Showing results by author "H.G. Wells" in All Categories

In 1901, Mr. Bedford has taken a relaxing sabbatical to Lympne, to work on completing the writing of his latest play. He intends to enjoy a relaxing, inspiring time away from the usual concerns of daily life. That all changes when he meets Mr. Cavor, a rather eccentric scientist whose ideas may...

Mr. Bensington and Professor Redwood have invented a substance that causes living things to grow - and grow - and grow! As their experiments progress, the substance quickly gets out of control and the fun begins as insects and plants receive the benefit of the Food of the Gods. Surely nobody would dream of feeding such a thing to a human child… would they? In this little-known science fiction satire, Wells takes potshots at every member of society: scientists, ministers, charitable heiresses, revolutionaries, and everyone in between. Yet in the end, Wells shows his faith both in humanity and...

In 1896 HG Wells produced the Island of Doctor Moreau. After a fateful shipwreck, a chance rescue, and offer of safe harbor, Edward Prendick must contend with a dark science. A man of science, Prendick must wrestle with the ethics of its passions. His inner struggle is illuminated by the island's outward horrors. Central to the themes are ethics, principles, and the extent of human compassion. This science fiction icon argues the true question of science: Could the cure be more dangerous than the disease? (Summary by Tom Haire )

A mysterious, bandaged stranger arrives in the small English village of Iping - and chaos follows close behind. H.G. Wells' classic story of obsession, murder, and science run amok. (Summary by Andrew Gaunce)

The story is set in a Utopian future. On an excursion, Sarnac, relates his vivid dream to his friends and recounts how he lived the entire life of one Harry Mortimer Smith, an Englishman from times past, in his dream. - Summary by Sonia

If the valley has no eyes, how does it know exactly where you are hiding? Three ruthless horsemen ride deep into a sun-bleached wasteland, driven by a cruel obsession to capture a runaway girl. But as they track their prey across the scorched earth, the oppressive silence of the desert is broken...

A mermaid contrives to have herself "rescued from drowning" and adopted by a respectable family on the English coast. Her motive, which she conceals for quite a while, is to win the heart of a handsome but irresponsible young man whom she glimpsed when he went swimming in the Pacific. Introduced into polite society as an invalid, she proves to be intelligent and charming, but as an immortal she regards the concerns of the English gentry with critical detachment. The young man, who is already engaged, falls under her spell and begins to doubt the importance of the political career into which ...

The novel tells the story of a journey to the Moon undertaken by the two protagonists: a businessman narrator, Mr. Bedford; and an eccentric scientist, Mr. Cavor. Bedford and Cavor discover that the Moon is inhabited by a sophisticated extraterrestrial civilisation of insect-like creatures they call "Selenites". - Summary by Cliff Stone

Radioactive decay is a major theme in the novel The World Set Free, published in 1914. Wells explores what might happen if the rate of decay could be sped up. The book may have encouraged scientists to explore theories of nuclear chain reaction. It also served as a vehicle for Wells to develop his ideas on survival of the human race. (Summary by Bill Boerst)

H.G. Wells had so much fun playing with his children on the floor of their playroom, he decided to write a jovial little book to inspire other parents in their pursuit of quality time with the kids. While the raw materials available from hobby stores of his day were woefully short of the variety and quality of what can be bought easily now, he and his sons created their own worlds to rule. This short work describes two games of imagination played out upon the floor of his home - an archipelago of islands, and a thoroughly integrated city, conveniently organized with two mayoral positions for ...

A series of travel essays by one of the most well known antiquarian authors focused on America and its persistent social, economic and developmental problems. (Summary by Christine Rottger) The language and ideas in this book reflect the period in which it was written. Librivox does not censor works recorded. Some readers and listeners may be offended.

Select Conversations with an Uncle, published in 1895, was H.G. Wells's first literary publication in book form. It consists of reports of twelve conversations between a fictional witty uncle who has returned to London from South Africa with "a certain affluence," as well as two other conversations (one on aestheticism that takes place in a train, titled "A Misunderstood Artist," and another on physiognomy, titled "The Man with a Nose") - Summary by Wikipedia

Although best known for his works of science fiction, social commentary and history, H.G. Wells here gives us humorous and light-hearted pieces on a wide variety of intriguing topics from chess to death. Each essay is a gem of wit and delight. - Summary by Larry Wilson

Have you ever passed a shop that wasn't there the day before? When Gip and his father step off the mundane pavement of Regent Street and into the "Genuine Magic Shop," they expect nothing more than card tricks and glass balls. But inside, the mirrors distort more than just reflections, and the...

One split-second mistake. One impossible choice. How far would you go to secure your future? Hill is a brilliant student from a humble background, fighting to prove his worth in a world of silver spoons and academic prestige. His biggest obstacle? The wealthy, effortless Wedderburn. Their...

A Living Relic. A Tropical Prison. A Fight for the Top of the Food Chain. Butcher thought he’d struck it rich when he pulled a set of colossal, perfectly preserved eggs from the prehistoric mud of a Madagascar swamp - specimens from the extinct Aepyornis, a bird that dwarfed the tallest man...

He was her "perfect" gentleman - until he decided she wasn't "lady" enough. Jane is a devoted housemaid who spent three years building a future around William. She beamed with pride as he climbed from shop porter to a "gentleman" in silk hats, never realizing he was climbing right out of her...

What if the most dangerous predator on Earth isn't human - and it’s finally stopped hiding?" A leisurely cliffside walk in Devonshire spirals into a primal fight for survival when Mr. Fison witnesses a scene of alien gore. Those aren't sea birds scavenging on the rocks; they are the...

"Before there were robots, there was the Dynamo - and it was hungry." In the heart of a Victorian electric shed, amidst a deafening roar of iron and steam, sits the Big Dynamo. To the cruel engineer Holroyd, it is just a powerful tool of the modern world. But to his mistreated assistant...

What would you do with a thousand hours in every minute? Imagine a world where time doesn't just crawl - it stops. Professor Gibberne has unlocked the ultimate human boundary with his "New Accelerator," a stimulant so potent it renders the rest of humanity as motionless as stone. One drop of...