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28 Science Fiction Stories
Anthology of science fiction by the famed English writer includes two novels and twenty-six short stories
- GenresScience Fiction
915 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1932
2 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Wells
5,308 books11.2k followersHerbert George 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 17, 2012
This collection of strange and wonderful stories written between 75 and 116 years ago (as I write this in 2012) represents some of H.G. Wells’ lesser-known works. I found a copy in my local public library, which is one of my favorite places for finding new books, or, as in this case, old books.
There are a couple of things you may notice when you read these stories. One, of course, is how prophetic H.G. Wells was in terms of changes that occur in technology. When he talks of futures in which airplanes, superhighways, instant communication, and electronic appliances of various kinds are common, you must remember that when he wrote these stories, they weren’t.
Another is how little human society has changed in the last century. Wells was uncomfortable with the level of social and economic disparity of the late Victorian era, and his utopian novels such as ‘Star Begotten’ and ‘Men Like Gods,’ which are contained in this collection, show a bright future in which this is no longer the case.
Such idyllic societies remain a utopian dream, however. The system we have today is more like the one depicted in the dystopian view of the future provided in the novella ‘A Story of the Days to Come,’ which is also included in this anthology. This is a story of two idealistic young lovers who find themselves in virtual serfdom after borrowing against an inheritance at high interest rates. The passage below is how Wells describes the 22nd Century London they are born into:
‘The new society was divided into three main classes. At the summit slumbered the property owner, enormously rich by accident rather than design, potent save for the will and aim, the last avatar of Hamlet in the world. Below was the enormous multitude of workers employed by the gigantic companies that monopolised control; and between these two the dwindling middle class, officials of innumerable sorts, foremen, managers, the medical, legal, artistic, and scholastic classes, and the minor rich, a middle class whose members led a life of insecure luxury and precarious speculation amidst the movements of the great managers.’
This is a version of the future in which the economic conditions are very much like those of Victorian England. I won’t argue that things have not improved since, but the similarities between this dystopia and our current system are disturbingly obvious.
Of course, not all of the stories here are comments on society or economics. Some, like ‘The Magic Shop,’ are simply charming, if sometimes a bit odd. I particularly liked this story, though.
As for the collection as a whole, I highly recommend it. If you like speculative fiction, if you want to see some of the earliest and best examples of it, pick up this anthology or read any of the stories you can find from wherever you can find them.
Contents:
• Men Like Gods (Novel - 1923)
• The Empire of the Ants (Short Story - 1905)
• The Land Ironclads (Short Story - 1903)
• The Country of the Blind (Short Story - 1904)
• The Stolen Bacillus (Short Story - 1894)
• The Flowering of the Strange Orchid (Short Story - 1894)
• In the Avu Observatory (Short Story - 1894)
• A Story of the Stone Age (Short Story - 1897)
• Aepyornis Island (Short Story - 1894)
• The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes (Short Story - 1895)
• The Plattner Story (Short Story - 1896)
• The Argonauts of the Air (Short Story - 1895)
• The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham (Short Story - 1896)
• In the Abyss (Short Story - 1896)
• Star Begotten (Novel - 1937)
• Under the Knife (Short Story - 1896)
• The Sea Raiders (Short Story - 1896)
• The Crystal Egg (Short Story - 1897)
• The Star (Short Story - 1897)
• The Man Who Could Work Miracles (Short Story - 1898)
• Filmer (Short Story - 1901)
• A Story of the Days to Come (Novella - 1897)
• The Magic Shop (Short Story - 1903)
• The Valley of Spiders (Short Story - 1903)
• The Truth About Pyecraft (Short Story - 1903)
• The New Accelerator (Short Story - 1901)
• The Stolen Body (Short Story - 1898)
• A Dream of Armageddon (Short Story - 1901)
There are a couple of things you may notice when you read these stories. One, of course, is how prophetic H.G. Wells was in terms of changes that occur in technology. When he talks of futures in which airplanes, superhighways, instant communication, and electronic appliances of various kinds are common, you must remember that when he wrote these stories, they weren’t.
Another is how little human society has changed in the last century. Wells was uncomfortable with the level of social and economic disparity of the late Victorian era, and his utopian novels such as ‘Star Begotten’ and ‘Men Like Gods,’ which are contained in this collection, show a bright future in which this is no longer the case.
Such idyllic societies remain a utopian dream, however. The system we have today is more like the one depicted in the dystopian view of the future provided in the novella ‘A Story of the Days to Come,’ which is also included in this anthology. This is a story of two idealistic young lovers who find themselves in virtual serfdom after borrowing against an inheritance at high interest rates. The passage below is how Wells describes the 22nd Century London they are born into:
‘The new society was divided into three main classes. At the summit slumbered the property owner, enormously rich by accident rather than design, potent save for the will and aim, the last avatar of Hamlet in the world. Below was the enormous multitude of workers employed by the gigantic companies that monopolised control; and between these two the dwindling middle class, officials of innumerable sorts, foremen, managers, the medical, legal, artistic, and scholastic classes, and the minor rich, a middle class whose members led a life of insecure luxury and precarious speculation amidst the movements of the great managers.’
This is a version of the future in which the economic conditions are very much like those of Victorian England. I won’t argue that things have not improved since, but the similarities between this dystopia and our current system are disturbingly obvious.
Of course, not all of the stories here are comments on society or economics. Some, like ‘The Magic Shop,’ are simply charming, if sometimes a bit odd. I particularly liked this story, though.
As for the collection as a whole, I highly recommend it. If you like speculative fiction, if you want to see some of the earliest and best examples of it, pick up this anthology or read any of the stories you can find from wherever you can find them.
Contents:
• Men Like Gods (Novel - 1923)
• The Empire of the Ants (Short Story - 1905)
• The Land Ironclads (Short Story - 1903)
• The Country of the Blind (Short Story - 1904)
• The Stolen Bacillus (Short Story - 1894)
• The Flowering of the Strange Orchid (Short Story - 1894)
• In the Avu Observatory (Short Story - 1894)
• A Story of the Stone Age (Short Story - 1897)
• Aepyornis Island (Short Story - 1894)
• The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes (Short Story - 1895)
• The Plattner Story (Short Story - 1896)
• The Argonauts of the Air (Short Story - 1895)
• The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham (Short Story - 1896)
• In the Abyss (Short Story - 1896)
• Star Begotten (Novel - 1937)
• Under the Knife (Short Story - 1896)
• The Sea Raiders (Short Story - 1896)
• The Crystal Egg (Short Story - 1897)
• The Star (Short Story - 1897)
• The Man Who Could Work Miracles (Short Story - 1898)
• Filmer (Short Story - 1901)
• A Story of the Days to Come (Novella - 1897)
• The Magic Shop (Short Story - 1903)
• The Valley of Spiders (Short Story - 1903)
• The Truth About Pyecraft (Short Story - 1903)
• The New Accelerator (Short Story - 1901)
• The Stolen Body (Short Story - 1898)
• A Dream of Armageddon (Short Story - 1901)
July 5, 2017
This is a huge book. 28 stories, and like all anthologies some are good, some very good, some not to my taste. I can't say that any of them are "bad"... it just depends on what you have an interest in. There is a lot to be amazed about in this collection. Everyone knows The Time Machine, and War of the Worlds, but to think that these stories were written at the turn of the 20th century is at times mind-boggling. Countless movies, tv shows and other sci-fi type stories can all find their nucleus in these pages. Outbreak, Little Shop of Horrors, Armageddon, Jurassic Park, The Abyss, Awake, Mr. Magorium's Magic Emporium, and many others were brought to mind during my time with Mr. Wells.
In most of these stories he alludes to an antipathy if not down right scorn of politics and religion, and in many cases it seems as though he is writing about our current events, not his own. For example: In Men Like Gods, the most important of the very few laws in his Utopia is that lies cannot be told,nor fundamental facts be denied. In Star-Begotten the following passage sounds like last nights newscast: "...but what impresses me most about the present state of the world is the entire dominance of the violent, common mind, the base mind. It brutalizes. It brutalizes everything new and fine. Inventions. Our Children. Either it expresses itself in stampeding mob action, revolutionary or reactionary - it is all the same in the long run - or else it embodies itself in some hero... Assertive patriotism, mass fear, and the impulse to persecute - particularly the impulse to persecute - seem to me to be more dreadfully in evidence today than ever before in human affairs".
That was written over 100 years ago! Is it just that the more things change, the more they remain the same, or was H.G. Wells a brilliant prognosticator of times to come? Either way, the book is an amazing read.
In most of these stories he alludes to an antipathy if not down right scorn of politics and religion, and in many cases it seems as though he is writing about our current events, not his own. For example: In Men Like Gods, the most important of the very few laws in his Utopia is that lies cannot be told,nor fundamental facts be denied. In Star-Begotten the following passage sounds like last nights newscast: "...but what impresses me most about the present state of the world is the entire dominance of the violent, common mind, the base mind. It brutalizes. It brutalizes everything new and fine. Inventions. Our Children. Either it expresses itself in stampeding mob action, revolutionary or reactionary - it is all the same in the long run - or else it embodies itself in some hero... Assertive patriotism, mass fear, and the impulse to persecute - particularly the impulse to persecute - seem to me to be more dreadfully in evidence today than ever before in human affairs".
That was written over 100 years ago! Is it just that the more things change, the more they remain the same, or was H.G. Wells a brilliant prognosticator of times to come? Either way, the book is an amazing read.
January 11, 2013
2 ponderous novels and 26 near-perfect little gems of speculative fiction, by one of its early and, in my opinion, still it's greatest practitioner. This hardbound Dover edition was first published in 1952 and was edited by Groff Conklin, one of Science Fiction's most prolific and respected editors. As much as I love some of H.G's longer works, especiallly "The Time Machine" and "War of the Worlds", in my opinion, Wells' artistry is best dispalyed in these short stories. There are other fine collections of stories by H.G. Wells and I like them all, but this one, along with "30 Strange Stories", is my favorite.
December 31, 2019
Some of these short stories are excellent and beautifully written even after a century. However, some are quite naive, and some demonstrate the scientific trends and fascinations of the time - Mars, flying machines, hypnosis, socialism.
All in all, it is quite exceptional to put all these stories (some of different lengths and genres) under the same cover.
Wells' manner of introducing and developing characters, and his self awareness are brilliant.
My favorite story is "Star Begotten", which is relevant nowadays as it was a century ago. (Maybe replacing Martians by Aliens)
"Men Like Gods" is another story worth reading, even though it is very much affected by the wave of socialism that swept over academic circles at the time.
It was amusing to read things like "the land ironclads" where Wells foresees the invention of tanks.
Many other stories I've already known in some version or other, but it was nice reading the originals - "the strange orchid" is the basis for "little shop of horrors".
In "the late mr elvesham", even though the point is clear to the reader all along, the story is well written and the ending is brilliant.
Some of the short stories are simply a demonstration of one amusing point, but I enjoyed them very much - such is "the truth about pyecraft" and "the man who could work miracles".
One exceptional story is "a story of the days to come", where the plot is quite standard romance, very well written, and only the setting is futuristic.
All in all, it is quite exceptional to put all these stories (some of different lengths and genres) under the same cover.
Wells' manner of introducing and developing characters, and his self awareness are brilliant.
My favorite story is "Star Begotten", which is relevant nowadays as it was a century ago. (Maybe replacing Martians by Aliens)
"Men Like Gods" is another story worth reading, even though it is very much affected by the wave of socialism that swept over academic circles at the time.
It was amusing to read things like "the land ironclads" where Wells foresees the invention of tanks.
Many other stories I've already known in some version or other, but it was nice reading the originals - "the strange orchid" is the basis for "little shop of horrors".
In "the late mr elvesham", even though the point is clear to the reader all along, the story is well written and the ending is brilliant.
Some of the short stories are simply a demonstration of one amusing point, but I enjoyed them very much - such is "the truth about pyecraft" and "the man who could work miracles".
One exceptional story is "a story of the days to come", where the plot is quite standard romance, very well written, and only the setting is futuristic.
December 8, 2018
I have nearly everything by H. G. Wells, including his dreary sociological tract-type books. But if you have only one volume by him, I'd recommend 28 SCIENCE FICTION STORIES, yes, that specific collection published by Dover Books. This is, physically, almost the most perfect book ever printed. The most important factor of this being that it's so user-friendly - a hardback nearly a thousand pages long, I had no trouble at the age of 10 carrying it and reading it (there are plenty of volumes today that are so unwieldy and heavy for grown-up me, I put them down every page or two). The dust-jacket cover is mostly a beautiful shade of light blue, decorated with arrays of polygons (a microscopic photo of some sort of crystal, I believe). The actual cover is an even more beautiful shade of blue (that's my favorite color), and it is a typical Dover cloth-cover hardback, tightly sewn and printed on acid-free paper to last.
And, of course, there are the contents, some of the best SF and fantasy ever written! "In the Avu Observatory", "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid," "In the Abyss," "Aepyornis Island," "Empire of the Ants," "The Sea Raiders," "The New Accelerator," "Valley of the Spiders," "A Story of the Days to Come" . . . I may just abandon Goodreads now and go read it!
And, of course, there are the contents, some of the best SF and fantasy ever written! "In the Avu Observatory", "The Flowering of the Strange Orchid," "In the Abyss," "Aepyornis Island," "Empire of the Ants," "The Sea Raiders," "The New Accelerator," "Valley of the Spiders," "A Story of the Days to Come" . . . I may just abandon Goodreads now and go read it!
February 10, 2020
Really thought I would like this collection more. I thinks Wells' humor was lost on me and the stories ended up mostly forgettable.
Currently reading
October 27, 2008Some stories are rather slow,but all in all a very interesting book.Usually dont read this type of book,but couldnt pass it up for some reason.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews