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A Story of the Stone Age
This story is of a time beyond the memory of man, before the beginning of history. . .
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1897
22 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
H.G. Wells
5,304 books11.3k 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 - 27 of 27 reviews
April 15, 2021
ENGLISH: In this story, published in 1897, Wells fantasizes about life in the recent Stone Age, according to what they thought about that at the time. Twenty-four years later he wrote an essay (The Grisly Folk) where he discusses the first encounter between modern humans and Neanderthals. Although in both works a few things are no longer valid, there are others that still are.
ESPAÑOL: En este cuento, publicado en 1897, Wells fantasea sobre la vida en la Edad de Piedra reciente, según lo que entonces se pensaba al respecto. 24 años más tarde escribió un ensayo (The Grisly Folk) en el que abordó el primer encuentro entre humanos modernos y neandertales. Aunque en ambos trabajos algunas cosas se han quedado atrasadas, hay otras que siguen siendo válidas.
ESPAÑOL: En este cuento, publicado en 1897, Wells fantasea sobre la vida en la Edad de Piedra reciente, según lo que entonces se pensaba al respecto. 24 años más tarde escribió un ensayo (The Grisly Folk) en el que abordó el primer encuentro entre humanos modernos y neandertales. Aunque en ambos trabajos algunas cosas se han quedado atrasadas, hay otras que siguen siendo válidas.
July 3, 2023
4.5⭐
December 6, 2022
I was rather excited to meet with H.G. Wells, with a relatively short book of his. Though it started with the slowest pace for me and it was hard to follow the storyline because of the strangest yet so similar character names and the hardship of figuring out what the characters are. So, I can say that this one was not for me at all. However, I won't let this to be the last book that I read from H.G. Wells.
December 23, 2012
This was great. I don't know what the problem was with people who gave it less than four stars.
May 23, 2018
Short and nice.
March 4, 2025
Penguin books, 2007.
The language is different than in other Wells's works. It's more homeric, more artistic.
An omnipresent and heterodiegetic narrator shows us a prehistoric Britain, the first people who poblated the British isles.
As far as I know even today the science confirms hippopotami, rhinos and elephants roaming the British isles before Pleistocene, maybe even after Pleistocene, but I'm not sure.
We have a strong byronic figure as the protagonist. His powerful young girl sidekick is an interesting feministic topos for today's readers, and it proves also the fallacy of feminism, never ever have women been discriminated, since the dawn of time women have been rulers and warriors.
Hasta luego mis murciélagos!
The language is different than in other Wells's works. It's more homeric, more artistic.
An omnipresent and heterodiegetic narrator shows us a prehistoric Britain, the first people who poblated the British isles.
As far as I know even today the science confirms hippopotami, rhinos and elephants roaming the British isles before Pleistocene, maybe even after Pleistocene, but I'm not sure.
We have a strong byronic figure as the protagonist. His powerful young girl sidekick is an interesting feministic topos for today's readers, and it proves also the fallacy of feminism, never ever have women been discriminated, since the dawn of time women have been rulers and warriors.
Hasta luego mis murciélagos!
January 25, 2021
It's HG Wells, so it's not bad. A nice short book for those who don't want want a forklift to open their book. :)
It's about a tribe in the stone age and how 2 people are ousted and need to fend for themselves. They fight bears, lions and encounter wild horses. An intriguing world that pulls you in.
I just adore this old English writing style.
It's about a tribe in the stone age and how 2 people are ousted and need to fend for themselves. They fight bears, lions and encounter wild horses. An intriguing world that pulls you in.
I just adore this old English writing style.
June 30, 2025
(1897) This time Wells stretches his imagination, as he likes to do, back to Stone Age Britain—around 50,000 years ago rather than 1 million—to put you in the mind of Man at some pivotal moments in prehistory. 2001 borrowed a bit from this. You see the first axe, used immediately to murder someone. The image of a felled ox. You see the earliest horse-breaking. Wells even shows you what a man sitting by a fire first looks like to a bear, equally alarmed by the flames as by the shadow they cast. (The scene where the she-bear tries to rouse the carcass of her mate, white ribs exposed, is pretty nightmarish).
The tone seems directed at younger readers. The talking animals were surely inspired by Kipling. Wells captures some of what I imagine to be the strangeness of Paleolithic man. But it’s not all one of his purely imaginative exercises. There is a basic narrative, about a man and woman at war with their tribe. I liked the happy ending with the dark last sentence.
The tone seems directed at younger readers. The talking animals were surely inspired by Kipling. Wells captures some of what I imagine to be the strangeness of Paleolithic man. But it’s not all one of his purely imaginative exercises. There is a basic narrative, about a man and woman at war with their tribe. I liked the happy ending with the dark last sentence.
August 20, 2023
اولا ترجمة سلسلة روايات هربرت ترجمة رائعة الصراحة ثانيا تجربتي مع روايات هربرت كانت لطيفة في روايات منها عجبتني جدا وفي روايات حسيتها مملة اوي و مفهمتش الهدف بتاعها
من الروايات اللي عجبتني (صانع الألماس ، المتجر السحري ، جزيرة الإيبيورنيس ، لؤلؤة الحب ، المعجل الجديد ، التفاحة ، البيضة البلورية وفي الأعماق السحيقة)
من الروايات اللي عجبتني (صانع الألماس ، المتجر السحري ، جزيرة الإيبيورنيس ، لؤلؤة الحب ، المعجل الجديد ، التفاحة ، البيضة البلورية وفي الأعماق السحيقة)
August 11, 2019
Bana insanların ne kadar berbat olduğunu hatırlatan ve gariptir ki bitene kadar karakterlerin ölümünü arzulatan kitap.
//H. G. Wells’in okuduğum ilk kitabı.
//H. G. Wells’in okuduğum ilk kitabı.
July 5, 2023
Monkeys gone wrong aka pig monkeys aka humans go berserk. The errors:
1. Pigs as Wells knew then i.e. hairless didn’t exist 50k ya.
2. Primitive technology doesn’t equal stupid, actually it’s quite the reverse. X geners would seem retarded if sent “back” to the stone age.
3. Grizzly bears and early man never commingled.
4. “Throwing flints”? Flints were never thrown unless attached to a spear.
5. Horses were stocky and hirsute because they were adapted to the ice age and not because there were “close to the primordial” or primitive per se.
6. Ditto for man.
7. Horses were domesticated, then ridden, not vice versa. Note how cows and even goats are often ridden by cowherds and small/young goatherds.
All in all, Wells had an abysmal knowledge of early man and his habits and ways. This is because he was an idiotic progressive/socialist who unquestioningly accepted all new* dogma as true. In this case it was the nonsense of Darwinism which was suggested by fossils, but at odds with all living systems. The Darwinian dogma sets up a false narrative of early primitiveness and later sophistication which prompts the stupid to write stories like Wells’. Proof of concept: while Neanderthal man is considered primitive and stupid he was simply a human race (geographic variety) adapted to ice age Europe. His brain was actually larger than “modern” (current) man’s which means that he was smarter according to statistical consistency. QED
*Evolution as progression and/or the origin of species was first suggested to Anaximander in the 6th c. BC by the ample Grecian island fossil “record”.
1. Pigs as Wells knew then i.e. hairless didn’t exist 50k ya.
2. Primitive technology doesn’t equal stupid, actually it’s quite the reverse. X geners would seem retarded if sent “back” to the stone age.
3. Grizzly bears and early man never commingled.
4. “Throwing flints”? Flints were never thrown unless attached to a spear.
5. Horses were stocky and hirsute because they were adapted to the ice age and not because there were “close to the primordial” or primitive per se.
6. Ditto for man.
7. Horses were domesticated, then ridden, not vice versa. Note how cows and even goats are often ridden by cowherds and small/young goatherds.
All in all, Wells had an abysmal knowledge of early man and his habits and ways. This is because he was an idiotic progressive/socialist who unquestioningly accepted all new* dogma as true. In this case it was the nonsense of Darwinism which was suggested by fossils, but at odds with all living systems. The Darwinian dogma sets up a false narrative of early primitiveness and later sophistication which prompts the stupid to write stories like Wells’. Proof of concept: while Neanderthal man is considered primitive and stupid he was simply a human race (geographic variety) adapted to ice age Europe. His brain was actually larger than “modern” (current) man’s which means that he was smarter according to statistical consistency. QED
*Evolution as progression and/or the origin of species was first suggested to Anaximander in the 6th c. BC by the ample Grecian island fossil “record”.
February 27, 2023
I enjoyed this story of early man from around 50,000 years ago. HG Wells brings to life a time when man still had a lot of the animal in him. The story revolves around Ugh-lomi who kills the clan leader and then escapes with Eudena...his partner. Together, their life revolves around survival and new ways of clever thinking.
Along the way, the myriad animals come to life; the cave bear, the lion, the jackals and other creatures; I loved the way that Ugh-lomi watches and waits, studies the animals for days at a time to learn... until another idea enters his caveman head. I liked the way Wells shows how early man took the time to wait and trust his intuition until he finally received new realizations and thoughts of how to dominate his environment and life.
I can see where the author of "Clan of the Cave Bear" found her inspiration, as well as other authors. I've always been interested in the evolution and progress of our race, and Wells demonstrates that when a problem arose way back then, man took the time to understand, and thus carried humanity to a higher level than it was. Often it was forced by circumstances, but to watch it take place was awe-inspiring.
I think Wells combines so much of what we know about early man into this story, including the riding of wild horses and creating new weapons! The story was quite the ride and I enjoyed Wells's superb and suspenseful writing style!
Along the way, the myriad animals come to life; the cave bear, the lion, the jackals and other creatures; I loved the way that Ugh-lomi watches and waits, studies the animals for days at a time to learn... until another idea enters his caveman head. I liked the way Wells shows how early man took the time to wait and trust his intuition until he finally received new realizations and thoughts of how to dominate his environment and life.
I can see where the author of "Clan of the Cave Bear" found her inspiration, as well as other authors. I've always been interested in the evolution and progress of our race, and Wells demonstrates that when a problem arose way back then, man took the time to understand, and thus carried humanity to a higher level than it was. Often it was forced by circumstances, but to watch it take place was awe-inspiring.
I think Wells combines so much of what we know about early man into this story, including the riding of wild horses and creating new weapons! The story was quite the ride and I enjoyed Wells's superb and suspenseful writing style!
March 7, 2025
H.G. Wells is well known for his imaginative and thought-provoking stories, but "A Story of the Stone Age" didn’t quite meet my expectations. At first, I was fascinated by the idea of exploring the life of a prehistoric man, expecting an engaging tale of survival, adventure, and insight into early human existence. However, as I continued reading, I found myself feeling increasingly bored.
The story felt too primitive—not just in setting but in execution. The characters and their struggles lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them or feel invested in their journey. While Wells’ attempt to depict the harsh and simple life of early humans is commendable, the narrative felt flat and repetitive. It lacked the intrigue and complexity I usually enjoy in his other works.
Overall, while the premise was promising, "A Story of the Stone Age" failed to hold my interest. Readers looking for a more compelling prehistoric tale might be better off exploring other works in the genre.
The story felt too primitive—not just in setting but in execution. The characters and their struggles lacked depth, making it difficult to connect with them or feel invested in their journey. While Wells’ attempt to depict the harsh and simple life of early humans is commendable, the narrative felt flat and repetitive. It lacked the intrigue and complexity I usually enjoy in his other works.
Overall, while the premise was promising, "A Story of the Stone Age" failed to hold my interest. Readers looking for a more compelling prehistoric tale might be better off exploring other works in the genre.
August 29, 2023
Written in 1897 it tells a story from 50,000 years ago when areas of the North Sea were still land in what is known today as Doggerland, a submerged land mass that connected Europe with Great Britain when the glaciers had taken much of the water from the oceans.
The story, much like a much shortened version of "The Clan of Cave Bear" series, tells the story of a man and woman turned out from their tribe and involve conflict with the tribe, bears, and an old lion that preyed on the tribe and includes a horse and the first stone axe. A fairly simple story it's good for a day or two's read and being quite novel for it's time this novella is quite entertaining.
No need to purchase. You can listen to it free here: https://archive.org/details/stone_age...
01 - Ugh-lomi and Uya 35:122
02 - The Cave Bear 26:123
03 - The First Horseman 23:454
04 - Uya the Lion 21:585
05 - The Fight in the Lion's Thicket 23:12
The story, much like a much shortened version of "The Clan of Cave Bear" series, tells the story of a man and woman turned out from their tribe and involve conflict with the tribe, bears, and an old lion that preyed on the tribe and includes a horse and the first stone axe. A fairly simple story it's good for a day or two's read and being quite novel for it's time this novella is quite entertaining.
No need to purchase. You can listen to it free here: https://archive.org/details/stone_age...
01 - Ugh-lomi and Uya 35:122
02 - The Cave Bear 26:123
03 - The First Horseman 23:454
04 - Uya the Lion 21:585
05 - The Fight in the Lion's Thicket 23:12
August 31, 2025
I’ve been reading this book on and off for three years (no joke). Each time I picked it up, I only managed about five pages before putting it aside. But this weekend I finally decided to end the struggle, because I really dislike giving up halfway through a book.
Since English is not my first language, and the story is set in the Stone Age, it wasn’t an easy read for me, even though it’s only 86 pages long. I actually bought it from a museum shop, so the book also carries some personal memories with it.
To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in the Stone Age. Still, while reading I realized there were far more details about that era than I ever expected. Some of them were completely new to me.
If you’re genuinely curious about the Stone Age, this book is worth reading. But if you don’t have a special interest in the subject, it might not be the best place to start. :)
Since English is not my first language, and the story is set in the Stone Age, it wasn’t an easy read for me, even though it’s only 86 pages long. I actually bought it from a museum shop, so the book also carries some personal memories with it.
To be honest, I’m not particularly interested in the Stone Age. Still, while reading I realized there were far more details about that era than I ever expected. Some of them were completely new to me.
If you’re genuinely curious about the Stone Age, this book is worth reading. But if you don’t have a special interest in the subject, it might not be the best place to start. :)
December 13, 2021
An adventure story of cavemen (50.000 BCE) taking just a few too many liberties with the historical facts. The writing style is outdated, but the story flows well and has a satisfying ending.
Published as a five-part series in the monthly periodical The Idler, from May to September 1897, so at a time when relatively little was known about the peoples living during the Stone Age. Subsequently published in the book Tales of Space and Time in 1900, a collection of fantasy and science fiction stories of which A Story of the Stone Age forms one of the two novellas.
Available on Project Gutenberg.
Published as a five-part series in the monthly periodical The Idler, from May to September 1897, so at a time when relatively little was known about the peoples living during the Stone Age. Subsequently published in the book Tales of Space and Time in 1900, a collection of fantasy and science fiction stories of which A Story of the Stone Age forms one of the two novellas.
Available on Project Gutenberg.
September 22, 2024
Taş devrinde geçen, insanlığın acımasızlığı karşısında doğadaki diğer canlıların hissettiği ve yaşadığı çaresizliği anlatan, fabl türüne de ufaktan göz kırpan bir H. G. Wells eseri. Kendi içinde beş bölümden oluşuyor. Her bölüm kendi sınırları dahilinde tutarlı olsa da, genele bakıldığında pek de bir numarası olduğu söylenemez. Sıradan bir doğada hayatta kalma mücadelesi okuyormuşsunuz gibi hissettiriyor.
September 4, 2023
Kort berättelse om en serie händelser kring en stenåldersby och dess invånare. Klassiska stenålders-teman med saker som grottbjörnar, oogah-boogah och simpel överlevnad. Saknar bara lite variation och djup i detaljerna. Även ett något föråldrat språk, vilket förtog delar av spänningen. I alla fall i engelskt original.
May 7, 2021
I grew up reading H. G. Well in the 1950's and generally liked his stuff but just couldn't get into this one. I was born in 1947 and a precocious reader at an early age. I can remember being amazed at The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.
February 14, 2020
Actually, quite good. A primitive story about simple people but still engaging.
December 11, 2021
ناشونال جيوجرافيك قبل اختراع التليفزيون
February 22, 2024
Starts slow and accelerates as you stay in the book. The diversity of adjectives and technical words used in this very short book is impressive.
December 8, 2024
القصة مملة لدرجة ماقدرت أخلصها 😁.
January 6, 2026
A very simple story. I had to go back and reread much of it as it moves quickly and has hard to remember character names, but it was a fast paced adventure with enjoyable turns.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews