H. G. Wells (1866 – 1946) was a prolific writer who is commonly called the “Father of Science Fiction”. Actually, he shares that title with Jules Verne, but he is well known for his early science fiction writings. Throughout his life, he was a Socialist and a Pacifist. Below are some of his most famous works.
“War of the Worlds” (1898): This book is perhaps, HG Wells most famous work. It tells the story of a Martian invasion of Earth. Martian machines, called tripods because they walk on three legs, begin landing all over the world. Military forces from all over the world begin to mobilize to counter the threat. Unfortunately for the defenders, Earth’s military forces are outmatched by the powerful Tripods. This story has been adapted to film several times.
“The Time Machine” (1895): The story about an inventor, who creates a machine which enables him to move through time. He takes his machine into the distant future and finds that the future of man is not all that rosy. Man has devolved into the “Eloi”, which had become subservient to the more powerful, but evil “Morlocks”.
“The Invisible Man” (1897): The story about a scientist named Griffin who develops a serum that will refract light around a subject, rendering him invisible. Griffin tries the serum on himself and he becomes invisible. Unfortunately, while he can become invisible, he cannot develop a procedure that will reverse the process. As a result, he becomes mentally unstable and goes mad.
“First Men in the Moon” (1901): This novel is similar to the popular 1867 work of Jules Verne: “From the Earth to the Moon”. It tells the story of two men, businessman Mr. Bedford and eccentric scientist, Dr. Cavour. Dr. Cavour develops an element that allows a ship to become lighter than air and travel in space. The two men travel to the moon and find that the moon is inhabited with creatures they call “Sellenites”.
“The Island of Dr. Moreau” (1896): Yet another HG Wells story about a mad scientist. Dr. Moreau inhabits an island, where he experiments on life. He attempts to create and change life. His experiments lead to the creation of strange creatures with features of both man and animal. The mad Dr. Moreau eventually falls prey to the life he created.
“In the Days of the Comet” (1906): This is a Utopian novel that starts with the World at a heightened state of alert and on the brink of war. A comet passes near the Earth and the planet passes through the Comet’s tail. After breathing the air, humanity begins to become peaceful and Utopian. Weapons of war are eliminated and crime is essentially wiped out.
These are some of HG Wells finest works. Most have been adapted to film and can be seen regularly on TV.