The Cone

by H.G. Wells

The Cone is a short story by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895 in Unicorn. It was intended to be "the opening chapter of a sensational novel set in the Five Towns", later abandoned.

The story is set at an ironworks in Stoke-on-Trent, in Staffordshire. An artist is there to depict the industrial landscape; the manager of the ironworks discovers his affair with his wife, and takes him on a tour of the factory, where there are dangerous features.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Thriller, Classics, Crime, Audiobook, Fiction

27 pages

Published April 1, 1994

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

[Karla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story 3.25 stars**
Audio 3.75 stars**
Narrator Liam Gerrard

[Suad Alhalwachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

قصة من قصص الرعب ولكن هذا الرعب شيطاني الى درجة كبيرة. تخيل نفسك تحترق في فرن صهر الحديد
ولان الشخص صائد للنساء يسمح لنا الله بحرقهم ؟
يا الهي

صورة الغلاف اوحت لي بأن القصة عبارة عن خيال علمي اذ وجدت في اعلاها صحنا طائر. ولكنها قصة جهنمية


اقتباسات:

صاح هوروكس:هذاهو الِقْمع الذي كنُت أخبرك عنه، ومن تحته يوجد ستون قدًما من النار والمعدن المنصهر، مع هواء التيار الذي يفور عبره مثل الغاز في المياه الغازية.

كان يعرف أ َّن هذا الشيء الموجود تحته، باستثناء أنه كان لايزال يشعر ويتحرك؛
كان بالفعل قد صار رجًلا ميتًا، وأنه لابد أن دَم هذا التعيِس البائس يغلي في عروقه.

[Yassmeen Altaif · Rating 3 out of 5]

«ارحمني يا إلهي! ويحي! ماذا فعلت؟»

هل الفرن والصهر هم نار الآخرة.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesson: DO NOT engage in an affair with your friend’s wife.
ESPECIALLY if he owns an iron refinery.

Word of caution: If you fail to avoid the first two recommendations then do not take a tour of said friends’ iron refinery!

[Hirdesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrible story !

[Ali Alkhuzai · Rating 3 out of 5]

انتقام رهيب ،صاحب مصنع الحديد يجد زوجته تخونه مع صاحبه وكانا كلاهما ذا ثقة لديه وأخذ صاحبه لمصنعه وهناك تحدث الكارثة في حالة غضب نفسي ومكتوم بداخله ولا ينتبه الا بالمأساة التي أحدثها.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 1 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This shocking story, published in 1895, describes an adultery and a horrible vengeance. The death of the man is described in detail. I found it very disagreeable.

ESPAÑOL: Este tremendo cuento, publicado en 1895, describe un adulterio y una venganza horrible. La muerte del hombre se describe con todo detalle. Lo encontré muy desagradable.

[Huda Akwyed · Rating 3 out of 5]

هل تبيح الخيانة القتل ؟!
هل يوصل ألم الخيانة إلى قتل صديقه بطريقة بشعة كالحرق في القمع الذي ينفجر بمجرد ملامسته الدماء في جسدك !!!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Herbert George can really write some gruesome endings.

[Watchdogg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Cone
Author: H. G. Wells
First published: Unicorn, September 18, 1895

My thoughts -
Known to me for his writings that came to be known as science fiction (The Time Machine (1895), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds), this short story by H. G. Wells is pure horror. Horrocks, the foundry owner, overhears Raut and Horrocks' wife discussing the joys of their illicit dalliance. Abruptly, Raut grasps on the first thing that comes to mind and insists his presence in their home is related to accepting an offer of a guided tour of the ironworks. Bad move. Horrocks seizes on this assertion and escorts Raut on the guided tour. During their journey into the bowels of the ironworks Raut senses the danger he has placed himself in and Horrocks takes pleasure in pointing out those dangers. Really well done. Raut's fear is palpable as is Horrocks' intent for retaliation. The fearful apprehension that washes over Raut is undeniable as his fate unfolds.

A perfect example of a horror short story. I place it in the realm of what I would expect from Poe and gives me more respect for Wells as a gifted writer.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dramatic short story about an adulterer and his cuckold walking together with the adulterer constantly wondering if the cuckold is going to kill him for his crimes.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scary & sad.

[Arijit Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first chapter of a cancelled novel. A workaholic factory worker finds his trusted friend embroiled in an affair with the woman he loved the most, his wife, and plans to exact revenge on his friend. It explores his slow descent into madness. It makes you curious about what the full novel could've been.

[Zozo · Rating 3 out of 5]

((هنا هو أحمر ،بخار أحمر بلون الدم وساخن كالإثم ؛ لكن انظر الى هناك ،حيث يسقط ضوء القمر عليه ويمر عبر أكوام رماد الأتون ، تجده أبيض كالموت ))

[Ⰰⱃⰿⰰⱀⰴ Ⱆⰾⰴⰵⱃⰻⰽⱁ Ⱅⰵⱄⰾⰰ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Penguin books, 2007.
A very vivid language. Scenic and sharp.
It's representation of an industrial society is little bit zolaesque.
It has a excellent narrative graduation that culminates in a great end.
Hasta luego mis murciélagos!

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cone by HG Wells – author of The World of The Wars https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/03/...

8 out of 10

HG Wells has five books on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, the two most popular being The War of The Worlds and The Time Machine, the former has caused a furor when it was first aired, the master mind was another Wells, this time he was…Orson Welles, and yes, I know, this is a poor joke, so this could be a spoiler alert

Orson Welles was such a character, he made what was for decades considered the best movie ever, Citizen Kane https://realini.blogspot.com/2023/09/... - it is still one of the top five or ten, however much tastes, trends change, The British Film Institute has published a changed list, recently
The magician Orson Welles tells this story, which you better look for on the net, YouTube in particular – well, he has quite a few things to say, apart from this – about Winston Churchill, they meet in Switzerland, I think, and perhaps the greatest leader of the last century salutes the film maker, and then they see each other again

Welles was with a potential investor, financier for a movie project, and he thanked Churchill, because he felt that the fact that he knew the outstanding prime minister (retired at the time) might help in his efforts to get backing for his film, and when they meet again, the next day, Winston Churchill rises from the table where he was sitting, bows very low, in a sign of immense respect, and to further the chances of the movie being made…
When the War of The Worlds https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/11/... was aired, it was an adaptation for the radio, so realistic, well made, that so many in the audience thought that an invasion is happening right then and there, in America, and panicked folks tried to run from the aliens

The Time Machine https://realini.blogspot.com/2018/08/... is another famous book, and HG Wells is probably the writer who has one of the biggest numbers of works that have been adapted for the big screen, and as plays – the idea of time travel has always been an enticing one
Just like The Invisible Man https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/... is a subject that we are familiar with, we envisage ourselves as elusive, at least when we are very young

As for The Cone, it is part of The BBC Classics, The Ultimate Collection – 90 Unmissable Stories, where we have The Tell Tale Heart https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20...

The Tell Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe is such an iconic story that it entered the series Cheers, where the idea of a heart that keeps beating, after a murder has been committed, and it ends up causing remorse and penance is used for comic purposes
However, Somerset Maugham is my favorite author of short stories, one of which is The Ant and The Grasshopper https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/20... a retelling of the fable

In the original, Aesop conception, the ant is the hard-working figure, scolding the grasshopper, who is ‘lazy’, does not prepare in summer for the inevitable winter, and when it gets cold, he has no food, and she is ready
There is something to be said for delayed gratification – you should look for the pie test, wherein children are given a choice, one pie right now, or two a bit later, the ones who took the second option went on to be very successful

The best advice comes from Aristotle who wrote about The Golden Mean, virtue is placed between two vices, and moderation is the key https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/...
Too much delay would be counterproductive, and not caring for the future at all does not seem like the winning formula, nonetheless, in the Maugham version, The Grasshopper wins, as symbolized by a human being

This looks like the fallacy that is spread by proverbs, one our greatest thinkers, Constantin Noica, took on the so-called popular wisdom, and there is so much there to be debunked https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/02/...
Indeed, one would be ‘appearances deceive’, which is such a foolish ‘piece of wisdom’, demolished by The Thin Slicing Theory, explained in the classic Blink – The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

And we could also use common sense, if we see a beggar on the street, you must not judge, but his appearance is a clear indication about his status, finances, we could not expect a prince in disguise, his appearance is a good indication about what he does, what the economic situation, the life expectancy and so much more
Indeed, we form opinions in The Blink of an eye, and we keep them https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/05/... and there are other foolish proverbs out there

Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u... – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”

[Mahrufa Mery · Rating 3 out of 5]

সাধাসিধা কমন টাইপের গল্প। তবে হরর লুকিয়ে আছে বর্ণনায়।

[Gerek Tupy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once again I read this for English class. Comparing it to some of H. G.'s other works, this was kind of poor. The themes and ideas were decent, but the way they were portrayed honestly bored me. Just more and more descriptions of massive gray machines and factories pumping out smoke and ash and dust. It just started to wear down on me by the time the story was over. I honesty felt pretty confused until right at the end of the story. And even then when something final happened, it was still hard to understand what was going on. The characters were okay at best and the ending was anti-climactic. In the end, I wouldn't suggest this over other H. G. classics like the War Of The Worlds.

[Jing · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept waiting for some psychological twist that did not take place, and the extreme graphic nature of the ending kept me up a few hours on the night I read this story. The graphic nature of the death reminds me of the ending of the Revenge of the Sith when Anakin falls into the lava pit...except in this case the guy dies without the Force to save him. The plot itself reminds me more or less of Balzac's La Grande Breteche, in which a wronged husband avenges himself upon the adulturer, with the woman helplessly standing by, well aware of the horrors awaiting her lover but unable to do anything about it...

[Michael Mills · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short and surprisingly nasty tale from H.G. Wells. Worth reading for the shock value and visual imagery (both beautiful and profane) but otherwise fairly light.

[Hamza El · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتب قصير جدا

[Shaimaa Mosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

، العمل مختلف وجذاب
لغته اثرتني واجمل ما فيه الوصف الحي للموت
الصياغة الادبية لعملية صناعية بحتة مجردة من المشاعر ، من جانب وربط المشاعر التي ماتت بين الزوجين على الاقل من جانب الزوجة ،
اجد راوت خائن لصديقه الذي ادخله بيته ووثق فيه
بينما الزوجة التي تعاني الوحدة وجفاف مشاعر الزوج خائنة هي الأخرى حيث انها كانت واعية لكل ما يحدث ربما اكثر من راوت، يساورني شك استنتجت منه ان راوت ليس اول ضحية لهذه المرأة وانها استخدمت راوت للفرار من الحياة الخاملة الجامدة بلا مشاعر مع هور وكس ، ترددها عند ذكر نوع العالم الذي فتحه وجود راوت لها هو اختلاف ما يعنيه لها الأمر والعلاقة عما تعنيه له.

لدي رؤيتين للقصة القصيرة :
١-الحياة الجامدة بلا مشاعر مصيرها الزوال مهما كان نوع الارتباط والالتزام
بينما كلمات الحب التي بلا اي ارتباط فعلي او توثيق
فهي فعليا تذيب صدأ العلاقات.
٢-سيطرة العقل علي المشاعر ولو مؤقتا، تبذل فيها جميع الخيارات العقلية المنطقية ليحكمنا القلب ولو لثوان قد نخسر فيها حريتنا وأعز اصدقائنا.

[Kishore · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is set in an industrial town with a grim and oppressive atmosphere, dominated by the towering chimneys of an ironworks. The protagonist, Horrocks, is the manager of the ironworks. He invites Raut, an artist and friend of his wife, to tour the factory.

As the two men walk through the industrial landscape, Horrocks reveals a growing sense of menace. His tone becomes darker, hinting that he knows about an affair between Raut and his wife. The industrial setting mirrors Horrocks' simmering anger, with descriptions of fire, smoke, and molten metal adding to the tension.

Eventually, Horrocks leads Raut to the heart of the factory, near a cone-shaped blast furnace. In a shocking turn, Horrocks pushes Raut into the furnace, leaving him to perish in the fiery inferno. The story ends with Horrocks calmly walking away, his vengeance complete

[Hayat Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

مؤثرة جدا بالاخص مشاعر الزوج هوروكس اتجاه خيانة صديقه راوت مع زوجته فقد كانت انفعالاته عنيفه والامه شديدة لكنها مكبوته
اما مشهد دخول هوروكس ع روات وزوجته وهما يتهامسان بحد ذاته موقف يحبس فيه الانفاس مما اثار الذعر في نفسيهما فتوجسا الخوف هل سمعهما وهما يتهامسان لانه لم يصرح لهما بشي بينما اخد صديقه ع الوعد لكي يريه المنظر الخلاب لمصنع الحديد ولكن هناك دلالات ع معرفته بالامر مما جعل راوت يعيش اللحظات في خوف من انتقام هوروكس لكن النهايه كانت صادمه.

هكذا هي الخيانات تجعل الطرف الضحيه تحت انفعالات شديدة وشعور بالصدمه مما ينتج عنه ارتكاب جرائم فظيعه بحق الضحيه نفسها او بحق الخائن وبتالي كل الاطراف متأثرة وخاسرة .

[Mahmud · Rating 4 out of 5]

What was that? Basically H.G. Wells & Jules Verne are known as the father of science fiction, Almost all know that. But but but what was that again? Didn't know H.G. Wells has Poe inside of him. This was much much different & unique coming from Herbert George Wells.
The Cone was supposed to be the first chapter of a novel but later the novel never happened. The furnace incident was just awesome. I am amazed to see H.G. Wells deriving human psychology like this. Not willing to spoil the fun anymore.
Happy reading.

[Autumn Embers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one, but I also happen to be a fan of the macabre. To me it feels like old timey true crime, the details of the ending are gruesome and the whole part leading up to it felt like a thrilling and chilling mystery. Will he do it or is he just trying to scare him? And the anguish of his choice also made it feel like it was left for interpretation, will he turn himself in or will he also take the plunge out of guilt? For a short story it was a really good read that tickled that part of my brain that loves true crime, horror, and macabre lifestyle.

[E.J. Blak · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Here it is red, blood-red vapour as red and hot as sin; but yonder there, where the moonlight falls on it, and it drives across the clinker-heaps, it is as white as death.”

I didn't really feel this one as much of the other ones, but again that idea of being able to extend the concept (just a simple idea of a cone) appears. I did not mind the read, but Wells has written much better from the few stories of his I've read.

[P Roberge · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was kinda stupid and obtuse. Why did the guy die? I'm not even sure which guy died? And why the cone mattered? There was a cone in the factory and one guy said it was nice and useful for smelting and then they threw each other in the fire? Why?
The only redeeming quality of this short story is that I learned the word sententious, which means: "Given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner."

[Ik · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know what all the fuss is about. I keep reading reviews about how this story was too gory and explicit, but I didn't think it was that big a deal. It is a bit more Poe than Wells, but the atmosphere was still very much Wells. I thought it was a bit boring and like most of his other stories better.

[Sohanur Rahman Hridoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so good, not so bad... H.G. Wells' this one is not enough to arise hype but not bad for passing time.

The story start with exposing betrayal of a relationship. A very forbidden relationship between someone with his best friend's wife... And the consequence of this forbidden relationship end up with losing one of them life.. this is the main theme of this short story...

Happy Reading