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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
The main protagonist of Men Like Gods is Mr Barnstaple, a careful driver and depressive journalist writing for The Liberal newspaper. It is to his consternation, therefore, that while carefully motoring along the Maidenhead road he skids on a bend and finds himself in another world altogether - in short, a supposed Utopia. This Utopia has its own socialist government and is very similar to the Earth. However, as pathogens have been eliminated the newly arrived visitors from Earth pose a grave threat to the Utopians by compromising their already weak immune systems. The people from earth find themselves being quarantined until a solution to this problem can be found. As no progress is being made many begin to resent this isolation and before long some plot to take over Utopia. Mr Barnstaple finds himself a total outsider, both with the Utopians and his fellow earthlings, and escapes from the quarantine castle just as the Earthlings' revolt begins. How can he survive in this Utopia and how can he get back to his Earth?Men Like Gods was first published in 1923. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

More realistic than some of his utopias...
You end up in a new world - because of magic or hypnosis or some kind of accident.You learn about the native lifestyle and come back to your normal world, wiser, with knowledge to help all mankind.
Boring, seen in a hundred other books.But this is slightly different.Slightly more realistic than even some ofMr. Wells' own versions of utopia.
Because in this one the Earthlings bring illness and evil ideas to Eden.Yes, the flawed Earthlings bring death and destruction to Utopia and what are the goodie-goodie natives going to do about it?
I also love how Wells hints at the fact that while the people of utopia are well meaning and nice, they do seem to treat the Earthlings as lower creatures.After all they ARE Superior.By the end of the book, in fact, only the flawed or the very young show any interest in the main character from Earth.They have moved beyond us, to the point where even some of the ideas they have do not translate, and they see us as early examples of flawed humans.Like we may look at a pet ape.
Unlike his work, A Modern Utopia (Forgotten Books), this just feels more realistic and, sometimes, even has a touch of humor.This is just how people would act if they were dropped into a utopia.Sad to say I feel this hits our soul and ideals, or lack of them, right on the nose.
Enjoy!

Uncommon and Worth the Read
Almost everyone knows of H. G. Wells' other works like The Time Machine, but this book, never as popular and certainly mentally deeper, is really the way to get a look into this renowned author's mind.

As another has mentioned, this isn't so much a high science romance but rather a story that incorporates social philosophy. It is a social philosophy almost entirely 180 degrees out from my own. And just to get it out and over with, yes; there are a lot of misconceptions regarding evolution, biology and science. To enjoy the story, it is necessary to make the same exceptions for those misconceptions as we happily make for errors regarding electricity while reading Frankenstein.

Our main character is what we would refer to as a typical middle class working stiff. He suffers the same discontentment that many today do with children growing up not exactly the way we would wish for them, a spouse that is less than exciting after all these years, a boss he doesn't respect and a job he detests going to. Sound familiar? An impromptu holiday winds up quickly as an accidental push into a sort of parallel dimension with all the others who traveled the road near the same time. Their cars simply wind up in a new place after a bit of a jolt.

In this new place, the people are all perfectly formed, beautiful, supremely intelligent and telepathic. The story, which I won't ruin further by detailing, revolves around the inevitable clash of the "modern" human in a place that has eschewed all the things we consider worthwhile and made themselves infinitly superior. Needless to say, our hero develops the appropriate appreciation and awe and eventually returns home a different man. Should I detail further, I will certainly ruin the action that isn't at all sparse in the story.

I'll admit that I was very surprised by the book. I had pictured the author in different ways, as far as his ideas and opinions, but never like this. This is the socialist and communist dream made manifest. Of course, the problem with that delves down into our deepest pre-history and evolution but he couldn't know that. As primates who "collected" as our evolutionary advantage, we can no more leave behind the desire for personal property and the safety of objects than our need for oxygen to fuel our bodily processes. It is part and parcel of who we are.

The largely unspoken, but occassionally obvious use of eugenics and denial of parentage to achieve these aims is a bit frightening and may be difficult for modern sensibilities, but it was an openly discussed topic during that era and should be considered in that light.

Reading this book is a great idea for anyone who has an interest in H. G. Wells and his marvelous works because it does help to round out his viewpoints in other works. It's also a less P.C. work that allows a reader to pause and think of their own opinions as the story moves along and various philosophical points are brought to light by the action.

enlightening and enjoyable read
Men Like Gods by H. G. Wells. Published by MobileReference (mobi).

Truly a rare find, this book gives us a deeper insight into the life and times of the author, H.G. Wells. It does so indirectly, though, for it is not a book about his life as it was or about his world as he saw it, but rather a book about how certain characters respond to encountering a civilization other than their own. The characters were written by Wells in a way that reflects certain attitudes and moral values of his time. As such their feelings, their actions, their strengths and their foibles are commentary not only on their own society but on modern humanity as a whole.

A window into a mind...
Truly a rare find, this book gives us a deeper insight into the life and times of the author, H.G. Wells.It does so indirectly, though, for it is not a book about his life as it was or about his world as he saw it but rather a book about how certain characters respond to encountering a civilization other than their own.The characters were written by Wells in a way that reflects certain attitudes and moral values of his time.As such their feelings, their actions, their strengths and their foibles are commentary not only on their own society but on modern humanity as a whole.

Another reviewer on this board has given this book a poor rating, seemingly because the utopian ideal depicted in the book is not possible nor scientifically logical.While that is certainly the case, is "The Time Machine" any less enjoyable becuase temporal physics doesn't work the way Wells writes it as working?Is "The Lord of the Rings" any less enjoyable because there are no such things as elves?

When reading this book I would not suggest that you look upon it as a plan for building a utopian future.It is fantasy and not a guide to world-building.Instead, look at the idea of perfection Wells puts forth... look at the things he sees lacking in his own society and wishes somehow could magically become part of it.Look on this work not as a treatise on how to make the the world perfect, but rather as an author's delving into the reality of the human condition and his hopes and fears of what that condition could become... not through evolution but through the power of the mind to change who we are.

If you read it in that light, I think you will find it both enlightening and enjoyable to read.

Another Misguided Utopia
I like Wells' SF books. This one has a SF aspect to it, but it is primarily a work of social philosophy. British travelers are accidently transported into another dimension, where human beings live a life of productive labor, sociability (no one is too introspective), lack of private property, and almost complete nudity. According to Wells, this is paradise, and people here are not much different from Gods. It turns out that in this dimension, civilization had taken almost exactly the same course as it did on our Earth. The differences are superficial. Then at some point during the industrial age, a great transformation began to take place. Over the course of a hundred or so generations, private property in all but personal things was abolished, there were no more sexual preditors, and people have become open with strangers in their thoughts and actions. They have also become much taller, stronger, much more beautiful and intelligent.

This utopia relies on the Lamarckian misconception of biological evolution, where acquired improvements are transmitted to the next generation, culminating in a generation of God-like human beings. It also relies on the misconception that private property is at the root of societal evils and that people would want to get rid of it for good. ... Read more

Product Description
Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Uninformative wishful thinking masquerading as serious analysis
In this book, author and political thinker Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) posits that the world was at that time moving rapidly towards a socialist, one-world government. Examining various trends then occurring, he found that this movement was overwhelmingly supported by the bulk of the world's population, and he went on to suggest how the new world order would function and what it would look like.

This book was first published in 1939, when Mr. Wells was into his 70s. By this time in his life, he was already considered behind the times, and this book clearly shows that. He is surprisingly attached to the Nazism, which he imagines as a step in Germany's movement from democratic capitalism towards international socialism. (It wasn't until the end of the war that he found out that the SS had compiled a list of prominent Britons to be liquidated after Operation Sea Lion, and that near the top was his own name!)

In point of fact, what this book is is Wells' taking his love of international socialism and viewing then-current trends with the idea that everyone else was as enamored of it as he was. The analysis, seen from seventy years on, looks more like wishful thinking than like clear-eyed analysis. He was correct in his view of the dangers of Russia's "Tyranny of the Proletariat," but he failed to understand the nature of the men in charge of the Soviet Union - writing, for example, "Stalin, I believe, is honest and benevolent in intention..."

But, does it now, in the twenty-first century appear that Wells was right, and that the world is moving towards a socialist, one-world government? And, does that not mean that this book is as prescient as any of Wells's other works? I would argue that it doesn't, and that while trends may be moving towards one-world socialism, that Wells did not truly understand what was going on in his world and what the changes then occurring were and what they meant.

Overall, I found the book to be uninformative wishful thinking masquerading as serious analysis. It does not tell you anything about what was happening in 1939, nor does it tell you anything about how we got to today and where the world is going. I think that the book is an interesting look into Mr. Wells' worldview, but one that has nothing for anyone who is not interested in him personally. As such, I do not recommend this book.

Well Ahead and Moving Faster Than Ever
George H. W. Bush had less knowledge about the "New World Order" than H.G.Wells himself.This is probably true of most of the neo-cons that are pushing this concept for America and Planet World.Look Around People!The New World Order is being established NOW FOR YOU AND YOUR GRANDCHILDREN! ... Read more

Product Description
This book includes all the public-domain novels of the Father of Science Fiction, H.G. Wells. So you will find these books in only one volume at an extraordinary price:
* Ann Veronica
* The First Men in the Moon
* The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
* The History of Mr Polly
* The Invisible Man
* The Island of Dr Moreau
* Kipps
* Love and Mr Lewisham
* The Sleeper Awakes
* The Time Machine
* Tono-Bungay
* The War in the Air
* The War of the Worlds
* The Wheels of Chance
* The World Set Free

Additionally we included The New Machiavelli. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Great book to read to 2nd grader
Great series to introduce the classics to young children.This series takes great novels and retells them in more easy-to-understand language that 1st through 3rd graders should be able to understand easily.

Some titles in this series are better than others.Although not my favorite (the story is kind of silly), my son absolutely loved it.He loved it when I read to him, and he begged me to continue when it was time to stop.Some of the discussion questions at the end were wonderful, and it was very fun to discuss them with my son.

Personally, in this series, I enjoyed Prince and the Pauper better, and my son loved that title as well.

Really, if you are looking for an engaging chapter book for a 2nd grader, or older, this is a great place to start.

used for 3rd grade boy book club
All the boys loved the book, it is written at a level they could all handle, discussion question in back were very helpful guiding discussion, also had boys listen to the War of the Worlds radio show...that had them enthralled!!!!

keeping it interesting
Read it with my 3rd grader and could not put it down. He was enthusiastic to read chapter after chapter.

GREAT TO GET A GUY READING AT AGE19
HE LOVED TO READ THESE CLASSICS AS THEY WERE QUICK AND HE FELT ACCOMPLISHED READING CLASSIC NOVELS. A GREAT BOOK FOR A GUY! ... Read more

Product Description
H.G. Well's 1898 science fiction classic, The War of the Worlds, tapped into society's fears about worldwide security and an impending war in Europe. However, it wasn't until forty years later that The War of the Worlds became infamous. On October 30, 1938, the United States was certain that it was under siege by vicious Martians. Thousands of people called the police, many ran from their homes in terror, and some even sought medical attention for shock and hysteria. Martians weren't really invading: Orson Welles, a famous actor, was performing a radio dramatization of The War of the Worlds that conviced listeners an invasion could happen anytime and anywhere. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

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This Prestwick House Literary Touchstone Classic™ includes a glossary and reader’s notes to help the modern reader contend with Wells’ vocabulary, use of science, and British references.Originally written for a magazine in 1897, The War of the Worlds became an instant, popular favorite. Long before our modern fascination with flying saucers and brightly glowing UFOs, H. G. Wells anticipated a close encounter between puny Earthlings and seemingly all-powerful Martians.A flash of light observed coming from the red planet sets the stage for a terrifying invasion, against which Earth’s modern weapons are useless. Throughout the epic battle, Wells points out that humans just might not have the talent or ability to defeat an extraterrestrial rival. Could we become slaves to a race of alien monsters? Will their heat-ray destroy all of London and decimate the rest of civilization? Can one man save the world? The War of the Worlds is a science fiction masterpiece that has fascinated us for more than a century, through at least three different movies, the infamous Orson Welles radio broadcast, and even a Broadway musical. Few books have captured the popular imagination as forcefully as this H. G. Wells novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

"...this world was being watched keenly and closely..."
We are in 1898 England. Yep we see something happening on the surface of Mars. Later what looks like a meteor comes to earth. Once we realize the significant of the situation (or think we do) Different people approach the situation in different ways. The true story is how the different people meet the situation.

Many people want to equate this story with real potential invasions others as the bad guys vs. the good guys. However from the very first we see that they are the greater (more evolved) intelligence and we are the equivalent of vermin or the ants that are being held under the magnifying glass. From our point of view they seem like cruel creatures, from theirs is indifference. Their way of consuming nourishment is appalling yet look at what and how we eat.

The writing its self is of the time in which Wells lived so the descriptions of our world may seem a little alien to today's younger readers. However, the suspense is still there and the story will hold their attention.

Do not miss the 1953 movie. Even thought it adds more religious overtones it is still pretty much the same story with similar characters. Of course, this one names the narrator and adds a love interest.


The War of the Worlds (Special Collector's Edition)
... Read more

Product Description
Ann Veronica
Anticipations Of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress
Certain Personal Matters
The Country of the Blind, And Other Stories
The Door in the Wall And Other Stories
An Englishman Looks at the World
First and Last Things
The First Men In The Moon
Floor Games; a companion volume to "Little Wars"
The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth
God The Invisible King
The History of Mr. Polly
In the Days of the Comet
In The Fourth Year, Anticipations of a World Peace (1918)
The Invisible Man
The Island of Doctor Moreau
Little Wars; a game for boys
Love and Mr. Lewisham
Mankind in the Making
A Modern Utopia
Mr. Britling Sees It Through
The New Machiavelli
The Research Magnificent
The Secret Places of the Heart
The Sleeper Awakes
Soul of a Bishop
The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents
Tales of Space and Time
The Time Machine
Tono Bungay
Twelve Stories and a Dream
War and the Future
The War in the Air
The War of the Worlds
What is Coming?
The Wheels of Chance
When the Sleeper Wakes
The World Set Free
... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more

Customer Reviews (35)

A keeper
A worthwhile addition to the library of any family who has members who want encyclopedic oversight to what has happened in the existence of Homo Sapiens with modest detail.

Misleading Ad
The ad indicated that I would receive the 2 volume set, but I just received 1 volume.

This Is the Good Stuff
If you're looking for a concise history of the world without all the Negrified Egyptians and other revisionist PC lies that masquerade as history these days, then look no further. This book is all that and a masterpiece in it's own right. As others have noted, the archeology and prehistory in the beginning of the book is rather out-of-date, but if you get one of the later editions, many of the more serious errors, such as the information about Piltdown Man, will have been corrected. And even if you get one of the earlier editions it's still a minor flaw as this is a book mainly about history, and only about a hundred pages are dedicated to prehistory in the beginning of the book as prologue.

After you get done with this, if you want to read a more exhaustive history of the world, check out Will Durant's Story of Civilization series. Admittedly, both Durant and Wells have their own biases (what historians don't?), but what makes their work such a delight to read is that they're utterly, deliciously free of the monolithic cultural Marxism and stultifying political correctness which seems to pervade every book published in the U.S. within the last 20 years. In fact, these will probably be among the books banned and burned by the Clintons and Obamas of the world when they finally figure out a way to get around the First Amendment, so buy 'em now, while you can.

Theory is out of date
This book is an interesting example of how a well-educated European between the wars evaluated history, but its theories have been discredited by subsequent events, and the problems go far deeper than the use of the word "Aryan".For example, Wells said that the "natural" division of Europe into nations was to group people by language.Two decades later Hitler was to use this theory to invade neighboring countries to "rescue" German-speaking communities. And when Wells talks about "communities of will", doesn't that remind you of the Nazi propaganda movie TRIUMPH OF THE WILL?Of course Wells didn't agree with the Nazi Germans; he was just being naive.

1920 Edition!
Note that the Kindle version offered here for a dollar is the original 1920 edition, complete with errors about the Piltdown man really existing, and so on. This is the first book-length published edition; it was later updated right up to Wells's death and beyond. I understand from Wikipedia that the lastest update is 2005, more than fifty years after Wells died. This edition is interesting, though even IT is not the very first: the very first was a series of about twenty magazine installments from the year before. It probably has a lot less ghostwriting than later editions, too; Wells acknowledged that he used ghostwriters later. But those of you who are looking for a recent edition might feel ripped off. ... Read more

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A scientist invents a machine that carries him into the future. While there, he discovers a race of gentle humans.He also meets some evil creatures.Even worse, his Time Machine is trapped deep inside their secret caverns. ... Read more

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First published in Britain and America in 1915 under the pseudonym Reginald Bliss, Boon (its full subtitle being the Mind of the Race, the Wild Asses of the Devil, and the Last Trump: Being a First Selection From the Literary Remains of George Boon, Appropriate to the Times. Prepared for Publication by Reginald Bliss, with an Ambiguous Introduction by H. G. Wells) is a caustic satire aimed at those who engage in literary pomposity and pretentious high-mindedness, and shows the bitter side of H. G. Wells.The New York Times, in July 1915, described the book as 'a criticism of literature and thought, of the lives of men and their defensive instinct, constantly at war with "all the great de-individualizing things, with Faith, with Science, with Truth, with Beauty".Boon is presented as a 'superannuated man of letters' supposedly killed in the Great War, but when Bliss - his self-appointed 'literary executor' - discovers that Boon's literary 'remains' are no more than a few sketches and jottings, he constructs a narrative from his own thoughts on Boon, his friends, conversations they had, and reconstructs from memory never-written works that Boon had described to him.Among these pieces is the infamous parody of the late style of Henry James, all the more effective for being so distinctive a target. Describing James as the 'culmination of the superficial type', it is not surprising that the 'indiscreet, ill-advised' content of Boon, as Wells describes it in his 'Introduction', put a serious strain on the relationship between the two authors. ... Read more

Product Description
Two books in one, this volume contains both of H. G. Wells' most popular science fiction classics: The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds.

Journey with the Time Traveller to the distant future where the beautiful, decadent Eloi and the vile Morlocks hold the earth in their sway.

The War of the Worlds remains the definitive tale of the first encounter and clash of alien and human civilizations. When the Martian cylinders fall from the sky and release the terrible tripod fighting machines, it seems that earth's invaders are bent entirely on the extermination of humanity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

HG Wells CD
Very good CD's...I am a teacher, and I played them for my students when we were studying science fiction, as I wanted to expose them to the classics.They read along with a book, and it went very well!

A Thrilling Book!
The Time Machine, is a thrilling book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. One Reason, you wont want to put this book about is, all the action that goes on in each chapter. Another reason, is it gives us hope that we could change things. H.G. Wells writes about the dreams that most people have of building a real working time machine. Everyone, at some point in their lives have wondered what it would be like if we could go back or forward in time. H.G. Wells makes that dream come true for us. In the book, the Time Traveler went into the future, and he was very disappointed at what he saw. He saw that the people of the future were very uneducated. They had the mentality of a 4-year-old. It makes the Time Traveler appreciate the period of time he came from. I would recommend this book, because it shows us that no matter how much our world is struggling, we should appreciate the time we live in. God is in control and he puts us exactly were we need to be.

Two classic tales by the socially critical master
These two tales are a MUST for anyone who loves Wells's work.Its far-sightedness, its intuitive feel for "things to come," the sparkling lucidity of his prose, his dry wit...not to be missed.And ifanything, both tales, dealing as they do with future alternatives wewouldn't wish on ourselves, remain dangerously relevant as warnings of whatwill happen if we don't manage the present with greater thoughtfulness andforesightedness. ... Read more

Product Description
This book has DirectLink Technology built into the formatting. This means that we have made it easy for you to navigate the various chapters of this book. Some other versions of this book may not have the DirectLink technology built into them. We can guarantee that if you buy this version of the book it will be formatted perfectly on your Kindle. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Ahead of his time.
The stories of H. G. Wells are mind-bending when you realize he was writing science fiction, which has now become science.Amazing stories.Amazing man!

A Must for science fiction fans
By some measures, H.G. Wells is not a great writer.Certainly, his characters are for the most part, shallow and - outside of a particular few - rather unmemorable and his plots are often of secondary consideration.At times, he could be preachy.He was less interested in good storytelling than in ideas.But what makes Wells stand out is less his writing style than what he wrote; he is, in a way the Father of Science Fiction.Sure, there were others who wrote science fiction before him, but I feel he was the man who really made it a distinct genre.

This omnibus edition contains Wells's greatest novels along with a couple of others that are of lesser significance but are still definitely science fiction.First off is The Time Machine, probably his most famous novel.An unnamed inventor develops a time machine and relates to his friends about his trip to the future.Most of his visit is spend several hundred thousand years from now, when mankind has divided into two distinct races:the gentle but frail and ignorant Eloi and the savage but clever Morlocks.

Evolution also plays a part in The Island of Dr. Moreau, wherein the title character tries to force it upon various animals, trying to make humans out of beasts.This touches on one of the most prevalent of all science fiction themes, namely that when scientists try to play God, bad things usually happen (or put another way, there are some things that man is not meant to know).At least Frankenstein had lofty goals; Moreau merely does his often sadistic acts to gain greater knowledge for its own sake.

Griffin, the title character in The Invisible Man, also goes too far in his pursuit of knowledge, but at least he is his own victim.Invisibility, he quickly learns, has its fair share of inconveniences, and, in addition, he begins to develop a sense of megalomania.This novel has more than its fair share of humor.

War of the Worlds, however, is more serious.An early alien invasion story, it is also Wells's condemnation of imperialism, with the British on the wrong end of a conquest.The ending of this story is well-known but if you're unfamiliar with it, I won't spoil it; suffice it to say, it was one of the great, ironic conclusions in literature.

The First Men in the Moon is another satire, this one having two characters using a special gravity-repellent material to devise a spaceship that takes them to the Moon.There, they find things much more habitable than science would later show, complete with atmosphere and an intelligent race called Selenites.The Selenites live underground in vast caverns, so the humans are indeed the first men IN the Moon, not merely ON it.

The last two novels are less well-known.Food of the Gods is passably good satire about a substance that causes animals and plants to grow to incredible sizes.Once again, scientists play God with disastrous results, as the Food of the Gods spreads beyond all control.Giant rats and wasps are bad enough, but eventually giant children (the Food only affects immature life) grow into giant adults, threatening their smaller but far more numerous fellow people.In the Days of the Comet is the weakest in the set, a story about a comet that imbues Earth in a strange green mist that removes violent impulses and creates a Socialist paradise; it is Wells at his preachiest and many may disagree with the supposed perfection of his utopia.Ironically, the narrator in this story is one of Wells's most well-developed characters, a young man who is driven by jealousy into an almost murderous rage.

It is hard to judge these novels strictly by today's standards, just as it isn't fair to be critical of old movies if their special effects are inferior to those of the present.Certainly, the style of these stories is a bit dry and slow-moving to a modern reader.Nonetheless, these novels have a value beyond mere literary quality; for a fan of science fiction, this is well worth the read as it provided the foundation for much of the sci-fi out there today.

Great literature and great science fiction
This fascinating book is a collection of seven of H.G. Wells' (1866-1946) works of science fiction. Originally published in 1934, this book contains a preface by the great H.G. himself. After that, the book goes right into the stories, all of which are thought-provoking and quite interesting to read. Mr. Wells did not simply write stories to entertain; instead, each one uses the scientific angle to teach a lesson.

So, if you are a fan of great literature, or great science fiction, then this book is for you. I highly recommend it. By the way, the seven stories in this book are:

The Time Machine - 1895 - A dinner party is disrupted when the host arrives all disheveled, and telling what he found when he ventured into the far future.

The Island of Dr. Moreau - 1896 - A castaway finds himself on an island inhabited by unnatural seeming people and ruled by a mad scientist.

The Invisible Man - 1897 - When a strange, bandaged man moves into town, tongues begin to wag. But, when strange things begin to happen, the town soon finds itself facing a nightmare in the form of an invisible man.

The War of the Worlds - 1898 - The Martians have exhausted the resources of their planet, and decide to take the Earth as their new home. Can man, with his most advanced technology hope to stop the Martians with their much more advanced technology?

The First Men in the Moon - 1901 - When an adventurous young man and an eccentric inventor use a fantastic invention to travel to the Moon, they find more than they bargained for.

The Food of the Gods - 1904 - A newly discovered food has a strange effect, it makes those that consume it grow to monstrous proportions. And, when it gets accidentally released, a new breed of humans is born. But, in the socially constricted world of the time, where do they fit in?

In the Days of the Comet - 1906 - As the creaking world of the old order begins to come apart at the seams, a comet is pointed right towards the Earth - it is a wake up call for the entire human race.

Wells' seven most famous SF novels in one volume
While this is by no means a complete collection of Wells' science fiction, it does consist of his most famous seven novels: 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.Bonus features include a short preface written by the author and several original illustrations from each book's initial publication.The typeface is a little unusual in that the text is presented in two columns per page, but this format does hark back to the old style of book and magazine publication.The novels are arranged in chronological order, but Wells suggests in his preface that those not yet familiar with any of his work may be better served by first reading The Invisible Man or War of the Worlds.While I have reviewed the novels included here individually, I thought it important to at least make clear exactly what this collection consists of.If you can find this book it is an excellent buy, particularly so for those just discovering H.G. Wells.

A grear idea for any science fiction book lover
Normally, I do not like Well's work.But, these were some of his best.I have not been able to find a better place to find these books.They are a great read to even people who have never heard of him.I recomend buyingthis book, I know I liked it. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Woman's experience as written by a man
I'm as familiar as the average person in the U.S. with the work of H.G. Wells; that is, I've seen several movies based on his work, but haven't actually had time to read him until now.After the relentless misuse of vocabulary and grammar so prevalent in many of the free Kindle books I've experienced, it was a luxury to read something which was beautifully written AND phrased in way that was both correct and occasionally challenging.(Anyone else out there hearing the word "euphuistic" for the first time?)
Ann Veronica is a young Englishwoman in her twenties, living in London and its environs atthe peak of the suffragist movement.She is both intelligent and beautiful, and not devoid of intellectual ambition, all of which gives her many challenges to overcome.Her father is limited, limiting and repressive, her aunt is a slave to notions of propriety, she is misperceived and misunderstood by most of the men with whom she comes into contact, and her youth and sheltered background make it difficult for her to know what she wants and balance it with what is available to her.
I found this book interesting for several reasons - its setting during a period of social and political turmoil, the coming-of-age narrative, etc., but I'm always intrigued when an author sets out to unfold the inner life of a character not of their own gender. In my opinion, Wells did a very respectable job.Clearly, his powers of imagination weren't limited to scientific inventions or futuristic creatures;he was also able to imagine with clarity and precision what it would be like to be another normal human who happened to be completely different from himself.

"Why can't they be like we were perfect in every way?"
"What's the matter with kids today?"

Ann Veronica "Vee" asks the question "why can't a woman be like a man" and sets out to find out why. She discovers all sorts of men, some stuffy and some devious. She may one day stumble over the perfect man.She tries to be independent and is thwarted at every turn; that is until she realizes there are better things to do than just compete.

We get to grow with Vee and go through several long dissertations, Ayn Rand style, over politics freedom, love, equality, and whatnot.All the talk loses its way and with dumb luck returns to the story. We are treated to a travelogue and scratch ourselves with a long talk about the prison dingies. Just as it, starts to get interest the story stops dead in the middle of a thought.

The story is ok and some of the subjects brought up are still relevant today.However, if you look a little closer the story as with much fiction is just a venue to express H.G's concepts of free love.
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Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
One Wednesday afternoon in late September, Ann Veronica Stanley came down from London in a state of solemn excitement and quite resolved to have things out with her father that very evening. She had trembled on the verge of such a resolution before, but this time quite definitely she made it. A crisis had been reached, and she was almost glad it had been reached. She made up her mind in the train home that it should be a decisive crisis. It is for that reason that this novel begins with her there, and neither earlier nor later, for it is the history of this crisis and its consequences that this novel has to tell. She had a compartment to herself in the train from London to Morningside Park, and she sat with both her feet on the seat in an attitude that would certainly have distressed her mother to see, and horrified her grandmother beyond measure; she sat with her knees up to her chin and her hands clasped before them, and she was so lost in thought that she discovered with a start, from a lettered lamp, that she was at Morningside Park, and thought she was moving out of the station, whereas she was only moving in. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

"Why can't they be like we were perfect in every way?"
"What's the matter with kids today?"

Ann Veronica "Vee" asks the question "why can't a woman be like a man" and sets out to find out why. She discovers all sorts of men, some stuffy and some devious. She may one day stumble over the perfect man.She tries to be independent and is thwarted at every turn; that is until she realizes there are better things to do than just compete.

We get to grow with Vee and go through several long dissertations, Ayn Rand style, over politics freedom, love, equality, and whatnot.All the talk loses its way and with dumb luck returns to the story. We are treated to a travelogue and scratch ourselves with a long talk about the prison dingies. Just as it, starts to get interest the story stops dead in the middle of a thought.

The story is ok and some of the subjects brought up are still relevant today.However, if you look a little closer the story as with much fiction is just a venue to express H.G's concepts of free love.

"Why can't they be like we were perfect in every way?"
"What's the matter with kids today?"

Ann Veronica "Vee" asks the question "why can't a woman be like a man" and sets out to find out why. She discovers all sorts of men, some stuffy and some devious. She may one day stumble over the perfect man.She tries to be independent and is thwarted at every turn; that is until she realizes there are better things to do than just compete.

We get to grow with Vee and go through several long dissertations, Ayn Rand style, over politics freedom, love, equality, and whatnot.All the talk loses its way and with dumb luck returns to the story. We are treated to a travelogue and scratch ourselves with a long talk about the prison dingies. Just as it, starts to get interest the story stops dead in the middle of a thought.

The story is ok and some of the subjects brought up are still relevant today.However, if you look a little closer the story as with much fiction is just a venue to express H.G's concepts of free love.

"Why can't they be like we were perfect in every way?"
"What's the matter with kids today?"

Ann Veronica "Vee" asks the question "why can't a woman be like a man" and sets out to find out why. She discovers all sorts of men, some stuffy and some devious. She may one day stumble over the perfect man.She tries to be independent and is thwarted at every turn; that is until she realizes there are better things to do than just compete.

We get to grow with Vee and go through several long dissertations, Ayn Rand style, over politics freedom, love, equality, and whatnot.All the talk loses its way and with dumb luck returns to the story. We are treated to a travelogue and scratch ourselves with a long talk about the prison dingies. Just as it, starts to get interest the story stops dead in the middle of a thought.

The story is ok and some of the subjects brought up are still relevant today.However, if you look a little closer the story as with much fiction is just a venue to express H.G's concepts of free love.

"Why can't they be like we were perfect in every way?"
"What's the matter with kids today?"

Ann Veronica "Vee" asks the question "why can't a woman be like a man" and sets out to find out why. She discovers all sorts of men, some stuffy and some devious. She may one day stumble over the perfect man.She tries to be independent and is thwarted at every turn; that is until she realizes there are better things to do than just compete.

We get to grow with Vee and go through several long dissertations, Ayn Rand style, over politics freedom, love, equality, and whatnot.All the talk loses its way and with dumb luck returns to the story. We are treated to a travelogue and scratch ourselves with a long talk about the prison dingies. Just as it, starts to get interest the story stops dead in the middle of a thought.

The story is ok and some of the subjects brought up are still relevant today.However, if you look a little closer the story as with much fiction is just a venue to express H.G's concepts of free love.

You can read the details behind H.G. philosophy in his writings "First and Last Things: A Confession of Faith and Rule of Life"

First and Last Things: A Confession of Faith and Rule of Life (Dodo Press)

A great novel
I'm not much of a novel reader, especially of realistic fiction.But I wanted to read this one, just to see how HG Wells handled such a novel.I was also intrigued with the themes I'd read were involved.

I immediately felt at home in the milieu of the novel. And though male myself, I completely identified with the young female protagonist, a college student in biology who leaves home to strike out on her own.In the process, she finds out about the ups and downs of "real life".The story is told almost exclusively from her point of view.Of course, the setting is now 100 years ago, but there was almost nothing in the novel that truly dated it.All the characters had motivations and acted in ways that seem completely contemporary today.I became completely enthralled with Ann Veronica's life and adventures, even staying up late to finish the book.She became a real person to me.

In terms of this edition of the book, not only are there end notes explaining allusions and other points, but also there is a very useful glossary included which defines unusual words.Of course, there is also a helpful introduction by a contemporaty critic, as well as a preface Wells wrote to an edition of the book published in the 1920s.

I can easily see this novel being adapted for Masterpiece Theatre.With enough publicity, I think it could become a top seller again today.It is definitely a story for the ages.


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