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The Shape of Things to Come

H.G. Wells,

John Clute (Introduction)

3.61 · Rating details · 1,015 ratings · 59 reviews

"When a diplomat dies in the 1930s, he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing, detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next 200 years. This fictional account of the future (similar to Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon) proved prescient in many ways, as Wells predicts events such as World War II, the rise of chemical warfare, and climate ...more

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Paperback, 530 pages

Published May 26th 2006 by Penguin Books Limited (first published September 1933)

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Sep 09, 2019 Quirkyreader rated it it was amazing

After close to a year with lots of craziness going on I finally finished it. The audio version that is.

It was a good lesson on history and a play on history at the same time.

The narrator keep me intrigued during the whole time.

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Jul 22, 2011 David Sarkies rated it liked it

Recommends it for: People who like HG Wells

Recommended to David by: Nobody really - it just looked interesting

Shelves: sci-fi

H.G. Wells looks into the future
8 August 2010

This book is what is termed as being future history and some say that it is an extension of HG Wells' historical text 'A Short History of the World'. It is suggested that what Wells is doing is using recent history to look forward to the next stage of human evolution. It is not the first time that he ha H.G. Wells looks into the future
8 August 2010

This book is what is termed as being future history and some say that it is an extension of HG Wells' historical text 'A Short History of the World'. It is suggested that what Wells is doing is using recent history to look forward to the next stage of human evolution. It is not the first time that he has done this, and in fact prior to World War I (which at the time was known as the great war) he had written some predictive texts such as 'The War in the Air' and 'The Land Ironclads', neither of which I had read at this time.
This book could be split into two sections, the first smaller section looking back to the immediate history of humanity, and the second section looking forward to what he was predicting as the coming Modern State, a one world government in which humanity was free from all of the restraints of the past and that each and every human being could reach their full potential. However, to get to that point, humanity would have to pass through a lot of pain.
As a historian HG Wells is brilliant. His analysis of the Great War, the Roaring Twenties, and the beginnings of the Great Depression show an incredible amount of insight. However this brilliance seems to dissipate as we move into his speculative future history of mankind. He gets quite a few things wrong but this is to be expected when one attempts to track the progress of humanity into the future. It is and will always be speculation.
First he is wrong about the Pacific War. He seems to think that the Japanese would become bogged down in China and that the United States would quickly enter the fray and bring the war in the Pacific to a quick conclusion. He is correct that China would turn communist, but also assumed that Japan would as well (which never happened as Japan signed a peace treaty with the United States before Russia could send troops onto the island and the the Japanese government ended up following along with the United States). Neither did he anticipate that the Japanese would be able to hold off until 1945.
While he was close with the timing of the Second World War, he was quite off with the causes, the duration, and the participants. He did not anticipate that Hitler would begin bringing German people living in neighbouring countries under the umbrella of the German State, nor did he anticipate his Blitzkriegs. In his version of the war numerous border clashes were fought and Britain never joined the fighting. Further, there was extensive use of gas warfare which never happened in the Second World War. Gas became a defensive weapon, meaning that it was used to prevent the other side from launching gas attacks. However he did anticipate the guided missile, otherwise known as the Air Torpedo.
Well, that is enough on his predictions and I will now look at how his Modern State developed and what it means. After the war, which ended in the exhaustion of all participants (and he did not envisage the economic benefits that the United States reaped from the conflict which threw them into an age of unprecedented prosperity), and then another period where the world was wracked by disease, an organisation similar to the United Nations arose which took control of all of the world's transportation systems and developed the Air Dictatorship. This, when I first considered it, sounded like what the United States is attempting to do today: enforcing its rule through the use of airpower. However, it had more to do with control of the transportation networks, which in turn moved to the control of education.
Education is very important in Wells' Modern State in that he believes (and I believe rightly) that it is through education that you mould a compliant state. It does take generations, but universal education, and control of the curriculum, is what will bring about the greatest change. He also talks of a gas he calls Pacifin, which is used to subdue unruly mobs. It is sort of like an anaesthetic which causes those exposed to it to become numb and cease rebelling. Some suggest that this is what 'illegal' drugs are doing today. While they are illegal, some believe that the governments allow their production and distribution to pacify the poorer classes (though this is not necessarily the case as a lot of middle and upper class individuals are drug users).
In Wells' future religion is suppressed far too easily, particularly Islam. Looking back from the world of fundamentalist religions, one questions whether the suppression of religion is all that easy. Many states have attempted to do it, and every one has failed. While there are very few Protestants in France today, as the saying goes, the blood of the martyrs waters the seed of the church.
I personally think Wells is a bit too optimistic when it comes to human nature. He seems to think that humanity will be able to evolve out of its barbarism, and while he acknowledges that these is still crime in his utopian state, humanity, in my opinion, seems to have been getting worse rather than better. I guess back in his time, after the horrors of the Great War and the destruction of the Great Depression, one needed to hope to look forward to a better future. ...more

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Jun 28, 2014 Gregg Wingo rated it it was amazing

"The Shape of Things to Come" is many things but most importantly it is H.G. Wells' last significant work. It is also the embodiment of the Modernist Dream and an attempt to reconcile the horrors of World War I with the goals of the Enlightenment. While the story is firmly rooted in the British SF style of speculative fiction such as C.S. Lewis' "Space Trilogy" and Olaf Stapledon's "Last and First Men" and "Star Maker", it also provided the inspiration for the Golden Age writers of American scie ...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Terence rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Wells fans; utopian/dystopian lit fans

Shelves: sf-fantasy

Despite my acerbic comments made while reading, I found myself enjoying this book much more than I thought I would, especially once I got past the first two parts, which chronicle the collapse of Western civilization. As a novel, this book is a real stinker; if there were negative stars on GoodReads, this tome would deserve them. What it is, is an analysis of modern, capitalist, consumption-driven culture and the inherent weaknesses that are most likely to bring it down, and an interesting specu ...more

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May 29, 2012 Alfred Searls rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

Tedious, unpleasant and unforgivably implausible…

So, having opened by giving H.G. Well’s famous science fiction novel such a short sharp kicking I suppose I’d better justify myself. Firstly let me start off by defending Wells himself, who was a disciplined, innovative writer whose prodigious body of work contains more light bulb moments than a Phillips factory. Having said that ‘The Shape of Things to Come’ simply isn’t the glorious allegory fest that is ‘The Time Machine’ or ‘The War of ...more

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Apr 01, 2014 Chris Duval rated it liked it

Shelves: sff-20th-c-uk

The book is a history of the world from WWI through the end of the 21st century. Mr Wells wrote it in 1933, having lived through WWI, the economic collapse of Europe and the Americas, Stalin’s twist on Marx-Lenin and the rise of fascism. His hoped-for solution to his day's troubles was to re-write humanity by means of a culturally monolithic dictatorship of technically-adept Platonic Guardians, after yet more evil events furthered social disintegration--a supposed pre-requisite to rebuilding. I The book is a history of the world from WWI through the end of the 21st century. Mr Wells wrote it in 1933, having lived through WWI, the economic collapse of Europe and the Americas, Stalin’s twist on Marx-Lenin and the rise of fascism. His hoped-for solution to his day's troubles was to re-write humanity by means of a culturally monolithic dictatorship of technically-adept Platonic Guardians, after yet more evil events furthered social disintegration--a supposed pre-requisite to rebuilding. I dislike Mr Well's opposition to diversity, his assumption that change must be wrought through catastrophe and the coercion of an elite, and the notion of a human tabula rasa.

The early part of the book is true history. The author’s tendentiousness grates less partly due to the remove of events with the passage of time. But it is also mitigated by the art of his language; witness his comment on PM Ramsay MacDonald: “For a time, in the opening glow of the assembly, with the clicking photographers recording every studied gesture, with the attentive microphones spreading out and pickling for ever his fine voice and his rich accent, with bustling secretaries in sedulous attendance, with the well-trained gravity of the delegates and particularly the well-matured high seriousness of those adepts in public appearance, the Americans, to sustain him, this last sublimation of democratic statesmanship may really have believed that some kind of favourable incantation was in progress under his direction.”

The most distressing parts of the book aren’t the abhorrent philosophy, but the bigotry and sexism. At one point in his review of women in the (mostly future) 20th century he sums up: “They lost what little political significance they had when queens went out of fashion.” The most attention given to a woman of the future is to Elizabeth Horthy, who plays out a partial analogue to Katherine O'Shea, bringing down an important revolutionary through a sex scandal. He follows with what begins as a sympathetic portrait of Juanita Mackail, but she degrades first to a junior dialectical partner, and then succumbs naturally (in the author’s warped view) to mothering the man she’s with. Sad.

Much more enjoyable is the post-apocalyptic descriptions in Book II. Section 11, starting with “There are six interesting snapshots…” And the Wells of the scientific romances we loved as children comes through in Book V, Section 2, about future terraforming. (Not that you’d agreed with the entire vision, but it’s still fun.) ...more

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Mar 29, 2012 Denis rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: hardcover

To accompany the reading this book, I have re-watched the film version “Shape of Things” (1936) and also read Wells’ original intended screen play for the film, which can be found in the archives of the public domain.

This book (I refrain from considering it a novel as it was felt as though it had been based upon a collection of essays) begins with that of a narrator reciting the edited sum of notes he had acquired from a Mr. Raven, who claimed to have dreamt of reading a sort of futu To accompany the reading this book, I have re-watched the film version “Shape of Things” (1936) and also read Wells’ original intended screen play for the film, which can be found in the archives of the public domain.

This book (I refrain from considering it a novel as it was felt as though it had been based upon a collection of essays) begins with that of a narrator reciting the edited sum of notes he had acquired from a Mr. Raven, who claimed to have dreamt of reading a sort of futuristic history book (perhaps it was a textbook as the author often refers to: “the student of history must...”). This history begins in the year 1914 and continues to the current date of 1933, then goes on to describe a future history that ends in 2106.

Wells does a thorough study of recent history, followed by a projection of future world affairs that lead up to an inevitable second world-world war, followed by a plague. A noteworthy item is of a comical minor indecent between two men that ultimately precipitates into that second world-war in 1940, which much like something Kurt Vonnegut might have come up with.

Perhaps because to the book was written during the beginning of the great depression, Wells is not very optimistic as to how his contemporaries and their offspring would generally handle world affairs. There are important roles played by contemporary prominent people such as Henry Ford, President Henry Roosevelt and even Aldolf Hitler, who Wells, at one point, describes as “hysterical” and by the time of this writing, was only beginning to make his very real impression on the real shape of things to come.

There isn’t really an overall plot as such, however, there is the odd vignette, such as in Book IV 2. Melodramatic interlude: which is a romantic entanglement between characters Elizabeth Horthy, a pilot and Arden Essenden, a founder of the new order. This interlude could have been developed into an entire novel on its own. Nor is there an identifiable protagonist throughout – there is no Cabal character, such as is featured in the film version of the book that, along with descendants, span the ages. This is primarily a vehicle for Wells to lecture of his vast ideals such as a single-world government and his own favorite brand of socialism that he has described in previous works. It is among other things, an overall anti-war protest. What is made very clear, is Wells’ incredulity with how the world’s governments perpetually continue to invest and subscribe to the war machine, while being completely aware of its ultimate failure of ever solving anything, resulting, always, in unfavourable consequences.

The last third of the book becomes simply outrageous, and at the same time, optimistic as Wells describes, with great inventiveness and imagination, his envisioned utopia. The world of the twenty first century has becomes a much more cohesive place, as man has by this time become: Sane. Yet, are cracks appear as the new generation questions the wisdom of their ancestors quest of humanity continuously having to thrive forward. This is most clearly apparent in the largely abridged final segment of Wells’ original screenplay for the film; the question being: Is man fit to venture towards the stars?

There are, in this book, many great observations of the current state of affairs, that lead to logical interesting projections, yet there are also segments that appear to be no more than the rantings of an out of touch disillusioned old curmudgeon who is in the process of writing the epic master-piece of his late ga-ga years. I found it astounding that Well's means to "the conquest space" is modeled after Jules Verne’s gun-type ballistic rather than, at least a crude form of rocketry, which were already the standard for a slew of established young emerging sf authors such as E.E. Doc Smith, Murray Leinster, Edmond Hamilton, Jack Williamson, and the like, who all had been inspired by Well's work.

However, overall, it was a long and strange yet interesting journey through the center of H.G. Wells’ mind. ...more

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Jul 06, 2018 James added it · review of another edition

Loses a star for being dry (and boy is it dry - Wells has a lot of ideas to share, and not a minute to waste making it entertaining), but this is HUGE on ideas. Now, admittedly, some of those ideas are how useless women and the Irish are, but one doesn't have to accept or condone those shortcomings to find the rest of it fascinating.
The back cover of my copy perhaps overplays how prescient it is - one wouldn't have had to be a genius in 1933 to anticipate a second European conflict, for ex ...more

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Jul 28, 2018 Bettie rated it liked it

Shelves: play-dramatisation, summer-2018, tbr-busting-2018, classic, published-1933, war, time-slip, nazi-related

Description: "When a diplomat dies in the 1930s, he leaves behind a book of 'dream visions' he has been experiencing, detailing events that will occur on Earth for the next 200 years. This fictional account of the future (similar to Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon) proved prescient in many ways, as Wells predicts events such as World War II, the rise of chemical warfare, and climate change."

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Apr 04, 2015 Simon rated it liked it

Book Based Entirely on Its Cover

Now, I had heard of H.G. Wells, and had seen some adaptations of his books into films. The amazing 1960s version of The Time Machine and the not-so-amazing War of the Worlds with Tom Cruise. So, knowing the author did help, but in the end it really was the most intriguing and prettiest cover. And the book? Well, it ranged from “Wow, this is really interesting” to “Do I really have to read this thing?” throughout.

It’s Wells’ prediction of th ...more

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Apr 15, 2011 Abigailann (Abigail) rated it really liked it

I started this book hoping to find some interesting futuristic inventions and to see how accurate H.G. Wells' predictions were. There were certainly some interesting insights into the 1940s, as well as the general progressioon of society in our own time (if with very widely different happenings inbetween). However, this was less a prediction of the future as a warning of what could happen under capitalism and a social commentary of changing times. It was interesting to read different views of ca ...more

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Jun 14, 2017 Horza marked it as we-re-done-here

It is 1929. A grand old man of the League of Nations Secretariat is afflicted with a recurring nightmare: every morning he is stranded between wakefulness and sleep reading a history of the next 86 years narrated by someone who read that Stapledon fellow's future history but felt it didn't spend enough time talking about how right HG Wells is about everything.

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Feb 15, 2013 Keith Diamond rated it it was amazing

This story is one of mind boggling possibilities and shows an insite to how the world was seen by H G Wells in his insight to the future. To some degree he has already been vindicated with some of the things he foresaw. This story although written many nyears ago is till worthy of a read and one to compare with the modern writers who write about the future.

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Jun 22, 2018 Ben Fleck rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy, read-in-2018

The Shape of Things to Come: Or, The Big (Faux) Textbook

First and foremost: that was such a slog to get through. Come on, H.G., give me a little fun. Maybe a joke here or there? This speculative fiction read more like a textbook that your college professor assigned to you in preparation for a final. I felt like I was studying and for a class that doesn't even exist. And, most of this book is just predictions of a future that hasn't come to pass. He did get some things right, but mostly he was incorrec ...more

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Jul 23, 2010 carl theaker rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi-scary

Inspired by the 1936 movie I looked forward to reading this for
more insights on the great plagues, wars and catastrophes of
the future as well as the great hopes of rebuilding, however
I found it pretty dry and had to work at getting through it all.

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Jul 29, 2012 Anne rated it liked it

This was hard going and took me six weeks to read. I've made extensive notes. The psudo-academic style caused me the most difficulty. A narrative is certainly easier.

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Mar 20, 2018 David Mann rated it liked it

This would have been more interesting to read at the time it was written. Obviously the future envisioned by Wells did not come to pass, and, in retrospect (so easy!), it appears improbable. Although he predicted war in 1940, in his vision the Poles were the aggressors who invaded Germany. Various plagues and failures of capitalism finally lead to a dawning realization of a more global, socialistic outlook of mankind. Global control of air transport results in the "Air Dictatorship" that eventua ...more

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Feb 27, 2018 Suncerae rated it it was ok

A book of dream visions from a recently deceased League of Nations diplomat named Doctor Phillip Raven describes future events from about 1930 to 2100. The predicted future is a highly detailed account that proves prescient in many ways, extending past our current time into the transition to a Golden Age.

In the Shape of Things to Come, H.G. Wells looks into the future and discusses political theory in this thinly-veiled political manifesto. In fact, the plot is merely a frame story t ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Andy Ritchie rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: could-not-finish, sf-masterworks-i-own

It's with a heavy heart that I admit that I gave up on this book.
Although it's touted as a sci-fi work, it isn't really - instead, it's almost like a piece of non-fiction, a historical analysis, not of the past, but of a possible future...all of which would probably be very interesting if it was the current future...but it's not. Instead, it's a future envisioned in the 1930s and immediately undermined by the fact that it doesn't account for World War 2 which shaped so much of the second h ...more

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Aug 28, 2019 Filippos Farmakis rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, english, chill, e-book, history

Oh my, what a slog. Never before (I think)have I spent so much time to read a book that I regularly tried to read. Some chapters were forgotten as soon as they were read and others were so full of information I felt the urge to keep notes - university style.

However, this book is very rich in language and mental scope. It is as historical as it is ahistorical. A treasure trove of information and planning can be found in its pages. If, by reading the synopsis, you think this book is fo ...more

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May 15, 2019 Lois Hill rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Boring

Being a recent fan of Wells I fully expected more science fiction. I understand that while this is meant too be an eerie prediction of mankind's future I found the presentation incredibly dull. Lost papers found is always a good premise, but it read like someone's thesis. Going back and forth in time so much and the compared and contrast got to be too much. I did like some ideas presented like breaking down to build back up and a global peace. Also the way we could change our thinking t ...more

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Sep 28, 2017 Edward Davies rated it it was ok · review of another edition

To be perfectly honest this was not only a struggle to read but also something of a let-down. I was expecting to read a brief history of the world spanning from 1933 to 2106, but instead I got around 300 pages focussing almost entirely on the twenty years following the publication of the book and then some random excuses for why the history was so incomplete. I thought, with Wells at the helm, that this would be a clever look at our future, but its focus is so tight compared to what it claimed i ...more

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Aug 02, 2018 Murat Eskiyerli rated it liked it · review of another edition

Not a very convincing monologue for the world state

I always thought one of the most interesting authors of the early 20th century. His insights to the burgeoning British middle class were illuminating in Tono Bungay and Ann Veronica. I am afraid that this book does not quite match the brilliance of his earlier output. It is repetitive in language and thought with little insight to the danger for the corruption of the single world state.

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Sep 15, 2019 Rob Carr rated it liked it · review of another edition

This book is quite unusually written which does not make it easy to read. It is fiction written as non-fiction and told from the perspective of someone telling the story for someone else. Once I got my head around this though I did find it fascinating. Wells has woven into the story a case study of how the world could end up under a single government and what it would look like. While much of what he predicted has not come to pass it is remarkable what trends he was able to pick up on.

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Aug 01, 2019 Tea rated it did not like it · review of another edition

It rare for me to do this, but I can’t find this book. It’s boring. A friend of h.g Wells has come to him and told him about a friend who keeps a dream diary believing they come true. A little fiction this could be so good. But I think it might be non- fiction All he’s talking about is Russian leaders. And British health care.

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Aug 15, 2019 Kevin rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, science-fiction, h-g-wells, did-not-finish

my first DNF in I’m not sure how long. Got through about 25 pages before I died of boredom. This is such a difference from other Welles books I’ve read. Really disappointed since I liked the movie so much. Usually the book is at least on par with the movie, but this is not the case here.

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Sep 22, 2019 Stephen rated it it was amazing

By far HG wells’ best novel.

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Mar 23, 2017 Wilde Sky rated it liked it

A man leaves behind a series of writings based upon his dreams / visions of the future.

This is a really odd book and even though some of the writing was captivating I struggled with the mishmash of ideas / concepts / opinions.

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Oct 16, 2017 Steve R rated it really liked it

A highly fanciful, very interesting description of 'future history', this book purportedly describes events in world history from 1933 up to 2106. An eminent diplomat, Dr. Philip Raven, manages to write down dream vision s he has received of a history textbook published in 2106. Religion is suppressed, World War II still breaks out, a world dictatorship is formed, and the nation state dies out. Not remembered; scheduled for rereading. There is an interesting movie with Raymond Massey in 1936, th ...more

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Dec 10, 2016 Harrison Fowler rated it liked it · review of another edition

I tried, I really did. H.G. Wells's 'The Shape of Things to Come' is a future history wherein the 'future' part doesn't begin until at least 150 pages in. Beforehand, the reader is treated to a ton of history and opinions. No one should go in to this story expecting an objective view of historical events, but once can tell H.G. Wells simply hid his opinions behind a very thin veil of 'fiction', as Dr. Philip Raven, the novel's narrator, shares many opinions Wells himself publicly had.

I tried, I really did. H.G. Wells's 'The Shape of Things to Come' is a future history wherein the 'future' part doesn't begin until at least 150 pages in. Beforehand, the reader is treated to a ton of history and opinions. No one should go in to this story expecting an objective view of historical events, but once can tell H.G. Wells simply hid his opinions behind a very thin veil of 'fiction', as Dr. Philip Raven, the novel's narrator, shares many opinions Wells himself publicly had.

The novel reads more like a dissertation by someone who wants their doctorate badly. Wells is insanely good at identifying problems, incredibly prescient in the fashion he calls out politicians and thinkers on their hypocrisies. In fact, while I found the first six chapters of book one a complete bore replete with dense, heavy reading and constant references to how awesome the Modern State ideology is - without expanding on it, I note - chapter seven, on the topic of World War I, became suddenly very engaging and intriguing. After this, Wells carries on quite bit of momentum. As we progress from 1914 to 1933, Wells identifies a lot of problems in the world that are actually quite interesting. Whether you agree or not, I at least believe he justifies them well; however, no amount of strong reasoning can prevent the book from eventually declining.

The Modern State ideology is not only, to me, detestable, but not well-reasoned by Wells when he finally gets around to expounding on it. I'm not one to let an author's opinions, whether they're told through characters or not, to impact my view of the work as a whole; however, Wells's rather deplorable view on Modern State thinking is pervasive throughout the text, and I can't help but have a distaste for the whole novel as a result.

'The Shape of Things to Come' is not a good book. If one is passionate in regards to these topics, one might find enjoyment, and when Wells has a large-scale global event to talk about, such as World War I, the book becomes engaging; also to note, his insults towards politicians are entertaining. The problem is this: the novel is muddled by a lack of narrative, or even momentum, and his opinions, specious or not, serve only to disrupt my understanding and interest in his 'future-history'. Ultimately, if one really wants to read a fantastic, engaging, and beautifully-written future-history text, just read Olaf Stapledon's 'Last and First Men', as well as 'Last Men in London' and 'Star Maker', also by Stapledon. Much more compelling, and the former book is 189 pages! ...more

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About H.G. Wells

H.G. Wells

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In 1866, (Herbert George) H. G. Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scho In 1866, (Herbert George) H. G. Wells was born to a working class family in Kent, England. Young Wells received a spotty education, interrupted by several illnesses and family difficulties, and became a draper's apprentice as a teenager. The headmaster of Midhurst Grammar School, where he had spent a year, arranged for him to return as an "usher," or student teacher. Wells earned a government scholarship in 1884, to study biology under Thomas Henry Huxley at the Normal School of Science. Wells earned his bachelor of science and doctor of science degrees at the University of London. After marrying his cousin, Isabel, Wells began to supplement his teaching salary with short stories and freelance articles, then books, including The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898).

Wells created a mild scandal when he divorced his cousin to marry one of his best students, Amy Catherine Robbins. Although his second marriage was lasting and produced two sons, Wells was an unabashed advocate of free (as opposed to "indiscriminate") love. He continued to openly have extra-marital liaisons, most famously with Margaret Sanger, and a ten-year relationship with the author Rebecca West, who had one of his two out-of-wedlock children. A one-time member of the Fabian Society, Wells sought active change. His 100 books included many novels, as well as nonfiction, such as A Modern Utopia (1905), The Outline of History (1920), A Short History of the World (1922), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind (1932). One of his booklets was Crux Ansata, An Indictment of the Roman Catholic Church. Although Wells toyed briefly with the idea of a "divine will" in his book, God the Invisible King (1917), it was a temporary aberration. Wells used his international fame to promote his favorite causes, including the prevention of war, and was received by government officials around the world. He is best-remembered as an early writer of science fiction and futurism.

He was also an outspoken socialist. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". D. 1946.

More: http://philosopedia.org/index.php/H._...

http://www.online-literature.com/well...

http://www.hgwellsusa.50megs.com/

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/t...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._G._Wells ...more