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The Holy Terror
The Holy Terror is a 1939 work by H. G. Wells that is in part an analysis of fascism and in part a utopian novel. Which presents itself as a biography of a character Rudolf "Rud" Whitlow, who is born with such an aggressive temperament that he is referred to as the "Holy Terror". Rud eventually gets involved in socialist activism, and a group strategizing for world revolution. Who are looking to stage coup. The group contains a character inspired by Oswald Mosley. The revolution fails, revealing the cowardice underlying Rud's aggressiveness.
522 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
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About the author
H.G. Wells
5,365 books11.1k 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
October 17, 2017
H.G. Wells
This is a review of “Holy Terror” in combination with “New World Order” as well.
Rud, was a (not so attractive) baby boy, and later, grew to be a young man who had a remarkable oratory talent. Naturally, he is eventually encouraged to perform public speaking, lecturing and finally, revolutionary speeches.
Through this character, Wells creates a platform for long discourses of his usual themes of social conditions.
Based on previous works, it is evident that Wells is perfectly capable of writing very entertaining tales and narratives laced with social themes and morals: “When the Sleeper Awakes” (1899), “A World Set Free” (1914), “The Dream” (1924) and so on, but in this (far too lengthy) work, it seems Wells, in his end years, forgets he is telling a tale of fiction and digresses (often repetitively) into detailed and technical lectures on the expedition of major global social change.
Inevitably, in this story, the struggle with the acquisition of ultimate power and what is to be done about it, becomes the primary theme of the novel.
I chose to read Wells', rather short, non-fiction work “A New World Order” believing it might serve as a companion work to “Holy Terror” as it was published just a year later in 1940. I found it unfortunate that it was in this work, Wells' chose to write his thoughts on an ideal societal system in a more elegant and concise manor. He covered, naturally, the subjects of war, which was coming to a head at the time of this writing, new technologies: steam to the internal combustion engine, the rapid development of the aeroplane and the global wide telephone which he framed in the context of the “abolition of distance”. He also dealt with the environmental devastation that would come with the growth of mass industrialization. From there he quickly went into his favourite topic: that of the naivety of Marxism vs. that of the equally mucked up version of Capitalism that most of the so called free Western nations have chosen to subscribe to and how with both systems, it most often leads to conflict between the have and have-nots, which then leads to perpetual revolt and so on.
Perhaps much of the dryer content in “Holy Terror” could have been cut out and included into “A new World Order” or vice-versa.
And then again, perhaps it was.
Both books are worth a read if you want to get into the mind of a disgruntle socialist living in the mid twentieth century, longing for the simplicity of the golden age of the late nineteenth century or ready to tear down all that has been built thus far, for something completely different.
This is a review of “Holy Terror” in combination with “New World Order” as well.
Rud, was a (not so attractive) baby boy, and later, grew to be a young man who had a remarkable oratory talent. Naturally, he is eventually encouraged to perform public speaking, lecturing and finally, revolutionary speeches.
Through this character, Wells creates a platform for long discourses of his usual themes of social conditions.
Based on previous works, it is evident that Wells is perfectly capable of writing very entertaining tales and narratives laced with social themes and morals: “When the Sleeper Awakes” (1899), “A World Set Free” (1914), “The Dream” (1924) and so on, but in this (far too lengthy) work, it seems Wells, in his end years, forgets he is telling a tale of fiction and digresses (often repetitively) into detailed and technical lectures on the expedition of major global social change.
Inevitably, in this story, the struggle with the acquisition of ultimate power and what is to be done about it, becomes the primary theme of the novel.
I chose to read Wells', rather short, non-fiction work “A New World Order” believing it might serve as a companion work to “Holy Terror” as it was published just a year later in 1940. I found it unfortunate that it was in this work, Wells' chose to write his thoughts on an ideal societal system in a more elegant and concise manor. He covered, naturally, the subjects of war, which was coming to a head at the time of this writing, new technologies: steam to the internal combustion engine, the rapid development of the aeroplane and the global wide telephone which he framed in the context of the “abolition of distance”. He also dealt with the environmental devastation that would come with the growth of mass industrialization. From there he quickly went into his favourite topic: that of the naivety of Marxism vs. that of the equally mucked up version of Capitalism that most of the so called free Western nations have chosen to subscribe to and how with both systems, it most often leads to conflict between the have and have-nots, which then leads to perpetual revolt and so on.
Perhaps much of the dryer content in “Holy Terror” could have been cut out and included into “A new World Order” or vice-versa.
And then again, perhaps it was.
Both books are worth a read if you want to get into the mind of a disgruntle socialist living in the mid twentieth century, longing for the simplicity of the golden age of the late nineteenth century or ready to tear down all that has been built thus far, for something completely different.
October 6, 2015
A challenge to read but most timely as half of Europe strengthens its borders against the Syrian migrants. Tragic and prescient.
April 13, 2023
Completed a year before Hitler invaded Poland, H.G. Wells’s late-period novel about hideous, sexless dictator Rudolf Whitlow (geddit?) explores what might happen if a tyrant worked his way up from humble beginnings to become World Trustee of a Wellsian World State utopia. And then what might happen if that went awry. Foreshadowing the terror of Stalin’s reign, The Holy Terror is an uneven, bloated, frustrating, rambling novel from a Wells long past caring about any pretence of narrative consistency, where the author seems to be arguing with himself about his own utopian ideas. For Wells completists only.
December 10, 2018
Got roughly half way through the book, but didnt feel motivated to get through the roughly 250 other pages. It has some nice language and moments which show that a great deal of problems and characters we see in society are not just products of our times. However it does drag on quite a bit and unless one particularly enjoys a drawn out personal drama it does get in the way of what might otherwise be some interesting social commentary and conjecture.
September 11, 2018
This is a very good book. Not a great book but somewhat magnificent in its ridiculous scope.
December 20, 2021
Not recommended.
January 1, 2025
bad. given back to the op shop.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews