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Thirty Strange Stories
Social, domestic, and scientific themes are treated in the English writer's short stories of fantasy and horror
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1897
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 22, 2008
Lots of great stories in here--many just creepy scenes ("In the Avu Observatory," "The Red Room"), some more complete ("Pollock and the Porroh Man," "The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham"). A couple that are only sort of strange, including one that's basically the beginning of a realistic novel ("A Slip Under the Microscope"), and a number of light comic stories. Nothing is as good here as "War of the Worlds" or "Invisible Man," but many are nearly as good or better than "The Time Machine." Favorite that I had not read before: "The Apple." Most unpleasant (not worst): "The Reconciliation."
May 20, 2020
(Read in the Project Gutenberg edition, which has just a few typos.)
Wells, of course, I knew from reading War of the Worlds as a teenager, and having "The Plattner Story" tediously thrust upon me in collections of great fantasy stories, or some other nonsense.
The stories here range from ones exploring the depths of the human psyche to ones describing the depths of the ocean and the depths of horror. Unexpectedly, Wells had an excellent touch when it comes to the complexities of the human mind. "A Slip Under the Microscope" explores the way guilt can operate on us; "A Reconciliation" and "The Cone" are both about what hate can bring people to do.
Wells wrote some wonderful ordinary characters living careful, circumscribed lives for one reason or another--they're sympathetic and realistic, and Wells focuses on how huge the ordinary stresses of life can loom. "A Catastrophe" starts with impending economic catastrophe in the lives of a struggling couple and ends with-- I won't spoil it. "The Jilting of Jane" is an amusing look at how the little community of wife, husband, and servant can be upset by a change in one of them. There's a lot of gentle, humorous poking at characters just like the reader; for example, "The Lost Inheritance." "The Apple" hands an object from legend to a young man embarrassed to be seen carrying it.
While I could have done without some of the looooong descriptions of way-cool stuff (the hallucination in "Under the Knife" comes to mind), I enjoyed the way Wells splices odd happenings into the lives of his very ordinary characters. "The Strange Orchid" has a ... okay, strange orchid entering the life of a shy little man living a dull little life; "The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham" includes a little magic. Guilt and obsession show up in several stories: "Pollock and the Porroh Man," "A Moth."
But, this being H. G. Wells, there's some horror here, too, and some weird happenings. "The Story of Davidson's Eyes" is freaky and difficult to describe. (Poor Davidson!) Wells seems to have liked weird creatures: "In the Avu Observatory" has an astronomer attacked in the dark by a creature we never see; "The Sea Raiders" has critters from the abyss with a liking for human flesh. Both are wonderfully creepy stories. "Aepyornis Island" features a creature from the distant past, in a story with very little plot. "In the Abyss" is a weird-set-piece story, with a long description of the incomprehensible culture of sentient creatures living at the bottom of the ocean. (Of course, "Under the Knife" has a different kind of horror for the modern reader: when Wells wrote the story, if you needed an operation, the doctor showed up at your house and did it right there, without benefit of modern sterilization methods ... shudder)
There's some ambivalence about the modern age apparent in some of the stories. "The Argonauts of the Air" has one of the strangest methods of getting a flying machine into the air that I've ever seen (and some unfortunate results); and poor Davidson has his eye problem because of some experiments. "The Lord of the Dynamos" seems to be about how machinery can work on the human mind. "The Cone" has some unpleasant things to say about factories.
Unfortunately, there's a certain amount of racism, too. A noxious racist slur gets used quite casually in more than one story (usually by a reprehensible character), and some of the stories have an entertaining plot, but racist overtones. "A Deal in Ostriches" and "The Rajah's Treasure" are actually quite funny; but there's a lot of racism in presentation of the characters. "The Lord of the Dynamos" is probably the worst with regard to this, and can be missed.
All in all, though, I enjoyed the stories more than I thought I might. The book feels like a little snapshot of the worries and wonderings of British people at the turn of the 20th century and is a pretty good read.
Wells, of course, I knew from reading War of the Worlds as a teenager, and having "The Plattner Story" tediously thrust upon me in collections of great fantasy stories, or some other nonsense.
The stories here range from ones exploring the depths of the human psyche to ones describing the depths of the ocean and the depths of horror. Unexpectedly, Wells had an excellent touch when it comes to the complexities of the human mind. "A Slip Under the Microscope" explores the way guilt can operate on us; "A Reconciliation" and "The Cone" are both about what hate can bring people to do.
Wells wrote some wonderful ordinary characters living careful, circumscribed lives for one reason or another--they're sympathetic and realistic, and Wells focuses on how huge the ordinary stresses of life can loom. "A Catastrophe" starts with impending economic catastrophe in the lives of a struggling couple and ends with-- I won't spoil it. "The Jilting of Jane" is an amusing look at how the little community of wife, husband, and servant can be upset by a change in one of them. There's a lot of gentle, humorous poking at characters just like the reader; for example, "The Lost Inheritance." "The Apple" hands an object from legend to a young man embarrassed to be seen carrying it.
While I could have done without some of the looooong descriptions of way-cool stuff (the hallucination in "Under the Knife" comes to mind), I enjoyed the way Wells splices odd happenings into the lives of his very ordinary characters. "The Strange Orchid" has a ... okay, strange orchid entering the life of a shy little man living a dull little life; "The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham" includes a little magic. Guilt and obsession show up in several stories: "Pollock and the Porroh Man," "A Moth."
But, this being H. G. Wells, there's some horror here, too, and some weird happenings. "The Story of Davidson's Eyes" is freaky and difficult to describe. (Poor Davidson!) Wells seems to have liked weird creatures: "In the Avu Observatory" has an astronomer attacked in the dark by a creature we never see; "The Sea Raiders" has critters from the abyss with a liking for human flesh. Both are wonderfully creepy stories. "Aepyornis Island" features a creature from the distant past, in a story with very little plot. "In the Abyss" is a weird-set-piece story, with a long description of the incomprehensible culture of sentient creatures living at the bottom of the ocean. (Of course, "Under the Knife" has a different kind of horror for the modern reader: when Wells wrote the story, if you needed an operation, the doctor showed up at your house and did it right there, without benefit of modern sterilization methods ... shudder)
There's some ambivalence about the modern age apparent in some of the stories. "The Argonauts of the Air" has one of the strangest methods of getting a flying machine into the air that I've ever seen (and some unfortunate results); and poor Davidson has his eye problem because of some experiments. "The Lord of the Dynamos" seems to be about how machinery can work on the human mind. "The Cone" has some unpleasant things to say about factories.
Unfortunately, there's a certain amount of racism, too. A noxious racist slur gets used quite casually in more than one story (usually by a reprehensible character), and some of the stories have an entertaining plot, but racist overtones. "A Deal in Ostriches" and "The Rajah's Treasure" are actually quite funny; but there's a lot of racism in presentation of the characters. "The Lord of the Dynamos" is probably the worst with regard to this, and can be missed.
All in all, though, I enjoyed the stories more than I thought I might. The book feels like a little snapshot of the worries and wonderings of British people at the turn of the 20th century and is a pretty good read.
July 8, 2021
An outstanding collection from one of my favourite writers of all time, featuring an eclectic mixture of short stories in a wide range of genres. While Wells is primarily known as a science fiction author, this collection shows his adaptability and range, with works of SF, horror, and crime/revenge stories, all expertly executed with surprise and suspense at almost every turn.
There are a couple of moments of cringeworthy descriptions of other ethnicities, plus some racial slurs which any modern reader would prefer not to read, and although these tend to be from the perspective of purposefully vile characters, they still occasionally date the stories in an uncomfortable way. There are also other instances of Victorian social sensibilities coming to the forefront, but most characters are well-rounded (regardless of gender, ethnicity, class, etc), and in many cases Wells tends to challenge the norms of his time.
The stories themselves are fantastically told, and most have engaging plots that will keep any reader entertained. Even the weaker stories of the collection are entertaining and well crafted, so there are no really genuine low points in this extensive collection.
There are a couple of moments of cringeworthy descriptions of other ethnicities, plus some racial slurs which any modern reader would prefer not to read, and although these tend to be from the perspective of purposefully vile characters, they still occasionally date the stories in an uncomfortable way. There are also other instances of Victorian social sensibilities coming to the forefront, but most characters are well-rounded (regardless of gender, ethnicity, class, etc), and in many cases Wells tends to challenge the norms of his time.
The stories themselves are fantastically told, and most have engaging plots that will keep any reader entertained. Even the weaker stories of the collection are entertaining and well crafted, so there are no really genuine low points in this extensive collection.
August 12, 2020
Published in 1897, here are 30 stories by Wells from a variety of fantastic genres: Science Fiction, Ghost, Occult, Fantasy, Monsters, and Strange Romance.
They are all still highly readable, even if many of the ideas have been reused by many other authors over the past century+. I particularly enjoyed his account of the first aeroplane flight, told from the POV of a very worried passenger.
Most people only know of a handful of his novels, but he was very eloquent in the short story form, too.
They are all still highly readable, even if many of the ideas have been reused by many other authors over the past century+. I particularly enjoyed his account of the first aeroplane flight, told from the POV of a very worried passenger.
Most people only know of a handful of his novels, but he was very eloquent in the short story form, too.
August 18, 2019
A good & varied collection of his short stories, displaying his immense imagination.
November 30, 2019
1.5
Some good stories, but it gets so incredibly racist toward the end that I can’t give it any more than this. Awful and gross.
Some good stories, but it gets so incredibly racist toward the end that I can’t give it any more than this. Awful and gross.
December 24, 2021
Excellent collection of Wells’ short stories. All of the best are here. Recommended to all fans of early science fiction.
-Gregory Kerkman
-Gregory Kerkman
February 18, 2023
An omnibus/anthology of short stories--some good, some so-so, and some reflecting racial attitudes of the day.
May 11, 2023
A nice book. I didn't read it whole though... It's great for people who truly enjoy science fiction and that's not me... But of the stories that I have read, I liked all of them.
May 22, 2025
Wells was a master stylist. Some of these short stories appeared in earlier collections but they’re all worth re-reading.
December 22, 2019
An interesting collection of stories from HG Wells that goes far beyond the SF/fantasy that he is most remembered for. The obvious chestnuts are avoided (i.e., no "Country of the Blind"), but quality and irony can be found across all genre boundaries. Recommended for all Edwardian fans.
February 9, 2010
H.G. Wells is one of my favorite authors. You never know what to expect. This is definately a must read.
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January 10, 20148/4/00. Leesburg.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews