Dream

by H.G. Wells

The Dream tells of a man from a Utopian future who dreams the entire life of an Englishman from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In circa 4,000 A.D., a biologist named Sarnac is taking a holiday among mountains and lakes with his lover, Sunray. With four other holiday travelers, they visit some 2,000-year-old "ancient remains [of war dead] that had recently been excavated" in a nearby valley. A little later, after a brief afternoon nap, Sarnac awakens from "a very vivid dream." Sarnac's dream brings with it total recall of the complete life of Harry Mortimer Smith. Smith's life and the institutions that structure it are the subject throughout the novel of a running commentary from the point of view of the achieved Utopia of 2,000 years later. In The Dream present time as an "Age of Confusion" from which humanity will be able to emerge with the help of science and common sense.

Genres: Science Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Audiobook, Novels

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1924

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

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dream by H.G. Wells was written in 1924, and tells the story of a man from a Utopian future who dreams the entire life of an Englishman from birth to his untimely death. Weaving the lives of Sarnac, a biologist from the year 4,000 A.D., and Harry, a man whose life was ended too soon, Wells creates a mystical connection between two very different time periods. This classic science-fiction novel with a splash of romance has captivated audiences for generations. While I enjoyed reading this unique story, I did find it somewhat confusing at times but generally did not detract from the reading. Interesting concept!

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found an early hardback edition of this in a used bookstore for about 6 bucks (I uploaded a pic of the cover). I had never heard of it. Published in 1924, and WoW! what a great novel. I really loved it. Most of what I’ve read so far of Well’s later work reads more like educational, or soap box, material rather than more developed story for entertainment – not that there’s anything wrong with education and soap boxing - I like education. But this was a really good story and well told.

Wells is known for speculating on the future and has done that several times with novels such as “The Time Machine”, “War of the Worlds”, “The Shape of Things to Come”... In this case, the narration is from a character named “Sarnac” who lives two thousand years in the future. He describes to friends, “Firefly, Sunray, Willow, Starlight and Radiant” of a dream he had of having lived the full life of a certain Harry Mortimer Smith in early 20th century in England. With this scenario, Wells has created a vehicle to comment on various absurdities and ritual of his time, such as pheasant hunting, cigar and pipe smoking, attending church... in a completely objective and satirical way. A least it sounds like satire until you realize that it is not, but rather, the way it really is (or was).

All this is written in the perfect form of a classic tragedy.

A very overlooked novel I think.

[MJ Nicholls · Rating 4 out of 5]

A realist novel framed as a science fiction novel, The Dream is another of Wells’s semi-autobiographical novels outlining the fortunes of an up-and-coming young man in (for Wells) a fairly predictable fashion. Looking back on the strange, venal race of humans in the time of Edwardian England, a far more enlightened race of naked wandering superhumans listen with horror to the narrator’s dream of a time trapped in the stuffy arsehole of the early 1900s. Unlike the more forgiving Kipps, this novel marks the period of Wells’s turn into cynicism and despair that would characterise the later part of his career.

[Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I don't dislike his books, I have never been a huge H.G. Wells fan. I really did enjoy this book, however. From start to end, we learned Henry's story. Although it incorporates elements that make you think of time travel and maybe supernatural elements, at its heart, it is a story of a man's life. It takes you through his good choices and his bad, his triumphs and regrets. Henry is the one that makes this story what it is, even if he is the dream.

[Jeff Koeppen · Rating 5 out of 5]

H.G. Wells never disappoints. His science fiction was so ahead of its time. I bought The Dream for a pittance on the Chirp app and was happy to see that it was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini whose voice I remember from Trust, War and Peace, and Stella Maris. He's fantastic.

The Dream is set around 4,000 AD. A biologist named Sarnac and his lady friend Sunray are on vacation in the mountains and with a group of other folks visit two-thousand year old ruins being excavated in the area.

After this visit Sarnac takes a nap and wakes up from a vivid dream which he recounts to Sunray and the others in the group they are with. What was this dream? It was experiencing the entire life of a young chap, Harry Mortimer Smith, born in the late 1800s in a small town in the south of England up until his death the 1920s. Pretty much the whole novel is Sarnac's telling of the dream with occasional interruptions from Sunray and the others, looking for an explanation of a particular life event or just wanting to discuss primitive life in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

I found this method of story telling fascinating - Harry's life wasn't anything out of the ordinary for the time but was never dull and really wonderfully told with a lot of emotion and feeling especially once Harry finds love and nears his end. What made this novel great to me were the reactions and commentary from the 41st Century folks - interesting points of view and really not that different than ones progressive modern 21st century have. Topics such as equality of the sexes, war (Harry fights in WWI), birth control, animal hunting/ abuse / extinction were all bantered about. And as an atheist, my favorite topic of discussion was regarding religion. As Harry's life goes on and the reader (and he) can see the end coming one is totally swallowed up in the drama.

In the interesting epilogue the 41st century people try to come to terms with the cause / reason for such a detailed dream to come out of Sarnac's head. Was this just something invented by his brain, or is reincarnation real? The end of Harry and the attempt of the 41st century people to make sense of what happened made for a poignant and fascinating end.

The snippets below are from my favorite part of the novel. Harry longed for information but education was considered unnecessary and even something to avoid to some, such as Mr. Moggeridge.

"Old Mr. Moggeridge waved his hand in front of himself with an expression of face as though it was I who emitted an evil odor. 'Geology!' he said. 'French—the language of Voltaire. Let me tell you one thing plainly, my boy, your mother is quite right in objecting to these classes. Geology—geology is—All Wrong. It has done more harm in the last fifty years than any other single influence whatever. It undermines faith. It sows doubt. I do not speak ignorantly, Mortimer. I have seen lives wrecked and destroyed and souls lost by this same geology. I am an old learned man, and I have examined the work of many of these so-called geologists—Huxley, Darwin and the like; I have examined it very, very carefully and very, very tolerantly, and I tell you they are all, all of them, hopelessly mistaken men.... And what good will such knowledge do you? Will it make you happier? Will it make you better? No, my lad. But I know of something that will. Something older than geology. Older and better. Sarah dear, give me that book there, please. Yes'—reverentially—'the Book.'

"His wife handed him a black-bound Bible, with its cover protected against rough usage by a metal edge. 'Now, my boy,' he said, 'let me give you this—this old familiar book, with an old man's blessing. In that is all the knowledge worth having, all the knowledge you will ever need. You will always find something fresh in it and always something beautiful.' He held it out to me.

"'Thank you, Mam,' I said, made shift to stow her gift in my pocket, and with the Bible in one hand and the empty coal-scuttle-lining in the other, escaped.

"I returned wrathfully to the basement and deposited my presents on the window-sill. Some impulse made me open the Bible, and inside the cover I found, imperfectly erased, the shadowy outlines of these words, printed in violet ink: 'Not to be Removed from the Waiting-Room.' I puzzled over the significance of this for some time."

Awesome!

[Raj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarnac is a scientist in a distant, utopian future. At a critical point in his work, he needs a break so goes on holiday with his partner and some friends. After an excursion to a recently excavated site from the early 20th century, he is disturbed by the images he saw and falls into a deep sleep from which he awakes, hours later, having lived an entire lifetime in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as one Harry Mortimer Smith. This is the story of that life that he tells.

I really enjoyed this book, with its framing narrative of the utopian future that allows Wells to comment on and criticise his own present through alien eyes. Harry Mortimer Smith is an everyman, and through him, we, as well as Sarnac and his friends, can see the reality of life in the early 20th century.

Much of Sarnac's incredulity about Smith's time would stand just as valid about the early 21st century as well. We are still ridden with jealousy and self-doubt, often poorly educated and neurotic to the point where we appear not to care about our planet and our own lives and those around us. Wells' cautionary tale is just as relevant to us as it was when it was published.

[Darrell McCauley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The more H.G. Wells I read, the more he seems confused in his identity, always seeking but never finding. The Dream is a 2,000-year flashback from Utopia, with that origin saying a lot about this socialist's outlook on creation. Toward the end, looking back at the love lost in the present day:

Then slowly as the days passed my sense of loss grew upon me, the intimations of an immense loneliness gathered and spread until they became a cloud that darkened all my mental sky. I was persuaded now that there was no human being who could make me altogether happy but Hetty, and that for the second time I was rejecting the possibility of companionship with her. I had wanted love, I perceived, without sacrifice, and in that old world, it seems to me now, love was only possible at an exorbitant price, sacrifice of honour, sacrifice of one's proper work in the world, humiliations and distresses.

The author and main character both long for love, a relationship for which they were created. However, what I've learned of the author's views thus far, much of that reinforced by reflections on this book, confuse me. His lack of grace for his first wife and subsequent adultery, since he used these as plot elements, indicated the character acted selfishly and the author recognized it, but yet the character did not acknowledge it. That is, the author implicitly acknowledged the behavior but the character never expressed understanding. Did the author understand that the root of all -isms (racism, sexism, classism, etc.) is selfishness and that those evils start with self? Or did he really believe in Utopian ideals without honest self-reflection? Or was he illustrating that the character lacked self-reflection, which was the writer's tacit point?

[Natalie deQuillfeldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A highly underrated book in my opinion. Sarnac, a man living in a utopian society in the year 4000, lives the life of a man named Harry Mortimer Smith in a dream. After awakening he shares his experiences with his close friends and lover. He relates the woes of living in the 1890's including sexual repression, lack of educational opportunities, poverty, and war. Sarnac's friends are confused over the jealousy, hypocrisy, and lack of generosity or forgiveness exhibited by the characters of Sarnac's dream world. Wells comments on the vices of the world he grew up in while also expressing optimism over a future in which human beings would similarly become awakened to the plausibility of a better world. A short read with a plot that is easy to follow, unencumbered by difficult language. I would recommend to the lovers of futuristic sci-fi and historical fiction alike.

[Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dream tells of a man from a Utopian future who dreams the entire life of an Englishman from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. In circa 4,000 A.D., a biologist named Sarnac is taking a holiday among mountains and lakes with his lover, Sunray. With four other holiday travelers, they visit some 2,000-year-old "ancient remains [of war dead] that had recently been excavated" in a nearby valley. A little later, after a brief afternoon nap, Sarnac awakens from "a very vivid dream." Sarnac's dream brings with it total recall of the complete life of Harry Mortimer Smith. Smith's life and the institutions that structure it are the subject throughout the novel of a running commentary from the point of view of the achieved Utopia of 2,000 years later.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this little book about a man who dreams about a past life that takes place in early 20th c. century and follows his childhood, his move to London, and his sentimental education. Like Christina Alberta's Father, but instead of a small man dreaming of himself as a king, it is the reverse. The writing is beautiful and filled with warmth and the character of Fanny is based on Rebecca West. A minor Wells but major for me.

[Mark Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's an important context to my reading this book. It was mentioned in passing by George Orwell in his discussions about utopias in fiction, but was disregarded as an impossibility due to Wells's "naive" optimism. In the current world that we live in, optimism sounded like the exact criteria that I needed to consume.

This is my first experience with HG Wells as a writer and, if this is not commonly regarded as one his best books, then I've got a real treat ahead of me.

It tells the story of Sarnac - a man living on Earth some indeterminate time in a future utopia - himself telling the story of the lifelike dream that he had of Harry Mortimer Smith - a boy who grew up in the late 19th century. While this does summon up dull comparisons to listening to someone's normal dream ("AND THEN YOU PULLED YOUR HEAD OFF AND YOU WERE CAMERON DIAZ"), there's a profound comparison to be made between the two cultures.

The book unquestionably begins with a dry and morally superior ridicule of late Victorian society and their moral, educational and religious beliefs, but it becomes something far more than that. As the Victorian Harry ages and becomes more cognizant of the world, you are able to start making your own comparisons and observations.

Whenever you read this book, you will sit in a time period between the two cultures described in the book. We are currently, in the vast majority of ways, in a better state as a society than Harry himself is. In that way alone, there is plenty of optimism to be found. While we still have a long way to progress as a society, it's undeniable how far we have come.

However, the manner in which the utopian characters discuss their entrenched sense of freedom - socially, environmentally and professionally - manages to inspire rather than to highlight our current failures. If we, as a society, have been able to come as far as we have so far, then why not even further?

There is so much more that could be said about the vibrancy of this book. Wells's descriptive abilities set up a scene and a location so absolutely, while managing to not overwhelm in an heavily expositional paragraph, that makes it all feel as though it all truly happened.

Both sides of this story are, in some form, a dream. To me though, as the best dreams always do, this is one dream that is going to affect me for quite some time.

[Seabury · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The difference between us, Wells, is fundamental. You don’t care for humanity, but think they are to be improved. I love humanity but know they are not” - Joseph Conrad

I start with that quote because the more I read from H.G. Wells, the more it rings true. Especially when you step outside the science fiction for which he is most well known, his disdain for his society becomes more obvious the more you read from him. His cynicism starts to become a chore to plow through, and it becomes clear that his attachment to future utopias is a direct consequence of his revulsion to the present. He exemplifies the great irony that sometimes the progressive with the most beautiful and idealistic vision for the future has birthed such a beautiful dream out of hatred and spite.

This book, is perhaps the one where this aspect is most overwhelming. Other books by the author are often just as cynical, but they have a great story and compelling drama to propel the reader through the turgid negativity. In this book, there was not enough, and large sections really just came across as ranting. Even so, H.G. Wells always has a way with words, and perhaps he is at his most eloquent as he heaps his scorn upon Victorian England. As it is, I would have found this book much more tedious if I had read it in 1924 and been immersed in the society he was so intent on skewering, but its age gives it value as a time-capsule of sorts.

[Caleb Marcoux · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proves something to me. H.G. Wells knows how to write a book. If I were to describe the stories in any of his books that I have read, they would not sound to me particularly interesting. Wells just has a way of writing that enthralls me. Draws me into the story.
I almost rated this book 3 stars. If this book were by any other author I would have rated it 3 stars. Perhaps 2. It is not even science fiction in any meaningful sense. It is just the retelling of a random, meaningless story that happens to be a dream Sarnac has. Yet, what is any other fiction literature?

I am genuinely surprised there are so few Goodreads ratings of this book. The medium of telling a story through retelling the vivid dream of another life is intriguing and well-utilized. We can feel which events were the most important and which were emotional by the way that Sarnac (the teller), who is now truly entwined with Smith (the dream manifestation), retells them. Is he detached and factual? Does he go into great detail? Is he hesitant to broach an area of life?
Similarly, telling the average story of a present-day man from the view of one living in Utopia provides ample opportunity for considering our present society. Truly connecting to Smith allows consideration of love, marriage, family ties, career, and death.
While The Invisible Man is my favorite book by Wells I have read so far, I would still recommend any fans to read a copy of this. I at least will continue reading his work.

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Known mostly for his sci-fi works this story under the premise that alien life forms are being told the far distant past of our planet through the tales of one who dreamed it. A little context for this, being originally published in 1924. The majority of this tale is very modern ending most likely around the same time of publication or very shortly before. The criticisms of society to that point is absolutely scathing and scandalous.

Because of the writing style, one might think it was written before maybe the more contemporary fantasy and scifi eras but perhaps closer to the 60s women's rights movement. There are so many comments on the restriction on women's rights, the constraints on education for women and men, insight and a bit of a poke at the current style of the publication system, the judgements that stem from classism, taboos around sex, and above all absolutely rips apart the abuse of the systems of religion. And, uniquely only skims over the recent War as something that changed the world and would scar it.

It is not what most people will probably expect from this author, but it is incredibly clever. By putting it under the framework of a fantastical perspective the author could claim that it is a perspective from a different race not the 'true human' reflection by those this would enrage at the time. It may also be a perfect recommendation for those who shun the genre but are historical fiction readers.

[KD Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to on Chirp - with Edoardo Ballerini narrating)


The writing is fantastic, as to be expected by Wells. The story is intriguing and captivates.
The simple question is - why is the story set 2000 years in the future and then told almost completely in ‘flashback’? (Flashback depending upon your view of identities). It honestly feels as though Wells could have written the entire work in its ‘dreams setting of the early 1920s, as a rather straightforward novel. Only the +\- 2000 years gives it any semblance of sci-fi. So was Wells (or his publisher) so tied to him writing sci-fi that they couldn’t imagine telling the story as simply that of a man in the present?
(The flaws in the futuristic idea are rather glaring when the protagonist speaks of WWI - as, lacking nearly all foresight in how the rest of the 20th Century played out, the novel’s actual writing date becomes glaringly obvious. To speak of the impact of Woodrow Wilson in the year 4000, when his impact on history is already greatly marginalized in the 2020s, is one of the more dramatic flaws of this plot line).
All that said … Wells’ writing with Ballerini’s narration - any book is going to earn 4 stars. Ballerini is one of the very best narrators in the business and everything he does is beautifully read.

[Jennifer Colvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

🎧 This is the first work of H.G. Wells that I have read. He does a fantastic job with description and often times I found myself questioning if this was really written in 1924. The way he discusses times of the nineteen-teens as if giving the description from the POV of someone in a Utopian future of 4000AD is interesting and at times staggering. Something he discusses issues and or questions we still face today, nearly a century after it was written.

Personally, I enjoyed this and will find myself reading more of H.G. Wells’ works.

“Science increases and the power of man grows but only inside the limits of life’s conditions. We may conquer space and time but we shall never conquer the mystery of what we are and why we can be matter that feels and wills.”

[Chris Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It felt modern in a weirdly nostalgic sense which will make no sense to anyone really. I liked the concept and the story grew and was engrossing. At times i felt totally immersed in the time period and the grit of London emerging post World War 1. Trying to adjust from the stark still rigid Victorian age to the more promiscuous future. Wells is very good at making contemporary commentary sound historical - it really feels like the story exists in the past and the future at the same time!

I’d have cut some bits out, it floundered alittle in the 3rd quarter for a chapter or 4 but picked up again.

A great read and i’m not sure why it isnt more widely known! Certainly up there with my fav Wells so far!

[Asia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was one of the first one I have read from this author(that I can remember. Might have read something for English class). As an introductory to this author, it might have not been the best place to start. The plot was intriguing, the writing very engaging, and well done characters. If I was in a literary class(or book club), this book would have been perfect to analyze and break apart. But simply just reading it.. I felt like I was not smart enough to understand all the nuances. And some of his personal ideas come blaring throughout the book. Not a very subtle author. It is a well done work of fiction. I probably would have liked it more in a different setting.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dry

I've read better books that look back on past life and how things were that were better than this one. This, weakly as a dream, takes place around 1890-1920 or so. The narrator being 2,000 years in the future where utopia exists between man and nature. It speaks on the hardship of life and the lack of happiness because of human drama. But the story was pretty dry. It was a bit of a chore to get through, to be honest.

[Kelsie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very interesting novel. Looking at the world through a futuristic lens written in 1924 eerily matched up with some of the schools of thought and emotions prevalent today. Once again, Wells hits the nail on the head and leaves you wondering if he himself traveled to the future prior to writing. A classic for a reason and a must read for sci-fi enthusiast.

[Zaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

wow this was fantastic. beginning was a little slow but halfway through I couldn't put it down. HG wells does the story within a story thing so often. I love his stuff. I really like how at the end, he zooms back, and looks at the whole picture, tries to share something that captures everything he wants us to take away. Something unique to think about, very enticing food for thought.

[Matt Jaeger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A science fiction novel that, instead of merely going to the future, finds a way to go the future and then back to the present. Wells was cynical — of work, religion, status, war, love — and this was a unique way to comment directly on life as he saw it.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is less about a utopia and more a critical commentary on contemporary life in the early 20th century, all framed in an engaging story. What’s most striking is how much of that commentary is still applicable 100 years hence. It’s worth reading for this reason alone.

[John J Kochiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this now, afirms just how advanced his vision was. It is as readable today as any currently written fiction on the market. It is insightful and consistent with modern approaches to the interpretation of dreams and previous life experiences, cleverly and engagingly presented.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good writer's tool to tell a story.

[Ciara Stanfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ehh, kinda boring

[Brandon Will]

Guess you had to be there.

[Stacey]

This is an abstract weird story. Didn’t like it.

[Kevin Driskill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept is great but it becomes mundane in the middle. Still a good story but what begins as wild and mind bending becomes a simple story set in the UK past.

[Abigail G · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting view into a potential future perspective on a life during the turn of the twentieth century and the early years of that century in England.