Seven Famous Novels of H. G. Wells: Time Machine / Island of Dr. Moreau / Invisible Man / War of the Worlds / First Men in the Moon / Food of the Gods / In the Days of the Comet
by H. G. Wells
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Presents 2 sides of Wells and develops each with biographical comments and excerpts from appropriate works.Tags
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Incredible stories.I truly do enjoy H.G. Wells. But his stories are a complete mess. They are great stories. But they are made of literary Swiss cheese. It is easy to say that he wrote from the hip and just spat out his adventures on paper. There are SOOO many plot holes in his works that you need a compass and rope to navigate them without falling through the endless amount of “What about?” Every one of his stories leaves you with questions. Particularly questions regarding what happened to the characters. Could it be that he was the inventor of the “ambiguous ending?” No. The endings are clear but the fates of the characters and their reasons for lack of ethics will slap you in the face. This is where Victorian Era lit meets show more SCI FI. Welcome to the world of “What if and what for.” show less
The War of the Worlds is the fourth book in this collection. What first appear as comets or shooting stars begin descending on London, detonating on impact and creating enormous craters. From the craters crawl Martians, armed with a devastating Heat Ray and mechanical spider-like conveyances. The Martians immediately set about destroying Great Britain, and presumably the rest of the world. All of the destruction and chaos is chronicled by one desperate man struggling for survival.
These classic Martians, with their unusual vehicles and weaponry, are fresh and interesting given the modern tendency to fashion extra-terrestrials after human forms. Unfortunately, the story and the prose are too mechanical and sterile, reading more like a show more schoolbook history than a first person account from the survivor of a brutal invasion. The other stories in the collection are more personal and emotionally driven.
2 bones!!
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells’ story of an evil scientist and the madman’s unnatural creations can be read on many different levels, including as pure horror. Many of the reviews correctly identify a Jonathon Swift-like satire of blind faith in religion, science, and class. But, if you’re in the mood to switch off critical thought, the novel pounds with fear. From shipwreck to chase to murder, Wells never slows the pace.
Bottom line: Read it as political and social commentary or as unadulterated fright fare.
4 bones!!!! show less
These classic Martians, with their unusual vehicles and weaponry, are fresh and interesting given the modern tendency to fashion extra-terrestrials after human forms. Unfortunately, the story and the prose are too mechanical and sterile, reading more like a show more schoolbook history than a first person account from the survivor of a brutal invasion. The other stories in the collection are more personal and emotionally driven.
2 bones!!
The Island of Dr. Moreau
Wells’ story of an evil scientist and the madman’s unnatural creations can be read on many different levels, including as pure horror. Many of the reviews correctly identify a Jonathon Swift-like satire of blind faith in religion, science, and class. But, if you’re in the mood to switch off critical thought, the novel pounds with fear. From shipwreck to chase to murder, Wells never slows the pace.
Bottom line: Read it as political and social commentary or as unadulterated fright fare.
4 bones!!!! show less
I read two stories out of this book. Technically I have not read the entire book. However the two stories i read were great and amazing! Here are my reviews of the stories:
The Time Machine - Excellent Read. It took me forever to read it due to it being sooooo detailed! But loved his adventure in the future with the cute little beings and the evil Morlocks. I did not expect the ending to be like that.
The Island of Dr. Moreau - I was pleasantly surprised that it was not the same as the Val Kilmer/Marlon Brando movie version. If you don't know, its a story about a man who comes upon an island full of animal/human monstrosities created by a mad doctor. Good story and superb ending. Just like in his other works, he shows how the real life show more reflects the crazy island Prendick was stranded upon. show less
The Time Machine - Excellent Read. It took me forever to read it due to it being sooooo detailed! But loved his adventure in the future with the cute little beings and the evil Morlocks. I did not expect the ending to be like that.
The Island of Dr. Moreau - I was pleasantly surprised that it was not the same as the Val Kilmer/Marlon Brando movie version. If you don't know, its a story about a man who comes upon an island full of animal/human monstrosities created by a mad doctor. Good story and superb ending. Just like in his other works, he shows how the real life show more reflects the crazy island Prendick was stranded upon. show less
Finally finished this fully. What a slog. Some of the stories were pretty good, I think, I mean I started it in 2012, would read some and then stick it back on the shelf, only to pick it up months or years later to knock off another story. Don’t remember much, but I do know the last couple were a bit trying to get through. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t bad, but the combination of the old English and his penchant for over explaining even the most mundane made for some struggle reading, skimming or even straight out skipping some sections.
Yep, I had to abort my Wells mission. I only wound up reading three of the stories in this collection, and got halfway through The War of the Worlds before ditching it out of boredom and disappointment. Seriously, I wanted more Martians and less, "The field was dark. The sky was clear. Soldiers were milling about. I could see my house. I was suddenly very angry. Then my anger passed, and I became elated. That, too, passed, and I returned to staring at my house. Oh, by the way, Martians invaded Britain. I looked out the window in my study..." Not an exact quote, obviously, but suffice it to say that the bland domestic description to alien action ratio was WAY off.
I'm going to include links to the three stories I did read in this show more collection, once I get done with reviewing them. A bit of background on this edition will also be coming up soon. show less
I'm going to include links to the three stories I did read in this show more collection, once I get done with reviewing them. A bit of background on this edition will also be coming up soon. show less
War of the Worlds - quintessential science fiction, one of the defining novels of the genre in the 19th century. [5/5]
Time Machine - another absolute classic with imaginative speculation about the future and sophisticated thought into future societal structures. [5/5]
Invisible Man - More of a social novel yet fantastic. [4.5/5]
Island of Dr. Moreau - intriguing story with a great twist and plenty of fodder for bioethical debate. [4.7/5]
First Men in the Moon - I like pre-1969 books about the Moon. This one is imaginative both in the device of transport and the flora/fauna of the moon. [4.0/5]
Food of the Gods - This one is pretty lame and suffers from Wells's failure to account for the mass square law. The social commentary was mediocre show more and the engineer was the best character. [3.0/5]
Days of the Comet - comet hits earth and turns it into a socialist paradise. The book kept building up "the Change" but ended up being anticlimactic. Well developed characters, though. [3.3/5]
Composite Score: 4.2/5 show less
Time Machine - another absolute classic with imaginative speculation about the future and sophisticated thought into future societal structures. [5/5]
Invisible Man - More of a social novel yet fantastic. [4.5/5]
Island of Dr. Moreau - intriguing story with a great twist and plenty of fodder for bioethical debate. [4.7/5]
First Men in the Moon - I like pre-1969 books about the Moon. This one is imaginative both in the device of transport and the flora/fauna of the moon. [4.0/5]
Food of the Gods - This one is pretty lame and suffers from Wells's failure to account for the mass square law. The social commentary was mediocre show more and the engineer was the best character. [3.0/5]
Days of the Comet - comet hits earth and turns it into a socialist paradise. The book kept building up "the Change" but ended up being anticlimactic. Well developed characters, though. [3.3/5]
Composite Score: 4.2/5 show less
H.G. Wells is one of the greatest science fiction writers of all time. This collection; which includes 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; are masterpieces. My favorite stories are The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds, probably because these were some of the first science fiction that I had seen and then read.
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Author Information
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H. G. Wells was born in Bromley, England on September 21, 1866. After a limited education, he was apprenticed to a draper, but soon found he wanted something more out of life. He read widely and got a position as a student assistant in a secondary school, eventually winning a scholarship to the Royal College of Science in South Kensington, where show more he studied biology. He graduated from London University in 1888 and became a science teacher. He also wrote for magazines. When his stories began to sell, he left teaching to write full time. He became an author best known for science fiction novels and comic novels. His science fiction novels include The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Wonderful Visit, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man, The First Men in the Moon, and The Food of the Gods. His comic novels include Love and Mr. Lewisham, Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, The History of Mr. Polly, and Tono-Bungay. He also wrote several short story collections including The Stolen Bacillus, The Plattner Story, and Tales of Space and Time. He died on August 13, 1946 at the age of 79. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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- Canonical title
- Seven Famous Novels of H. G. Wells: Time Machine / Island of Dr. Moreau / Invisible Man / War of the Worlds / First Men in the Moon / Food of the Gods / In the Days of the Comet
- Alternate titles
- Seven Famous Novels; H. G. Wells: Seven Novels; Complete Science Fiction Treasury of H. G. Wells
- Original publication date
- 1895: The Time Machine; 1896: The Island of Dr. Moreau; 1897: The Invisible Man; 1901: The First Men in the Moon; 1904: The Food of the Gods; 1906: In the Days of the Comet (show all 7); 1897: The War of the Worlds (serialised) - 1898: Book (serialised) (serialised | serialised)
- Related movies
- War of the Worlds (2005 | IMDb); The Time Machine (2002 | IMDb); The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996 | IMDb)
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"This is our home," he said smiling, and with thoughtful eyes on me.
- Disambiguation notice
- This work contains the seven H.G. Wells works listed in the Book description CK below, and should not be combined with any of the individual works.
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