The War of the Worlds, and Other Novels

by H.G. Wells

Through his fiction, H.G. Wells transformed some of the most pressing social, political, and cultural issues of his day--class struggle, colonial imperialism, nation building, reckless scientific experimentation--into the raw material of brilliant speculative fables. The War of the Worlds and Other Novels brings together seven of his classic works, all written at the turn of the twentieth century, that helped to lay the foundations of modern science fiction: The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Food of the Gods, and In the Days of the Comet. The War of the Worlds and Other Novels is one of Barnes & Noble's leatherbound classics. Each volume features authoritative texts by the world's greatest authors in exquisitely designed bonded leather bindings, with distinctive gilt edging and an attractive silk-ribbon bookmark. Decorative, durable, and collectible, these books offer hours of pleasure to readers young and old and are an indispensible cornerstone for every home library.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, Science Fiction

928 pages, Leather Bound

First published December 11, 2012

About the author

Herbert 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

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection represents the best of H. G. Wells’ science fiction novels. Many consider Wells to be the father of modern science fiction (though others are in the Jules Verne camp), but wherever you stand on that there’s no denying his contributions to and influence on the genre. Each novel here is a brilliant and enjoyable read. Moreover, he uses his stories as a vehicle for social commentary, and though, for the most part, I don’t agree with his ideology, his writing is excellent and his ideas are entertainingly presented.

The Time Machine is an excellent introduction to the author. A time travel adventure (with a dash of horror) that also reads as a cautionary tale against capitalism and the class distinctions it inevitably produces.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is my favorite of his works. This novel has so many layers. Just as in The Time Machine, there is an element of horror here. On the surface, this is an awesome and disturbing adventure. On a deeper level, this novel looks at society, religion, and humanity’s attempt to deny our baser instincts in order to live by rules that keep us from devolving into animalistic depravity.

The Invisible Man is the tale of a man who discovers how to turn himself invisible, but unable to turn himself back uses his invisibility for theft, murder and mayhem. Another anti-capitalist rant, but very enjoyable as a story.

The War of the Worlds is an alien invasion/disaster epic, a truer portrait of which I’ve never read. So much of modern sci-fi portrays aliens as benign or even benevolent beings, so it’s nice to see the other side. Wells’ grasp of human nature is masterful and his descriptions of the terrorized masses, the curate and others are what make this novel. Much like The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Invisible Man, this novel warns us about technological/scientific advances given the path that mankind is heading down...

The First Men In the Moon is the first H. G. Wells novel I didn’t have some foreknowledge about going into, causing me to wonder if perhaps his writing had gone downhill thus leaving this novel without the same measure of fame the others had attained. I’m pleased to say his writing has the same imaginative brilliance of his previous works! Yet another commentary on class distinctions and capitalism.

The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth, though still good, is my least favorite of these novels. It starts off following a pair of academics, then their invention, then the effects of their invention and finally those effected by their invention. An eighteenth century precursor to the awful 90’s film Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (though done infinitely better), with an undercurrent of Wells’ typical social commentary. Here we see his vision of progressivism: the new “superman” must take over and his predecessors fall away...

If H. G. Wells wasn’t such an excellent writer, I would say In the Days of the Comet was complete rubbish. What has been somewhat subtly threaded throughout all of these works (Wells’ political views) is in this final novel a bludgeon used to hit the reader over the head. This one tells the tale of a bitter and spiteful young man who rails against capitalism and is finally driven to an act of desperation. Just as all of his machinations come to a head, a comet made of magical gas hits the Earth bringing about a socialist utopia. Magical gas. Utopia. Yes, you heard me. Ridiculous, right? But somehow Wells manages to pull it off. The pre-comet portion of this book was great, the post-comet portion...not so much.

I give The Island of Dr. Moreau and The War of the Worlds 5 stars each, The Time Machine, The Invisible Man and The First Men In the Moon 4 stars each and The Food of the Gods and In the Days of the Comet 3 stars each. All in all this collection as a whole gets 4 stars. Highly recommend!