here, the novel explains the plan of the modern World State, the development of the technocracy, and the role of a new "technical revolutionary" in the creation of the modern World State.Following this, the novel turns to "Book IV:The Modern State Militant".Here, the novel explains the rise of the World State and the Air Dictatorship.The novel explains such features of the "modern World State" as "futile insurrections" against it and predictions for the future.Following this, the novel turns to "Book V:The Modern State in Control of Life".This part of the novel discusses such topics as geogonic planning, changes in control of human behavior, the increase in lifespan and "wisdom" of the average man, and other topics as they relate to the "modern World State".The novel ends here by explaining that the World State has made possible a new development in the history of mankind devoted to socialism and cosmopolitanism.

This novel by H. G. Wells lays out an important blueprint for the history of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries.Wells' predictions are particularly prescient as they relate to the Second World War, the development of the League of Nations, the rise of socialism, and the creation of a global world state.Herein, H. G. Wells reveals himself to be a conspirator of the highest order whose utopian schemes were to be played out in the schemes of the elite in the coming ages.While this book is primarily meant to be a sequel to Wells' works on history, it lays out his coming plan and understanding of the new age.As such, this book reveals not only Wells as a primary thinker behind the goal of the New World Order but also as a powerful utopian dreamer and seer who predicted the coming age.

Free SF Reader
This book by H. G. Wells is only a sort of novel. He uses the device of
a man having, basically, prophetic visions of the future, to discuss
society at length.

The discussion is about the future, and the direction that mankind
is taking. Written towards the end of the Depression, this of course
influences the writing, as does the likelihood of further world war,
also a prediction in the book.

He continues on, as the book is divided into multiple parts, each looking at a different stage.




... Read more