Tag Archives: H.G. Wells

The Food of the Gods by H.G. Wells

January 4, 2020Book ReviewClassics, H.G. Wells, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the food of the gods

Title: The Food of the Gods
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 3 (On the fence about this one)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Science fiction
Dates read: 27th November – 5th December 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1904
5th sentence, 74th page: The Vicar seems to have stared at each severally, and to have prodded most of them with his stick once or twice.

What happens when science tampers with nature? A riveting, cautionary tale with disastrous results reveals the chilling answer.

Hoping to create a new growth agent for food with beneficial uses to mankind, two scientists find that the spread of the material is uncontrollable. Giant chickens, rats, and insects run amok, and children given the food stuffs experience incredible growth–and serious illnesses. Over the years, people who have eaten these specially treated foods find themselves unable to fit into a society where ignorance and hypocrisy rule. These “giants,” with their extraordinary mental powers, find themselves shut away from an older, more traditional society. Intolerance and hatred increase as the line of distinction between ordinary people and giants is drawn across communities and families.

One of H. G. Wells’ lesser-known works, The Food of the Gods has been retold many times in many forms since it was first published in 1904. The gripping, newly relevant tale combines fast-paced entertainment with social commentary as it considers the ethics involved in genetic engineering.

I didn’t actually get all the way through this. I ended up just taking out my bookmark with only a quarter left to go. It wasn’t bad, it was just so much less awesome than the other five H.G. Wells books that I’ve read in the past two months. There was just something about it that didn’t really pull me in. And, honestly, made this quite a forgettable story.

Having said all that, I am planning on rereading this again when I have a little more time. This is the crazy point of the year, and I’m racing to try and finish all of my yearly reading challenges… so I’m probably not putting the same amount of attention into the reading of some of these classics. I didn’t hate this enough to think that I wouldn’t ever want to pick it up again. I just won’t be rushing to either. Unlike The Invisible Man and the other five Wells novels that I’ve recently read.

The thing that I did really love about this story was the idea of “don’t mess with nature”. That scientists have to think about what they’re doing first and foremost. And just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.

<- The First Men in the Moon Review

The Time Machine Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

December 27, 2019Book ReviewClassics, H.G. Wells, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the first men in the moon

Title: The First Men in the Moon
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Science fiction
Dates read: 26th – 17th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1901
5th sentence, 74th page: “They’re not seeking us, or thinking of us.”

When penniless businessman Mr Bedford retreats to the Kent coast to write a play, he meets by chance the brilliant Dr Cavor, an absent-minded scientist on the brink of developing a material that blocks gravity. Cavor soon succeeds in his experiments, only to tell a stunned Bedford the invention makes possible one of the oldest dreams of humanity: a journey to the moon. With Bedford motivated by money, and Cavor by the desire for knowledge, the two embark on the expedition. But neither are prepared for what they find – a world of freezing nights, boiling days and sinister alien life, on which they may be trapped forever.

The second to last book in my H.G. Wells novel run. I seem to be ripping through them ridiculously quickly. It is yet another fun, engaging and thrilling read. Another tale that I loved and found ridiculously engaging. I think that the very mention of the moon made me feel light and floaty while reading this. Something that was a little more surreal than the other Wells books so far.

This is another story that I’m going to have to read another ten times to truly “get” what’s going on. There is just something ridiculously fun about the multi-layers in this story. The way that they’re built upon one another, so you’re not only taken on an adventure across the moon, in a battle with moon-Martians.

The characters in this novel are fun and witty. Which is why it’s understandable that this is such a well-known classic. They’re relatable and accessible. Easy to listen to and see. And definitely an enjoyable bunch of companions to take on the journey with you. Not the kind of book that I would leave collecting dust on my shelves – it’s going to be one that I’ll read again and again and again.

There’s not many stories in my collection that are based on the moon. Yet, it’s something that I am fascinated by. After all, we look up at it every night. And people have actually set foot on the moon…

<- The War of the Worlds Review

The Food of the Gods Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

December 26, 2019Book ReviewBook to Film, Classics, H.G. Wells, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the war of the worlds

Title: The War of the Worlds
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Classics, Science fiction
Dates read: 24th – 26th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1898
5th sentence, 74th page: Save for the sound we lay quite still in the scullery; I for my part scarce dared breathe, and sat with my eyes fixed on the faint light of the kitchen door.

With H.G. Wells’ other novels, The War of the Worlds was one of the first and greatest works of science fiction ever to be written. Even long before man had learned to fly, H.G. Wells wrote this story of the Martian attack on England. These unearthly creatures arrive in huge cylinders, from which they escape as soon as the metal is cool. The first falls near Woking and is regarded as a curiosity rather than a danger until the Martians climb out of it and kill many of the gaping crowd with a Heat-Ray. These unearthly creatures have heads four feet in diameter and colossal round bodies, and by manipulating two terrifying machines – the Handling Machine and the Fighting Machine – they are as versatile as humans and at the same time insuperable. They cause boundless destruction. The inhabitants of the Earth are powerless against them, and it looks as if the end of the World has come. But there is one factor which the Martians, in spite of their superior intelligence, have not reckoned on. It is this which brings about a miraculous conclusion to this famous work of the imagination.

This is a surprisingly intense story. The last few H.G. Wells books that I’ve read have felt a little more humorous, and so this one kind of took me by surprise. It is far more dark and dangerous. A little more serious and definitely one I’m going to have to read again multiple times to truly understand what I’ve actually been reading. Although, even on my first read through… I seriously enjoyed it and can completely understand why it is a classic!

I’m always a sucker for a first person POV. And it’s not something I tend to come across so much in classics that were written in the 1800s. Actually, off the top of my head, it’s the first classic of this era that I’ve enjoyed the first person POV. It gave a unique voice and feeling to the story that I really wasn’t expecting. And one I was kind of sad to close the pages on. Although, again, very different from the glimpses I’ve caught of the movie.

Although I absolutely ripped through this story and found it quite easy to get through. It was still quite an intense read. There is a lot going on throughout and there are multiple moments when you really just have to sit back and absorb what you’ve just read.

I can see the roots of a lot of modern stories in this novel. You can understand why Wells is one of the forefathers / founding fathers of the science fiction genre. I’m so glad that I’ve had the pleasure of reading this, and I look forward to pursuing it a few more times in my future.

<- The Invisible Man Review

The First Men in the Moon Review ->

Image source: New York Reviews

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

December 23, 2019Book ReviewClassics, H.G. Wells, Humour, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the invisible man

Title: The Invisible Man
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Humour, Science fiction
Dates read: 23rd – 24th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1897
5th sentence, 74th page: Finally all the chairs were turnhed up on to the counters, leaving the floor clear.

This masterpiece of science fiction is the fascinating story of Griffin, a scientist who creates a serum to render himself invisible, and his descent into madness that follows.

I remember first hearing the name Griffin in a TV show called Sanctuary. Griffin is the ancestor of the invisible girl in the story. I knew that it was a reference to classical literature (Griffin’s friends were John Druitt, Nikola Tesla & Dr. Watson), but I didn’t know which story and / or author. So when I started reading this H.G. Wells novel, I literally screamed with joy. I finally got to read the literature that included the character! And it was honestly far better than I had ever expected.

So far in my little H.G. Wells run that I seem to be having this month, this is definitely the most humorous of the tales. There is just something that is kind of sickly hilarious about an invisible man running around, trying to find a way to be “seen” again. There is a very serious undertone, but mostly I just found this funny and easy. It had me smiling at a time that I was really stressing, and for that I’m thankful. I also now have the fantastic image of a naked, sneezing, insane man running around. Which is definitely a weird, funny one to have in your head.

To top off the kind of hilarious imagery of a naked, sneezing man running about trying to find a way to be recognised is the fact that it all takes place in a tiny, quaint town. The juxtaposition is somewhat hilarious and the way it completely turns the world as it is known on its head… completely unforgettable and priceless. Although Griffin doesn’t truly start to crack until halfway through the story, even the lead up, and the slight hints are enough to leave you grinning.

Thus far, this is definitely my favourite H.G. Wells book. Not only is it very witty and humorous, it reminds us that we all need to be acknowledged and recognised. And if we’re not… well, we all go a little bit insane. Definitely a classic that I’ll be picking up again and again in the future.

<- The Island of Dr. Moreau Review

The War of the Worlds Review ->

Image source: Penguin Random House

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

December 17, 2019Book ReviewClassics, Easy Reading, H.G. Wells, Science Fictionskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the island of dr moreau

Title: the Island of Dr. Moreau
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Classics, Easy reading, Science fiction
Dates read: 2nd – 17th November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1895
5th sentence, 74th page: I dropped the whip and snatched at the pistol in my pocket; for I meant to kill this brute, the most formidable of any left now upon the island, at the first excuse.

Edward Prendick is shipwrecked in the Pacific. Rescued by Doctor Moreau’s assistant he is taken to the doctor’s island home where he discovers the doctor has been experimenting on the animal inhabitants of the island, creating bizarre proto-humans…

I really struggled to get all of the way through this novel. It wasn’t bad, I just really wasn’t in the mood for the convoluted nature that I’m beginning to associate with H.G. Wells’ writing. There’s always about a thousand things going on and some brilliant symbolism… which means that if I’m not quite as clued in as I’d like… it becomes more than a little difficult to truly get into the book. So, since I wanted to move another book out of my currently reading pile (it’s just getting beyond a joke at the moment), I decided to skim read through.

That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy this story. And I’ll definitely be reading it again. There was something that just sat below the surface of the words which was both haunting and brilliant. An excellent commentary on our world. and, more important to my own life, the status of science. Just because we can, it doesn’t mean that we should… but I’m never sure where the line is. I know that Dr. Moreau definitely crossed it… but that’s about the extent of my opinion on this to be honest.

There are a lot of stories which explore the question – who is more human? The man or the beast? This did so in a far more obvious and graphic manner than almost any of the stories that I’ve had the pleasure of reading so far. It was intense, gave me some incredibly visual consequences and a very intriguing adventure. One in which I’m pretty sure that I missed half of the integral points… after all, I was just skim reading and not 100% into it.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is one of those stories that I’m not going to forget anytime soon. There is something hauntingly familiar about it while it manages to be completely unique and impossible to forget. Although, I did keep thinking about one of the Spy Kids movies while I was reading it… the one with the nutty scientist alone on an island filled with his own creations…

<- The Time Machine Review

The Invisible Man Review ->

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The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

December 2, 2019Book ReviewBook to Film, Classics, H.G. Wells, Science Fiction, Time Travelskyebjenner

Image result for book cover the time machine

Title: The Time Machine
Author: H.G. Wells
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Book to Film, Classics, Science fiction, Time travel
Dates read: 11th October – 1st November 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Cantebury Classics
Year: 1895
5th sentence, 74th page: There were, perhaps, a couple of hundred people dining in the hall, and most of them, seated as near to me as they could come, were watching me with interest, their little eyes shining over the fruit they were eating.

“I’ve had a most amazing time….”

So begins the Time Traveller’s astonishing firsthand account of his journey 800,000 years beyond his own era—and the story that launched H.G. Wells’s successful career and earned him his reputation as the father of science fiction. With a speculative leap that still fires the imagination, Wells sends his brave explorer to face a future burdened with our greatest hopes…and our darkest fears. A pull of the Time Machine’s lever propels him to the age of a slowly dying Earth. There he discovers two bizarre races—the ethereal Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks—who not only symbolize the duality of human nature, but offer a terrifying portrait of the men of tomorrow as well. Published in 1895, this masterpiece of invention captivated readers on the threshold of a new century. Thanks to Wells’s expert storytelling and provocative insight, The Time Machine will continue to enthrall readers for generations to come.

This novel was nothing like what I expected. Probably because I expected it to be like the movie that I saw when I was much younger. Tip: this is NOTHING like the movie. It’s brilliant, and engaging and not the kind of story that I’m going to forget, but I may as well have had no connection between the movie and the book – because there is really nothing common between the two.

I’ve slowly been working my way through the pile of classics in my shelves. I love reading them, but sometimes they can be a bit of a hard slog just because of the difference in language style. Yet, somehow, even though this was written 1895, it is the most approachable classic I’ve ever read. Something about the language and style is more contemporary than many other classics. Which makes it a good introduction for many who haven’t really delved into the world of classics.

This is an intensely scientific novel. Some of the theories and discussions in here are ones that I’ve read about or heard from other science academics. Mind boggling theories which make time travel sound completely plausible. And terrifyingly likely. Maybe not something that we necessarily want to begin to play with.

The symbolic paths that humanity could take are beautifully represented in this story. if we went the “higher” path described, our society would be governed by prettiness. Yet, if we take the under path, our lives would be ruled by mechanical industry. As to which route we’re going to take… I just hope that global warming doesn’t destroy the world before our ancestors can find out.

<- The Food of the Gods Review

The Island of Dr. Moreau Review ->