Description
H.G. Wells, "the father of modern science fiction," continues to stir the imaginations of countless readers today all over the world. Contained in this single volume are seven of his most brilliant science fiction novels that unquestionably rank with the finest classics of English literature.
First and foremost these short novels are to be enjoyed simply for the spirit of adventure, romance, and fantasy that pervades them. To H.G. Wells, they were as compel- ling as, "a good gripping dream," but what he did not fully realize was that they also uncannily depicted the promises and dangers of the social and technological revolutions of the twentieth century.
In his fascinating preface, Wells puts forth his political and creative convictions on the writing of science fiction and describes these tales: "...for anyone who does not as yet know anything of my work it will probably be more agreeable to begin with The Invisible Man (the disastrous and ultimately tragic adventures of an ambitious young man who makes himself invisible).The Island of Dr. Moreau is an exercise in youthful blasphemy. Now and then, the universe projects itself towards me in a hideous grimace. It grimaced that time, and I did my best to express my vision of the aimless torture in creation. The War of the Worlds like The Time Machine was another assault on human self-satisfaction... These three books are consciously grim, under the influence of Swift's tradition. But I am neither a pessimist nor an optimist at bottom.
ISBN:9780517052259
