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In the next 50 years he produced more than 80 books. His novel The Time Machine (1895) mingled science, adventure, and political comment. Later works in this genre include: The Invisible Man (1897) The War of the Worlds When the Sleeper Awakes (1899) The First Men in the Moon (1901) A Modern Utopia (1905) The Shape of Things to Come (1933). Wells also wrote novels devoted to character delineation. Among these are Kipps (1905) and The History of Mr. Polly (1910), which depict members of the lower middle class and their aspirations. Both recall the world of Wells's youth; the first tells the story of a struggling teacher, the second portrays a draper's assistant. Many of Wells's other books can be categorized as thesis novels. Among these are Ann Veronica (1909), promoting women's rights; Tono-Bungay (1909), attacking irresponsible capitalists; and Mr. Britling Sees It Through (1916), depicting the average Englishman's reaction to war. After World War I (1914-1918) Wells wrote an immensely popular historical work, The Outline of History (2 volumes, 1920).
Throughout his long life Wells was deeply concerned with and wrote voluminously about the survival of contemporary society. For a time he was a member of the Fabian Society. He envisioned a utopia in which the vast and frightening material forces available to modern men and women would be rationally controlled for progress and for the equal good of all. Some critics have said his later works were increasingly pessimistic and that the author was in despair at the end of his life. '42 to '44 (1944) castigated most world leaders of the period; Mind at the End of Its Tether (1945) expressed the author's doubts about the ability of humankind to survive. Not all commentators concur with this view (see the excellent 'H.G.: The History of Mr Wells', by Michael Foot). Wells also wrote An Experiment in Autobiography (1934). He died August 13, 1946, in London.
Wells is still a popular and influencial figure in English literature. In 1998 he is read and loved by thousands around the world, just as he was in his day. A number of film versions of his books have been made, including "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (see below), there have been a large number of biographies published on his life and many of his novels have recently been reprinted. There is even a themed restaurant based on his writings. A thriving H.G.Wells Society was set up in the 1960's.
What can you say about H. G. Wells.
He has one of the most legitimate claims to the often bestowed title "Father
of Science Fiction". He originated several standard SF concepts (the
time machine & aliens invading Earth, among others) and help synthesize
many earlier elements into one genre. His early work is still quite
readable and is recommended. His later work (after about 1905) suffers
from the tendency to do more
sermonising than story telling.
He also wrote several popular mainstream novels (which have faded into
obscurity), a popular history of the world, and many non-fiction works
in his role as social critic.
The renowned author, Jules Verne and H.G.Wells vigourously denied that the other had any influence on their work. (Wells accused Verne of being unable to write his way out of wet paper bag; while Verne accused
Wells of scientifically implausable
ideas. It's interesting to see this conflict continue in SF up to
the present day).
One can get a good core collection
of Wells in just two thick volumes:
"Seven Science Fiction Novels"
& "The Famous Short Stories of H.G. Wells",
nearly 1900 pages of good reading.
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The Time Machine [1895]
The Island of Dr. Moreau [1896]
The Invisible Man [1897]
The War of the Worlds [1898]
The First Men in the Moon [1901]
The Food of the Gods [1904]
In the Days of the Comet [1906]
The Famous Short Stories of H.G. Wells
The Time Machine, and Other Stories [1895, 1963] [C]
The Stolen Bacillus and Other Incidents [1895, 1930] [C]
The Plattner Story and Others [1897] [C]
Tales of Space and Time [1899] [C]
Twelve Stories and a Dream [1903] [C]
The Wonderful Visit [1895]
Thirty Strange Stories [1897] [C]
When the Sleeper Wakes [1899] [aka "The Sleeper Wakes"]
The Sea Lady [1902]
A Modern Utopia [1905]
The Country of the Blind and Other Stories [1911, 1947] [C]
The Door in the Wall and Other Stories [1911] [C]
The World Set Free [1914]
The Undying Fire [1919]
Tales of the Unexpected [1922] [C]
Tales of Life and Adventure [1923] [C]
Tales of Wonder [1923] [C]
The Dream [1924]
The Empire of the Ants and Other Stories [1925] [C]
The War in the Air [1926] [C]
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island [1928]
The Treasure in the Forest [1929] [C] [abr. from "The Stolen Bacillus"]
The Autocracy of Mr. Parham [1930]
The Stolen Body, and Other Tales of the Unexpected [1931] [C]
The Man Who Could Work Miracles [1931] [C]
Selections From the Early Prose Work of H.G. Wells [1931] [C]
The Shape of Things To Come [1933]
Things to Come [1935] [movie based on "The Shape of Things To Come"]
The Croquet Player [1936]
The Man Who Could Work Miracles [1936] [based on movie]
The Camford Visitation [1937]
The Favorite Short Stories of H. G. Wells
The Star-Begotten [1937]
The Brothers [1938]
The Holy Terror [1939]
All Aboard For Arat [1940]
Short Stories of H. G. Wells, first series [1940] [C]
28 Science Fiction Stories [1952] [C]
The Time Machine; and, The Man Who Could Work Miracles [1953] [O]
The War of the Worlds; and, The Time Machine [1956] [O]
Selected Short Stories of H.G. Wells [1958] [C] [abr. from "Famous"]
Best Stories of H.G. Wells [1960] [C]
Three Prophetic Novels [1960] [O] [contains "The Time Machine", "A
Story of the Days to Come", "When the Sleeper Wakes"]
The Invisible Man; and, The War of the Worlds [1962]
Three Novels [1963] [O] [contains "The Time Machine", "The War of the
Worlds", "The Island of Doctor Moreau"]
The War of the Worlds; In the Days of the Comet;
The Food of the Gods [1963]
The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and Selected Short
Stories [1963]
The Valley of Spiders [1964] [C]
The Cone [1965] [C]
The Inexperienced Ghost and Nine Other Stories [1965] [C]
Best Science Fiction Stories of H.G. Wells [1966]
The Collector's Books of Science Fiction by H. G. Wells [1978]
One of H.G.Wells' most memorable and movie depicted novels is "The Island of Dr. Moreau".
On a lonely island in the Pacific, the victims of a shipwreck wash ashore. They find a land like no other--a private empire populated by grotesque human-like creatures and ruled by a sinister scientist. A classic tale of horror--even more relevant in an era of genetic manipulation.
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